MultiSwitch Allows PCs to Share USB Devices

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MultiSwitch, the first USB Hub which enables two computers to share USB peripherals, should be available in stores some time in early 2007.

MultiSwitch, which has been developed by SMSC, allows computer users to share devices such as printers, cameras, USB hard drives, card readers, fingerprint scanners, and other USB devices without the need to set up a separate system sharing system.

The MultiSwitch chip can be embedded in a host machine such as a desktop computer, laptop, or game console. A host machine attached to several USB peripheral devices can directly connect to another machine via a USB cable.

The MultiSwitch can act as a switch to control which PC sees which device at a certain time. SMSC may include wireless technology in future models.

Although USB peripheral devices can already be shared via a local area network (LAN), this solution may be unsuitable as it is complex to set up and may raise security concerns.

The connection through present-day networks of many other peripherals such as scanners, cameras, and PDAs is not possible at all. MultiSwitch is a simple to use solution which overcomes these problems.