Customer Reviews

StarTech.com 4 Port ExpressCard Laptop USB 2.0 Adapter Card (EC400USB)

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

 

 

I don't know what the other reviewers are doing wrong. I have 2 of these adapters and plugged it in each of my Dell XPS M1330 (it has only 2 USB ports) and it works without any problems. You don't even need to install any drivers, it just works the moment you plug it in. It's true that you can't use it for USB devices that require a lot of power, but it's perfect for things like external mouse, external keyboard, headset and other smaller devices. I am very satisfied with this adapter.

I bought this and popped it into the express 34 slot on the side of my macbook pro. I tried plugging in a usb device and I immediately got an error message. Apparently in order to run even the least demanding usb device, an ac power adapter is required. I searched the flimsy manual that came with the card. No mention of the voltage or amp rating for the adapter. In fact no mention of the adapter at all. And nothing on the card itself! I went to Startech's web site. No info there either. Finally I emailed their tech support. After several confusing emails, where I was given info on completely different products, I was told that the card uses a 5v 2.6a center positive adapter. Unfortunately startech doesn't sell one. Neither does the third party that I bought the card from on Amazon. They both told me to go to Radio Shack. Too bad Radio Shack doesn't sell the right one, at least not at the 3 stores that I checked. I looked through adapters for my other devices and found a few that matched the voltage and amps. None had a small enough plug to fit the card. Maybe this thing works fine wthout the adapter on other computers, but it's basically worthless with mine. Even if that's the case, why include the option of using an ac adapter, if you're not going to sell the adapter or even tell the customer, anywhere on the product, in the manual or on your website, what adapter can be used?

This gizmo successfully freed up one of my two MacBook Pro USB slots. Plugged this into the express card slot, plugged my mouse transmitter into it. Worked immediately.

The New device fails to recognize any of my USB 2.0 devices with my Dell 1530 laptop running Vista. Also, the card is TOO EASILY disconnected from the ExpressCard slot, which makes it a liability even if it recognized the external USB drive(s).

It works OK as a USB 1.1 device to connect the mouse, but seems useless for any USB 2.0 external drives.

This device was supposed to be compatible wih Windows Vista?

My computer has a torn up usb port so i decided to go out and buy this product from amazon. when i received it in the mail, i was surprised to find that no matter what i plugged into it, i failed to get anything to function. i kept getting messages saying the power on the usb hub had been exceeded. so i went out and did some research. turns out if you plug in an adapter to it, there should be enough power to read things like ipods, printers, whatever. after hours of looking on the manufacturers website and various blogs, i couldnt find which type of power adapter was usable with this device. eventually i found a website which hinted at using a five volt adapter. now when this came in the mail, i was excited because i finally thought i was finished with the whole ordeal. but oh was i wrong. plugging it into the wall did absolutely nothing. now i am with a whole in my pocket and still no usable usb ports!!

Plugged it in into my HP dv6000 - it couldn't power up even a single USB drive. It does have 5V input but AC adapter is not included and it doesn't make it mobile at all. Not sure if it's hub itself or express card slot, it went back and Amazon paid shipping charges.

The ExpressCard hub offers another option for adding more usb ports to your computer. In particular, it is a compact hub which should be convenient for travelers and laptop users. The major drawback is that it requires another power source for most peripherals. It can run a mouse or a small flash drive but everything else requires extra power. It seems to be impossible to find a power adapter and the need for such takes away any convenience as a portable device. My MacBook Pro had no problem with accessing the drive when it had enough power. I am still looking for a compatible adapter, no information is given in the documentation nor is an adapter available from the manufacturer.