Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Hub, White
by Belkin Components
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List Price: Our Price: $14.49 You Save: $15.46 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Hub, White
Customer Review: Solved USB power problem
Summary: 5 Stars
I inherited an older desktop PC that had underpowered USB 2 ports that couldn't run my external hard drives. Problem now solved--I love this thing. The PC has lots of memory and hard drive space and a good operating system so I wanted to use it as a stationary backup for various things, including my music that was taking up way too much space on my primary PC. I was disappointed to find that the USB ports didn't have the power to run my WD My Passport drives, which made transfer of data a problem. The PC had plenty of ports and they worked fine for my thumb drives and such, but not things that needed more power. Upon inquiry at my local computer store, I learned that this adapter had its own power supply, which took care of the power problem with the ports.
The price is right and installation is as easy as plugging it into a USB 2 port with cable provided and then plugging the included power adapter into it and into a power strip or wall outlet. The little unit has 'skid proof' feet on the bottom, which keep it from sliding all over the desk and a light to indicate it's operational as well as lights indicating what ports are being actively used. I plugged an external drive into one of its ports and the drive now works beautifully. All my music is transferred and I'm even contemplating moving some other functions to that computer to clear my main workspace. Well worth the price to get additional use from this extra PC for some time to come.
Customer Review: The little hub that could (mostly)
Summary: 5 Stars
I am using this hub connected to an iMac with an external Seagate hard drive, an ink-jet printer, and a connection for a Logitech Harmony remote control all plugged in. So OK, the hub in the picture kinda looks like a gear shift hanging on to a USB cable. What the picture really shows is a hub designed with 3 USB ports in the rear that you cannot see (one in and two out), along with a hidden socket for a power cord. What you can see are the two ports on the top which are easily accessed for plugging in USB memory sticks (with one already occupied with a memory stick). That is, they are easily accessed for memory sticks if you place the hub on your desk. This brings up the clip on the end that allows you to anchor the hub to a cable to keep it in place (it is very light). I still have not figured how to use it, so I am quite happy to have my hub sitting on my desk with the cable clip unused. I have had no problem with this hub, except that adding an iPhone with a depleted battery that needed charging seemed to be calling for more power than the hub could supply. Don't blame the hub: I think this would have been a problem even if I plugged the iPhone into the ports on my keyboard. A little rearranging made everything work just fine. Just remember to eject (MAC) or deactivate (Windows) the USB device before yanking it out out the port if you are still using the computer.Customer Review: Small & Attractive -- Fits My Needs! IT IS POWERED, BTW, if you need it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this hub yesterday; and although I haven't had a long time to use it, I believe it will be the perfect USB hub for me. I currently have my keyboard & iPhone 3G dock plugged into the connections on the back. I prefer to leave my printer hooked up to it's own USB hub on my iMac. This leaves an open USB port on my iMac for one of my backup drives that I use (in addition to the two I have attached to the firewire ports.) This arrangement seems to work flawlessly. I am very pleased with this hub for a couple of reasons. The two top USB connections are very handy for connecting temporary items, such as my digital camera card reader, headphones, etc. Also, it is very small and has enough weight to sit squarely on my desk. One thing I should mention that I don't believe is very clear from the description of this item. THIS IS A POWERED USB HUB. It doesn't have to be, so you can use it with a notebook without power. However, I do have the power adapter plugged in. I figure "why not" since I'm using it with an iMac. VERY PLEASED so far; and I doubt that a Belkin product will prove to be faulty at a later date.Customer Review: Well designed, with useful AC power option
Summary: 5 Stars
What can you say, it's a USB hub. It works for me: I connected it to my Apple Time Capsule router so I can have a printer and 1-2 external hard drives accessible on my network, everything works as it should. As other reviewers have noted, this is a well designed USB hub. It has a little feature for controlling your cables which is mildly useful. Having 2 USB ports on top of the hub is useful for plugging in flash drives and just seems more convenient in general. The AC power option is very useful; you can use the hub without AC power but some external drives may require the AC power to be connected. I was about to buy a similar Belkin product without an AC adapter thinking it would be more portable, but thanks to reviews on Amazon learnt it would be useful to have this option.Customer Review: The top-loading USB ports are especially useful
Summary: 5 Stars
This Belkin USB hub is perfect for increasing USB ports and/or making them more accessible, and the two top-loading ports make it easy to connect devices such as the Flip video camera that have USB connectors that need more clearance than your average plug. It has four ports in total (two on the side and four on top), a power source port, and a port for to attach to your computer. Because the cable to connect to the computer is so short, about five feet, I have mine hooked up to a USB extension cable, with no noticeable loss of speed, although I do use house current to power it instead of relying on the computer.
I recommend this hub for the flexibility it allows through its top and side ports and for its reliability.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann