Customer Reviews

Belkin USB 2.0 Plus Hub (7 Port) F5U307-WHT

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I have been using this little hub with an Intel iMac for over 3 years now without any problems. I have all five ports on the back in use most of the time (scanner, hard drive, EyeTV, two printers), and I use the two top ports for camera and USB flash drive connections. There have never been any problems with the hub, and it is heavy enough/stable enough to stay in place on my desktop when I insert/remove cables. Because it is self-powered, there's no problem with powering non-self-powered USB devices. It is also quite small--about 3.5"w x 5.5"l x .5"h. The only caveat is this: those "status lights" don't blink to indicate activity, as the product description claims. They only light up to show that a device is connected to the port and powered on. For me, this doesn't matter, but others may care about this. Overall, very reliable and well-designed device.

Edit Oct 2010: some have asked about the power adapter for travel. The adapter is 100-240V rated -- with a plug type adapter, it will work pretty much anywhere in the world.

This small package 7 port USB 2.0 hub is excellent in design and use. It is priced very attractively on Amazon. I had concerns when I reviewed a previous review that indicated shortcomings including "not all 7 ports are USB 2.0" and "plugging in a USB 1.0 device slows down all devices plugged into the hub." I corresponded with Belkin before purchase and they indicated that all 7 ports were USB 2.0 capable, and that individual USB 1.0 devices plugged into the hub did not effect the performance of other devices plugged into the hub. [Reading through the web literature, it is possible that earlier versions of some USB 2.0 hubs -- maybe even this one -- had such technical limitations.] My short-term experience with this device is that it works as indicated. I don't know of its long-term durability. As a first impression, I highly recommend it.

I liked this product as soon as I had installed it. I think it's well organized and attractive. Everything was going great until I started hearing a high-pitched buzz in the air. At first I thought it was my monitor, then slowly, by unplugging one thing after the other from my power bar, I discovered it was this pesky little hub. After Googling this, I discovered others have had a similar experience with Belkin hubs (see Apple Store). It's annoying enough for me to return. Very disappointing.

I love this Belkin 2.0 7-port USB Hub. I have never had any problems with Belkin hubs, they are sturdy and reliable. I love the design features on this particular hub because it provides two ports on top for flash drives where they can be easily accessed, backward compatibility, seven total ports and a cord management system on the right side facing front to help manage the cord for my Saitek X52 Flight control system. This is a great product and Amazon gave me the best price by a wide margin.

I love the idea of having my cables organized and also the placement of ports on this product but...
Some investigation on Belkin's website revealed that only 4 of the 7 ports work at the 480Mbps (USB 2.0) speed. (The product user manual says so. 4 stars to Belkin for at least clarifying this! Most manufacturer's seem to happily keep these details fuzzy)

There's another problem I read about in some of the reviews for most USB hubs: Connecting even one USB 1.1 device forces all other USB (1.1/2.0)devices to run at the USB 1.1 speed. This product seems no exception. I am yet to come across a hub that solves this problem.

I have purchased a Cables To Go 7-port USB 2.0 hub. It seemed to have the best reviews and their product description explicitly mentions "7 USB 2.0 ports". I am currently waiting for it in the mail!

I'm using this with an iMac. The hub worked well right out of the box. Two hard disk drives, keyboard, mouse, flash drives, camera, iPod, printer... All work well with this product. I just plugged it in and everything worked. I think Belkin should change the design a bit to make the hub heavier. It doesn't stay put on my desk as well as I'd like because of its light weight. I'll just add a piece of velcro to hold it.

Well, I like many other reviewers bought this device (I bought it at a big box store full of best buys). I purchased 2 of these units and both have failed since purchase with the same basic issues, overheating and random disconnections or failure to connect newly plugged in devices.

The most recent one to fail was so hot on the bottom I thought I might burn my hand.

It is truly a shame as these hubs look nice and have such a well designed layout for the 7 ports (5 across the front and 2 on top) that make it easy for keep regularly plugged in and swapping devices a snap.

As the title said when the hubs were working they were great. However, far to often it would be a case of unplug everything and let it sit for a while before using again. This last time was just far too hot for me to consider it safe to plug it back in and as such both units and their random disconnects and feeling warm (or hot as this time) is just too much. I am now done with these Belkin units.

I would not recommend them to anyone who wants a convenient reliable hub. They just don't work reliably enough to fit the bill. Time to look for something else.

I bought this device about 6 months ago. It's been unreliable, and inconsistent. Sometimes it works for weeks without an issue. Sometimes it fails multiple times in the same day. Sometimes I can get it to work by unplugging all the cables and plugging them back in again. Sometimes nothing I do makes a difference, and I just have to wait for it to feel like working again. Today I bought a replacement from a different manufacturer, and tomorrow I am going to drop the Belkin off a tall building. (Not really, but I wish I could!)

The hub has worked flawlessly for me. With 5 ports on the rear of the unit, I can plug in peripherals that I don't often disconnect, like external disks, scanner, and printer. The two ports on top are great for flash drives, cameras, iPods or anything that doesn't stay connected all of the time. The lights on the front of the unit tell you at a glance which ports are in use. The cord storage on the side keeps disconnected cables from falling behind my desk when not plugged in. I highly recommend this hub.

The first one I bought had a loose connection inside. Every time I bumped into it or even carefully moved it, the whole thing would lose power for a second and disconnect all devices that were attached. I sent it back to the company and they send me back a new one. Less than a year later, this one is constantly dropping its connection. I will sync my iPhone, for example, and mid-sync it drops the connection. Happening more and more frequently too. Not sure if heat is the cause, but these units get too hot. As many others have warned in these reviews - stay away from this model, and I assume the other variations of this design.