4 PC to 1 USB 2.0 Device ABCD Switch Box (Printer, Scanner, etc...)
by CblWhl
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Our Price: $8.46
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Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: CE
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CblWhlModel: 40141A
Product features:
- USB Product
- USB Switch Boxes
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of 4 PC to 1 USB 2.0 Device ABCD Switch Box (Printer, Scanner, etc...)
Customer Review: Worked as Expected with one minor glitch
Summary: 5 Stars
This unit was a plug and play that allows different computers to get manually switched to share a peripheral, like a printer. I got ambitious and put a usb hub so that theoretically 4 computers could 4 different peripherals. I found that I hit some limitation here. Some of the computers in the network recognized the switchbox and the usb hub and others did not. When I tested some, they worked okay when I bypassed either the usb hub or the switchbox. Some computers could configure to handle all three (the peripheral, the usb hub, and the switchbox) and some were not able to. I suspected in one case that it was the need to rely on the usb port as a power source that was limiting what one computer could handle (this one had a usb extension as well!). I do not blame the product for this, though, and that is why it still gets five stars. It did okay when I pushed it beyond just one peripheral and it did work for the most part, just not perfectly. Another thing is to make sure that you have the right cables. I do not know the exact terminology, but the part that goes into the computer is the usual flat usb plug and the part that goes into the switchbox is the next smaller size that looks like a window with a rounded top. These can be bought if you do not have them and they are a significant cost if you get them retail and need 4 of them. I seem to manage to pick them up at thrift stores and computer part recycle places at a lower cost. The product description on Amazon did not mention the plugs needed, though they are implied. I assumed that the plugs were flat usbs on both sides and almost bought some in advance, but was glad I waited to see what was needed. You would also need a usb extension to add a usb hub (pick a short one if you can, so that the usb power is not weakened too much). I use mine to run a printer on two computers and use a usb memory stick to transfer files between them. I had two other computers, but as mentioned above they had a limit. I also found that when I put an external harddrive to share that Windows would have to read through the entire file contents to index it and it would get a little bogged down, and when I switched a way and back from the computer it would have to reindex each time (so I left it out of the loop). The Linux (Crunch Bang) OS did not have this issue and worked more smoothly with the external harddrive, but only on one of the four computers (the other one needed to have the external plug directly into a usb port to work right and could not do it through the switch box and usb or even just the switch box, it seems that the Linux OS configured differently in a Dell and HP computer, with the HP handling more options better). All in all, I liked it and just wanted to give a caveat for those who are planning to push it beyond sharing one peripheral.
Description of 4 PC to 1 USB 2.0 Device ABCD Switch Box (Printer, Scanner, etc...)
This device is very useful if you have four computers you need to share to a single device. No more hassle of disconnecting and reconnecting USB cables.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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