Customer Reviews

Cisco-Linksys USB 4-Port Hub

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Fortunately their isn't a lot to say about the Linksys USB 4 Port Hub. Why? Because it is the simplest, and best solution to the problem of hooking up all of your USB gear to your computer. It comes with a separate power supply, which is a transformer, plugging into the hub. You can use it without the transformer, but single powering multiple USB devices, running just off of the power coming from the computer can cause problems, depending on the device. So it is self powered. Or you can use it by itself without the adapter hooked up, then it runs off of your computers power.
I am using mine without the AC adapter, because it causes the Smart Card Reader to stay on, even when the computer is shut off. If I turned off my power strip every time, this would not be a factor, but I don't, so I use it without the adapter. Then when I fire up the computer, the devices are powered. Some reports state that some digital camera smart card readers are prone to not working without a second power source. Mine works fine working off of the computer power alone. So that is the simplest for me. Anyhow, you have either option with this unit, they supply the ac adapter, and the instructions state that it works either way.
It also includes a single USB cable, which hooks the hub up to your computers USB port. Then you have 4 powered USB ports on the Linksys unit to hook up all of your gear. You can even daisy link these to get up to 127 devices hooked to one machine.
Having the hub easily reachable from your desk, instead of having to go plug hunting under your desk in your pc is worth the price of this unit alone. I looked at 4 port hubs at the local office supply, and the price was more by twenty percent, then this unit even including the shipping.
Nothing to load, nothing to configure. (I use W98 second edition) Just plug it in, boot up and Windows auto recognizes it, and uses standard windows drivers. It doesn't come with a disc, because it doesn't need one.
A few reviewers mentioned that all of the little lights come on when you power up. They thought that was a waste, wishing for it to light up only when each channel was in use. The instructions state that the lights flicker based on each channels use. Not that this is even important.
It's a great little hub. No nonsense. Works they way I wish everything worked. Great and simply. Buy it. I'm glad I did.

The Linksys USB 4 Port Hub Universal Serial Bus = B00004Z6PI = was working just 10 minutes after I got the package open. Now I'm able to have my USB devices like Scanner, printer, WebCam etc. on a table quiet far away from my PC - AND - may "travel" with my WebCam (HomeConnect PC Digital Camera = ASIN B00000JDHV =) as far as 31 feet away from my computer. The USB 4-port Hub serves as a "cable extension adapter" thanks external power supply which makes cable lengths possible beyond USB norms (limited cable lengths). I liked the packing and the well designed device. Need more USB ports? Buy this Hub by Linksys. Need a A-B to A-B "cable extension adapter"? ProConnect USB 4-Port Hub will serve you even here and - last but not least - it's affordable. Therefore: BUY IT!

I've had the Linksys USB 4-port hub for about a month and I am very very happy with it. My computer only had 2 USB ports and I was getting tired of unplugging my printer to plug in my camera and so I decided to buy this USB hub.

Installation was a snap -- I plug in the power supply, attach the USB hub to my computer via. the USB cable provided, plug in my devices into it and everything is good to go. I see all my devices and I don't need to unplug anything to use anything else. No additional software needed. Get it now if you've got too may USB devices like I did.

So far this USB hub has performed flawlessly. It is small, unobtrusive, and less expensive than many comparable devices. It is holding up well with my video camera and DSL modem plugged into it, both of which suck down a fair amount of bandwidth.

It may seems like a small thing, but the rubber feet on this USB hub are a big help. It stays right where you put it, even when you tug a bit on the wires. I have a "Fellowes" USB hub that also works fine, but costs more than the Linksys and does not have rubber feet. It slides all over the place, and has slid right off my desk before, which is pretty irritating.

The Linksys USB hub has worked without incident with several devices attatched. It is small enough to even pack in my briefcase if needed, nice rubber feet on the bottom to ensure it stays where you want it, even with a little pull.

As another user commented, the LEDs are a bit confusing, I don't really pay attention to them, but nonetheless, confusing. Other than this, I found no annoying issues with the product.

Installation was a breeze, as with most USB devices, no extra software needed, and the user's guide was very straightforward.

Overall, I rate the Linksys USB hub 4 stars, because of it's simplicity and excellent performance, along with it's confusing LEDs.

I was a little concerned about the seemingly poor construction quality (very lightweight and it actually rattles when you gently shake it), but the Linksys hub does work, and I guess I won't be shaking it a lot anyway... Very puzzling that there's no mention anywhere of Macintosh compatibility. The description on the Amazon site is mum about it, and the packaging and the manual state the hub is compatible with various Windows systems -- no mention of Macs. Only the Linksys website states the link works with Macintoshes, too, and in my situation (G3 blue-and-white Yosemite tower), that's true. Plug and play, no hassles.

USB offers the promise of true "plug and play." Of being able to plug in a cable and simply use a product, without time-consuming configuration of multiple ports. Any Wintel PC user knows that by and large this picture is a fantasy. USB products do tend to misbehave, e.g., underpowered ports, strange failures to recognize devices, power saving modes conflicts, etc.

This hub, on the other hand, is an example of the way it should be. I installed this hub in my system in about two minutes and it worked perfectly. At once. No tweaking, configuring, or any messing around. And since that date, the hub has worked flawlessly. Kudos to Linksys for manufacturing a device whose reliability is truly ideal.

After struggling with a USB controller card and discovering that my system didn't have enough power to support a second one, I bought this great little USB hub with its own power supply. The installation instructions were clear and easy to understand. This hub is really plug and play. It came right up and all the USB devices I plugged into it worked immediately including my PDA cradle and compact flash card reader. I'm very happy to have expanded the number of USB ports on my system and happy that I didn't have any installation problems.

USB is really plug-and-play, and this hub proves it. Run the USB cord out from your PC into the back of this well-made unit and a little LED confirms it is connected and Windows will set it up automatically. Then plug in up to 4 USB devices and they too will be instantly recognized by Windows. A little green LED will confirm their presence (one for each of its 4 ports). The unit ships with a power supply, which is needed when using this hub with a laptop, and probably when using it on your PC with devices that draw a lot of power (scanners, for example), though I haven't over-taxed it yet. My only complaint is that I prefer the power supply and USB "in" to be on the back, with the USB "outs" to be on the front, so the unit appears 'neater', but that's just a personal preference that does not affect functionality. Like all USB hubs, this one can be daisy-chained to more hubs as needed. Overall, it's a great deal.

I have a Mac 2000 G3 powerbook. After reading a few reviews on this site and visiting my local computer store, I purchased this hub. It is cheap and worked right out of the box. I only have a palm, Iomega Zip and microsoft mouse plugged in. So far so good!