Dev.to
7/24/2026

Mouse over WiFi
Short summary
The author uses netevent, a 130KB binary, to forward USB mouse input events over a network via SSH instead of forwarding the USB device itself. They evolve a quick SSH pipe into a robust systemd socket-activated appliance using Tailscale for transport security, DynamicUser for least-privilege access to /dev/input, and socat on the client side. The solution avoids sudo rules, long-lived root processes, and LAN exposure while handling connection lifecycle cleanly.
- •netevent streams input events over TCP instead of forwarding USB devices, avoiding usbip complexity
- •Systemd socket activation with Tailscale binding provides secure, encrypted, auto-lifecycle-managed mouse sharing
- •DynamicUser with SupplementaryGroups=input eliminates need for permanent sudo or root access
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
Is this a good recommendation for you?


