D-Link DUB-H7 High Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub
by DLite Press
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of D-Link DUB-H7 High Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub
Customer Review: Cautiously optimistic...
Summary: 4 Stars
After two Belkins that were cheap pieces of plastic crap, I decided to switch companies and try a different USB hub. I looked at a lot of reviews, and finally settled on this D-Link (which also had a rebate that helped). I have to be honest by saying that when it arrived, I was worried, as it felt like every other USB hub I've ever wasted (...) on...cheap plastic. I was mostly drawn to the fact that it not only had 7 hubs, but that it was powered as well. Also, the vertical ports are MUCH better than horizontal, which Belkin likes to do and is a HUGE space hog. So far, it works as advertised. Setup was easy, just plug in all in and you're good to go. I am using 5 of the 7 ports, and they are all lit up green and function correctly. I think all of my devices are 2.0 at this point, so no problems with backward compatibility issues. The reason I give this 4 stars across the board, is that I've only had it a month or two. Both Belkins (and every other hub I've ever owned) have crapped out on me in the 6-12 month period of time. For those reviewers giving this 1-2 stars, take their reviews with a grain of salt. This seems to be an issue within the entire world of computing. MOST (...) USB hubs are made of cheap plastic, and MOST of them will not last you more than a year. I am personally irritated by this too, but it is what it is. The reason I particularly dislike Belkin (for USB hubs anyway) is that both of the hubs I owned were problems within a few weeks, and one of them never quite worked right from the start. I will amend this review if this D-Link craps out on me within the next year, but so far it's been better than other USB hubs I've owned. Oh, and I have a 24" aluminum iMac for those Mac owners looking for a USB hub.Customer Review: Meets all of my expectations.
Summary: 5 Stars
So far this product is wonderful. It lets me use many of my USB devices that I can't fit into my computer. (I just have way too many USB devices) I love it because it is right on top of my desk and I can pop in 4 or 5 flash drives and move files between each very easily. One slight problem is that I have one wide flash drive that when plugged in blocks use of the neighboring USB ports, but if I plug it into the last slot I am only losing the one neighboring port.
I have read a few reviews about the device not functioning properly or being slow. I have not seen any of these issues. I keep devices that are demanding of USB activity plugged into my PC such as my external hard drive. But I have had 5 flash drives and a webcam working on this hub without any problems at all, even when transferring data. I think that some people may not realize that even if this device gives us the ability to use 7 USB ports it will not provide the speed of 7 separate USB ports on a computer. This device takes 7 USB ports and basically funnels the data into one port, this means 7 devices running at the speed that one would in a computer. (Not exactly because a flash drive has much less demand than an external hard drive, but I think you get the point) You can use this hub without issues; just avoid using a whole bunch of devices that require massive amounts of activity through a USB connection.
I would strongly recommend this product if you are looking for a few extra USB slots, or you just want easy access to USB ports on your desk.
Customer Review: Like it so much, I'm buying another
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought one of these in December 2006 with great trepidation. I was skittish because I had purchased two other USB hubs (granted, rather cheap ones) before that, and both had failed within a couple of months. So when I bought this one, I spent extra to get a 2-year warranty to go along with it. I was determined that if this thing failed, by gum, I was going to be covered!
I needn't have worried. I plugged the thing in as soon as it arrived, and it worked flawlessly from then until now, more than four years later, when it's still working perfectly.
I guess I wasted my money buying that warranty.
The product works so well for me that I'm buying another one to use with my new Apple Time Capsule combo wireless router/network hard drive (it has a USB port and I'm hoping to be able to connect two printers and two exernal hard drives to be able to get to through my network).
This USB hub has worked flawlessly with my PC, and while I can't testify as to whether it will work as well with a Mac yet because I haven't tried it, how different can it be? USB is USB, right?
By the way, if you're considering a USB hub, you might want to spend the bit of extra money to get a powered hub. Some USB devices (like portable hard drives) draw their power through the USB connection, and if you have an un-powered hub, they will then draw their power from your computer's USB port (through the hub).
I'm happy with this product. Five stars, no question.
Customer Review: Really Great Piece of Hardware
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this product about 6 months ago when I was fed up with all the cables I had to string around just to connect 7 USB cables to my computer. I had to use three different 4-port USB devices and daisy-chain them together (which caused me to waste two ports just in connecting them to each other!)
This product, however, did the same amount of work as my three 4-port USB hubs for 1/3 the cost, 1/3 the hassle, and 1/3 the power cables taking up socket space on my power strip.
Not only is this 7-port d-link more efficient, there is one other key difference. The ports are vertical instead of horizontal. This means that it takes a lot less space than an equivalent 7-port horizontal hub. Why is this? Because it is more efficient use of space. As a result, you can ALWAYS fit your USB microdrive in the usb slot without crowing out a neighboring slot. Sometimes the USB keychain drives are too wide, and it is difficult to insert one into a hub without pressing into the USB item next to it. With the slots being vertical, instead of horizontal, this is never a problem.
One more thing, the power adapter is pretty small, and it is a "sideways" adapter. This means that with optimal placement you might just be able to place it where you only cover one wall socket on your power outlet/power strip.
I am very happy with this purchase, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs more than one four port USB hub. I'll never go back to the 4-porter again...
Customer Review: Works well if you don't overload it
Summary: 4 Stars
I like the way this hub is styled, I have to say that much. Functionally, it gets a passing grade, and frankly if you grade it on a curve against other brands, it does very well indeed.
It works quite well, as long as you don't overload it. The supplied power adapter provides 5V/3A which, if you do the math, is only enough to fully supply 6 ports with power. Real world, it supplies even fewer than that. So, this will work well for you if only some of your devices require bus power, but if a lot of them do then you will have problems. I have 6 ports loaded up with a mix of powered/unpowered devices and it works. But if I try to plug something into port 7, it rarely works- just not enough juice.
You could probably fix this if you sourced yourself a different power adapter, but let's face it, that would probably cost more than buying another hub.
All this being said, I'm still going to buy a second one to supplement my first one, because, quite frankly, it seems like most of the other brands of 7-port hubs are worse. At least this one is perfectly reliable if you don't overload it- no overheating problems, no random drop-to-usb-1.1-speed problems, no disappearing device problems (again, as long as you don't overload it), and it doesn't look terrible on my desk.
I have terrible luck with USB devices and this is the first hub I've run into that comes halfway close to working properly, so despite the flaws, this one is worth considering.