Dongle Durability

Steinberg Lounge
#1

Hi folks,

There is already a thread about dongles I know, but its very long and jumped topic somewhat so I thought I would post my question here.= :-

Has anyone had issues with their USB eLicensor dongle (I have the purple coloured one purchased from Steinberg Shop) @ £18.79p ?

I have now had two crack and fall apart on me! The plastic seems very thin and also the glueing of the casing is not strong. So I am going to have to purchase my third one!

These should really be made more durable because it is very expensive to keep replacing them. In my experience, one dongle last for about 12 x months (which is really not good at all).

A bit of a negative post I know!

Ta,

Paul

#2

i keep the dongle in an usb hub glued on the laptop next to the ilok and it stays there.
on gigs nobody comes in the neighbourhood of the laptop
i am yet in overtime for that one year treatment and hoping it will continue :slight_smile:
but like any stick if you use it too much to bump in and out…

kind regards,
R.

#3

Hi Roel,

I have never used it on a gig but even just in my house it has been knocked a few times. Even so, its life span is far less than any el-cheapo USB stick I have ever known. They should make a metal casing for it or something because its a device you are going to be GREATLY relying upon for at least ten years. Maybe they make it cheap so that it does break, and they KNOW you are going to have to buy a replacement otherwise you can’t use your software !!

Paul

#4

How? Are you playing frisbee with it?

Going on 11 years here with my dongle…

Cheers.

#5

Hi Jeff,

Gee, I must just be really unlucky with them!

Paul

#6

I’ve had mine for a number of years with no issues, I’ll grant though that they could definitely be made more robust.
Just a thought however; is it possible that you have any solvents in the vicinity (in the same room)? Do you have one of those ionizers operating nearby? These things could possibly attack and make the plastic quite brittle over time.

#7

Aloha guys,

Just to chime in.
As well as the studio I perform live on weekends
so the dongle can take a hit from time to time.

However I now gaff the f*ck out of it only
leaving a small opening so I can view the lil led’s status.

This latest one has lasted on my key ring
for over two years now so not so bad.

Also,
If you are a pro and your living depends on using Cubase,
it might be wise to own a separate license (or two).

Just ‘write it off’ as a business expense and keep it in a safe place.

That being said; I would gladly pay more $$ for a sort of
‘military grade’ dongle.

Good Luck!
{’-’}

#8

what would be excellent imho is that computer manufacturers would make a little usb hub on the inside of the laptop or the computer so that the dongle is not only hidden, but also safely stored. But if your gear gets stolen then you loose everything…

@Curteye: something like this :slight_smile:
http://www.highsnobiety.com/2011/04/17/kix-berlin-concrete-usb-sticks/

kind regards,
R.

#9

BriHar,

Not that I am aware of, but it is something I will bare in mind thanks.

Paul

#10

This is good advice, I did that to mine after it cracked 4 years ago, although I didn’t “gaff the * out of it”, has been good ever since.

#11

The idea from Curteye is not bad. I was thinking something similar myself to increase the robustness

  • Pot the dongle in clear acrylic! :wink:


    … actually, my wife is into pottery … might be an untapped market … :laughing:
#12

Hi John,

I actually had an elastic band around it for the last 6 x months.

Paul

#13

My current “permanent” installation …

http://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=43658#p277105

#14

This (above) was posted last year. I am wondering then if I have Dongle v.2 and that v.3 may be more sturdy? My current Dongle was purchased around Feb 2013. Its also plastic and purple in colour.

#15

Thanks Curteye,

Well I was actually wondering about that possibility. So you mean buy TWO dongles but keep one safe tucked away? I did not know if you could register all your licensors TWICE (ie on two dongles). Obviously you could only use one dongle at a time but that’s not a problem at all.


Yes, quite. I would rather pay once for a robust model than twice for el-cheapo.

#16

No you can’t he means buying 2 licenses :wink:

#17

Hi Strphoid,

Sorry, you mean I can not buy two dongles and register all my licensors to them ?? Ta.

#18

all of mine have cracks. I think I have 3. They all have lived behind the computer plugged directly in.

#19

You can buy an extra dongle to keep in reserve, and if/when the one in use breaks, corrupts or gets lost, you can transfer all your licenses over. - But you probably know this. :wink:

#20

I’m possibly missing a cynical joke here, but otherwise you’d have to admit that it would be difficult to transfer a license from a lost or broken eLicenser device…

There’s another option, though, for those users who still have the “25 hours All Application” demo license that came with certain products:
Keep a spare USB-eLicenser and transfer that demo license to the spare one. In case the eLicenser in use gets lost, the spare USB-eLicenser will provide a 25 hours usage time period while you sort things out…