Share 3D mouse over RDP

Although 3D mouse is a relatively recent addition to the family of input devices, they are already widely used by those who work with 3D imagery (design, graphics, digital media, etc.). These devices are often called 3D motion controllers, 3D navigation or 6DOF devices, in the latter 6DOF, stands for ‘six degrees of freedom’ referring to the freedom of movement in 3D space.

These mice help you navigate in three dimensions space, thanks to their ability to ‘pan/ zoom’, ‘tilt/ spin/ roll’ they allow you to merge movements and streamline your workflow. Although the essential functionality of these devices remains the same, 3D mice vary when it comes to their additional features.

If you are a happy owner of such a device or planning to purchase one, sooner or later you will come across a situation when you need to access a 3D mouse over remote desktop. The catch here is that remote protocols do not support USB devices. What do you do then? How do you access 3D mouse in RDP or is there a way to share 3D mouse in this environment? There is.

This is how you can access USB 3D mouse in Remote Desktop session:

1. Download and install USB Network Gate on the machine that needs access to 3D mouse via RDP and the machine that provides such access.
   
   
2. Use USB cable to connect the mouse, now navigate to ‘Devices’ and find the mouse in the list of available devices. Click ‘Settings’ next to it and see if there is anything you need to change – port numbers, encryption, etc., click ‘Share’ next.
   
   
3. Now the mouse is displayed in the list of shared devices on machines that have USB Network Gate installed on them – locate it in ‘Devices’ list and click ‘Connect’.
   
   
4. That’s it - 3D mouse in the remote desktop is now available for you to use.

The user-friendly interface of this 3D mouse redirector is a pleasant bonus that makes working with USB Network Gate an enjoyable experience, especially when sharing other devices like gaming controllers. Here you can find a handy article on how to connect gaming controller over RDP.

But what if you work in the multi-user environment and would like to isolate your 3D mouse from other remote desktop sessions? For that, USB Network Gate offers the advanced feature of USB device isolation that will allow you to make the shared 3D mouse only available to you.