Belkin 4-Port USB Hub review

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Belkin 4-Port USB Hub review

This is just a short review as there isn't a lot you can say about a USB hub, but it may be of interest if you are thinking of buying one.
If you have a newer computer it probably comes equipped with four or more USB ports, but if like me your machine is older you may only have one or two, this can be a bit of a problem as you accumulate printers, scanners, external drives etc. Although you can just unplug these accessories and plug in the one you want to use next, it can be a pain scrabbling about at the back of the computer and some USB devices are a bit fussy that they are disconnected in the right way, my CD writer insists you notify it through the software that you are going to disconnect it, then you have to wait for it to give you the okay.
The solution is to buy a USB hub, these come in various sizes, the most common being two, four and six port, I decided on a four port hub.

Installation is very simple, just plug it in and the computer immediately recognizes it and you are ready to go. I had the choice with the hub, of using it powered ( It comes with an adapter.) or unpowered, I decided on unpowered as my plug strip is already loaded down with plugs for all the various computer peripherals.
In the unpowered state the hub won't work with just any USB device and the only real way to tell if a device will work is to try it. I found that my joystick and surprisingly my CD rewriter both worked fine, but my printer and digital camera both put up a message saying they required a powered hub. Fortunately this worked well for me as it meant the two devices I use regularly are both plugged in all the while and the printer and camera both of which I only use occasionally, are just plugged in if and when I use them, in the spare USB port.

If like me you intend to use the port unpowered, it is probably a good idea to make a list of what external devices you intend to use with the port and ask in your computer shop which devices should be alright. But remember the shop can't guarantee what will and won't work with the hub, as somethings you might expect to work because they are low powered ( Like my Style Cam Blink Camera. ) won't and visa versa. Of course if you use the hub with its power adapter it will work with any device and that is how the manufacturers recommend it is used.

The actual hub itself is quite nicely made, it has quite a solid feel to it and all the cables plug in easily and securely, the top of the device is transparent so that you can see its workings and it has a row of four status lights for the ports and one for the power supply. You need to find somewhere out of the way to keep your hub, as although it is quite a small neat device itself, once it has numerous cables plugged into it, it becomes rather unwieldy, I keep mine on top of my hard drive, where it sits quite securely on its rubber feet.

So in summary, quite a useful device, I paid about £25 for mine and most of the brands I have seen are around that price, you can buy USB ports with no power supply at all, but I would not really recommend that as it cuts your options in the use of it. If you haven't got one and are always scrabbling about at the back of your computer, I would start dropping hints now, that one would make a nice birthday or christmas present!