So I'm trying to get both of my cameras to work on my laptop. I know they both work because I've tried them on another (older) desktop. But I want to be more mobile when I capture, so I would prefer to use my laptop.

Anyway, when I go to Device Manager, it tells me that I have two "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controllers" (which supposedly are USB 2.0 ports, correct?) I only have three total USB ports on this laptop. So when I try to plug them both in, no matter which combination I use, one of them always doesn't work. When I go into Device Manager and set my View to "Devices by Conncection," it tells me that both of the Kinects are trying to use the same "Enhanced USB" port, while the other is always occupied by my "Integrated Webcam." I went in and disabled my webcam in Device Manager, but both Kinects still show up under the same USB port (even though they're plugged into separate ports).

Does anyone know how I can fix this? Do I really have two USB 2.0 ports? Am I missing something? See the attached image and you'll see what I'm looking at. This laptop is only two or three years old. It's a DELL running Windows 7. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi
There is a bit of confusion here. USB port is simply a connector into which you plug devices. USB controller is (roughly) a chip inside a computer. Ports and controllers are linked with each other. Usually, several USB ports are connected to a single USB controller.
From your screenshot, I'd say your laptop has 3 USB controllers. However, we see that both Kinects fall to the same USB controller regardless of the ports they are connected to. So, it seems that all 3 USB ports are linked to just one USB controller. Second controller seems to be dedicated to web camera. And the last one is most probably dedicated to a dock station.
Thus, if you have a dock station with USB ports for your laptop, then try connect one of the Kinects to it. If the laptop has an ExpressCard slot, then you can get additional USB controller in the form of ExpressCard.

Doh! I went and picked up a USB Hub instead of a Docking Station. I didn't realize until I came home and re-read your post that I had purchased the wrong thing.

So a docking station will provide an additional USB Controller, as well as the ports, correct?

Also, isn't there a way to "release" whatever is being linked to the other two USB Controllers (webcam, etc) so that they can be freed up to be used by the Kinect Cameras? I was even thinking about getting another laptop, but who is to say that all of the USB ports on it wouldn't use the same controller, just like my current laptop is doing? I asked the guys at Best Buy and none of them knew. Surprise, surprise.

By the way, thanks for your input! I'm just a bit frustrated at this point because I have multiple computers in my house, and the only one that actually gets both cameras working is an old, piece-of-trash PC Desktop that I was actually planning on throwing away. I didn't realize it was going to be such a hassle to get both Kinects working at the same time.

Sorry, I cannot provide any guarantee here :( It's just a reasonable guess.


You can do nothing about it. All is fixed by the manufacturer.


If you see in specs that a laptop has both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, then it means that USB ports are linked to at least 2 separate USB controllers.
Anyway, it will be great if you can test the camera support before buying. Just take the Kinects to a retailer, plug them in a laptop and see whether they are both displayed without issues in the Device Manager. However, you may need to ask the guys to install the Kinect SDK for a reliable check.