Watchguard Web Portal USB devices

Lenny_LAWLenny_LAW
in Firebox - VPN Mobile User

Hi All

I hope this is the correct area and we are currently getting our staff mobile due to recent events and they are using the Watchguard web portal to access their PC in the office.

It's all working well apart from our secretaries need to use their foot pedal which is used for them to do dictations. It's a USB pedal and when they plug it into their home PC and log in to their remote computer through the web portal, the pedal is not recognised on the remote PC.

I did some tests in the office and I did a standard RDP to a remote PC and it gave me the option to use the pedal and it all worked.

Is it possible to use USB devices on a local machine that can then be recognised on a remote PC when using the web portal?

We can't use the SSL VPN program on the local machine as it's their home PC and don't want to install software on there.

Thanks

Lenny

Comments

  • james.carsonjames.carson Moderator, WatchGuard Representative

    Hello @Lenny_LAW
    Are you using the Access Portal feature with remote desktop?

    Access portal will allow keyboard/mouse input, but does not support anything else. If you can confirm that's what you're using as well as some more details about the foot pedal (can you provide a link to some of them, perhaps at a store or somewhere that provides specifications for them), I'd be happy to make a feature request for it.

    If installing software is a concern, I'd suggest possibly using the L2TP or IKEv2 Mobile VPNs, which use the built in OS's VPN clients.

    -James Carson
    WatchGuard Customer Support

  • Lenny_LAWLenny_LAW

    Hi James

    Thank you for responding and yes they're using the access portal. The foot pedals they use for dictation are like this:

    https://www.dmcl.co.uk/products/olympus-rs28h-foot-control?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0J6h2Muz6AIVDbDtCh2hwgFaEAQYAyABEgIG6vD_BwE

    I'm not too sure about how to use the using the L2TP or IKEv2 Mobile VPNs, are there any instructions on how to set these up?

    Thanks again for all your help.

    Lenny

  • james.carsonjames.carson Moderator, WatchGuard Representative
    edited March 2020

    Hi @Lenny_LAW

    The USB pedal, in this case, registers as a USB HID device on the end user's computer. Inside of the web browser, there's no way to bring that input across via JavaScript, which is what allows Access Portal to work.

    Access portal's RDP function is based on a customized version of several open-source pieces of software, which don't support this due to that limitation.

    If the USB pedal can be programmed to emulate a keyboard, and press a button (make a keystroke), then it can be sent across the access portal. The same limitation applies to a USB bar code scanner type device. If it's a keyboard wedge (emulates a keyboard) and just types in what it decoded, it'll send across access portal, whereas a device that shows up as its own device will not.

    Our help article here goes over each VPN type, as well as how to configure it:
    https://www.watchguard.com/help/docs/help-center/en-US/Content/en-US/Fireware/mvpn/general/mobile_vpn_types_c.html

    Both IKEv2 and L2TP VPNs can be set up on supported Windows workstations without installing any software via these steps.

    edit: grammar correction

    Thank you,

    -James Carson
    WatchGuard Customer Support

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