Price : Too low to display
The Kramer VS-30FW is a high-performance bi-directional hub/repeater for 9-pin FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) signals. It increases the number of ports available and/or extends the distance of FireWire cable runs.
This review is from : Kramer VS-30FW 3-Port FireWire 800 Repeater / Hub
FireWire 800/400 Solution for MacBook . I'm disappointed that Apple decided that the newer MacBook Pro doesn't require a FireWire 400 port. But I'm more disappointed that when they dumped the FW400, they left me with only one FW800 port. "But you can chain dozens of FW800 and 400 devices from one FW800 port" you say... not practically if you have a dozen 1TB hard drives, a FW audio interface, a FW video tape machine/camera, and still have projects come in on FW400 portable drives. Routing all of these things is impossible as the audio interface and the camera don't offer in/out ports.
So after looking around extensively, this Kramer hub seemed like the way to go. It's very solid, professionally built, can be wall powered and extends the distance in your chain. The downside is, there are only 3 ports. So one comes from you computer, one goes to the HD chain, and that still only leaves you one port for extending to FW400 devices. Kramer suggests you buy two, but think about it: for each hub you buy you add one port. That's kinda ridiculous - Kramer, make a 4 port version and you'll have a real winner.
FireWire 800/400 Solution for MacBook . I'm disappointed that Apple decided that the newer MacBook Pro doesn't require a FireWire 400 port. But I'm more disappointed that when they dumped the FW400, they left me with only one FW800 port. "But you can chain dozens of FW800 and 400 devices from one FW800 port" you say... not practically if you have a dozen 1TB hard drives, a FW audio interface, a FW video tape machine/camera, and still have projects come in on FW400 portable drives. Routing all of these things is impossible as the audio interface and the camera don't offer in/out ports.
So after looking around extensively, this Kramer hub seemed like the way to go. It's very solid, professionally built, can be wall powered and extends the distance in your chain. The downside is, there are only 3 ports. So one comes from you computer, one goes to the HD chain, and that still only leaves you one port for extending to FW400 devices. Kramer suggests you buy two, but think about it: for each hub you buy you add one port. That's kinda ridiculous - Kramer, make a 4 port version and you'll have a real winner.
Kramer VS-30FW 3-Port FireWire 800 Repeater / Hub Reviews
Perfect for my needs . First the bad news... I wish it had another port or two. Perhaps the lack of additional ports is a physical limitation due to FW bandwidth? I don't know... In any case, I only needed three ports. I'm using this hub to split my MacPro's FW800 port between two FW400 audio interfaces (FW adaptor cables purchased separately). This item has worked perfectly since the moment I hooked it up. No problems at all. The status lights and locking power cable connector are useful features. IMO, this product is well-built and suitable for professional use.
Perfect for my needs . First the bad news... I wish it had another port or two. Perhaps the lack of additional ports is a physical limitation due to FW bandwidth? I don't know... In any case, I only needed three ports. I'm using this hub to split my MacPro's FW800 port between two FW400 audio interfaces (FW adaptor cables purchased separately). This item has worked perfectly since the moment I hooked it up. No problems at all. The status lights and locking power cable connector are useful features. IMO, this product is well-built and suitable for professional use.
Cons Review
Did not live up to my needs . I did a lot of searching around before I found this Firewire 800 hub by Kramer but there are not very many of them. I bought this one thinking it was higher quality after reading the reviews. My problem is I have 3 firewire 800 disks connected to my MacBook Pro in a daisy chain. The Mac gets very hot when I have a backup running to one disk while watching a recorded TV show on the other. Plus the performance seems to degrade on the furthest disk in the chair. So, I thought a hub would give better performance and take the heat off the Mac - literally. I thought that if it has its own power supply then maybe it will not cause the Mac to overheat.
The product came nicely boxed with quality packing. But it was very lightweight as if the box were empty. I connected everything up and it worked fine. Then after a day or so I notice that when I was watching a recorded show on one of the disks it would freeze for about 5-10 seconds then startup where it left off. It did this repeatedly about every 3-5 minutes. I tried other recorded shows and they did the same thing. It did not happen during the recording because the timer on the show also froze and I did not miss any part of the show. Long story short, the Kramer Tools VS-30FW Hub was causing the problem. It has the affect of slowing down the bandwidth from the simultaneously connected 3 hard-drives. I confirmed that by connecting the single disk with the show directly to the Mac and left the others and the Kramer disconnected. The show played flawlessly and even appeared to have better resolution but that may be my imagination. Bottom line, I threw out the packing so I can't return the Kramer so I tossed it in the trash. I am now ordering the NitroAV to see if it does a better job. The specs on the NitroAV claim it operates at up to 800 Megabits per Second(Mbps), for blazing fast transfer rates, and elimination of daisy chaining, plugging and unplugging devices. Of course, the Kramer also said that but it turned out not to be true.
The product came nicely boxed with quality packing. But it was very lightweight as if the box were empty. I connected everything up and it worked fine. Then after a day or so I notice that when I was watching a recorded show on one of the disks it would freeze for about 5-10 seconds then startup where it left off. It did this repeatedly about every 3-5 minutes. I tried other recorded shows and they did the same thing. It did not happen during the recording because the timer on the show also froze and I did not miss any part of the show. Long story short, the Kramer Tools VS-30FW Hub was causing the problem. It has the affect of slowing down the bandwidth from the simultaneously connected 3 hard-drives. I confirmed that by connecting the single disk with the show directly to the Mac and left the others and the Kramer disconnected. The show played flawlessly and even appeared to have better resolution but that may be my imagination. Bottom line, I threw out the packing so I can't return the Kramer so I tossed it in the trash. I am now ordering the NitroAV to see if it does a better job. The specs on the NitroAV claim it operates at up to 800 Megabits per Second(Mbps), for blazing fast transfer rates, and elimination of daisy chaining, plugging and unplugging devices. Of course, the Kramer also said that but it turned out not to be true.
Feature Kramer VS-30FW 3-Port FireWire 800 Repeater / Hub
- Ports - 3 bilingual IEEE 1394b 800Mbps (S800)
- Range - Doubles FireWire cable range from 4.5m (14.75ft) to 9m (29.5ft). Multiple units can be cascaded to extend the range to up to 72m (236ft)
- Hot Swapping - Supports Plug-and-Play
- Transfer Rates - 100, 200, 400 and 800Mbps
- ESD Protection - Incorporates Kramer's Spark-Guard Pro signal protection circuitry to help protect against EDS (electrostatic discharge) which can damage digital equipment
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Product Details
EAN : 0104000004119UPC : 104000004119
MPN : VS30FW
Brand : Kramer
Binding : Electronics
Manufacturer : Kramer Electronics
Publisher : Kramer Electronics
SKU : VS-30FW
Studio : Kramer Electronics
Where To Buy
You can buy Kramer VS-30FW 3-Port FireWire 800 Repeater / Hub on Amazon . Click here to Read More
