Customer Reviews

Aluratek 2-Port USB 2.0 Auto Sharing Switch

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The device was very easy to set up and works great. I went to Office Depot and they tried to sell me a whole set up for about $100, telling me there really wasn't any other way to go, which didn't sound right. So I looked online and found this simple little device. Very inexpensive, and it took only a few minutes from opening the package to printing from both computers like I wanted to. I also installed the cd to use the auto-sensing feature so I never have to mess with it. Great device at a great price.

Great little switch! Works in manual mode right out of the box. No software required and no AC adaptor required. I use this switch to share a printer between my desktop PC and a MacBook. The desktop is plugged into slot one and slot two remains available (with a standby USB cable) for quick MacBook hookups. All I have to do is press the Select button on the switch to toggle between the two computers. Comes with two USB 2.0 A-B cables (one 6 ft, and one 3 ft). You can position the switch vertically (using the cradle shown in the pictures) or horizontally without the cradle. It's pretty light, so the USB cables tend to drag it around depending on what's connected and the position of your cables. Very satisfied!

The Aluratek port works erratically. Manually switching between two computers does not always work properly, and sometimes I just unplug the cord from the computer that I can't switch to and just replug it directly into the printer. The auto switching does not work at all, so I'm not sure what that "auto" light means. Also, upon seeing the photo of the Aluratek on Amazon's request for me to write this review, I now realize that a stand was supposed to have come with this. After I finish this review, I'm writing Amazon to see why I did not receive the stand. So,in summary,the switch works about 75% of the time, the other 25% I have to unplug and replug as described above. My two computers are an older Dell and Apple.

This switch caused my Macbook Pro to crash (using the manual method of switching, as the software switching is designed only for PCs). The device did work with my PC. I called the company technical support, but they were not able to provide any assistance other than to verify that it functioned with the PC. They said that they would speak with the engineer and call back. They never did so.

I also found that the device can only be connected to a computer using their 2 or 3 foot cord. Longer cords don't work. This was an additional problem for me.

The device is shown in the picture as having a stand that keeps it in a vertical position. No stand was included.

I used this device in the following manner and it worked great. I had a new laptop that only had USB ports (no ports for printing to a parallel/serial port printer). I had a PC that had both USB and parallel/serial ports. I connected both computers using only USB cables to this great device, then I went from this awesome device to an older, non-USB laser printer with a USB-to-serial/parallel port (I get serial & parallel confused) cable. Works great, including the auto-switching.

Unit does what is advertised to do. I have it hooked up to a Dell system on Vista and Sony Viao on XP. Auto sensing works well, wish HP Photosmart D7360 worked as well.

I purchased this switch to be able to share a printer between two computers in my husband's office. Once we figured out which light on the switch represents which computer, it works great. I haven't used the software yet. Great item for a great price!

Easy to install, 2 usb cables included,works great manually. It take a bit of getting used to in auto mode. I plan on buying a usb hub so all
my devices can be used by both pc's.

It works ok. In auto mode may have issues with switching in a timely manner between computers.

I'm having poor results with this device. It's simple and intuitive to set up, although I'm a little confused about some of the comments here concerning a stand or cradle. Mine didn't have anything like that. It's very difficult to use the switch on the front to change from one computer to the other - the switch is cantankerous and touchy. And even when it is working - it allows the two computers to communicate with the PRINTER, but not with the SCANNER. For that, I have to unplug and rearrange cables.

Overall, this was a waste. It's caused as much frustration as it's eliminated.

Equipment: desktop PC, Mac laptop, HP photosmart printer