Top USB Hubs

Need more USB slots to connect your Keyboard, Mouse, Digital Camera, Memory Stick, MP3 Player, Camcorder, External Hard Drive, etc? Are you struggling for USB Slots on your PC, constantly having to disconnect and reconnect devices in the one or two slots you have? If so there is a far more cost effective way to obtain additional USB slot capacity than to upgrade your entire system. You should look at buying a USB Hub. Below is our definitive USB Hub review of 2008.

The Good

• Super lightweight and compact design, a great looking hub.
• Brilliant plug and play connectivity for the Home or Business user.
• Excellent power levels when running high energy devices.
• Connects all devices without conflict, whether heavily dependent on power or not.
• The 7 high bandwidth USB ports have best in class data transfer rates.
• Has a novel top loading USB slot for quick and easy access.

The Bad

• Tested with some serious power draining devices and comes up trumps almost every time. Did struggle with high powered devices on a couple of laptops - Samsung Q45 and Asus U2E. Devices to watch when run together - Camcorder, External Hard Drive and Media Players.

The Good

• Best in class for size/weight combination (the size of a credit card).
• Excellent for portability with fast connectivity.
• Built in cable management eliminates annoying wires hanging around.
• Faster transfer rate than LinkSys Compact USB Hub.
• Best in class for a USB Hub that you will not notice or feel obstructed by.
• Works beautifully on Desktop, Laptop and Tablet architecture (Lenovo ThinkPad, Panasonic Toughbook and Toshiba Portege M700.

The Bad

• None

The Good

• The most durable USB Hub reviewed, a very robust unit.
• Simple setup and go technology, best in class. Tested on Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook.
• Connects without conflict to any devices used, Camcorder, Webcam, Media players, etc.
• As with most multi-port USB Hubs (more than 4) you need to run it from the power adapter.
• Works supremely on Vista, XP, ME and 98.

The Bad

• The LED's for active ports are very bright, it looks more like the Vegas Strip than a USB Hub when running in a darkened room.
• Devices can hinder each others performance, especially during multi-device data transfer.
• Can overpower the Hub when multiple high energy devices are connected in every port.

The Good

• Award winning plug and play USB Hub with a simple, compact and uncomplicated design.
• No hassle to install, easy user guide, as it says on the tin! - 'turns one USB slot into seven'.
• Self powered and provides impressive shared power across multiple active ports.
• Easily recognizes devices in seconds, connecting all major devices without conflicts.
• One of the best 7-Port USB Hubs, tested on Lenovo ThinkPad and HP Compaq 2710P.
• Works perfectly on Windows ME, XP and Vista (not tested on 98 but assume OK).
• Competitive price considering the extensive high energy devices it can run simultaneously.

The Bad

• Flaky performance/poor data transfer rates with External Hard Drives and Media devices.
• Works perfectly with 1.0 and 2.0 USB but not at the full 2.0 rates.
• Can get quite hot when connecting more than 4 high energy devices. i.e. Camcorder, MP3
• Testing scenario with some laptops (HP Compaq 2510P) demanded mains power to run.
• USB slots and Power Adapter are situated on the same side panel (front). Can get cluttered.
• The Belkin 5-Port USB Hub is just as good and cheaper, if you don't need the extra 2 slots.

The Good

• Best looking USB Hub in class. Slick black 'domed' design, non slide and lovely weight.
• Quick plug and play connectivity. Best in class ability to 'daisy chain' linking of devices.
• Connects all major devices without conflict. Can struggle with 'no-name' media storage.
• Excellent data transfer rate, but rate reduces considerably if multiple devices are transferring.
• Works supremely on Vista, XP, ME and 98. LED display clearly shows active and non-active ports.

The Bad

• Only 4 port extension, begs the question if you are buying extension USB capacity why not go with 5 or 7 slots. Especially as for the price you can get a 7-Port USB Hub.

The Good

• A lovely looking USB Hub, compact but still ultra reliable.
• Connects almost instantaneously with 1.1 and 2.0 USB devices.
• Slick to drag and drop, multi-tasking and impressive transfer rates.
• Card Reader component works with all major memory card technologies.
• The Free Ulead Photo Editing software bundled with the Hub is worth a look.
• Very quick to recognize active/non-active slots and devices connected.
• More than just a USB hub, provides additional PC connectivity for Media and Card Readers.

The Bad

• Can be temperamental when unplugging devices. i.e. have known of system lock-ups and even some card readers failing when simply unplugged without a right click and close.
• Only 3 USB ports, begs the question, if you are buying extension USB capacity why not go with 5 or 7 slots.
• As with other Belkin USB Hubs, it requires the power adapter to power the unit effectively. Doesn't work so well with old motherboard chipsets.

Read on to find out about 3 more USB hubs worth considering.