To control a USB user device through a web page? Possible?

Question

I am wondering if there is a way to create an asp.net webpage that will connect a visitors USB device to an application on a Windows database server? Thus, we do not need to install software on a visitor computer to control the updating of USB devices that they buy from us.

All they need to do is visit our update page, connect them to USB and update our site using usb equipment.

Possible? or am I dreaming? :)

I found software like: USB over IP and several others. But do not show whether it is possible to create an ASP.net page in C # or vb.net to control visitors' USB devices.

Please inform.

Answer 1

In general, web pages and scripts that run in browsers are limited in what local system resources they can receive. Direct access to hardware, such as USB devices, has obvious security implications.

The only way I can do this can be ActiveX control (IE only, I think) or some other browser plugin.

Answer 2

One possibility is to create a web server on a USB device. Give the device access to the Internet and ask it to download its own firmware in a process controlled through the web page that the USB device serves.

Please note that I have no idea if this is really possible, I just thought that I would take this different look at the problem.

Answer 3

The only way I can imagine is JAVA

EDIT: It looks like there might be an ActiveX way, although ActiveX is just Internet Explorer, which limits its usability.

Answer 4

You can create an ActiveX / .NETcontrol / Java Applet that does this.

Granting rights to this thing to access local devices will require a certain security setting, which can be automated, but in any case, some user consent / interaction is required

Answer 5

I see two ways here:

• ActiveX Control

  The problem is that the user must first download and install ActiveX from the Internet web server or from a local file

• USB device driver + DHCP server + Web server embedded in the Device

  Your USB device, after connecting, should present itself as a "Virtual Ethernet Interface" for Windows to add the driver to the list of Internet connections.

  The device must also have a DHCP server in order to provide Windows with an IP address. Beware of the fact

  The USB device must also have an HTTP server.

  At the end of this process, Windows will have 2 IP addresses.

  Now you need to figure out how IE points to the device index.html file.

• Buy / Find Commercial Software

  You are not the first guy on this planet who looks like requirements.