Iogear Offers Latest, Cheapest Networked USB Server

The USB Net ShareStation from Iogear isn't the only device on the market that lets you share USB peripherals, including Webcams, over a network by installing special driver software on local computers. But it appears to be the cheapest currently on the market, and with the ability to support the most devices: 1 out of the box, but up to 4 by attaching a USB hub.

The idea of a networked USB gateway is awfully nice: you put scanners, printers, memory card readers, speakers, and other devices that more than one person in an office or a home might need, and you avoid the time and fuss in moving equipment around as needed. At $80 for one of these Iogear hubs, and $20 to $30 for an externally powered USB hub, it's easy to see the time savings pay off.

There's a little bit of fuss, in that each networked user has to have the Iogear software installed that fools their computer into seeing a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps networked device as a directly connected USB peripheral; no gigabit Ethernet support, sorry, even though that would improve throughput for USB 2.0's 480 Mbps raw data rate. And each user has to install the necessary software for each USB device, too.

Keyspan introduced a similar unit last year that lists for $130 and retails for about $15 less. Keyspan's USB 2.0 Server, however, currently only supports a maximum of two USB devices; the company "expects" a future firmware upgrade will add hub support. Iogera offers Windows 2000, XP, and Vista support; Keyspan provides software Windows XP and Vista, but also Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5.