Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a dongle device for providing services at a network device, such as a gateway device. The dongle device includes a connector configured to connect the dongle device to a network device that performs packet switching in and out of a network and/or within the network. The connector has a power pin configured to receive a power supply from the network device to power up the dongle device, and a data pin configured to enable the dongle device to communicate with the network device. The dongle device further includes a processor configured to provide a service in the network after the dongle device is powered up.