IOGEAR GUB212 2-Port USB 2.0 Peripheral Sharing Switch

Share a USB device with 2 computers
IOGEAR's 2-Port USB 2.0 Peripheral Sharing Switch enables two computers to easily share one USB device such as a printer, scanner, hard drive camera, etc. The GUB212 2-Port USB 2.0 Peripheral Sharing Switch features push-button switching so there's no software to install and works right out of the box. The GUB212 is not OS dependent so it is compatible with any computer running at least a USB 1.1 or higher host controller and an operating system with the corresponding USB 1.1 or higher drivers.

• Enables two computers to share the use of a single USB peripheral device (such as printer, scanner, mass storage drive, etc.)
• Simple port selection via push buttons
• Supports nearly any USB compatible operating system and most USB devices
• USB 2.0, 1.1 compliant
• Supports data transfer of up to 480 Mbps
• BUS powered - no external power needed
• Hot pluggable - can be connected without rebooting computers

In plain English, you can share nearly any USB device between nearly any two computers without doing anything except plugging it in. They add the caveat "nearly any" due to the fact that despite the backward compatibility of USB 3.0 devices, there are some that just cannot work with USB 2.0 due to bandwidth limitations. That said, you can use most USB 3.0 hard drives and peripherals with the understanding that they will transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds. This means you can use the GUB212 with a USB 1.1 compatible devices and/or USB 1.1 equipped computers, but keep in mind the connection speeds will be limited to USB 1.1.

What can this do for me?
The GUB212 is great for small offices or home offices since you can share expensive peripherals instead of purchasing duplicates. Connect your USB device to the GUB212, then connect the included USB cables to each computer and a simple button press will switch your high-resolution scanner, 3D printer, webcam, barcode scanner, etc. from one computer to the other. The GUB212 can even share devices between computers running different operating systems. Want to share a keyboard and mouse between your MacBook and Raspberry Pi? No problem, add a USB hub like the IOGEAR GUH285 and the GUB212 will switch them back and forth easily.