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USB Hubs
So what is USB,  aka a Universal Serial Bus, Hub? It is essentially like a power strip for your computer. If you have multiple devices that work through or with your computer, such as a printer, Digital Camera, mouse, zip drive, modem, iPhone, scanner, memory chip reader, speaker, webcam, etc., most likely the one or two USB ports on your laptop or desktop computer will not be enough to jack in all these peripherals.
Besides USB ports on your computers, there are also serial and parallel ports, which previously caused a conflict in the connection department. You may also have ports for a FireWire, modem /ethernet, and Bluetooth. But USB ports are a universal method for connecting all types of devices. Usually your PC or laptop will come preinstalled with one or two USB ports. Once you run out of room, you should invest in a USB hub. Apple's Mac products are always leading with their use of USB in MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and iMacs. The Apple macs also have great Firewire 1394 ports in addition, often with speeds at both 400 and 800 MBs.
- USB ports are relatively inexpensive costing anywhere from $6-$100 depending on the speed and number of ports on the device. There is also a new wireless version by Belkin ($130).
- How Many Ports Do I Need?
- This all depends on how many devices you have and how many of those you plan to run simultaneously. Usually, the standard USB hub comes with 4 ports, but there are some on the market that feature 7, 8, or even 16. If you buy one with 4 ports and realize that you need more, you can always buy another one and hook it up to the first one.
- Keep in mind that while USB hubs can theoretically support up to 127 different devices, that doesn't mean that your computer is capable of supporting all of them.
- If you are a MAC user, consider a USB port that has FireWire connections as well — which are great for digital cameras.
- There are two types of USB hubs on the market: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. For high speed data transfers, the only way to go is with the newest technology — USB 2.0 hub. The hubs for USB 1.1 run at snail speed (12Mbps), while a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 hub runs at 480Mbps. There are also USB 2.2, which have data transfer rate higher than 480Mbps.
- USB heads come in two types: Upstream and downstream. If you want to simplify it you could call them A and B: upstream and downstream respectively. You can tell the difference between A and B because the A head is wide and flat, and the B head is more like a square. Make sure that your devices are compatible with the USB hub that you plan to buy.
- Double to check to make sure that the USB hub that you buy will be compatible not only with your other devices, but also with the type of operating system you have (Windows XP, Windows Vista, or MAC OS X, etc) and computer type (PC or MAC).
- USB hubs come either powered or unpowered (BUS powered). Which type you choose depends mainly on the type of devices that you will be plugging into it. For example, a USB printer is self-powered via its own adapter. On the other hand, a mouse needs to be plugged into a device that can power it. If a USB hub is powered, then the mouse will feed off it, otherwise it will use up power from the computer itself.
Popular Brands
There are so many styles and brands to choose from, however Belkin is the most popular. Here are some others:
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