Belkin 4-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Mobile Hub (F5U404-BLK)
by Belkin Components
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List Price: Our Price: $8.00 You Save: $7.40 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.20 (click here) 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 4-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Mobile Hub (F5U404-BLK)
Customer Review: Compact hub that works great
Summary: 4 Stars
Belkin 4-Port USB 2.0 Mobile Hub
I've used Belkin's USB 2.0 hubs in the past and this version is the most compact! It has a stylish glossy black plastic casing with a long USB cable. I was able to put this hub on my desk to facilitate easier access to the USB ports for my Logitech Driving Force GT steering wheel, Saitek Cyborg joystick, and OCZ Rally USB flash drive. Since I did not require a significant amount of power, I don't need the AC adapter for the hub. My only complaint is that there are no LED's to indicate power/status for the device or the hub. In addition, there seems to be some kind of "lag" upon starting the PC because my Driving Force GT wheel used to do a full lock-to-lock rotation by itself, but it now stops halfway using the Belkin hub. It has not interfered with actual gaming though.
Pros: Very compact, stylish, and works flawlessly. Long USB cable allows flexibility in placing the hub.
Cons: No LED's to indicate power/status
Overally: The price is kind of high for a USB hub, since there are competitive models selling for far less money.
Customer Review: It works.
Summary: 4 Stars
I had purchased Belkin's other small USB hub, "4PORT USB 2.0 Lighted Hub Black", (wrote a review for it too) and it did not operate correctly. Instead of providing a steady flow of data, the throughput was in bursts. One of the USB devices that I wanted to use with it is an HDTV (ATSC) receiver dongle. The "4PORT USB 2.0 Lighted Hub Black" was horrible with the receiver.
I just took the "4PORT USB 2.0 Lighted Hub Black" back and, hesitantly, picked up this USB hub: "4PORT USB 2.0 Mobile Hub Black". Now my HDTV receiver is working just as well going through a hub as it would be plugged straight into the computer's USB card. I'm watching an ATSC channel in a window right now and it is perfectly smooth.
Being the same price, I took a chance on this one since it was just a 1:1 swap at the store. So far, it is working like it should.
Cons: Pretty cheaply made. USB cable is 6-foot long, but power cord is only 2-foot long. That doesn't make too much sense. No power light on the hub.
Its basically your cheap little USB 2.0 hub. Its working fine, so far...
Customer Review: Perfect for the Job - Small, Nice Look, Functional
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my son who has a Fujitsu LifeBook Tablet PC. The PC only has 2 USB ports and he uses one for his external mouse, so he was constantly having to swap out cables between his external hard drive, and external DVD drive.
The hub took seconds to install, and importantly comes with external power so you can plug in USB devices (like external hard drives) that require powered USB ports to operate.
My son now has an external hard drive, a DVD drive and a printer hooked up through the USB hub and everything works perfectly.
The only criticism I can offer is that the spacing between the USB ports of the hub are very close together so you can't use 3 ports and then use the 4th port for a thumb-drive. My son gets around this by using a port on his PC for his thumbdrive, but a better design would have been to include a port on the back side of the device where the power and PC connector plugs are located, as there is more room there.
Customer Review: It works with my usb powered external hard drive Passport
Summary: 5 Stars
FINALLY - my usb ports on my iBook have gotten weaker by the months. My passport worked on only one port and then it no longer worked on that port. Both ports were weak - my other usb hubs never helped either. I tried other ones but none of them delivered but this Belkin powers my external usb powered hard drive. I can't believe it. I have to use small usb cables (have not tried the one provided) and now my passport hard drive is back in business! I highly recommend this!!!! Just ordered two more!!!! Frankly, if the other ports on the Belkin didn't work, I wouldn't care right now. I really can't believe this small thing worked. Get it!
PROS
Small- really small. I think this is a plus.
Power- it can really power usb peripherals - best I've had so far.
Simple- no lights, no glitter, etc. it just works out of the package
CONS
External power cord is short; have to use extension cord but this is no big deal.
Customer Review: Using it for PS3
Summary: 5 Stars
I got a 40GB PS3 with only 2 USB ports, so I got this hub. It works just as good as I thought it would be. There's really not much to say about it because everybody buys it for the same reason, more USB ports. I really like the look of it, nice and black just like my PS3. And it's pocket sized too, most people wouldn't care if it can fit in your pocket and what not, but it came with an AC adapter so now I can charge my IPOD (which I only have a USB charger for) at work just by plugging the USB hub into the wall. I have not tried it with my computer yet since I already got enough ports, but I know it'll work perfecty if it does with my PS3, which is also a computer actually.
I have also bought another USB port a while back but to my surprise it didn't work nearly as good as this one, so I took it back, I guess that's what I get for buying electronics at Walgreens...