Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The assortment of USB devices that we encounter today is amazing, and as the amount of them continues to grow, we often need to find additional way to connect them to our computers and notebooks. The Plugable 7 Port USB 3.0 Hub with 4A Power Adapter is a solid solution to this issue, and because it's fully USB 2.0 compatible, it offers an excellent upgrade path for those who are not yet using the USB 3.0 standard. Many USB 3.0 cables are shorter to support faster 5Gbps specification, so this hub allows closer placement to your PC or Mac. ● Likes: + Has 7 USB 3.0 ports; backward compatible to USB 2.0/1.1 standards + 5Gbps data transfer; up to 10 times that of USB 2.0 + Excellent laptop-style power supply; rated at 5V-4A + Separate 2-prong power cord; doesn't waste wall space + Charges some USB devices when computer power is off + Has 7 blue LEDs; illuminate only when USB port is active + Full OS support; Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, others ● Dislikes: - Could use an on/off switch, but not critical - Needs four stick-on rubber feet so it doesn't slide on desktop ● Setup: This 7-port USB hub comes in a neatly partitioned cardboard box, and it's easy to open. Inside you'll find the Plugable 7-Port USB 3.0 Hub, which measures about 6¾" x 2¾" x 1" and weighs under 6½ ounces. It comes with a hefty USB 3.0 type B cable that's 40" long, and has a standard male USB plug on the end to plug into the computer, and the other end plugs into the hub itself. There's a 5V-4A power supply that resembles the type that we find with notebook computers plus a separate 2-prong power cord, and the two combined have a surprising reach of over 9-feet between the wall outlet and hub. There's an easy to follow one-page instruction sheet in English, with plenty of diagrams, and even includes a troubleshooting section. ● In Use: The box had some simple two-step directions to plug the adapter into the power outlet and connect it to the hub, and then connect the hub to the computer, so I did. Started plugging various USB devices, and it was surprising how fast they were recognized. The seven USB 3.0 ports have a reasonable amount of space between them, and it even accommodated some of my older devices with fat plugs. I tested this with a HP Pavilion mini-tower running Windows 7 (64-bit) with a pair of USB 3.0 ports on the back, with a Windows 7 PC notebook, and with a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.8.2, and it was instantly recognized by all three with no problems at all. The specs say that it will work with PCs that run Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and other OS that support standard USB, and from what I've seen, I have no doubts that it will. I uploaded some PDF files to my Kindle Fire and was surprised how fast the transfer went. After the hub is plugged in and connected to the computer, there is a green LED that illuminates on the power supply indicate that the unit has power. Plug a USB device into any of the seven ports, and you'll see a blue LED light up closest to that port, confirming that it's in use. My primary purpose for this hub was to make and keep reliable connections at all times with a Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive and a Seagate Expansion 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive, where data integrity is absolutely essential. I don't like to say that a product performed faultlessly, but in this case it did with both of these drives. Have also hooked up a Samsung Printer with scanner, copier and fax; an Epson WorkForce DS-30 Document Scanner; and a variety of other USB devices. I've downloaded images from my digital cameras via USB cables, and tested it with all seven ports functioning at once. Not once has it protested or even hiccupped. One caveat: this hub will not charge an iPad, a Kindle Fire or other non-standard charging devices. It just wasn't designed for that, so use your regular power adapter for those. That being said, I have transferred files from two computers to both my Kindle Fire and Kindle 2 using the appropriate USB cable connected to this Plugable USB 3.0 Hub, and it works fine with that. Had expected good performance with this hub when it was hooked up to a dedicated USB 3.0 port as is found on the back of the HP Pavilion, and in that it didn't disappoint at all. The surprise came when it was hooked to the MacBook Pro and the Windows 7 notebook with their USB 2.0 ports, and in that the performance was excellent. I suspect that this has something to do with the two VIA VL811 4-port chipsets that drive the hub internally. There is a difference when USB 3.0 cables are used as opposed to the older ones. The USB 3.0 cables usually have a blue insert as opposed to the older black insert in USB 2.0 cables, and they will have a "SS" symbol on the computer connector. These use more wires than other USB cables, making USB 3.0 cables a bit more robust than other USB cables. At 900mA, they can also deliver more power to an attached device. ● Summary: This Plugable 7 Port USB 3.0 Hub with 4A Power Adapter is a real problem solver when it comes to connecting a multitude of USB devices and getting them to work well together. This hub has actually outperformed my expectations, and it's highly recommended to anyone needing to expand their USB accessibility, and even if your current computer is using USB 2.0 ports, it give you an excellent and reasonably priced future upgrade path. This one really lives up to the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed standards. Note: This device was received from the manufacturer with the understanding that I would post an honest review. The opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required. 10/21/2012