Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Ultra-Mini Hub
by Belkin Components
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List Price: Our Price: $4.86 You Save: $10.13 (68%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days 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 Ultra-Mini Hub
Customer Review: very useful!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought 2 of these -- one for my notebook and one for my netbook (if I ever get the netbook back from my daughter) and after seeing the price go up, I probably should have bought at least 1 or 2 more, So far, one of these units is hooked up to my notebook and I've got the USB's for 2 printers hooked up, the USB for the backup hard drive and a PS/2 keyboard/mouse dongle hooked up StarTech.com USB TO PS/2 KEYBOARD ( USBPS2PC ) -- all powered separately if required.
No - it is not powered (read the specs) and no it does not have a long tag (read the specs) but if it did have those features, then the small footprint of the design would be compromised, and the small size is what is attractive about this unit in the first place.
For what I need this for - something to easily detach and pop in the messenger bag and yet give me a few more USB ports - this thingy is great. It's not so heavy that even if it has to dangle over the side of the notebook with 3 or 4 peripherals attached to it, it's not weighed down and putting a strain on the USB port on the notebook.
UPDATE: The price lowered again so I ended up ordering a 3rd one for myself and some for Christmas stocking stuffers.
If it fails or goes goofy on me, I will post an update, but so far I am quite happy with this purchase.
Customer Review: Nice compact USB 2.0 Hub
Summary: 5 Stars
I have this attached to one of the USB ports on my Macbook. It is lightweight for travel yet stays in place on my desktop, where it takes up little space. The USB ports are one to each side, so you don't have to worry about a thicker USB head on a cable stopping you from using an adjacent port. There is a red power light to indicate that this is working, though there is no power adapter, which sometimes is necessary so that a hub can power certain items, such as a portable hard drive.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a compact, inexpensive USB Hub for your laptop (or desktop), this product works just fine.
Update April 24, 2010: This product is very handy for powering USB devices even without a computer so long as the device can be powered via a USB cable using an AC adaptor into which one end of the USB cable is plugged, and the other is plugged into the device. For me this includes my BlackBerry Tour, Kindle 2, Slacker G2, and Ipod Touch. Just plug the Belkin mini hub into a USB AC adaptor, and voila!, you now have four ports to power USB devices without a computer and without having to bring along the separate USB adaptors for each device.
I use an iPod travel AC adaptor which has an output of 5V and 1 amp. Note: you cannot power devices using the method that I have described that require more power, such as a camera.
Customer Review: Great for all your little extras.
Summary: 5 Stars
I use this on my laptop that only has 3 usb ports. I have two external hard drives that I am always accessing and in addition to those, I have my mouse and MP3 players, along with a cacaphony of other items that may need to be plugged in at any moment, like my joystick for playing games. Usually I can just unplug one thing to plug in something else, but when I am doing video editing, I need both hard drives plugged in a the same time and cutting the timeline RIGHT where you need it is difficult with the laptop's pointing device.
For the price, this is an excellent hub. It allows you to power up to four devices simultaneously. Just keep in mind that the USB cord can only handle so much data, so don't plug in several hard drives to it and expect to access them all at the same time. I use it plug in my mouse, my joystick, my zune, and my ipod, as none of these require particularly high data transfer speeds. This way I can keep all these things plugged in at the same time and can quickly unplug all at the same time when I need to bring my computer with me.
Anyways, as far as hubs go, this is pretty decent. It's the first I have ever owned, though not the first I have ever used. So long as you don't try to use it for high speed data access on multiple items at the same time, this thing will work jsut fine.
Customer Review: Unobtrusive, perfect for my needs
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased a MacBook a few months ago and rapidly found out that 2 USB ports are not enough when using non-Apple peripherals. For instance, neither my external monitor nor Microsoft keyboard have USB ports, unlike both the Apple Cinema Displays and the Apple keyboards. If your accessories already provide additional USB ports, you might not need this product. But if they don't, as in my case, a USB hub becomes necessary.
I did a little research and ultimately chose this one due to its popularity on Amazon, its low price, and its styling.
It was immediately recognized by Mac OSX 10.5, and even works to charge my iPod, which was one of my concerns.
Not everyone will like the way the USB ports are laid out (around the perimeter of a square), but it worked for me. Another possible dig is the bright glowing red LED that shows it's plugged in. It might be a distraction in a dark room, but you could always just tape over it or turn it upside down if it really bothers you.
Overall, a fine product. I have been using it for around 3 months, so I can't say for certain the longevity and durability of the product, but I'm confident it will last me a long time.
Customer Review: Cheap & handy but stopped working after 6 mths
Summary: 1 Stars
I like this little gadget, but after only about 6 months in service, it has become extremely unreliable. I have this hooked up to 1 of the usb ports on my laptop, and there's an extra mouse and keyboard attached. The red light remains on, but power just stops randomly. I know it's not a problem with the usb port on my laptop because when I plug either the extra mouse or keyboard directly into the laptop port, it works.
The frequency with which the power dies (though keep in mind, the red light remains on the entire time) is increasing. I have to unplug the hub over and over until my laptop finally recognizes it. This wasn't a problem for the first several months, but now I find I have to unplug and replug multiple times a week. Perhaps I just got a lemon.
Update: I purchased a new one of these thinking the old one was just a lemon. Straight out of the box though and it already is showing the exact same problem. If I plug my keyboard and/or mouse directly into my laptop, they work fine. But if I plug them through the hub, I get "USB device not recognized." Unplugging and replugging repeatedly eventually solves the problem but that's not acceptable. What a disappointment.