Introduction
Silex SX1000U | |
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Summary | USB 1.1 Device server with support for wide range of USB devices. Does not support USB audio / video (Isochronous) devices |
Keyspan USB Server | |
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Summary | USB 1.1 Device server with built-in 4 port hub and primarily printer, scanner and multifunction printer support. Does not support USB audio / video (Isochronous) devices |
Silex SX-1000U | KeySpan USB Server | |||
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Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons | |
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Introduction
What exactly is a USB Server? Well, to put it simply, a USB Server allows you to access USB Devices over the network through Ethernet. There are significant benefits to USB serving, including being able to share a multi-function USB printer, which you normally cannot fully do in a Windows Network. However, each networked USB device must be used in one-to-one device-to-host relationship based on "reservations" made by each user. The exception to this 1:1 device-to-host relationship is for USB printers, which I'll touch on later.
In this review, I'll be comparing two USB Server products: the Silex SX-1000U USB Device Server and Keyspan USB Server.