This is a high-quality, versatile USB hub at a bargain price. I am a very pleased owner of several Belkin products, and always look to the Belkin name for quality & problem-free use. This hub was no exception.
I purchased it for my Windows Vista 64 desktop PC (no brand name - I built the system from components). It was "plug-and-play" easy to install, w/ no additional drivers needed. Vista 64 recognized it without a hitch, as well as any other devices I have plugged into the hub, both powered (printer) and non-powered (mouse & keyboard). It includes an AC power supply which I like for desktop hubs - I have found over the years that some non-powered hubs do not play well with non-powered USB devices.
It looks attractive sitting on my PC tower case which is black as well, and I like the additional thought that went into designing the base to serve also as a "knick-knack" tray (for paperclips, etc.). But to me the "killer feature" of this hub is that it is two hubs in one. The black base features 3 USB ports, while the removable silver attachment has an additional 4 USB ports. There are electrical contacts on the bottom of this attachment so that, when plugged into the base, it is powered. When removed, it acts as a standalone, non-powered travel hub, great for laptop use. (And, in fact, when the silver travel hub attachment is disconnected from the black base, the black base then has 4 available ports - the three on the back & the one that the travel hub attachment plugs into). I use the travel hub sometimes on my MacBook Pro, and it works great, even with two non-powered devices - a mouse and a Kensington numeric keypad. Another reviewer mentioned that the travel hub section was too "thick" to be used on a MacBook - it is indeed just a little bit thicker than the Macbook Pro itself such that when you place the MacBook Pro flat on a table, it pushes up a wee little bit on the hub - but not enough to make it unusable. Regardless, I use a laptop stand that makes this a moot point for me.
A final nice touch on the travel hub portion is that it swivels 180 degrees so it can be twisted out of the way of other ports, etc. on a laptop. Or, you could even turn it to a more convenient position while it is plugged into the base, although in that case the top attachment would function as only a non-powered hub if swiveled as the two electrical contacts would not contact their mates on the base. Belkin F5U706 2 in 1 USB 2.0 7-PORT HUB
The description is a little misleading. Yes, this is a USB 2.0 hub in that it has USB 2.0 ports. However, the silver portion, when attached to the main hub, is only USB 1.1. That works fine for mice and keyboards, but not much else.
So only the four ports on the base are particularly useful. So if you bought this, like I did, to plug permanent items in the back and temporary items in the top, you'll be disappointed.
You can do better...
This hub seemed like the perfect combination of features and price and with mostly positive reviews (there are always a few bad reviews) I went ahead and purchased. For about 3 months the hub worked flawlessly, even when using several ports at one time. Then, suddenly, the hub stopped working and my computer stopped recognizing anything plugged into the hub.
I tried all the normal problem solving such as unplugging, rebooting, trying different ports on my computer, etc. but nothing worked. It was not until I came back to Amazon and re-read the negative reviews that I realized I'm having the exact same problem as others listed, namely, that it is the powered base that has stopped working. If I remove the 4-port attachment hub and plug that directly into the computer port, it works. However, the base remains useless.
Interestingly, after using the hub this way for a bit, I decided to see if the base would work plugged into the 4-port adapter (which remained plugged directly into the computer) and it did. Then I tried the base without the hub directly into the computer - worked again. So I reassembled the whole thing as it should be and lo and behold, it worked fine.
So I have no answer on what caused the problem or what specifically solved the issue. I just know that right now, it works.
Belkin does have an easy to use replacement page on it's website, which I will use if problems persist. If your hub is not working and is within the warranty period, I would suggest by-passing the call in support center and just get it replaced. All the call center did was waste 20 minutes of my time to tell me to go to the website for a replacement.
So I'm giving the hub 3-stars since, when working, it is terrific, but downgrading due to occasional problems.
I pick-up this hub for my 40GB PS3. I works great with an external hard drive, PlayStation Eye, and RockBand (guitar, mic, drums). And that still leaves one front port on the PS3 open and 2 on the hub!
No problems, hard drive spins up as soon as the PS3 is powered-on. Good overall design, attaching the permanent devices to the bottom (rear facing) hub allows easy access to the vertical ports (in my set-up).
The power cord connection is on the bottom hub (same side as the usb ports). The unit also has a blue LED (front).
CONS: The power adapter is way oversized in my opinion. - 7 Port - 7 Port Usb Hub - Usb Hub - Powered Usb Hub'
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