We have had increasing problems over the years with internal card readers, especially when manufacturers try to fit in other features with them (floppy drives, USB hubs, etc). Moving to an external reader gets rid of those problematic add-ons, makes replacement easier if a drive does start to act up, and reduces cost.
Card readers have been something of a bane for us in tech support. I've yet to see one that didn't disconnect randomly or suddenly lose a slot. Here's the thing. Most SD card readers installed in systems are connected via the internal USB ports. This is fine, except that the card readers are somewhat finicky, and they have this tendency to need to be reset. Best way to do this? Open up the case, pull the USB plugin from the motherboard, and then plug it back in.
That's crazy! An SD card port goes out, so we're supposed to open up the computer to fix it? So that leads to this solution. Use an external SD card reader. Reseating becomes a whole lot easier, if needed, and so far, our experience with the Kingston media readers has been really good. We've been carrying them for over half a year as I write this in March of 2016, and we've seen far fewer issues than any of the internal readers we carried. Really loving these guys.
Model: Kingston FCR-HS4
Features
- Ultra-portable - small size makes it an easy and convenient travel accessory
- Versatile - supports major types of memory cards and the latest speed standards (UHS-I and UHS-II)
- Fast - USB 3.0 performance for efficient and effortless data transfer
- Compliant - with USB 3.0 specifications, backwards compatible with USB 2.0
- Built-in LED indicator
- USB 3.0 cable included
Kingston's USB 3.0 High-Speed Media Reader reads all major card format types
and supports UHS-I and UHS-II SD card speeds, making it ideal for photographers,
videographers, design studios and printing houses. This versatile reader lets you
easily transfer photos, videos, music and other data between your favorite cards
and your PC.
To maximize the performance of your memory cards and save time when
transferring files, it features USB 3.0 high-speed performance with up to 5.0Gb/s
data transfer speed, up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
The USB 3.0 media reader has a sleek design, with white body and brushed
nickel case in a small form factor, with an easily read, built-in LED indicator. It's
backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, which is convenient for systems with
limited USB 3.0 ports. For peace of mind, it's covered by a two-year warranty, free
technical support and legendary Kingston reliability.
Dimensions - 93.3mm x 52.68mm x 16mm
Speed Rating1 - up to 5.0Gb/s data transfer speed
Operating Temperature 32* to 140*F / 0* to 60*C
Storage Temperature -4* to 185*F / -20* to 85*C
Supported card formats
- Compact Flash: CF Type I & II (UDMA 0-7)
- Secure Digital: SD/SDHC UHS I-II/SDXC UHS I-II
- microSD: microSD/microSDHC UHS-I/microSDXC UHS-I
- Memory Stick: Memory Stick PRO/Duo/PRO Duo/ PRO-HG Duo
Requirements - System with USB 3.0 for maximum performance.
