USB Hub Choices

[joel_blacher]

I have several external hard drives (6) along with a printer, wireless keyboard/mouse usb antenna, and a CS5000

scanner. I have need for a hub (or hubs) and I am curious as to which would be best suited to handle this task.

I'm looking at 7 port hubs from Belkin, D-Link, and Targus. Some have their own ac power sources and others

(Belkin for one) do not. Is one type preferable (another brand perhaps)? How many of these can I run? Any

input would be appreciated.

[Former P.N Member]

<p>I've had 4 Belkin hubs in the past and all of them failed in less than 2 years, a couple in less than a year. These are the 2 different models I've had -</p>

<p>http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0235037<br /> http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0236737</p>

<p>I've had 2 of each model at various times and on every one of them individual ports would fail. It's as though the port isn't even there. Anywhere from 2 to 5 ports would fail and and the remaining would continue to work.</p>

<p>I definitely do not recommend them.</p>

<p>I'm currently using Cables Unlimited 7 port hub(s) and so far they're working fine (less than a year).</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>I've had the first of the above links for a long time and it hasn't failed. </p>

<p>Anecdotal evidence, including mine, is meaningless when it comes to quality and failure rates. Unless someone can point to a design error that causes failure, without statistics there's no point in paying attention to what happened to one person.</p>

[joel_blacher]

<p>Thank you for the response Richard. As with external HD's, there just aren't any out there that don't have reviews like you've given. I think that failure of these types of accessories is just a reality (unfortunately). At least with a hub there's no loss of data, so... I'll have to pick one.</p>

[NetR]

<p>I have found that hubs with a separate power source are better to use, as sometimes the current draw from things connected to an unpowered hub can be too high for the peripheral to work properly.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>If I counted right, you need a total of eight USB ports, six of which are really critical (the external hard drives). I think it's important to keep the number of connections between the external drives and the computer to a minimum. You might consider adding a 4-port USB PCI card (or the Mac equivalent) to one of your expansion ports, maybe even two if you have room, and keep your external drives connected there: Shorter cables, no external power supplies, better reliability. That should leave at least one open USB port on your computer where you can connect an external 4-port hub for the printer and scanner. One thing I like about self-powered hubs is being able park stuff farther away from the PC than the normal USB cable length would allow.</p>

<p>I agree with Jeff about the value of anecdotal evidence, but I'll just say that I've been using two 4-port hubs with the Staples house brand for the last four year with no failures. I like them becasue they seem to have more mounting options than some of the other brands. But, as they say, YMMV...</p>

[peano]

<p>Check on Newegg. They have lots of reviews for their products.<br>

Here are three 7-port hubs that get top ratings:</p>

<p>http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16817182174<br>

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817801039<br>

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182176</p>