Cheap, Compact, and Quick to Install
Pros:
Cheap, fast, compact and seems to operate just as well as a high end model.
Cons:
USB plug-in cable is too small. An extender must be purchased separately if needed.
The Bottom Line:
I don't think you can beat the functionality of this product for the price you pay. Plus with its compact nature, it's a breeze to travel with for easy plug-n-play.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The IOGear UH-275 is a 4-Port USB MicroHub. Since I work in a group that uses computers all day long, our boss recently purchased a batch of these for my team since none of us had enough USB ports for all our equipment.
With a cost right around the $10 range, these are very cheap for what they do. Obviously that means that quality of the product might suffer in some way compared to the high end costly USB hubs, but depending on your needs this is a bargain buy that gives you the same performance as other hubs.
The Hub itself is extremely compact. It can easily fit in your pants pocket. It's light weight and fairly durable too. It's definitely a hub made for travel. The USB cable is only like an inch long and can tuck in under the hub itself if not in use. The shortness of the USB cable is the one major drawback. It's definitely geared for use with a laptop. If you plan to use this with a desktop, or a laptop in a docking station, you're going to need a USB extender cable for this to practically sit on the table or to even be within reach to plug in your accessories.
I've read several other reviews on this product that the hub gets too hot, fails after some use, or does not work well with a lot of USB devices. I have to say that so far this hasn't been the case for me or any of my co-workers using this as well. I've used USB memory sticks, iPods, external hard drives, a USB mouse, and a digital camera in the ports with no issues at all. The hub is quick to recognize hardware. Also, the install is quick and painless as well. Plugging the hub into the back of a PC, it worked within seconds.
The hub is completely self-powered. No external power source comes supplied with it, however it does have a side port for such a power supply if you had one of your own. The hub is also 2.0 USB device compliant as well as backwards compatible with 1.1 USB devices.
Product specs:
- 4 USB 2.0 ports
- Data transfer rate up to 480 Mbps
- Plug-n-Play, hot swappable
- Backward compatible with USB 1.1
- Supported on Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, and Mac OS X or later version
- USB cable that tucks away when not in use
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
- 5V 2.6A, thin connector input...adapter not included
