Make a Wireless USB Device Server with a Raspberry Pi

Make a Wireless USB Device Server with a Raspberry Pi
By Coolshrimp Modz — tested with a Pi 3B and LS1300/K13 Lite style printers

This guide shows how to use a Raspberry Pi as a wireless USB bridge for printers or devices that only have a USB port. It uses the VirtualHere USB Server to share any USB device over your Wi-Fi or LAN — great for printers with drivers like the LS1300/K13 Lite that need a direct USB connection.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 3B or newer (Pi 4 recommended for high speed)
• Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit)
• Wi-Fi or Ethernet network
• USB printer or USB device (example: K13 Lite DTF printer)
• Windows PC for printing
• Internet connection for setup

Step 1 — Flash Raspberry Pi OS

Use the Raspberry Pi Imager to write Raspberry Pi OS to your SD card. Download it here: Raspberry Pi Imager (official).

1. Open the Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer.
2. Choose OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit) (under "Other"), then edit the config:
   • Set hostname: vhserver
   • Enable SSH
   • Add your Wi-Fi SSID + password (or use Ethernet)
   • Set a username/password (example: pi / changeme)
3. Flash the SD card and insert it into the Pi.
4. Power up and let it boot fully.

Step 2 — Connect via SSH

Download PuTTY here: PuTTY (official). Open a terminal or PuTTY and connect:

ssh pi@vhserver.local

(If that fails, use your Pi's IP, e.g. ssh pi@192.168.0.198.)

Then update the system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3 — Install VirtualHere Server

Run these commands:

sudo apt install curl -y
sudo curl -o /usr/local/bin/vhusbdarm \
 https://www.virtualhere.com/sites/default/files/usbserver/vhusbdarm
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/vhusbdarm

Create a service so it runs automatically:

sudo bash -c 'cat >/etc/systemd/system/vhusbd.service <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=VirtualHere USB Server
After=network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/vhusbdarm -b
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF'
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now vhusbd

Confirm it's running:

sudo systemctl status vhusbd

You should see active (running).

Step 4 — Plug in Your Printer

Connect the printer's USB cable to the Pi and check detection:

lsusb

You should see something like:

Bus 001 Device 004: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics HL-340 USB-Serial adapter

That means your LS1300/K13 Lite printer is detected.

Step 5 — Install VirtualHere Client on Windows

Download from: VirtualHere USB Client. Run the program — it should auto-detect your Pi (vhserver) on the left side. Right-click your printer → Use this device. Windows now loads the printer driver as if it were plugged in locally.

Step 6 — Make It Automatic

Right-click your printer again → Auto-Use Device. This makes it auto-connect every time you start Windows. To run it silently:

• Place a shortcut to VirtualHere Client in your Windows Startup folder (open Run and type shell:startup), or
• Install the "Client Service" version from the same download page.

Done!

You now have a fully wireless USB hub. Your PC thinks the printer is connected by USB, but it's actually going through your Pi. Open the VirtualHere Client when you need to print if you didn't set it to autostart.

Written by Coolshrimp — coolshrimpmodz.com