USB-Cable Reviews

Reviewer: bc53 from Merrimack, NH USA
I read the reviews, saw the pessimism, and still bought one. Now I'm sorry. Apparently it works great if you have an HP printer; mine is a Canon. I've tried everything, even sent it back (they said it "tests OK" and sent it back to me). I'm running Windows XP - followed all directions, set up the network print port. It sees the printer - printed a test page, but nothing else since then. Spent time with tech support... If you want one of these, contact me and I'll sell it cheap - hate to see it go to waste.

I first purchased the 802.11b version of this USB printserver. It didn't work. I tried serveral access points including the Cisco CS1100, and the netGear MR812v2. Ended up sending it back to get the wired version in hopes it would clear up the problems. After hasseling with their support they finally granted me an RMA, but I had to fight for it. Two months later, I got a replacement unit. Then they billed me for a new unit! More problems I didn't need. The thing did work for a while, and is now on the fritz again.

I'm not going to bother with it anymore. I could have built a print server for the amount of time I have put into this afair. Stay away from these jokers, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, and money you like to give away for products that are not ready for prime time.

I went with this print server over the Netgear one due to it being less then the Netgear while offering the same features. The setup of the print server is pretty easy and straight forward but there is one thing to look out for. If you are running any type of software firewall on your pc then the print server most likely won't be found. If you are running the built in internet firewall on Windows XP,the server won't be found. If you disable the firewall then the admin software will find the server.

I sent a email to their tech support asking for the port number that I could open up on the firewall. Their tech support replied in a resonable time with the port number but the server still can't be found with the firewall active.

One other note. The box states that the print sever works with Apples OS X. This is only true if your printer is a post script printer. I was able to easily have OS X find the print server but the print jobs came out garbled.

Other print servers of this type by other manufactures have these same issues so it's not a issue with Iogear.

Overall, the product has performed as expected.

the driver software dies after 12 hours or so of inactivity and you need to reboot your computer to be able to print again. Lexmark support does not acknowledge the problem and so you cannot expect they will ever supply a fix.

I bought the X125 All in One after much research. I thought I did a complete job of checking all the facts but I must have let the low price seduced me and I regret that decision.

The X125 is a poor printer, fax and copier. It doesn't do anything well. We experienced problems during our initial set up and we're forced to call the help line. We placed dozens of calls but we couldn't reach anyone. There was no help available and no easily accessible number. This forced us to fill out a help request form at the Lexmark site. It took them five days to get back to us via email and the email that we waited for all week didn't even supply the answer. Basically they made us go through all the troubleshooting steps that were already in the poorly written manual.

After a week we finally got it working. It really wasn't worth the wait. It makes poor copies; printing is below average and don't expect anything from the fax machine. The fax switcher is not reliable and sometimes it won't even pick up the incoming calls. The settings control didn't work properly either. We keep turning down the fax volumn but it keeps going back up. This is part and pacel of what you are going to get with this cheap machine.

But the worse thing about the X125 is the drag is puts on your computer's performance. Since I installed it on my fairly new computer using XP, system performance has degraded. I will end of having to get more memory. I hated this printer so much I ended up giving it to my 12 year old son who is happily using it with his new E machine. Funny thing is, however, after one month, he wants to give it back. His computer has slowed down too. Can you imagine that, he would rather have no printer than that printer.

Everyone so far seems to have written negative reviews. I use this product simply to fax, copy, scan less than 50 documents a week. It does the job great.
The instructions aren't much good but if you have the common sense to work any fax machine in the first place you can have this out of the box and running in 10 minutes. The fax works great, it scans before calling to save a few bucks, the scanner is slow but is above average for something in this price range. I am a computer professional and once I sorted out a few things the x125 has worked flawlessly with my computer and all applications. For 200 Canadian dollars this things is an incredible value as long as you realize this is obviously for light duty applications.
Recommended!

I have owned this monster for almost 1 year so maybe wife will let me smash it with a hammer now. If you like to hear "problems communicating with printer" this is the machine for you. Also you will learn to uninstall and reinstall software flawlessly. Maybe I could give it to my mother in law?

I too got this printer with a new Dell computer, but I have had NO PROBLEMS!!! The software install is flawless and the printer itself is so user friendly. I have NEVER HAD any paper jams or problems with ink or scanning. What more could you want from a print/scanner combination, this printer is a piece-of-cake.

I bought the Lexmark X85 some months back and have had no problems with the printer or my computer's connection to the printer. It is user friendly, I didn't even need to refer to the manual for any directions. I've never once had a paper jam. The only bad thing I can think of is the ink costs more than most, but even that is bypassable with all the refill packs going around. The picture quality and speed of printing is the best i've seen for an inkjet.

I have had nothing but problems with these! The first 2 times I called tech support they told me that if I went through the Quick Installation guide (which is one page, front and back) then I must be having a Windows problem "call Microsoft."

I spent hours online with the online chat tech support so they could tell me to do things like plug the usb adapter into another port... ok... try another port... try to flip the usb adapter around and plug it in upside down (even though it only goes in one direction)... and THEN, end the session with no notice whatsoever.

And as far as email support, I have yet to get a response from them!

I purchased this and the PLEBR10 (bridge) to set up a home powerline network. Plain and simply, it sucked. Everything else I have is Linksys (router, wireless B and wireless B+G). I had no problem working the listed items together and wanted to add Powerline. The Powerline items couldn't see each other and the setup instructions didn't tell you what components you needed to make the system work. I bought the NetGear Powerline products. They arrived and worked fine with full instructions....

I have one computer that has Winme and the other that has XP. I have has these adapters for around 1-2yrs and niether one of my computers ever had a problem with them.

Although this is a usb connection it has to be installed as a serial connection. I am still not able to sync but i keep trying. Do not buy this if you want an easy solution! It is good for charging ONLY.

This really should be a must-have for a Palm V. By using the power in the USB line, you do away with having to plug in an external power source. With USB it *should* be much faster to sync and be instantly recognized. But actually the way they have it set up is the USB connection becomes a virtual serial port. This was done, I think, so they wouldn't have to change Palm's hotsync software and it still thinks it is synchronizing via a serial port (COM 3 or 4). But Handspring works directly with USB and Palm Desktop 4 works with USB. The most irritating part: a serial port manager icon is added to your system tray and always opens in a window at startup so you have to close the window every time you start the machine (by renaming the serial port program I was able to avoid the pop-up window).

I'm hoping Targus will see fit to release drivers that will work directly with Palm Desktop 4 and work around all the serial port funny business so that this will be a true USB device.

Also, by following the instructions I didn't have a problem, but I didn't seat the cable all the way in to the Palm and couldn't figure why the HotSync would start on the PC (making me think the connection was okay), but the user couldn't be identified (causing the HotSync to stop responding). Once I clicked the cable all the way in, it worked fine, but it was very frustrating in the meantime and the manual didn't really help with that particular problem.

i have a similar product that's not made by targus, mine is a generic brand that has a stick-on label in the back that says: palm usb 1041323.

i originally paid $30 for it, and this was before the targus version was available.

when this type of cable (with the hotsync button featured on the cable itself) was first made, there was no official support from palm for usb sync. it therefore required custom hotsync software provided by the manufacturer. this software is very hard to get hold of, but i managed to find an archived copy here;

http://www.targus.com/us/drivers_manuals_archive.asp?SKU=PA260U

it works great under win98, win2k, and winXP.

After days of trying to record some old vinyl onto my computer I gave up and called the Griffen. I explained to them that no matter what I tried, the audio signal was getting seriously clipped. They informed me that they are having problems with all of these units and that they are working on a fix...no idea when that fix will be released.

They also informed me that they could not provide a cash refund because it was purchased through a third party.

hope this helps

bl

After going through 2 of these, Griffin customer support finally told me that "There is a known bug in the Apple USB audio driver that is most likely responsible for the effect you describe. According to Apple the driver sends an "empty packet". This results in a flanging, phasing, and ring modulation." What this means is that about 25% of the time that you send an audio signal to the PowerWave, the output is completely distorted. If you restart the audio, it usually corrects itself, only to become distorted again. This isn't a huge problem if you're just playing music in iTunes, but if you're using the PowerWave as an amplifier while you're working in Final Cut Pro or any other application that involves stopping and starting audio, it is completely useless.

They are working on a firmware upgrade, but as of 9/18/03, this product is unusable with Mac OS X. It baffles me that the company continues to sell these without any kind of disclaimer, especially since Griffin is a Mac-centric company. I hope this review saves a couple of Mac folks from a big headache.

The sad thing is that this will be a really cool product once they fix it. And while they're at it, they should put an on/off switch on the thing, because it has a huge blue light on it, and gets a little hot if it's on all day and night (not to mention wasting electricity).

I've had this unit for over a year now. I use it primarily to power the Apple Pro Speakers because my main desktop is my Powerbook laptop. I also have a Tascam USB controller that is interfaced with it so I can do some digital recording (audio and MIDI). Finally, I hooked up a nice powered subwoofer to the RCA outs which gives me MASSIVE bass and sound rivaling my stereo system downstairs (not quite, but still better than any wimpy sub/sat setup made for computers). Figuring out how to put all of these wires in the right places took some trial and error (and required purchasing the griffin audio USB hub), but I got it figured out in a day or so and haven't touched the wires since. The possibilities with this unit are fantastic. Last summer I got some incompatibility with OSX mentioned in one of the other reviews with the funky distortion, but it hasn't happened since last summer. I don't know why...perhaps the update to jag? Anyways, IT IS GONE. Complaints are similar to the others...BIG BLUE LIGHT is very BRIGHT and annoying. Also, the case does seem fllimsy and not very MAC-like (i.e., not very stylish). Oh, and I did call Griffin to get some help with hookup and they were VERY friendly and helpful. I am quite pleased with this thing.

IT's not USB 2.0, with the same amount of money you can buy a USB 2.0 Hub that will work better.

Not Recomended.

Don't buy this! I used this on a Mac. It worked OK when I just had a couple of devices on it, but when I added a Wi-Fi USB adapter, it caused frequent computer crashes on startup, loss of Internet connection, and freezing of my mouse. I thought it was the adapter's fault, but after reading the reviews here, I bought a D-Link USB hub to replace it. Haven't had a problem since!

I've had this USB hub for about six months, and it has worked flawlessly so far, with one very notable flaw. Devices, which derive their power from USB, like some webcams, cameras, and scanners will not work with this device. So far, my webcam is the only thing that will not work with the hub. My mice, yoke, usb pedals, joystick, PDA/phone cradle, and anything else I have plugged in worked fine.

The AC power adapter is bulky, and not really needed considering this box doesn't act like a good self-powered USB hub anyway. I was able to disconnect power and it still works fine (and free up some space on my power strip).

I bought this product with the intention of using it with my 5-button MS USB wireless Intellimouse and wireless Logitech keyboard. The box and documentation imply that the KVM will work with any USM mouse. The problem I'm having with the KVM is randomly, the right click menu will appear. This happens enough be a major interruption while working...about every 20 seconds. After a few emails with IOGEAR's support manager, I got to the bottom of the story; this KVM only supports two button mice! This is not stated anywhere in the product description or manual!!! They have an "device emulation" feature that prevents lag time in device detection when switching between computers by emulating the mouse and keyboard connection; The KVM emulates a two button mouse and standard keyboard. Since it is not possible to upgrade the firmware on this KVM, the only advice the support manager could provide was to either use a 2-button mouse or return the KVM.

Two points. When you plug in the mouse and keyboard through the two front labeled USB ports (as you're supposed to, especially the keyboard), the switch WILL NOT pass the USB product ID's and substitute generic ID's instead. this is done to keep the connections 'live' to the PC/Mac and allow keyboard switching to work. Unfortunately, as someone else noted, this means the manufacturer's software (like Logitech) won't be able to recognize the mouse and so all the custom features won't work. You can get by this in part by plugging the mouse into one of the peripheral ports on the back of the switch, but you're out of luck with the keyboard.

The other issue is that since this switch has on-screen-display capability, it keeps the VGA connection always live and (most) monitors will never go to sleep even if your PC or Mac does. That's a bigger problem for me.

If you're OK with all this, it's a great product. The keyboard switching feature is great and everything, even the cables, are included.

Me though, I think I'm going back to my old ioGear without the OSD and keyboard switching, and live with having to use the select switch on the box and the occasional USB sync problems.

Worked great.

Not sure what the other reviewer meant? It is a USB KVM switch. If it worked with wireless mice and keyboard, it is an additional benefit. It probably wasn't designed to work with wireless mice and keyboard...

In any event, it worked just the way it is presented. It also looks great...

Somehow I missed the fact that this product is not for the Palm IIIc.

Well I was excited to get this item because my deskspace at work is limited and I just wanted to have a small cord for syncing and charging that I could easily put away when I didn't need it. First couple times I used it, it worked fine. Now after maybe a couple months (and maybe a dozen uses, if that) the connection has gotten loose and it won't sync at all. It will still charge the unit (somewhat), but I have to fiddle around with the cord on my desk and make sure the green light on my palm is on so I know it's actually connected properly.

Palm sould really be ashamed at themselves for some of the crappy accessory items they make. I mean, is it so hard to make a sync cord that works? Very dissapointing. I gave it two stars only because it will still charge the unit...and sometimes that alone is useful when I'm at work and don't have a cradle handy.

This is one of those products that you really need if you bring your Palm on travel a lot but wish it was designed a heck of a lot better. I use it almost every day on my home computer and pack it with my laptop on travel. The lack of an AC adapter brick is a real advantage, as you can charge your Palm and hotsync through the single USB cable. (Why couldn't they do that with the regular cradle also?) And once connected, it works very nicely.

Notice that I wrote "once connected", as that is much easier said than done. The two very small clips barely hang on to the Palm when attached, so the slightest jostle can disrupt the connection. The other reviewers weren't kidding when they stated that you have to use this on a flat undisturbed surface so that the connection can be maintained. I always have to check that the green light on the Palm is actually on, even though it may look like the cable is seated properly. I also agree that the flismy design of the clips make it a real possibility that they can break off with regular use.

Palm really needs to do a better job of designing its accessories.

I recently bought the Adaptec videoh media center and right from the start I had problems. When trying to install the drivers I would get an error saying that this hard-ware cannot be installed. I called the tech support. They sent me an email on how to install the drivers which didn't work, so I called tech support again. They had never heard of this problem, but told me that the problem was with my computer. So I reformatted my hard-drive. When I tried installed the drivers the computer would freeze up and my mouse would not work. I called tech support one last time. Their response was something is wrong with my computer and they could not help me. I tried this on another pc and I ran into the same problems. I sent this back to Amazon with a note explaining all the problems I was having asking for a full refund.
Don't buy this product! I am a computer tech at a university and this was the first time I had any problems like this or ever heard someone say sorry we can't help you.
If I could I would give this product no stars, but I can't

I recently bought the Adaptec videoh media center and right from the start I had problems. When trying to install the drivers I would get an error saying that this hard-ware cannot be installed. I called the tech support. They sent me an email on how to install the drivers which didn't work, so I called tech support again. They had never heard of this problem, but told me that the problem was with my computer. So I reformatted my hard-drive. When I tried installed the drivers the computer would freeze up and my mouse would not work. I called tech support one last time. Their response was something is wrong with my computer and they could not help me. I tried this on another pc and I ran into the same problems. I sent this back to Amazon with a note explaining all the problems I was having asking for a full refund.
Don't buy this product! I am a computer tech at a university and this was the first time I had any problems like this or ever heard someone say sorry we can't help you.
If I could I would give this product no stars, but I can't

I've had this product for about 2 months now. I use it solely for watching television on my laptop, so I haven't explored the bundled video-editing software, and can't comment on that.

My impression is similar to that described in some of the other reviews on Amazon, but I can sum it up by saying that the device itself is functional and works as I expected. It's the bundled software that stinks, and it's just as bad as one of the other reviewers suggested. Intervideo WINDVR 3.0 comes with the Adaptec Videoh, and it's what you use for viewing, and recording, live television. It often has a tendency to hang for no apparent reason, and then when you try to use the "Windows Task Manager" to shut it down, it doesn't work.. 5 minutes later, the computer goes to the dreaded blue screen, completely out of the blue (so to speak). And I'm running this on a new laptop (1300 Ghz Centrino, 256, 80 gig, etc.). The Windvr software crashes the whole system almost on a daily basis.

You can't trust the scheduling software, and one of the most serious design defects I've encountered is the fact that Windvr will stop recording when it reaches the 4 gigabytes limit for the individual file it's recording - in other words, slightly more than an hour's worth of recorded material. Imagine that you've paused a live broadcast of a movie you've been wanting to see.. after about half-an-hour of recording, you come back to press play. Everything is fine for another half-hour, when you notice that Windvr is no longer recording the live feed.. the "delay time" (indicating how much recorded material you have left to watch) keeps getting smaller, when it should remain the same. You reach the end of the recorded portion of the movie and the screen pauses.. you have to hit "stop" - so that you're now viewing the live feed - and by now the movie has gone off the air and they're broadcasting something else.
I've missed more movie endings, and more exciting finishes to sports events in this way, you'd think they would have released an update for this obvious flaw.

Think again. A quick survey of the Intervideo website reveals that they have *never* issued any sort of update to this software, and evidently don't intend to - there is truly no support. Why Adaptec chose this particular software to bundle with their product, I'll never know.

I am told that other software is compatible with the Adaptec Videoh, including the "Personal Video Station" software (which for some reason wouldn't install on my machine). At any rate, the added software will probably set you back an additional $100 or so - but it sounds like it does have the advantage of being more functional, at least.