Ab Work Outs: Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)1. The hub itself does not have its own power source, restricting its [reliable] use to self-powered devices.So if you add this device to your system, you still run the risk of all your portable USB and Firewire goodies (the reason you need a hub, right?) flaking out from lack of power.

2. Although having the hub in a form factor complementary to the Mac mini is an attractive feature (and probably the major reason for purchasing it), placing it under the Mac mini limits access to the ports you are adding because you will have to fight the cables in the back of the mini to plug anything in.Apple does not advise putting anything on top of the mini because of interference issues with Bluetooth and Airport, so below the mini it must go.I am thinking I may be able to rotate it 90 degrees to get better access to the ports, but then the cable tangle will spread.

Really nice design, but the reality is that you'd probably be better off focusing on ease of access than a nice-looking hub.If you need a hard drive too, the better option is something like the NewerTech miniStack that adds powered USB and Firewire ports as well as a larger external hard drive.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Belkin USB 2.0and Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini

Product Description:

Our newest Hub has a low-profile design specifically engineered to stack on top of or below the Mac mini-helping to organize and save your valuable desktop space. The Hub provides four downstream USB ports compatible with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 (low- and full-speed) devices. It also features two FireWire ports to connect up to two of your FireWire devices. A single USB and a FireWire port are located on the front of the Hub to give you easy access for quick, temporary connections of USB thumb drives, media readers, small accessories such as the Apple iPod and iPod shuffle, and more.

Main Features
Manufacturer: Belkin Corporation.
Manufacturer Part Number: F5U507
Manufacturer Website Address: www.belkin.com
Product Type: USB/FireWire Combo Hub
Host Interface: USB/FireWire
Data Transfer Rate: 480Mbps USB 2.0 , 400Mbps FireWire 400
Ports: 4 xType A USB 2.0 - USB, 2 xFireWire IEEE 1394 - FireWire
Form Factor: External Hot-pluggable
Standard Warranty: Lifetime

Get 16% OFF