Does anyone use a USB switch so that their dongle can be used over two laptops and one Surface? I’m looking at many backup hacks from using an Enttec S Play to USB switching or both. Of course, 2 dongles would be preferable… but…
Many thanks all
Dj
You do know vista has a tracking backup over network?
where the dongle of the main also covers for the backup so you don’t need a second one.
I do get that its an issue with dmx hardware from vista itself but if you use sACN/artnet it should be easily doable to switch from one to the other machine switching the sACN/artnet output on or off
@HighSolutions Thanks for your reply. Presently, you cannot use one dongle to cover two machines that are loaded up with the Vista app, even on a network, even tracking, unless, of course, you hot swap the dongle from one machine to the other during the 5-minute “grace period”. Which means the dongle has to be “on the loose”.
Do please correct me if I’m wrong. It’s highly likely. 
Today I experimented with a USB A, B switch, which worked. It does have to be a good-quality switch; avoid cheap and nasty ones. I used a UGREEN. Again, the dongle will be on the loose!
Unfortunately, I can’t afford a second dongle, so I’m looking for solutions for a ‘simple’, quick, dirty backup, or at least be able to get some lights up quickly in the event of a failure I do like to keep the dongle INSIDE the console rather than loose on a lanyard, but I took it out to try the USB switch, and because I’m clumsy, I’ll probably lose the dongle. I tried it as an experiment just to see how it worked. It’s now back inside the desk!!!
I have decided, for now, to try an Enttec S-Play. It will record cues live from your desk, so you could capture a whole sequence, or, in my case, I just want to grab a few emergency cues. If S Play is on the same network as your show computer, any cues recorded into S Play that are given a lower network priority than the console, (this is set in the S Play), the S Play will take over if there is no DMX over Ethernet coming from the console.
It works like the old TMB DataLynx A/B switch, but it was only 4 physical DMX ins and outs. No Ethernet, you could store 10 scenes, but had to hit a “PANIC” button and pick a scene number, or rather the tech did, if he was at dimmers and not in the bar! The S Play option is both! but only 2 physical DMX universes, but up to 32 over Ethernet (ArtNet or streaming)
Of course, if you are using the 2 standard DMX sockets, then you have to use a DMX merge box and run parallel lines back to dimmer city.
Tomorrow I will be trying an S Play box and will have it inline in my next gig the next day, so if anyone is interested I’ll report back.
Very best wishes.
Dj