ABLEWE USB 3.0 Switch, 4 Ports USB 3.0 Sharing Switch Box KVM Switch USB Switcher for 2 PCs 2 In 4 Out with 2 USB 3.0 Cables for Printer, Scanner, Keyboard, USB Sticks, Hard Drives, Mouse, Headset etc

Use an external HDD to move data/programs between two different systems that can't be networked togetherThis is so quick and simple now - just press the button on the switch - wish I had bought this much earlierThe LED is bright (too bright) so I've just turned it over - it works fine upside down as the switch is on the side

Pretty good product but not built to last. Purchased in December 2020 and the switch stopped working in June 2023. So it worked for around 30 months.

super price replaced a failing usb 2 kvm. this one works well bright led to show which machine being operated. only thing not included is the micro usb power cable. this not needed unless attaching a high powered device. pirce was amazing.

This is a really small unit approx 11 cm wide ×17mm high. It is fractionally under 5 cm from front to back, but the determining factor for the depth required on your desk is of course the length of the plugs that are connected to it. To switch between two computers, one needs to press a button on the back, so it needs to be placed at a convenient distance on the desk within arm’s length. (If you power down one of the connected computers, it will automatically switch to the other one.)It comes with two USB3 male to USB3 male cables. These are approximately 1 metre long, which is fine for connecting my laptop when it is on my desk, but I have ordered a longer cable for my desktop, in order to be able to route the cable more tidily to the back of the computer. These cables are really hard to find in the UK, so I am still waiting for mine to arrive. Meanwhile, the supplied cable does the job without any problems.The labelling on the unit is confusing. On the back there are three sockets. One is labelled “DC 5V”. More of this later. The other two are labelled “INPUT 1” and “INPUT 2”. These sockets are for the two computers that are to be used with the unit. “COMPUTER 1” and “COMPUTER 2” would be better labels for these sockets. The other end of these two cables can be plugged into ANY USB socket on the corresponding computer (at least, in my experience – I am not technically qualified!).The four sockets on the front are labelled “OUTPUT 1”, “OUTPUT 2”, etc. These are for the peripherals to be connected to the two computers. Most of them are likely to be INPUT devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse and possibly a scanner or a USB memory stick with data that you wish to access. One could be an actual output, in most cases, a printer.Which brings us to another point. This unit is described as a “KVM Switcher”. “KVM” means “Keyboard, Video, Mouse”. Unless the video input for your monitor requires a signal supplied by a USB 3 cable, it seems to me that you are unlikely to use this switcher for video.However, these days most (all?) video displays seem to come with multiple inputs. Mine has Display Port, HDMI and (still!) VGA, so I have my desktop computer permanently connected to the Display Port monitor input. An HDMI cable is also permanently plugged into the monitor, with the other end of the cable conveniently located on the desk where the laptop goes, when present. This goes into the laptop HDMI out and with a couple of button presses on the monitor I can switch between the video sources from the two computers.Pressing the little button on the back of the unit switches all the peripherals that are plugged into its front ports between one computer and the other. But in my setup as described above it naturally can’t switch the video signal that is displayed on the monitor. This is not a defect with the unit, but the result of my setup. You may be able to achieve simultaneous switching of video source with a suitable USB cable, subject to the inputs available on your monitor.Now to the third socket on the back, “DC 5V”. The manufacturers state, “Our item still works without the need of a power supply”, and this is correct. However, if you wish to drain quite a bit of current from the front sockets, perhaps by simultaneously plugging in two or three mobile phones, tablets, etc., to charge, you may decide to add a power supply to this socket, fed from your mains electricity supply. The manufacturers state, “The socket on the back of your USB 3.0 switch is a micro USB female port.” This turns out to be the same as the as the socket on many mobile phones until recently (for instance, the Samsung A6, but also many others), so you may have a suitable charger that is spare on your desk, especially if you have a newer phone such as the Samsung A40, where the charging socket is a different shape.I researched buying a mains charger unit, and came up with 2 Amp (or 2000 mA) and 3 Amp chargers on Amazon, so I asked the manufacturers of this unit which would be better. They naturally did not want to recommend specific chargers with which they were not familiar, but they replied, “a DC 5V 1-2A is a better choice”.Incidentally, ABLEWE technical support has been superb: speedy, informative and answering clearly the specific questions that I asked. Recommended!UPDATE MARCH 2023: Still working faultlessly!

It does what it says on the tin.One click and your keyboard/mouse/usb external storage/printer etc is shifted from being connected to one device to another. It saves a the bother of fumbling around pulling out dongles, etc. It saves time because you don't set up networks to share peripherals

Didn't realise when i bought this but it detects which pc is powered on and switches to it without having to press the button. Really useful if you want to tuck it out of sight

Seems to work fine when my keyboard is not plugged in to this.When it is, all devices keep cutting out.Not the best.

Brilliant! It makes life easier,just a small switch that's very helpful.