Data Copy and Internet Connection Sharing dongle explains itself

Every so often, one of these off-the-wall USB peripherals really does do something worth clapping about. Today, we're taking a look at one such outlier in the driver-free USB 2.0 Data Copy and Internet Connection Sharing Dongle. While not fancy in design, this here device sure promises a lot. For starters, it enables data transfers between PCs to be handled easily and efficiently, but the real kicker is its ability to give the second computer the option of siphoning internet from the first. Sure, there are more legitimate ways of sharing one's signal, but when you're in pinch, who has time to fiddle with the Networking control panel? It's just $29, and it could save your life. Think about it.

[blueangel00100 @ Feb 25th 2009 6:54AM]

A handy crossover cable. Nice.

[maty @ Feb 25th 2009 7:50AM]

Plugging in a crossover cable, Start->Control Panel->Network Connections->Properties->Sharing.

It takes less than 2 minutes to do o_O. Explain why I would need this over just dumping files I had to transfer into the shared folder? Is it really going to save me that much time?

[TREX6662k5 @ Feb 25th 2009 7:58AM]

Yeah, what if your already using the ethernet port?

[CosterMonger @ Feb 25th 2009 10:25AM]

@TREX6662k5
then unplug it

the question here is what if I need to copy files and use the INTERNET at the same time!

[maty @ Feb 25th 2009 10:55AM]

With your wifi on one of your laptops and the internet set to shared you can copy files AND browse the web... on both, with just a crossover cable.

[Bubba Effector @ Feb 25th 2009 1:00PM]

LapLink rediscovered

[Basic @ Feb 25th 2009 9:14PM]

@matty as someone who has actually done such a thing, it sucks in XP, easier to do in Vista, and is almost impossible to do without a crossover cable (i.e. ICS with WiFi peer and hardwire upstream)

[Martin Kean0 @ Feb 25th 2009 7:16AM]

AWESOME

[Boards of Canada @ Feb 25th 2009 6:59AM]

really cool. I had problems in the past, transfering stuff from my job computers and this little cable would have been a real time saver.

[ToniCipriani @ Feb 25th 2009 7:02AM]

The KIRF phone supplier has it for cheaper:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20425

[paul-engadget @ Feb 25th 2009 7:23AM]

cat5(e) or cat6 crossover cable: US$2.
cygwin and sshd: US$0
copying your data easily: priceless

however, since most laptops have wireless or bluetooth, transferring data is trivial!

[chefgon_ign @ Feb 25th 2009 7:45AM]

A simple cable (that doesn't look identical to a similar-but-different cable) that requires no drivers or fancy configuration would be even easier. If this is as simple as they make it sound then I'll happily pay the difference. Besides, I'm pretty sure that none of my computers have drivers installed for the NIC anyway, they are all on WiFi all the time.

[Takashi @ Feb 25th 2009 10:12AM]

If I am not mistaken, you just suggested installing sshd to make point-to-point file transfers on a crossover cable.
Afraid the black helicopters might snag your precious bytes using EM radiation leaking from the CAT?

[thequinox @ Mar 4th 2009 2:48PM]

lol

[loocas @ Feb 25th 2009 7:22AM]

I thought of this long before USB was even real!

*off sueing the bastards*

[BrettA @ Feb 25th 2009 7:16AM]

Looks great! Thx., Engadget!

[rcarm @ Feb 25th 2009 7:24AM]

I'll take two!

[bot @ Feb 25th 2009 7:37AM]

I wish I had one of these right now. I am currently at my friend's house in Japan and she doesn't have a router. Since we both have laptops I tried to do the Internet Connection Sharing thingy in Windows XP but I can't get it to work. When I set the TCP IP settings to automatic it gives me a funky IP address for both computers instead of the usual 192.xxx.etc. So then I set it to manual, assign the host with 192.168.0.1 and the client with ".".".2 and they connect, and I'm even able to browse files. But when I enable connection sharing for the LAN adaper on the host computer, the client is never able to browse the net. It's so frustrating to have only 1 computer for two people. I think it might have to do with the slimmed down XP's I installed on these computers cause they're netbooks and all... Argh!

[trevor @ Feb 25th 2009 8:16AM]

you're in japan?! what's it like?

[atheos @ Feb 25th 2009 7:47AM]

...and with two Macs you can do the same with just a few clicks using normal Ethernet cable. Or Firewire. Or WiFi. Or Bluetooth.

[frostypolarbear7 @ Feb 25th 2009 8:03AM]

That would be great if I actually knew two people who owned a Mac.

[poke @ Feb 25th 2009 8:04AM]

great....your point is...?

[tim @ Feb 25th 2009 8:10AM]

yeah, thats cos its designed to be idiot-proof.
you as evidence.

[Kram @ Feb 25th 2009 8:10AM]

P.S. your band is horrible
angsty nerd-metttulz

[Gary @ Feb 25th 2009 10:13AM]

hear hear.......

all that trouble for a window platform computer.......

[PeterF @ Feb 25th 2009 8:59AM]

Same with Windows and Linux. What is your point?

[kohenkatz @ Feb 25th 2009 11:14AM]

And with two PCs.

I do it all the time here where a friend of mine has a USB based DSL Modem.

[sgt_easton @ Feb 25th 2009 1:28PM]

That's nice. No one really cares.

[syannis @ Feb 25th 2009 8:06AM]

Can I ask something? would that work to connect my laptop with my PS3 in order to be able to transfer files?
thanks

[CosterMonger @ Feb 25th 2009 10:39AM]

should as far as I know

[htd @ Feb 25th 2009 8:28AM]

isnt this thing been around since usb was created?

[benooetr @ Feb 25th 2009 9:09AM]

no

[DeadlySeven @ Feb 25th 2009 9:12AM]

no

[Wwhat @ Feb 25th 2009 12:03PM]

Yes, but not with the internet-sharing package included, you had to use ICS and that messes up all your IP's and is annoying as hell to set up for the common average user.

But why not simply use a network cable, or if you have firewire ports any firewire cable will do, no dongle needed.

[Elvedhel @ Feb 25th 2009 8:41AM]

wonder if you could daisy chain with these. set up a dozen pcs in a row, one network connection, usb cables all going from one pc to the next, would make LAN gaming so much easier!

[OddManOut @ Feb 25th 2009 3:00PM]

I don't know if the one in this article can do that. But apparently THIS one...

http://www.usbgear.com/computer_cable_details.cfm?sku=CU2TCP&cats=106&catid=112%2C106

...can.

Not sure if it's daisy chaining or a start patter from the web connected machine, but yeah...these things are old as the hills. Been using them since back when they used to top out at USB1.1/12mbps. No so much now though. A cheap no-wifi router costs about $10 - $20 and is actually pretty portable. That or crossover cables...Peer-to-Peer or ICS really isn't that hard to set up...

[absinthe party @ Feb 25th 2009 8:56AM]

haha, "dongle."

[RickyRik @ Feb 25th 2009 9:10AM]

a secure bluetooth version would be better. no pesky wires to deal with :)

[CosterMonger @ Feb 25th 2009 10:44AM]

is Bluetooth high speed out yet (I don't so); enjoy transferring your files at 3 Mbit/sec.

[MBN @ Feb 25th 2009 2:34PM]

3MB? Try .7 MB/sec or less in the real world.

[Quark999 @ Feb 25th 2009 9:15AM]

Daisy-chaining: And then the guy in the middle gets up and leaves - and the Command & Conquer session by the guys around him breaks down. Been there, done that, with 10Base2/BNC/Coax cabling. There's a reason why everyone dumped it as soon as 10BaseT became affordable...

[Wwhat @ Feb 25th 2009 12:05PM]

Sure but those connectors looked damn impressive didn't they? Much more so than tiny plastic gigabit ethernet, or USB dongles.

[BigTeebo @ Feb 25th 2009 9:41AM]

I have a male-to-male USB cable I bought at a dollar store. Never had the heart to actually try to hook it up to 2 computers.

[Wwhat @ Feb 25th 2009 12:07PM]

You cannot connect USB with a plain cable without a device inbetween, you can with firewire though, but not USB, and you were wise to not try.

[Kyle Brandes @ Feb 25th 2009 9:45AM]

I just thought about it, I think I'm gonna get one and see how well it really works, now i can use my sprint's connect card and link my bro's computer to mine, and our family trips will be much much better 'cause he is always complaining and wants to use mine, $30 to shut my little bro up will be defiantly worth it, plus being able to do easy data transfer and i don't have to deal with any drivers? that makes it worth $50 to me.

[deej @ Feb 25th 2009 11:16AM]

this could be really handy if it allows data transfer between a mac and a PC ... it would be much faster as well... as I have all devices on wifi.

[Noah @ Feb 25th 2009 12:05PM]

Is this USB setup faster (transfer speed) and simpler than sharing over Wifi? Ethernet (did that once...had some issues)?

[MBN @ Feb 25th 2009 2:40PM]

Yes. 480Mbps over USB vs. 100 Mbps over common Ethernet and 54 Mbps over most common wi-fi 802.11g. Those are all top theoretical speeds of course.

[Beaker.gj @ Feb 25th 2009 1:46PM]

Was in training last week. Had a laptop, forgot the external USB drive. Could have used this to transfer some 'training' files to the laptop. Had to have a co-worker overnight an external drive instead.

[rcappo @ Feb 25th 2009 2:40PM]

Does it work with two Linux computers? Or between a Linux & Mac/Windows PC? I would buy it just as a simple, no setup way of transferring files. I now have to use a usb hard drive that is plugged into one computer at a time if I need to move files back and forth.