Review on UGREEN Monitor and Projector Splitter: Ultimate Support for Simultaneous Display by Arun Siddiqui

Product in quality packaging with good connections and good looks. And it works. The device has a micro USB connector (not a mini USB connector as one reviewer said). This is the same connector used in smartphones and if required a USB cable from the hub to your smartphone charger or to your PC will power this device. However, there is some confusion as to whether a power connection is required. Please note that neither the product description on Revain nor the instructions on the splitter packaging mention anything about USB, nor is a USB cable or charger included. But as an electrical engineer, I knew this type of product would require power, so I was prepared to supply power via my smartphone charger and USB cable before plugging it in. However, I was surprised that the splitter worked without a USB connection. How could that happen? I asked. I have come to the conclusion that the power must come from the VGA input cable connected to the PC. I looked at the VGA specs and noticed that the VGA ports on older PCs don't supply power, but newer incarnations of VGA do supply 5 volts of power at the VGA port. Pin 9. I have concluded that the splitter is designed to be powered from pin 9 of the VGA connector, but if the VGA connector does not have 5 volts on pin 9, a USB connection can to be used for power supply instead. This is clever and explains why USB isn't usually needed and why it's not mentioned when it should be. Again, the product works as advertised and solves another problem that some reviewers of other splitters mention. That is, shading (degradation of sharpness) of the video on one or both of their video displays. Without going into the reasons for the shadowing, I would like to say that the shadowing is eliminated because the splitter is powered and therefore able to produce two completely independent VGA outputs. Another advantage of this splitter is that it selects which VGA output the PC goes to. Both outputs are always on. UGREEN did a good job developing this product.