Reviews (15)

Great integration with OS X!
This device is a totally plug-n-play way of adding sound input capability to your Mac. It plugs into a spare USB port and accepts a mini mono mic/line input. G4 Macs, among others, come with a line in audio jack, but they have no mic input and can't amplify a mic enough to make it audible. So, if you want to use an unpowered mic for direct sound-in to your mac, this is a cost-effective way to go!

The driver came installed with Jaguar, so there was no installing to do - I plugged it into the USB port and the Mac OS immediately recognized it. It shows up in the 'Sound' pane of System Preferences and is easy to select. There's a handy level meter there, so you can twiddle the amplification just right.

I've used it for a couple months to DJ my live internet radio broadcast, which goes out over the "airwaves" as a 56K internet stream. I'm using it with a cheap Radio Shack combo phones/mic headset (nine bucks), and the sound quality is totally adequate. I'd agree with the manufacturer, though, that you oughtn't expect to use this for studio-quality sound; although I can't discern any distortion or hiss from the peripheral over my cheap speakers or headphones.

This device works best when plugged into its own USB port. I had trouble when using it on USB busses that already had a lot of activity.

It fails to get 5 stars because the cable is too short - only about 18 inches - not really even long enough to make it around to the front of the computer. Also, there's an occasional (once a week) bug/problem with sound degradation after the computer's been asleep. Unplugging and re-plugging in the peripheral fixes this problem, but it'd be nice if it wasn't there at all.

In short, if you need average quality mic-level sound input into your Mac, and price is important to you, this is the peripheral you need!

Documentation aside, a pleasure to use.
I'm with the reviewers who were put off by the lack of documentation that comes with the iMic. On the other hand, the Griffin Technology Web site is terrific and full of up-to-date information and how-to's for iMic users. For instance, there's a freeware product just out called Final Vinyl that I wouldn't have known about if I only had printed instructions to go on.

I've dubbed bunches of LPs and tapes using this thing. I don't need it now that my new eMac has an audio-in port, but on my old iBook it's been great. Plugs right into the USB port and gives me just the right amount of gain for recording my old Lps and tapes. Using Sound Studio, all I do is hit record, clean it up afterward, mark the points between songs and then throw the whole kadoodle into iTunes. Couldn't be simpler. Uses very little power so I can plug it into my keyboard. The only caution I would give is not to let the computer sleep while using iMic -- waking it seems to create a little buzz in the recording.

This product is bulls#*t
I would give it zero stars if I could. This product may be good for something, but it certainly does NOT do what its packaging advertises; i.e. "easily turn old records and tapes into MP3s or CDs." If you have a PC, stay far, FAR away from this bogus item. The packaging claims that it is designed for Macs AND PCs, and also claims to include a full version of Final Vinyl Recording Software. Both these statements are *technically* true... what the packaging does NOT say is that Final Vinyl does not WORK on a PC--and the only software included for PCs is 30-day trial software you will eventually need to buy for an extra ~$50. Buying such extra software (not even made by Griffin) may or may not be worth it to you--but this does not change the fact that if you did, it would be THAT ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE allowing you to convert your LPs and tapes into mp3s (together with a good RCA-to-3.5mm cable for your sound card), and NOT this product at all!! As far as converting old LPs, the only thing you can do with this product alone (using the Sound Recorder that YOU ALREADY HAVE preinstalled in Windows) is to record sound bytes NO MORE THAN 60 SECONDS LONG... now tell me how many of the songs on your old LPs and tapes are less than 60 seconds long? So without additional software, from another company, at an additional cost, this product will do absolutely nothing for you (unless you have some burning need for sound bytes under 60 seconds long).
But just to be fair, before returning this product to the store (not Amazon), I e-mailed Griffin to make sure I was not overlooking something, and got a defensive and insulting reply from someone in tech support (we'll call him Wendall), who told me, "I apologize that *you* do not have a full understanding of what our product does." To which I reply, "Well, Wendall, I understand that your product does not do what its packaging claims." Another amusing piece from Wendall was his technical(ity) argument that "Nowhere on the packaging does it say that you do not need any recording software." Is this man a lawyer or what? Okay, Wendall... this is exactly what it says on the packaging: 1) that the product works on PCs and Macs (presumably, the *whole* product--including the enclosed software?); 2) that a full version of Final Vinyl Recording Software is included; and 3) that the PURPOSE of the product is to "easily turn old records and tapes into MP3s or CDs" (for goodness' sakes!). But I guess we are just supposed to guess as to whether 'working on a PC' extends to the included software?? Wendall's take on this was that "we do not say anywhere on our packaging that [Final Vinyl] is either a Mac or PC application." (MY POINT EXACTLY!! Ya don't think that might have been a helpful thing to mention on there somewhere??)
In addition to the misleading packaging, there are next to no setup/installation instructions included (for these, you have to go online--and even then they are very brief, unclearly written, contradictory, and do not answer the questions you would think one would need to ask). One precious design gem is that you have to push the switch to the opposite side from the function you actually want to use; e.g. to enable the microphone, you push it AWAY from the mic symbol... nice, huh? My iMic (otherwise known as the headache of this past weekend) is going right back to the store for a full refund, as is the 3' RCA extension cable I had to buy to hook this useless gadget up in the first place... that is, if Radio Shack will even take it back opened (if not, that is six bucks down the drain, thanks to Griffin).
NUTSHELL: maybe this device improves sound once you have all other not-included required components in place (I wouldn't know, since I was duped into thinking it came with software that would work on my computer--and since it doesn't, I can't use it)--but it *definitely* does NOT serve alone to convert old analog music to CDs, as its packaging implies with a capital I. Consumer, beware!!!!!!

Works on Linux
I'm using it to record NPR. I used to use a PCI sound card but got annoyed at all the noise and buzz coming from the computer. The solution was move the sound card outside the computer. It records faithfully and quietly. I'm not going to say it's easy to get it working under Linux, since sound is still not trivial, but I was successful and am very happy with this product.

I currently using Redhat Linux 9, with Alsa 1.0 patches and ecasound to do the recording. One upshot of switching to usb audio was that the quality of the recording improved so much that the size of the recordings got smaller. Now I get excellent sound quality using VBR and average about 12kbps.

How can such a simple little gadget be so f***ed up?
I've never, to my knowledge, given anything a one star rating in my life. But I've gone through all kinds of gyrations trying to get this little gizmo to work on my Five Flavors iMac and I'm ready to give up.

First of all, you read where it works with 9.0. Wrong. 9.0 won't even see it. So, after a 5-hour download I had to do while I was sleeping, I updated to 9.1 rather painlessly and tried it again. The system profiler detects it, yet it disables all sound. Can you beat that? I've tried everything. I've tried using different Audio extensions, I've tried downloading their iMic controller.

As of this writing, all of three days after I bought it from, well, a retailer other than this one, I have yet to get it to work, and I feel like I'm having to work too hard to make it work, especially in light of the fact that the website and the item's own booklet says it's supposed to work on an operating system even lower than mine. Somebody's lying, I think it's Griffin, and unless they work a little harder at telling the truth about their product I can't recommend this or any of their products to anybody. ... Read more

Features

• 4-port USB 2.0 and 3-port FireWire combination card for PCs and Macs
• Includes MGI VideoWave 4 SE for editing your digital video
• Includes Sonic MyDVD 3 for creating DVD, VideoCD, or DVD-on-CD discs
• Supplies sufficient power for several FireWire devices preventing system lockups, crashes and potential data loss
• Connect DV cameras easily with an included 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable

Reviews (18)

Great product with great tech support back-up.
Let me try to make a long story short.

I bought a Dazzle Firewire card with Ulead software so that I could capture video. I didn't work when I got it and I never got it to work in spite of multiple attempts. Dazzle Techs said it was Ulead's fault and Ulead said it was Dazzle's. Neither company tried to help me out.

I bought the adaptec combo card, hoping that it would work.
I installed it and the accompanying software. It didn't work.
I called Canon. They helped me by sending me to Microsoft for
a plug-in. The card still didn't work. I just about gave up but decided to call Adaptec for help.

It was a toll call but the Adaptec Tech walked me through the
entire process of getting the card working. I'd guess that he spend a good 45 mintues with me as we checked my system out and straightened out all the problems that the Dazzle card and drivers left in my system. I am a business owner so I know exactly how important good customer care is. You can have the best product in the world but if you don't care about your customers, you're business is going to eventually fail.

Adaptec makes a great product AND they have one of the very best Tech Support teams that I have ever dealt with to back the product.

Buy This One !

Great all-in-one.
I installed this into a Windows 2000 machine and it works flawlessly. It didn't require the installation of any extra drivers--Windows already had all that was required. The card has everything I need for my high-bandwidth requiring devices. It even has internal ports so I can plug the Firewire port on the front of my computer into it. Highly recommended!

Works great
I bought this Adaptec AUA-3020 for use in my Dell Dimension 8200 (P4 2Ghz) with Windows XP Pro SP1. My computer originally doesnot have firewire and USB2.0 (it has 4 USB1 though). All 5 PCI slots were full with VGA, Ethernet, Sound, Promise Ultra ATA133 (for my additional HDs), and Firewire from Pinnaclesys. I was a little skeptical to use this product when I read other reviewers that has the same system (tony8gj from Redmond, WA). The only difference is he bought 3121 with internal USB and firewire while I bought 3020 without the internal ones. After I received the package, I read the instruction which is fairly easy and straightforward. I turn off the computer and all cables, took off my Pinnaclesys firewire and replace with this Adaptec 3020. Put all the cables back to where they were, (I didnot plug anything yet to the new Adaptec) and start the comp. Windows XP shows "Found new hardware" and rearrange them (I rearranged my USB1.1). Then I see that XP found this Adaptec but it says Texas Instrument for the firewire host controller (I guess the chip made by TI), and so on. It went smooth. Then I put the USB/firewire cables to this new Adaptec ports. All my devices were recognized fast and ready to use. I tested all my devices and they are all fine. Just make sure, before installing this and any other hardware, to check and update your flash BIOS from your computer manufacturer and also your Windows operating system from windowsupdate.com. Five big stars!!

Brilliant product even on old P3 450Mhz
The only irony like the two previous users mentioned, is that there r some inconsistencies with the software drivers. I realized the system becoming slightly slower in performance (but then again these peripherals were optimized for the new P4 etc.) I use it daily especially with external hard drives and Bluetooth and printers and numerous devices.

I am fiddling now with video feeds via the firewire. Am sure it will be flawless. If anyone is considering a good upgrade to older machines, then get this card! (after a memory upgrade this would b the most sensible upgrade one can do)

Didn't work for me- Orange Micro Works Better
I spent a couple of hours trying to install this. It kept causing windows to CRASH and my system would reboot. Read the manuel, and went to the website.

It just didn't work for my system.

I returned it and bought the Orangemicro card. It works flawlessly. But that ... Read more

Features

• Ultra reliable - backed by a lifetime warranty
• Add files, scene transitions and other effects with the included ULEAD VideoStudio SE editing software
• Super-fast 400Mbps maximum data transfer rate
• Hot Plug-and-Play feature allows the devices to be connected or disconnected without turning off the notebook
• Dongle-less design for ease of use

Reviews (12)

Works great with my iPod!
I bought this to transfer music to my new 10gig iPod. Installation was very easy on my laptop (running Windows 2000 Pro, SP 3.) Windows installed the drivers as soon as I plugged the card into the laptop and the iPod synced up just as easily. I didn't need the video editing software that came with this card (Ulead's Video Studio SE) so I can't comment on its usefulness.

I haven't used Firewire before since I work with PCs mostly so I was amazed at how fast the transfer is with Firewire. I transferred 9gigs of music (2750 files) to the iPod in 40 minutes. I have an old mp3 player that works with USB 1.1 and it takes 40 minutes to transfer 30 songs!

You should be careful to always use Windows' "Unplug or Eject Hardware" utility to disable the iPod and/or Startech card before diconnecting them from the laptop; I forgot once and had to reboot the laptop but I didn't have problems with the iPod (thank goodness!) Good product for a reasonable price. Not as cheap as the PCI cards at Compusa, but the best price I could find for a PCMCIA version. And it works great!

As easy as they say
I bought this Notebook card, paid for overnight shipping, and it was here the next day! I got it for use with my IPOD and I was NOT disappointed. I'm not that bright when it comes to this kind of stuff and the idea of this confused me. The other reviews didn't say if it came with everything, but I took a chance. It was complete with everything you need. I plugged it in and my laptop instantly recognized it. It was so fast that I thought my computer was still thinking about it. I plugged in my IPOD, followed the on-screen directions and 10 minutes later, I had a song on my IPOD. DEFINITELY WORTH THE PRICE

PCMCIA cards WILL NOT POWER IPODS!
Some people are rating this card down incorrecty. To set the matter straight:

The PCMCIA bus specification does not provide enough power to allow the PCMCIA cards to power external devices. Therefore, the PCMCIA Firewire cards do not provide enough power to the Firewire bus.

NO PCMCIA firewire cards can charge an ipod by itself (using the laptop's battery). PCI firewire cards (the kind for you desktop) CAN, but PCMCIA cards (the ones for you laptop) CANNOT. It is not a "feature" that this card lacks.

HOWEVER: Some PCMCIA cards come with an input for an external power adaptor, including this Startech card (as another reviewer mentioned). So basically, you plug an external adapter into the port (which you can see in the picture) and the external adapter will then power the firewire card, letting it charge your ipod. As far as I can tell, this feature isn't available on a lot of cheaper models. But you WILL have to have an external power adapter to use this feature.

So again, NO PCMCIA cards can self power an ipod while charging. Don't rate a product down for something that's not possible.

Great with XP and Canon DV Camcorder
Bought this to capture DV from Canon ZR20 to Toshiba Laptop with XP Home. Works great. Able to capture video to PC without loss of quality. Editing is easier with MovieMaker than with the included Ulead, but Ulead seems more versatile. I would definitely recommend this card for anyone trying to do the same thing.

Powered Firewire is possible
One of the reviews above states that this adapter won't provide power to devices such as the Apple iPod. You actually can power these devices by plugging an external power adapter into the card. This feature appears to be undocumented, but the plug is clearly visible to the left of the 1394 ports.

I phoned the Startech customer support, and they said that you can use any generic DC adapter, with the following settings: 12 volt DC, 3 amp, and a plug with positive (+) in the centre.

Hope it helps. ... Read more

Features

• Connect high-speed USB 2.0 devices to your computer with this 4-port card
• Fully compatible with USB 1.1
• Includes USB 2.0 drivers for Windows operating systems
• Full USB-IF Hi-Speed Certification
• 5-year warranty

Reviews (3)

Painless installation and flawless performance!
I recently purchased a 4 megapixel camera, and I found that it took much longer to download the larger picture files it produced than the pictures from my old 2.0 MP camera, (using a CF reader with USB 1.1). I was also getting more errors, like refusing to open a preview picture, and occassionally freezing the whole system. Since I do a lot of photo editing, I decided to upgrade to USB 2.0. I installed this card in a 866mhz P3 Dell w/512mb RAM, running Windows 98SE. Installation of the card and the software was simple, and it works flawlessly. Used with a new USB 2.0 card reader, the speed is unbelievable, even when uploading images to a website and downloading and editing photos at the same time, with no glitches or errors at all. I had purchased a similar card (Belkin F5U220) from a different vendor, but it caused numerous system crashes, and when I called Belkin tech support, I found the rep to be inept and surly. I highly recommend this Adaptec product, and Amazon's service was superb, as usual.

Card was easy to install, but beware of drivers
The card itself is nice and there's a lot of documentation and support available at the company, which is a switch from the generics that I normally buy. This card is replacing a generic which didn't function all too well and had no support.

The USB view software is amazing. I now can see a map of all of my legacy and 2.0 USB devices, including printers, drives, camera, MP3 players, etc.

One point on installation: I have Windows XP Pro. During Plug and Pray, it automatically installed NEC drivers, not the Adapatec drivers. This is likely Microsoft's fault. Download the latest drivers for the 3100LP card from the support website, they are dated Dec 2002. You will have to go to the Control Panel, to the device and update drivers. When it asks you, specify a location where you installed the new drivers to, and ensure you are installing drivers for this card.

Easy to install, nicely built card
Installed this card in minutes including all the software upgrades available on the Adaptec website. Instantly hooked up all the existing USB peripherals and all worked just fine.

Hooked up a USB 2.0 peripheral and experienced the high speed transfer rates.

Bottom line? Nice card from Adaptec, well worth a slight premium over cheaper models. ... Read more

Features

• Windows & Mac Compatible
• 2- USB 2.0 ports
• Cardbus for laptop computers
• Supports USB 2.0 on Win 98SE or later and Mac OS 10.2
• power supply included

Reviews (2)

Good product, but not without issues
I bought this from amazon.com with great expectations. After installing it, however, I found to my dismay that it didn't work with USB 2.0 devices - the system would lock up every time it tried to send data to my USB 2 device (Lexar USB2 Multi-Card Reader)! My old mouse based on USB 1.1 worked just fine, but not the USB 2 card reader. After 3 hours of struggling and research online I finally found the problem. Apparently, windows xp originally does not support USB 2.0, only in Service Pack 1 this becomes available. Since I was running XP without SP1, I had to rely on the drivers that came with this card. However, these drivers for the NEC chipset (on which this card is based) are v.2.0.7, and they appear to be buggy. After a lengthy search online I found the drivers v.2.0.8 - installed them and now the card works just great. It clocks ~3.1MB/s download and ~2.8MB/s upload with my Lexar Multi-Card reader. Unfortunately, this is the only device I have to test its speed with, but it works great so far! I'm giving it 4 stars, because the installation was so long and complicated - besides, Keyspan's website did not have the updated drivers, which is a shame...

So if you buy this card and if you're running WinXP without SP1, make sure you download v.2.0.8 drivers for NEC USB 2.0 chipsets. Here's a link: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/allcam/drivers/necusb2.exe

FYI: I'm running WinXP on HP OmniBook XE3, 256RAM, 1066Mhz Pentium III.

Keyspan 2.0 Cardbus initial review
Thought I'd write this up, since there were no other reviews
as 11/2003 (and because I found other's reviews extremely
helpful).

The Keyspan 2.0 Cardbus 2port USB 2.0 card installed
perfectly on my Dell Inspiron 4100, running Windows XP.
Windows found all drivers necessary; I did not have to
install drivers from the included CD-ROM.

Data seemed to transfer at a fine rate to/from my new
Lexar Media 2.0 JumpDrive Pro.
I do not have the tools to benchmark performance,
but it seemed to exceed the performance of my old
SCSI Jaz drive attached to a 16-bit SCSI PCMCIA card.

So far so good! If it toasts I'll review this review! ... Read more

Features

• Three functions, one PCI slot
• Easy installation
• Compatible with most PCI Power Macintosh
• Supports Mac OS 9.0 through Mac OS X
• Supports Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP

Features

• Includes stand with built-in cable management and insert frame--customize your XHub with a photo or favorite artwork
• Add seven fully-powered, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports to your computer and maintain compatibility with current USB 1.1 devices
• Can be stacked onto any other XHub
• Includes Adaptec USB 2.0 drivers and USBControl Utility
• Works with both Macs and PCs

Reviews (3)

What an improvement!
I had an old USB 1.0 hub that was not activating some of my USB devices when I booted my system. I researched the available USB 2.0 hubs and selected the Adaptec XHub7. I am not sorry I did. It was a snap to set up on my Window XP Home Edition system. all I had to do was plug in the USB devices, provide power to it using the included power supply and every USB device connected with no hithches.

It also fits nicely on my crowded desk, and I have not any problems with it like the ones I had with my old USB 1.0 hub. I plan to purchase another one as my system expands.

works like a champ...
Not much else to say... It connected as soon as it was pluged in, I've got all 7 ports full, and everything works every time (fast). It's the most attractive piece of hardware on my desk. Benchmarking software shows it to be as fast as advertised. I have no problem with plugging it into AC, as I'd rather not have a laptop power supply running my accesories. I'm buying more.

Great looking but has some issues
I just got this for Xmas to replace my undersized Belkin 4 port hub and it looks great. It works fine for most of my peripherals but don't bother hooking up your Soundsticks to it. The music skips about once every 20-30 seconds. It also requires a powercord (adding to the already overflowing powerstrip) unlike the Belkin which will work w/ or w/o external power (in accordance with USB specs I may add). So, I have the soundsticks plugged in directly to my TiBook and then the hub in the other port to all of the other peripherals. I debated returning it but the blekins are not stackable and take up a greater horizontal footprint. Sometimes I just wish I could find one product that did what I needed... ... Read more

Features

• Turns your SCSI device into a FireWire device
• Quick and easy plug-and-play installation
• Supports up to 20MB/sec data transfer

Features

• Connect 2 high-speed USB 2.0 devices to your notebook computer
• Fully compatible with USB 1.1
• Includes USB 2.0 drivers for Windows operating systems
• No external power supply needed in most cases
• 5-year warranty

Reviews (9)

A Plus for Plug N Play
I have a Sony 2.0 G VAIO with Windows XP. Under this environment it was just a matter of plugging it in and the drivers installed themselves automatically. I did not even have to open up the driver CD that accompanied the CardBus. Very impressive if you ask me. I am backing up my files as I am typing this with no problem onto my 160 G external hard drive using the fast USB 2.0 technology.

Not great
First of all, this has to go in the top PC slot, because it is bulky.

Second, I couldnt get it to work with my notebook (running ME). The lights stayed red.

Most importantly, and the reason I didnt pursue trying to get it to work for too long, as a previous review said, the card interfered with my wireless connection. My wireless nic card below the usb adapter couldnt hold a signal, even without the usb card working.

So, I returned it, needless to say.

Quite Sufficient
I bought this adapter to improve the data transfer rate to an external USB2 hard drive and as such it works quite well. Data transfer rate is 6 MB/s, about 10 times as fast as with USB1. Your mileage may vary.

I use the card exclusively under Linux; a recent kernel (2.4.21 or 2.5.5*) is necessary to get it to work reliably using updated EHCI drivers.

Avoid this one unless you are running Linux.
I own a 48x24x48 ext usb 2.0 Iomega burner for my notebook and so thought I would get a usb 2.0 pcmcia card for it. Well, to make a long story short I simply couldn't get it to completely install. I downloaded the most recent drivers from Adaptec, followed all their instructions on the website, etc., etc. No go for burning. I was able to get it to read from the external drive, so it wasn't a total waste.

Upon looking at several other reviews I have discovered that many people have had similiar problems with this card, although I have seen one person mention that the Win XP SP1 contained drivers for the card itself I still was unable to get results from it. (I tried it on Win OS's 2000, XP Home and XP Pro with and without the most recent SP's from Microsoft and with older and newer drivers, btw.)

However, one interesting thing I have come across from a few reviewers is it's surprisingly efficient compatibility with Linux! One review that came to mind mentioned Red Hat 7.3 as the one he found it working with.

For those of us who are stuck supporting themselves by using Windows based programs though (mostly page layout) this may be interesting but not really helpful practically. :) I am going to keep the card in the hopes that Adaptec will release a driver that works in the future, though, as I know that this company usually makes excellent products. In the meantime, I bought another usb 2.0 pcmcia card from OrangeMicro.

works like a charm!! Easy installation for windows XP.
1st tip: logon to adaptec.com and get the latest drivers for this card. Chances are the ones included on the installation disk are not the latest. 2nd tip: Follow the directions provided on how to override XP from installing it's own drivers and install the adaptec drivers. Do these 2 tips and you will have a FAST!, trouble-free usb2 card on your notebook. ... Read more

Features

• 2 built-in type A USB connections
• Supports 32-bit Cardbus PC Card Type II Slot
• Up to 480 Mbps data transfer rate
• No Software Needed
• Compatible with Windows 98SE, 2000, Me, and XP or Mac OS 8.6 or Greater

Reviews (17)

Works great with Mac OS X
I didn't see any reviews here that addressed Mac compatibility, so I thought I'd toss my hat in the ring....

Prior to OS X 10.2.8, the GPU202 worked, but only at USB 1.1 speeds. Not very helpful, since I already have built-in USB 1.1 ports on my TiBook 400. I then installed the drivers for this device, and got mixed results. The bus was definitely running at USB 2.0 speeds, but I couldn't find a consistent way to remove the GPU202 from the slot without causing system instability. :( I decided that the card-removal hassle wasn't worth it, so the GPU202 sat in a drawer unused. :(

Then along came the 10.2.8 update, and it was good. Now it works flawlessly, without the need for any extra drivers! (I uninstalled the IOGear driver before upgrading to 10.2.8.)

This is all moot if you buy a new Apple system, as they all have USB 2.0 ports built in now. But for pre-USB2 PowerBook users, this card should work great. Also, I imagine that it will work fine in Panther, although I haven't had a chance to try that out....

Here's the order of operations that I follow:

1) insert GPU202 into slot.
2) plug USB cable into GPU202.
3) do whatever you need to do.
4) unplug USB cable from GPU202.
5) use menu item to "Power Off Card."
6) remove card.

A modest upgrade at low cost
I bought this card for my 18-month old Dell Inspiron 4000. I am running Windows 2000 Pro.
Installing the card was very easy. Just plug it in and Windows will guide you to load the driver. You need at least Win 98 Second Edition to use this product.
Works OK with all my older USB 1.1 devices. I don't have any USB 2.0 devices yet so I can't atest on the speed. I am looking forward to use it with an external CDRW soon. Their prices are quite reasonable now.
The product is Hot-Swapable under Windows 2K. But you NEED to stop/remove before putting the system in standby/hibernate. Otherwise your system may behave erratically.
Alex.

Mostly bad results
I had an earlier IOGear 1-port card for a Dell Inspiron 2650 (XP), and I never got it to work. I just got the GPU202 2-port card for a new Dell Inspiron 300m (XP), with the same results. This time I downloaded the newest driver - still no luck. The laptop recognizes some peripherals plugged into the GPU202, but they won't function.

In any case, this is the last time I will waste any money on IOGear.

Caused lock-ups with my machine
I've used many pcmcia cards before with my computer (Compaq Evo n600c, WinXP Pro), with no problems. This card was the exception. First 5 times I used it, it worked great. After that, it would cause my machine to freeze whenever I inserted it. In the end, I discovered that the only way to get it to work was to reboot the machine at least once with the card already inserted. Driver updates did nothing to fix this problem. Major inconvenience and no support resources. Go with another card if you can.

Bad product and non-existing support
I took quite some fiddling to get the device to install properly on my XP system. Even so it didn't work with my external hard drive, it couldn't complete an I/O operation and the system locked up. I contacted support by e-mail (they don't provide a phone number) more than two weeks ago and I have still not heard from them. My advice is to try some other manufacturer. ... Read more

Features

• Connect high-speed USB 2.0 devices to your computer with this 6-port card
• Fully compatible with USB 1.1
• Includes USB 2.0 drivers for Windows operating systems
• Full USB-IF Hi-Speed Certification
• 5-year warranty

Reviews (9)

Some things are not what they seem to be!
This promising 6 port USB card caused my machine to "hang" because of the substantial overhead required by the USB 2.0 operations. I have a 3 year old 800MHZ machine with 256MB of ram. Adaptec says it requires "266MHZ or faster". I spent one hour on the phone with tech support ... trying a myriad of 'fixes' none of which worked. The tech ... said ". . . 800MHZ is marginal speed (!), a 3 year old machine predates the USB 2.0 spec and frequently the 2.0 cards will not work in a machine like this!!!" ...

Piece o'cake
Installation on a XP PC was super-easy. Just follow the instructions, carefully remove the back (case) of the PC, select the appropiate port, slap it in, replace the cover, turn the PC on - and PRESTO! you're ready to go!
XP recognizes the Port Card and it is ready to use.
Highly recommended.

Installs very easily and works like it should!
I highly recommend the Adaptec AUA-5100 USB 2.0, 6 port card by Adaptec because of problems with Iogear. I originally purchased the Iogear GCI 250 U, 5 port, USB 2.0 PCI card and had severe problems. When shutting down my PC, the Iogear USB card would send a heavy pulse, most of the time, that would just about snap off the Microsoft Force Feedback 2 joy stick handle. Iogear e-mailed me a new driver. After installing the new driver, the problem still existed. Iogear told me to send the USB card back to Amazon.com for credit -- Iogear had no suggested fixes! The Adaptec AUA-5100 works just like Adaptec says it should. The Adaptec card is well worth the extra money. (Is the Iogear sending damaging pulses into printers?) Plus, Amazon.com promptly credited my account when I returned the Iogear USB card. I highly recommend Adaptec and definitely Amazon.com!

Great Product
Fantastic product. Easy installation on XP computer. No problems at all. Installation and operation of this product was better that the reviews and my high expectations.

Works good last a long time
Installation on an XP computer was easy. No problems with any aspect of this product. Friendly software that is actually quite cool. Great product. ... Read more

Features

• Expands a single USB port to 7 for endless USB potential
• Daisy chain more hubs for a total of 127 USB ports
• Simply plug in and use, and since it’s USB, no rebooting is required
• Front panel lighting allows for easy monitoring of port and power activity
• Compatible with Windows 95 rev. B, 98, 2000, XP

Reviews (2)

Works fine
I have one of these connected to a Power Mac MDD 867 and it works fine. Like the first reviewer, I used double-sided foam tape to secure the hub to my desk. Connected to it and working fine are a Lexmark printer, Canon scanner (bus-powered), Griffin iMic, Wacom Graphire tablet, Clie dock, Plantronics USB headset, and a Logitech MX710 mouse.

Is this a socket before my eyes...
I use USB a lot - I have a variety of devices that use it to communicae with computers, and the couple of sockets that most machines have has long since become inadequate for what I do. At present, I have two Belkin 7-port USB hubs and one 4-port model on various computers around my house and business. They are simple, unassuming, and loyally perform their work with a minimum of trouble. I've tried other hubs, but the Belkins have been by far the most reliable.

This is a plug it in then plug other things into it technology. The only thing you can do wrong is man-handle the connections hard enough to break something. And the Belkin sockets are plenty tough. It comes with it's own power supply which is more than adequate to support devices that draw their energy from the USB connection.

My only gripe is a typical one of all USB hubs - the box isn't heavy enough to overcome the pull of the USB wires. Of course, making it so would significantly effect the price of a very affordable device. This really is only an issue if you have to keep plugging and unpluging things. I gave up and grabbed a roll of double sided tape - end of problem. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

no driver for XP on the CDROM & bug in download driver
I bought this because I liked the compact design. I was surprised to find that there was no driver for XP. I downloaded the latest driver for XP, but there is a bug during the installation. The device requires a file called serport.sys for the installation and the file provided on the download is called ser2pl.sys - Could not install the unit. I even tried renaming the file. I am waiting for a response from Iogear's technical support page. Where is the quality assurance! Also, XP says that the driver is not officially signed by Microsoft.

Oh well, works in Win ME, and somewhat in XP
I regret having to amend my previous recommendation. The adapter still works fine on my laptop in Win ME, but in Win XP on my desktop it has some problems. When I plug in the adapter, sometimes XP puts it in COM4, but sometimes COM5. Either way, it will not work unless I reboot XP with the adapter connected. I think this is an XP problem, but it certainly makes using the adapter less convenient. I have found Win XP to be about as awful as previous versions of windows ... it is true that it seldom goes blue screen ... but I still have to reboot a couple of times a day, and hardware installation is still "plug and pray". To think Bill Gates is the richest guy in the country ... maybe Marx was right after all.

Works great in Win ME and XP
I was a bit concerned about how well this adapter would work after reading about some of the installation problems below ... but no problem ... it installed automatically in XP on my new Dell Dimension 2400 in seconds. Apparently the drivers have been updated for XP. The installation on my old Compaq laptop (Win ME) took a few clicks and a reboot (don't forget that) but was also quick and easy. It works great with my serial GPS. I like it.

Excellent Adapter for Terminal Emulation Applications
Flawless Adapter for Terminal Emulation

I've succesfully used this unit on three XP laptops, two IBM Thinkpads (XP Pro, I think) and my new HP ZD7000 (XP Home). My sole interest in this device has to do with terminal emulation, e.g. for use with a terminal emulator like Hyperterm for comm-port based comunication between the notebook and various pieces of equipment that require a serial terminal for configuration. I have no experience with it's capabilities as a sync device for palms. All three installs were simple and flawless. Configuration and use are just as simple and flawless, at least insofar as I can tell.

An interesting anecdote: one of the Thinkpads has a built-in serial port, but it's flaky with my terminal emulation software of choice, Token 2 Plus (it seems to function perfectly with Hyperterm). However, the Adapter performed perfectly with Token 2 Plus, which leads me to believe that this device, in conjunction with USB and the device drivers, is more comprehensive and complete than the built-in serial port.

Also note that there are rumors that the notebook must be be power-cycled to recognize and succesfully configure the device, each time it is plugged in. That was certainly not the case on my laptops: ithis Adapter is just like most, if not all, other USB devices I've worked with: after install of the initial drivers the device is configured and ready to go within a second or two after plugging it into a USB slot.

5 stars.

XP/Win 2000 user
I bought mine in BestBuy store and tried it on both Dell Latitude D600/win XP and Dell desktop/win 2000 with GPS device (Trimble Placer 450).
It worked better than expected since Windows XP recognized new USB hardware and showed me new COM4 port in Device Manager instantly. No need for installation CD that is btw. supplied with the cable. I could instantly get data to the HyperTerminal application.

The only thing I do not like is the price. I would go for the cheaper, but had to have the cable immediately, therefore I purchased it in the store. ... Read more

Features

• True plug and play
• 100/400 Mbps transfer rates
• Easy to install, no jumpers or switches or terminators required
• Supports up to 63 devices
• 3 IEEE1394 Ports

Reviews (3)

Excellence.
Highly recommended. The installation was simple. XP detected the drivers and set it up instantly. Was able to hook up external hard drive without any problems. Even comes with software to create your own digital movies. Learning the software is not as easy as installing the PCI card.
Overall, very satisfied with this product.

Great card
.. This was a synch to install in my XP, 2.4ghz, P4. Once in the slot, it loaded itself up, bypassing the usual Wizard. ... I began converting analog 8 mm to digital files for editing, right off the bat. The software that came with it is clunky, taking time to get a handle on. But it produced beautiful avi and quicktime files, once I figured things out. The wma files weren't so great, but that's probably the price you pay for squeezing down a 3 minute clip for e-mail. Other files can be produced too, with the software. Am very pleased.

Quick Plug and Play - Great Value
I'm using Windows XP on a 1.8ghz P4

XP detected it immediatley upon boot up. My JVC Mini-DV was also detected right away when I plugged in the firewire cable.

I also purchased the 6 foot firewire cable. I would suggest not getting a cable any shorter than 6'

If you plan on tranferring your video to VCD, you may want to invest in a good video editing program like Adobe Premiere.

I used the Windows Video Maker to capture the video and Nero Burning Rom to make the VCD. It looked "OK" on the TV.

I will be investing in some video software soon ... Read more

Features

• Add four fully-powered, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports to your computer and maintain compatibility with current USB 1.1 devices
• Can be stacked onto any other XHub
• Includes Adaptec USB 2.0 drivers and USBControl Utility
• Works with both Macs and PCs

Features

• Connect up to 4 USB devices to a single port on your computer
• Plug-and-play installation
• Supports all high-speed and low-speed USB devices
• Includes 2.1-amp power supply
• Compatible with both PC and Mac computers

Reviews (37)

Bad Choice
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.

A world of trouble
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!

Worked fine, then died
This hub worked fine for over a year, and then stopped working completely (lights don't go on).

Avoid like the plague (or suffer a heartbreak)
I've had this hub for a while and it worked fine (even though the AC adapter was a little bit clunky). But recently I tried attaching an 802.11b receiver via the USB and the thing wouldn't work after 3 days of use - Windows reported it being an Unknown Device. Plugging into the back of my computer would still report the same problem - I figured the wireless adapter was faulty. But then...

The other day I plugged a trusty Sidewinder into the hub to play some old games. Tonight the same thing happened - Windows now refuses to recognize the gamepad I've used faithfully for years now. I am convinced this hub is the culprit. Spend a little more money to buy a hub whose quality you can really depend on!

Perhaps this was purely my own experience with a faulty hub, but I'd strongly recommend you consider another product - you may be putting your expensive electronics at unnecessary risk.

Intermittantly works
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time, I have to cycle around through the ports, and then if I'm lucky it will recognize the device. Sometimes it even "drops out" part way through a transmission. Very frustrating. Belkin used to have a good reputation. I guess they can make more money selling junk nowadays. ... Read more

Features

• Get two ultra-fast, 400Mbps FireWire Ports on the road
• Edit and publish movies with the included hyper intuitive software from MGI
• Capture digital video on your PC and join the FireWire video revolution
• Maximize and hot swap FireWire disk drives, scanners, and other peripherals
• Transfer video as a perfect digital file copy, free from the risk of conversion loss

Reviews (1)

Good product, Bad instructions.
I bought this product, and it turned out to work fine, but I had trouble getting it started. For instance, for the sound in, you need to configure it, but in the instruction book you are supposed to put "sound in", when it is really "NT1004". Also, you can't run the program through classic, because it won't capture the video, so youi have to restart the computer in OS 9.2. The product is good, but the instructions are very bad. ... Read more