Kensington DomeHub 7-port USB 2.0 Hub with FlyLight
by Kensington
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List Price: Our Price: $31.25 You Save: $7.74 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $19.99 (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 Kensington DomeHub 7-port USB 2.0 Hub with FlyLight
Customer Review: Looks good, functions as it should!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got mine for about 1 week ago to match with my MBP (silver theme). Someone mentioned about the light indications not showing as they should, or in the wrong way but mine works fine.
CONS:
- light indicator shows exactly which USB ports are in use.
- Small in size
- Has USB port on top which comes in handy.
- Enough USB power- so far I didn't have to plug in the power charger yet.
- Comes with a USB plugged light.
- Comes with a extended USB cable (for you to connect the hub to your computer)
- the USB plug is silver + transparent in color which looks kinda nice.
PRONS:
- it camed with some minor scratches on the hub's surface although I just took it out from its sealed package carefully. Those surface scratches aren't too noticeable. (Didn't want to return it and waste time & money).
- as many have already mentioned, the USB cable is connected to the hub permanently.
Other thoughts:
- The USB cable connected the the hub is pretty thin. It'd be a good feature (look less noticeable) f you treat the cable nicely, but if you are harsh on the cable, it feels like it may break. Will be GREAT if this hub has firewire ports, but I'm very happy with this item.
Customer Review: Why user-centred design really works.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Kensington 7 Port USB 2.0 Dome Hub is a superb piece of user-centred design.
For years I've used USB ports that technically did their job, but failed in other areas. Take the most recent that I've been using - made by GE, it suffers from design flaws that are truly infuriating. First, there is not enough space between the USB port sockets, so that USB leads that have fat plugs cannot be plugged in next to each other. Secondly, the unit is so light (despite being a seven-port hub) that it slides around my desk whenever I move one of the leads that are plugged into it. It might work technically as a hub, but as a piece of useful technology it's hopeless. It has quite clearly never actually been tested by a real end-user in a working environment.
The Kensington 7 Port USB 2.0 Dome Hub, on the other hand, is superbly designed. Its rounded shape means that the USB lead plugs are adequately separated and all the ports can accommodate a lead with a fat plug. One of the ports is conveniently located right at the top of the dome, perfect positioning for items that are frequently plugged and unplugged, such as pen drives. And, the unit is heavily weighted, and never slides around my desk. And, it looks superb as well. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Oh, Kensington DomeHub, we could have had something really special...
Summary: 2 Stars
The idea of a weighted hub was very appealing to me. My last hub, a D-Link, spent a lot of time behind my desk. Apparently, most hub manufacturers have not been introduced to physics. Attaching a bunch of cables to a piece of plastic that weighs a few ounces makes sure that it won't ever stay put.
Alas, Kensington has broken my heart with the promise of this hub. I've only had it a couple of days and have noticed two problems.
The first, and most important, is that this hub supplies almost no power. I am able to use an external hard drive, but only if I don't connect any other devices. Using my wireless mouse causes my docked iPod to stop charging. Why in the world does this thing even plug into an electrical outlet?
Secondly, it seems to be very susceptible to interference. Transferring a large file over the wireless network starts making the mouse not respond and keyboard strokes to be missed. I tried the mouse receiver in another hub, and it seems to be something specific to the Kensington.
I've always been very satisfied with Kensington's products until now, but this thing doesn't even do a mediocre job. It should only be considered by people who don't use any bus-powered devices.
Customer Review: Quality Control issues and terrible clamshell wrapping
Summary: 3 Stars
Yes, a very nice produce. And looks good on the desk, functions well. Be prepared, however, to need a hacksaw and blowtorch to get it out of the plastic "clamshell" so you can use it! It's even worse than most, and I buy from Amazon a lot. It's not only completely impregnable, but even if you cut open the top -- I finally had to take a box cutter, my scissors couldn't make a dent -- the A/C adapter is on the other side. This means you have to cut through or tear out the partition. And guess what? The instructions are IN the partition, which you've just destroyed. Boy, what a way to make a good product a terrible customer acquisition experience, Kensington. With all that high tech design going on, you'd think extend it to the packaging. I give it only 3 stars instead of 5.
In addition they seem to having serious Quality Control issues. The first DomeHub I got lasted for 3 years. Then it just quit on me. Got another one, because they are so convenient. That one lasted 3 weeks. First the outlets on one side quit, then the other. Amazon replaced it (thank you!). That one lasted about a week. It still gets power (I can charge my iPhone on it), but will not get a USB signal for any of my devices (ie. synch with iTunes).
Customer Review: Looks great and does its job well
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this usb port. It does its job really well; data transfer is fast, it minimizes clutter on my desk, and to top it off, it looks good while doing so.
The rounded design means the ports have enough distance between them to allow plugs with thick covering to sit side by side. One of the ports doesn't hold very well, though, and so gentle tugs is enough to make my printer go offline sometimes. This docks one star off my rating.
I especially like its heavy weight and the non-skid base, which means it stay put where you want it to be and not get dragged around by the weight of the cables attached to it.
The indicator lights take a bit of getting used to since the one that lights up is the one in the mirroring position of the connected port (i.e. if you plug something into the right-most port, the left-most led would light up). This also docks off some points.
Other than those two gripes, I think this is a great purchase and is well worth the price. I like the almost-esoteric look of this usb port (my friends would come into my room and ask me "what is that sitting on your desk?" before they noticed all the usb plugs connected to it...)