What Do I Look For In a USB Hub?

[Wendy]

I have just a few USB ports on my PC and so I’ve found that I’m often taking devices in and out to connect other ones. Besides that finally becoming a bother, it also seems to be making the ports looser and not hold the USB cable as tightly as they used to. I thought that getting a USB hub would solve both problems. I saw there are different types of hubs and I don’t know enough to know which is the right one to get. Most of what I connect are external hard drives, and a few other things like my cell phone and camera. The PC has USB 2 and Windows 7 home. I’d really appreciate advice of what type and size hub to get. And will using a hub change how what I’m connecting is recognized by Windows?

[DOUGIE]

Hi Wendy. Desktop or laptop?
If it is a Desktop,
I have had both non powered and powered hubs, and haven’t been happy with them.
If you have say a 4 port hub and all being used, you are only getting 25% speed from each port.
You are better off with a PCI USB card like this, if your Motherboard has an empty slot.

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[jmarket]

If I can just add to what Dougie suggested, if you are concerned about your actual pc usb sockets “wearing out” why not get some extension cables. Cheap as chips and no continual inserting and removal from the pc. If and when the cable connector end to usb device wears out just chuck the cable and spend another few dollars.

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[DOUGIE]

I always run short usb cables from ports. USB ports last forever.
You can also get USB PCIE cards as well, Wendy. Very cheap.

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[plodr]

If you are considering a hub, make sure it has its own power supply.
Look for powered USB hub.
Example Amazon.com

There are usually 4 port and 7 port USB hubs. Make sure it includes the power brick. Some may say powered but don’t include the power supply.

I’m not sure how plugging into a powered hub will affect a cellphone and camera. My computer has 8 USB ports so I don’t have to juggle.

[Wendy]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Gus - I think you’re saying to leave the extension cables permanently in the PC ports, then connect/disconnect the devices’ own cables from those extension cables. That sounds like a good idea, especially as a few of the external hard drives don’t have an off switch, so the only way to shut them off is to disconnect the USB cable from the PC (I do that to protect the hard drives from wearing out so they’re not running all the time when I’m not using them but I’m still using the PC). In this case, I’d be only be disconnecting the device’s cable from the permanent extension cable in the PC port. With a hub I might eventually have the same issue of the hub’s sockets wearing out because of disconnecting the external hard drives to shut them off

Does using the extension cable slow down the speed of the data going to and from the device? I suppose it doesn’t as you’re using them but I just thought I’d ask anyway.

[DOUGIE]

Extension cables won’t slow your speed, Wendy.

[Wendy]

Thanks Dougie for the answer.

[jmarket]

Gus - I think you’re saying to leave the extension cables permanently in the PC ports, then connect/disconnect the devices’ own cables from those extension cables.

Yes that’s what I meant

[Wendy]

Thanks Gus. I appreciate your confirming my understanding of that.

[jmarket]

Do you consider this now solved?

[Wendy]

Yes. Thank you.