Gear: Anker/Uspeed USB 3.0 4-Port Hub, USB Hubs.
I like USB hubs because they offer expansion and convenience. Today I'll cover the Anker USB 3.0 HUB with 4 ports.
Expansion
I use a lot of USB devices. My laptop has 4 ports, if I use this HUB then I can have up to 7 ports (consider the 1 port being used by HUB).
Convenience
My laptop is a mobile system, but when I attach that many USB devices it becomes more of a desktop computer because mobility is reduced. A USB HUB offers a great convenience because I can attach all my USB devices and then use a single cable to connect to my laptop.
Box Contents
- Anker USB 3.0 HUB
- AC/DC Adapter (output 5.V, 2A)
- USB 3.0 Cable (24 inches)
- Anker document
Features
The Anker HUB is compatible with USB 3.0, 2.0, and 1.1 devices. This means that its backwards compatible and will take all of your current USB devices.
There 4 downstream USB 3.0 ports (A-type) and 1 Upstream port. The HUB "supports high-speed (5G Mbps), Full-speed (480 Mbps), and Low-Speed (12 Mbps) profiles".
Sadly I do not have any other USB 3.0 devices such as a hard drive that would allow me to conduct proper tests to see if we actually get the speeds they advertise. The good thing about having the HUB is that when I upgrade to USB 3.0 devices then I would be able to use the HUB.
AC Adapter
When you use low powered devices you do not need to use the AC adapter. For higher powered devices the AC adapter will be required. One advantage of having an AC Adapter is that you can charge your USB devices while your laptop is off, using it for iPods is an example.
Price
The Anker USB 3.0 HUB is priced between $20 to $30 (depending on store). Since it's a fairly low price I think this is one the factors that influenced my purchase.
If you purchase a 7 port USB 3.0 HUB then you could be looking at a price of $50 to $70 (generally, although there are exceptions)
IMPORTANT
If you don't have a USB 3.0 capable system then the Anker HUB will be useless. Usually USB 3.0 is distinguished because of the blue color on the ports.
One Problem
One of the ports on the Anker HUB went bad. The port provides power, but no data. I could use it for charging devices, but the data transfer is important to me. Maybe this problem is just a faulty unit, I recommend checking other reviews to see if there are other people having similar issues.
Overall
I think this is a small and inexpensive product. It has it's pros and cons but it will work fine if you need the extra ports or the convenience of using it similarly to a docking station.
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