USB switches provide a simple yet powerful way to share USB peripherals like keyboards, mice, and printers across multiple systems. When paired with a USB 3.0 dock, they allow you to easily swap between multiple hosts with the single press of a button.

The Plugable USB3-SWITCH2 and USB2-SWITCH2 allow a single USB peripheral or hub to be shared between two computers at the press of a button. The primary difference is bandwidth: the USB3-SWITCH2 supports USB 3.0 transfer speeds up to 5Gbps and high-demand devices like docking stations, while the USB2-SWITCH2 operates at USB 2.0 speeds up to 480Mbps and is designed for basic peripherals like keyboards and printers.

USB3-SWITCH2 Use Cases and Compatibility

• Use Cases:
  • Home Office Multi-System Use: Remote workers with separate devices for work and personal use can leverage USB switches and USB 3.0 DisplayLink-based docks such as the UD-3900 or UD-6950Z  to share equipment like printers or webcams. This eliminates the need for duplicate peripherals.
  • Education and Training: Classrooms and labs can simplify device sharing between teacher and student computers. Adding a USB3-SWITCH2 to your UD-3900 dock setup ensures easy access without constant reconnection.
• Supported Devices: USB 3.0 docking stations, DisplayLink video adapters, external hard drives, flash drives, webcams, and USB 3.0 hubs.
• Dual-Computer Workstations: Ideal for sharing a full docking station setup—including external monitors, network connections, and high-speed storage—between a work laptop and a personal PC.
• High-Speed Data Sharing: Suitable for environments requiring fast file transfer speeds across two host systems without re-plugging cables.

USB2-SWITCH2 Use Cases and Compatibility

• Use Cases:
  • Small Businesses or Studios: Photographers, designers, and other professionals can benefit by specialized equipment like scanners between multiple editing or design stations.
  • Swapping USB input devices between Laptops: Users can benefit by sharing external mouse and keyboards between multiple computers
• Supported Devices: Keyboards, mice, USB desktop printers, image scanners, basic USB audio interfaces, and USB 2.0 hubs.
• Basic Peripheral Sharing: Designed for simple office or home environments where two computers only need to share basic input devices or a printer.
• Incompatible Devices: Not compatible with docking stations, USB graphics adapters, or high-bandwidth USB 3.0 peripherals.

Other Compatibility Considerations

There are important limitations to consider when using a USB Type-A switch. Both the USB3-SWITCH2 and USB2-SWITCH are not compatible with docks or downstream devices that use USB-C Power Delivery (PD) or USB-C Alt Mode (for video delivery). Additionally, the USB2-SWITCH2 is only intended for use with lower bandwidth devices such as mice and keyboards, or other USB 2.0 Type-A devices.

Applicable To

• Plugable USB3-SWITCH2
• Plugable USB2-SWITCH2