Remote Access software with USB Redirect or Biometrics?

Question

Are there any pieces of software that allow USB redirection or work with biometrics? I want to plug in a fingerprint scanner on my computer and use it on a remote pc.

Answer 1

A lot depends on the Operating System being run at both ends of the connection but for a Windows 7 machine running as your session the default Remote Desktop Connection can forward local devices to the remote machine as explained here but not all remote machines will accept those connections and it may also depend on your privileges on the remote machine. If you are plugging in a device that the remote machine has never seen before and you do not have the rights to install new hardware then it will not work.

To make sure that the instructions do not move I am duplicating them below, (these are for Win 7 but I suspect other versions of Windows will be similar).

To redirect devices and resources

1. Open Remote Desktop Connection by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Remote Desktop Connection, and then, in the list of results, click Remote Desktop Connection.

2. Click Options, and then click the Local Resources tab.

3. Under Local devices and resources, select the devices or resources you want to redirect.

4. To see additional devices, or to redirect Plug and Play devices or drives and devices that you plug in later, click More.

5. To redirect supported Plug and Play devices, under Local devices and resources, double-click Other supported Plug and Play (PnP) devices.

   The Plug and Play devices that support redirection and are currently plugged in appear in this list.

6. To redirect supported USB devices, under Local devices and resources, double-click Other supported RemoteFX USB devices. The USB devices that support redirection and are currently plugged in appear in this list.

7. Select the check box next to each device that you want to redirect.

8. To automatically redirect drives or devices that you plug in or connect to in the future, under Local devices and resources, double-click Drives, and then click Drives that I plug in later. – or – Double-click Other supported Plug and Play (PnP) devices, and then click Devices that I plug in later.