Kensington ShareCentral 5 for USB Device Sharing (K33901US) by Kensington
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Digital camera reviews of Kensington ShareCentral 5 for USB Device Sharing (K33901US)
Digital camera Review: Completely Useless
Summary: 1 Stars
Do not waste your money on this product, it is completely useless. It ostensibly allows you to use USB devices on two computers with the simple flick of a switch- it does no such thing. In order to switch a device (keyboard, mouse, external hard drive)you must restart your computer- the switches on the product do nothing. I have only been able to get it to work by physically unpluggin the cables and plugging them back in (both the cable to the computer and the cable to the USB device). As a result, I'm actually unplugging and replugging twice as many cables as I would have to if I'd never wasted 60 bucks on this paperweight.Digital camera Review: Desktop & (work) Laptop sharing
Summary: 4 Stars
A friend gave me a Microsoft SideWinder mouse. I eagerly plugged it into my existing KVM, and was subsequently left frustrated because whichever computer the KVM was pointed to would have weird & random USB issues. And, almost invariably, the mouse was deregistered or simply inoperative.
After much tinkering, I finally found out that the SideWinder pulled so much power that it would cause USB peripherals to freeze up on both my desktop & (work) laptop. With that in mind, I went hunting for a powered USB switch, and stumbled across Kensington's ShareCentral 5 at a local 'brick & mortar' chain.
Pros: As it is self-powered, it can handle USB devices with hefty (as far as USB limitations are concerned) power requirements. It also makes it very simple to share USB peripherals between two computers. The customizable buttons are a nice feature.
Cons: As with many things relying on Plug & Play, it is not perfect. With that said, I cannot entirely blame the ShareCentral for some of my occasional problems; hence the moderately high rating. However, it seems like there some instances wherein it is at fault. On occasion, I have lost all ability to register or deregister USB items with one or the other of my computers. The only solution is to unplug everything (including the power cable) from the ShareCentral (if you do not, it seems to keep "running" on the power from the PC connection(s)), shutdown the affected PC/laptop, plug everything back into the ShareCentral, and then power up the PC/laptop. To give you an idea of how infrequent this is, I run both PCs 24x7, and I switch between them literally dozens of times every day. This particular "bug" only pops up about once a month. But, it is frustrating enough to warrant mention.
The other issue that I have seen is that there are times where it simply refuses to swap over. You can stab the button three or four times in a row to no avail. The ShareCentral's lights generally switch (to indicate a connection to the other PC) before you hear the usual bing-bonging of the devices (de)registering, but in these cases the ShareCentral shows that it is firmly locked onto one particular PC. As I use this predominantly for swapping my keyboard & mouse between two computers, it makes no sense that it would not immediately switch over. I know that the ShareCentral can prevent you from switching a USB storage device between computers while data is being transferred, but there is no reason to lock-out a swapover of a keyboard & mouse.
Overall, it seems to hold its own. It does what it is intended to do, and it does so largely without any problem. It is that 1% of the time that I docked it a single star. If I could, I would rate it 4 1/2 stars.
Digital camera Review: Died after 8 months, Kensington won't service it
Summary: 2 Stars
They discontinued the product and don't offer replacements. The only solution they offer is to trade up for a different product. It worked well for the first 6 months, beside having to power recycle it once in a while. I'll miss its functionality.Digital camera Review: Does not Support Windosws 7!!!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
Does not Support Windosws 7!!!!! Manufacturer has discontinued it and doesn't want to help the customers. Kensington has no regard for the customers. Just don't buy it!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
No support for Windows 7!!!!
Digital camera Review: Great Device, Great Value for both Home and Work Computers
Summary: 5 Stars
I asked for and got a Kensington Sharecentral 5 for Christmas, and I've enjoyed using it every day. It has worked flawlessly just as in the product description. Its sturdy, well made. Truth be told, its really a super duper powered USB hub with the built in feature of being able to switch periperherals between two computers. I previously used several traditional powered 4-7 slot USB hubs purchased here on Amazon, but I had the same two common problems:
(1) when I plugged in more than three peripherals, the hubs would constantly shut down and start back up ever 5 minutes
(2)they were thinly made and the power cord would never stay connected (e.g. cheaply made).
The Kensington5 doesn't have these problems. I've connected peripherals to all the slots and it has handled all the peripheral combos I've needed. And the power connector stays connected - just like the cord on a well-made appliance.
And just so you know, if you have a USB powered drive that draws significant power, they work fine with the Kensington5. I've got both a LaCie and a Signature Mini portable drive connected to it right now, and it keeps both powered with no problems so far.
I noted two folks here seemed to have problems with computers not waking up properly, or having to unplug cables to get things going. I can just tell you I've had none of those problems. I also don't use the "automotic" switching mode which seemed to cause problems for one reviewer. I just use the manual mode - meaning when I want to use peripherals on a computer, I just have to push the buttons which takes all of 10 seconds. That may be a reason for the problems in computers freezing when they start up - the interface with the automatic detection mode (where the Kensington5 automatically "detects" which computer you're useing) may be finicky. Just use the manual mode - its a breeze. There's a switch on the bottom of the unit that lets you choose automatic or manual mode - easy to set.
FYI: I'm running Windows XP on all my computers. I use the Kensington5 to share multiple desktop hard drives (4) and a printer between my desktop unit and my laptop. I head up an environmental consultancy, so I'm no computer tech person. It took all of 10 minutes from the time I opened the box to the time I had the software installed on both computers and had the Kensington all connected and working. And I'm not the most patient guy in setting up tech hardware, so I can do it, anyone can.
Lastly, if you travel for work like I do, the Kensington5 (and I'd expect the Kensington1 and 2 models) are easy to carry along as portable powered USB hubs. I bought an extra unit and carry it in my computer case when I'm away from home for more than a day - I can set it up to connect a keyboard, mouse, and external hard drive, and flash drive in a hotel room. I prefer using an external powered USB hub vs. connecting all those peripherals to my laptop since it does not pull any power from the laptop and thus it does not heat up. I've bought 4-5 external USB hubs I now don't use because they seem to not be able to handle the work - they're all in a box in my closet now. I've replaced them with Kensington units.
Hope my comments help. I've benefited from many of the reviews here on Amazon, so I thought I'd do my part and share what I've learned about what I think is a good product.