We had a client this week in the financial sector that was looking at attaching two monitors to his notebook and at the same time use the standard notebook screen. This is less than a standard configuration as most people know, especially since he has a Hewlett Packard NC2400 ultra light notebook.
Any way someone recommended a Cables to Go Port Authority 2 USB 2.0 to XGA Adapter at the cost MSRP of $107 Canadian I was a little suspect of how well this product would work. Normally for such a solution I would recommend either a different notebook like a Lenovo T60 with a full docking station or a Matrox DualHead2Go. But the client wanted to save a couple of dollars and insisted on the Cables to Go Port Authority 2 USB 2.0 to XGA Adapter.
The product was extremely easy to setup as advertised you just install the drivers and plug the unit into you USB port and hook the monitor the other side. In the device manager the Go Port Authority 2 USB 2.0 to XGA Adapter appears as just another video card. After it was all setup I though ok that was easy maybe this product will work, it has been downhill from this point on.
After the notebook rebooted the second screen become active expect there is a noticeable and annoying lag on the screen that is attached to the Port Authority 2 USB 2.0 to XGA Adapter, basically making the screen useless for anything other showing a static image. Updating drivers to the latest version on the both the adapter and USB ports on the notebook improved things marginally but it is far from usable. Calling Cables to Go tech support they had me go through the standard trouble shooting process and have basically given up on it. Saying there must be some sort of incapability between the adapter and the notebook. I though ok that is possible, I have tried it on two other notebooks and a desktop with the same issue, I guess there are lots of incapability’s with this product.
Another troubling thing that I noticed with the adapter is that every so often; say every hour it just dies forcing a reboot of the system. The Cables to Go Port Authority 2 USB 2.0 to XGA Adapter, part number 30534, is just too good to be true and a product I would avoid. The poor tech support and the fact they basically gave up also leads me to question recommending too many Cables to Go products.
In case you are wondering we were not running the screen attached to this unit at a high resolution, 1280 x1024 which is well within the spec listed on the Cables to go website and the manual that comes with the adapter.
{ 2 } Comments
Ive had the same usb video adapter for a while. It is very flaky, but nice when it works. It wouldnt die on me once it started, but it often fails to start and you have to boot 2 or 3 times to get it to work. Trouble is, there are not many alternatives for the same function.
This thing is TOTAL SH!T. Do NOT!!! buy it! I paid $99 for it, which is $99 too much. First off: The CablesToGo web page said it would do 1600 x 1200 - total lie. From the alleged manufacturer (don’t believe *that* for a second!). Second: at its highest res, 1280 x 1024, the display locks up after only several minutes. Disabling it and re-enabling gets it working again, but who the Hell is going to do that every 4 minutes? Third: yes, it lags immensely. I’m writing code, so fast screen update is not needed, so I could live with this. IF it did the res. advertised; IF it actually worked for more than 4 minutes at a stretch.
TOTAL CRAP!!!!
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