--- title: USB Pass Through for the Raspberry Pi Thin Client description: A practical guide to enabling USB pass-through on a Raspberry Pi thin client using the SPICE protocol with Proxmox. Covers adding SPICE USB ports in Proxmox VM... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/usb-pass-through-for-the-raspberry-pi-thin-client-lkksevwj3 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: USB Pass Through for the Raspberry Pi Thin Client | daily.dev og:description: A practical guide to enabling USB pass-through on a Raspberry Pi thin client using the SPICE protocol with Proxmox. Covers adding SPICE USB ports in Proxmox VM... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/usb-pass-through-for-the-raspberry-pi-thin-client-lkksevwj3 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/lKkSeVwj3.png og:image:alt: USB Pass Through for the Raspberry Pi Thin Client og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # USB Pass Through for the Raspberry Pi Thin Client **[apalrd's adventures](https://daily.dev/sources/apalrd)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A practical guide to enabling USB pass-through on a Raspberry Pi thin client using the SPICE protocol with Proxmox. Covers adding SPICE USB ports in Proxmox VM settings, configuring remote-viewer to switch from kiosk to full-screen mode, identifying internal USB devices (like the Ethernet chip on Pi Model B variants) to exclude from redirection, and writing SPICE USB redirection rules to automatically redirect devices while blocking HID and Ethernet adapters. Also compares SPICE USB redirection to VNC and RDP alternatives. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I add SPICE USB ports in Proxmox for USB redirection to a VM? In Proxmox, open the VM's Hardware panel and add USB ports, selecting 'SPICE' as the type. Each port allows one USB device to be redirected from the client. USB2 is recommended over USB3 for reliability, and in a thin client setup the network bandwidth rarely justifies USB3 anyway. The VM must be restarted to change the number of ports, but existing ports can be remapped while running. _Builders setting up Proxmox thin clients find the latest SPICE and USB redirection tips on daily.dev._ ### How do I prevent the Raspberry Pi Ethernet adapter from being passed through when using SPICE USB redirection? On Raspberry Pi Model B variants (except Pi 4), the Ethernet chip shares the internal USB bus. Run lsusb to find its vendor/product ID — on a Pi 1 it is 0424:ec00 (SMSC9512/9514). Then write a SPICE redirection rule that explicitly blocks that ID, for example: 0x03,-1,-1,-1,0|-1,0x0424,0xec00,-1,0|-1,-1,-1,-1,1, which blocks HID devices, blocks the Ethernet adapter, and passes everything else. _Raspberry Pi homelab setups like this get discussed regularly on daily.dev._ ### How does SPICE USB redirection compare to RDP and VNC for Linux VMs? SPICE USB redirection is built into the protocol and works with all guest OSes including Linux, even as far back as Windows XP. VNC has no standard USB redirection support (Proxmox VNC does not support it). RDP supports both high-level and low-level USB redirection but it is disabled by default, requires group policy changes, and does not work natively with Linux guests. _Developers choosing between VDI protocols for Linux guests track these trade-offs on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I thought my Proxmox server was slow until I changed this setting](https://daily.dev/posts/i-thought-my-proxmox-server-was-slow-until-i-changed-this-setting-9dtndv14c) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [SSH Over USB On A Raspberry Pi](https://daily.dev/posts/ssh-over-usb-on-a-raspberry-pi-2xznvnvte) · Hackaday · 11 upvotes · 0 comments - [I turned a Raspberry Pi and mini PC into a portable homelab that fits in my backpack](https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-a-raspberry-pi-and-mini-pc-into-a-portable-homelab-that-fits-in-my-backpack-gx3dfzsev) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [PICOTTY project enables multi-target serial remote management through Raspberry Pi Pico boards and Pi Zero 2 W SBC](https://daily.dev/posts/picotty-project-enables-multi-target-serial-remote-management-through-raspberry-pi-pico-boards-and-p-rcor7ceva) · CNX Software · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#raspberry-pi](https://daily.dev/tags/raspberry-pi), [#proxmox](https://daily.dev/tags/proxmox) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/usb-pass-through-for-the-raspberry-pi-thin-client-lkksevwj3) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"USB Pass Through for the Raspberry Pi Thin Client","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/usb-pass-through-for-the-raspberry-pi-thin-client-lkksevwj3","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/usb-pass-through-for-the-raspberry-pi-thin-client-lkksevwj3"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:53:58.766Z","dateModified":"2026-08-11T09:13:58.605Z","description":"A practical guide to enabling USB pass-through on a Raspberry Pi thin client using the SPICE protocol with Proxmox. 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