I use the switch for my remote mouse and keyboard. Here are two things I learnt which might help other KBM users:
1. Responsiveness is unaffected.
I was worried the switch might dull the responsiveness of my mouse or create input lag when typing on my keyboard. Both are things I hate and I'm extremely sensitive to.
Thankfully there was nothing to worry about. My keyboard and mouse are just as responsive as plugging the receiver directly into my PC. If there is any difference, I certainly can't tell.
2. No software is required.
The switch is plugged into two computers: my PC and my work laptop. The latter cannot have any software installed on it without admin permissions, so I was happy to see the switch works fine without any software.
It really was as simple as "plug and play". I don't think Windows even attempted to find software for this device - none was needed,
UPDATE2: Had the replacement for a while now with no problems. Hoping it'll last, but so far so good.
UPDATE: Seller reached out to me and offered a replacement, which just arrived. Bumped to 3 stars based on proactive support, which I appreciate. Will update if I have more problems with the replacement.
I've had it less than a month, and it's already started to intermittently fail.
Worked great up till now.
Failure modes in 2 ways:
1. The mouse will "stick" and stop responding for about 1-2 seconds, once very 30-60 seconds. This comes back to normal by itself.
2. Intermittently (once every few minutes), it will stop working completely, and I have to switch the device setting to the other output, and back. During this failure, the device stops providing power and the light on the optical mouse goes out.
Note that I only have 2 devices connected:
1. MS Natural Keyboard 4000
2. MS optical Intellimouse
I have a Windows 10 based Laptop and Desktop PC. This Switch lets me use the same wireless mouse and wireless keyboard (one dongle) with both systems. Push the button, and the devices connect immediately to the other PC. Sweet !!
Good product, very easy to setup (plug in computers into 1 side, plug peripherals into other side, and bingo, 1 keyboard and mouse driving 2 computers). It switches quickly and easily. I would have given this 5 stars except the indicator light which shows which computer is currently connected is difficult to see unless the top of the switch is pointed directly at you.
Update. There's a simple fix: Using a 1/4" drill bit, with a very slow turning bit, drill down 3/8" on top of each of the 2 lights to just cut out the top case. Doing this with the case upside down prevents most drill debris from entering the plastic box.
See the results below. The LED's are very easy to see even in sunlight. Before you had to be close and looking directly into the light beam.
Amazing! I didn't even have to ask my husband to make it work. (for context, I still don't know how to work the VCR or find tv shows). It was totally obvious and worked immediately. Nothing to do other than plug everything in and go! UGreen, where have you been all my life! No more unplugging and plugging and weakening my USB ports!
Postscript: tested this at home (above review) and printer, scanner, labelmaker worked wonderfully on my dining room table experiment. Then I brought it to my office and couldn't get it to work. After much frustration and rejiggering of cables, I found a combination that worked - in part. It likes shorter cables. It also needed the extra power supply. I don't think it likes power hogs like printers unless you've got a short cable. Because I need a long cable to get between the two desks, I ultimately ended up buying a new printer so we don't have to try and share. So, this is now hooked up to the Dymo label printer and the Fujitsu Scansnap which both work great for the two shared workspaces. I'm still happy with it so will keep the rating.
Feature Product
- This 4 Port USB Sharing Switch allows one button swapping between 2 computers to share 4 USB 2.0 peripheral devices without constantly swapping cables or set up complicated network sharing software;
- Ideal for sharing devices such as printer, scanner, mouse, keyboard, card reader, flash drive and other USB deivce between 2 computers;
- Great Compatibility, driver-free for Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS X, Linux, and Chrome OS, simply plug and play;
- Button and LED indicate lights, you can easily switch between 2 computers by a single click on the button with LED indicating the active computer;
- STABLE Connection: USB 2.0 sharing switch with a separate micro usb female port for option power,which optimizing its compatibility with more devices, such as HDD,Digital Video Cameras, SSD etc. Important Note: Please use Standard 5V Adapter(Not Included, sold separately) for powering. Any charger with higher voltage output is NOT allowed and may affect the product performance.
Description
Share 4 USB devices between 2 Computers
UGREEN 4Port USB Switch is an excellent choice to share 4 USB devices between two Comptuers;
It's ideal for sharing a printer or scanner in a small office environment;
It's also great for use at home if you have multiple PCs or Macs;
Supports More Systems&Hassle Free
Compatible with Windows 10/8/8.1/7 / Vista / XP and Mac OS X, Linux and Chrome OS;
No driver installation required for compatible systems;
Switch at One Push, LED Indicates 2 Hosts
Easily switch between 2 Computers via a push button with LED indicats the active computer;
Power for More
Power up the switch via the Micro USB port to access devices such as External HDD, Digital Video Cameras and more;
Please note:
1.This switch requires manual control to select the active computer port; it does not 'automatically' switch between ports.
2.Using the provided 1.5M cables to connect the USB switch to your computers and to keep the USB cable which connects your peripheral to the USB switch under 6ft/1.8m.
3. Please use Standard DC 5V USB Power Adapter (Not Included in the package, sold separately). Any charger with higher voltage output is NOT allowed and may affect the product performance.
What You Get:
USB 2.0 Switch 2 in 4 out *1pc
USB 2.0 Data Cable 1.5m*2 pcs
I was looking for an alternative to swapping wireless keyboard dongles between my Windows Desktop and my Macbook Pro which is setup in a desktop configuration for the most part. The additional ports provide future expansion potential. The four port USB switch is well designed, well built. It has the same form factor as a normal USB hub and comes in an attractive gloss black finish. The included hub to host (male, male USB A) cables are high quality and plenty long (6') to easily run to both computers. What I like but others may not is that the Computer 1 and 2 position readout is just legible - the blue LEDs are run at low power - unlike the usual trend of products with obnoxiously bright LED indicators.
Support for the switch is seamless and driverless in both my MacOS X 10.11 and Windows 7 machines. There is a OS specific setup time of 5 - 20 seconds when switching host computers. The switch has the option to be powered through an optional 5V input via a micro USB input ( cable not included ). For my low power application, the 5V input was not needed.
This product has saved me an amazing amount of money and headache! I needed to connect my desktop computer (which I rarely use, but still need access to) and my laptops with one keyboard, one mouse, one USB connector for my speakers and microphone, and my WD Drive. Now, that was a headache and I was wondering how to find a KVM that would work when I stumbled across this product.
Installing this is easy peasy. Computer 1 is my desktop; Computer two is actually my laptop dock, which has my personal computer and my work computer attached to it. I ran those USB cords first, then connected the keyboard, mouse, USB connector for sound, and my WD drive. Everything connected easily except my sound connector. I needed to update my drivers for that, but otherwise, everything was instant.
I highly recommend this product!
This works well for my purpose. I use it mostly for just the keyboard (using a separate mouse for each computer, one right, and one left).
I don't find the switching to be slow at all (as mentioned in one review). It doesn't take more than a few seconds, if that long.
The one thing that does bug me is that they have the outputs opposite of the number that lights up to activate that output. The connect to the right, lights up the button to the left, and the connection to the left lights up the button the right. Either I cross the output wires Or I remember that the 1 and 2 are opposite of the wire positions.
Recently I developed tendonitis in my elbow because I was not ergonomic with my keyboard for my PC.
I have a work laptop on top of my desk with its own keyboard and mouse. The PC is under my desk with a keyboard and mouse on a keyboard tray.
+ Setup this switch box in 5-min!!
I love it comes with the needed cables to go OUT from the switch box and into a USB port; one on the work laptop and one on the PC.
+ I moved my better keyboard to the top of my desk and same with mouse. Plugged into this switch box and I was all set.
The push of the button and there is a very short (2-3 seconds) delay between laptop or PC and I'm good to go on the other system.
+ I've been using this daily for a week and swap back 5-6 times a day (or more) and there have been no issues.
If I have a USB drive plugged into one of the open ports on the box, the Windows system will auto-detect and allow me to use it on whichever system I'm live on.
> I have yet to plug my printer into the switch box, but it too should work without issue, since my wifi connection to my printer is sometimes iffy.
OVERALL:
Easy-peasy solution. Around $20 solution. And now I'm ergonomic, regardless which of my two systems I'm working on. Love it!!
This really helped get my desk space issue solved. I have a work laptop and gaming PC sharing a desk and prefer to use my mouse and keyboard instead of the laptop's while working from home. I also need to be able to disconnect my laptop from my desk to go to the office frequently. Previously i was movingthe wires as needed, but the extra movement is bad for the life of wires. My keyboard wire eventually failed, so this helps with that.
The result wasn't very pretty for wire management since the wires are on both sides of the device. Also in order to access the button I had to route the wires to the top of the desk, then route wires to my laptop. Doubled the amount of wires visible on my desk, but it's a small trade for convenience. The extra wires look worse when I remove my laptop. I might Velcro mount the button on the side of a desk hutch in order to clean up the appearance in the future.
The button works fine and the response is fast. I don't have any noticeable lag from my mouse or keyboard while using it for games. The indicator light is a really helpful feature.
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