The latest innovation from USB leader Belkin lets you connect up to seven devices quickly and easily. Our Hi-Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub features two, top-loading downstream USB ports. Now you can enjoy fast access for temporary device connections such as USB thumb drives, media readers, and for USB lights, fans, and other accessories.
Monitoring your device activity is simpler than ever with LEDs for master power status and all port activity. The stackable, slim-line design saves valuable desk space, and the Hub works seamlessly with all your USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.
Advantages - Offers 2 easy-access, top-loading 480Mbps ports-perfect for your thumb drives, USB lights, or fans
- Features 5 horizontally mounted 480Mbps ports
- Transfers your data at up to 480Mbps
- Installs easily with Plug-and-Play convenience
- Works seamlessly with all your USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices
- Saves desk space with stackable, slim-line design
- Supports "hot swapping" of all your USB devices
- Lowers power consumption for longer battery life
- Makes power supply optional in laptop applications
- Lets you monitor port and power status with LEDs
- Features over-current detection and safety
1 reference to: Crashed my Windows XP Pro, March 12, 2005
Same thing occurred to me - I have a Dell 8400 running XPPro SP2 and an external USB Maxtor HDD - I was using all six USB ports that came with the Dell machine, however when I added the Belkin F5U237 Hub everything worked okay until I rebooted it - than Nothing but grief!!!!! I exchanged the Hub in hopes it was a defective as I really liked the two top plug in ports - same thing occured with the replacement - after some experimenting I removed all the USB connections from my machine (i.e. MS Ofc keyboard, Maxtor external USB HDD, Video Camera, Laser PRN, Inteli-Mouse, Linksys USB Wireless Adapter) and just plugged the F5U237 Belkin Hub into the Dell Machine - guess what? it worked as advertised - however I now have 5 USB ports I can't use - so the only thing I gained is the convinience of top loading ports for my two 1GB Scan Crusers -
2 Crashed my Windows XP Pro
It would have fit my needs perfectly, especially since I just got an Ipod shuffle, which I could charge and update by plugging in one of the top two ports. But one day my computer, which is running windows XP Pro, wouldn't re-boot until I unplugged it! Then I had to re-install XP Pro, etc. No fun.
The owners manual says "The Belkin USB 2.0 driver suppports all competitive cards based on the NEC host controller with the exception of Adaptec. The most recent Belkin driver is available at www.belkin.com" I could be wrong but I think the Adaptec controller is very common. And there are no drivers (or faq) available at the Belkin website, just the owners manual. Based on my and other experiences reviewed here, save yourself and do not buy this hub if you are running XP Pro.
3 A well-designed hub
I have a couple of these - 7 ports seems to be necessary now that so many devices connect with USB.
Pro's:
1) the hub gives easy access to a couple ports. For some reason that feature is incredibly hard to find, and I have several devices that travel, so the accessibility is nice.
2) it works well - no problems.
Con's:
1) not that this is much of a drawback, but the hub does get pretty hot, especially if you stack them.
As far as the previous comment about the LEDs all lighting up at power-on - apparently Belkin have changed this. My first unit has all the LEDs lit even if nothing's plugged in, and my newer unit behaves like most people would expect.
4 iPod Shuffle users, listen up!
I was looking for a hub that is always powered on, so I could use it as a charger for the iPod. One person's dislike is another's delight! The always-on feature may seem dumb, but it is a great feature for people who may use it as a charger.
This is the ONLY hub that allows us to plug and unplug (into/away from) the hub with ONLY ONE hand. The other ones all require that you hold the hub or velcro the hub to the desk, which is really a sticky situation (in more ways than one).
I highly recommend this model.
5 Terriffic Hub
Worked from the moment of plug in. All of my USB devices were making a mess of the back of my computer, and the two front USB plugs were difficult to reach for temporary plug ins. Hooked unit in to one of back USB outlets. Set it on my desk. Top vertical plugs make it easy to upload info from my flash drive or pictures from the digital camera or download music into my IPOD without getting on the floor to reach the USB plug. Highly reccomend.
6 Bad Product.
This is the worst product I've ever used. I would avoid it unless you know nothing about computers. It's cool looking but more than likely will make you want to tear your hair out in frustration when it won't read any of your devices.
I bought a Dynex instead which worked by just plugging it in.
7 -10 If i could.....
Crashes my XP Pro system at random times, NOT happy!
If this is an issue with XP then Blekin should get them to fix it or make some custom drivers for it.
Try talking to Blekin, they will dismiss this issue, but it`s real and will freeze your XP system every 3 to 10 hours.
DONT BUY IT UNLESS THEY START TO SUPPORT IT !!!!!!!!!
8 Well-designed, elegant and dependable
Nearly every peripheral or device that can connect to a PC these days uses the USB port, from printers, to mice, external drives, PDAs, wireless adapters and flash memory. It doesn't take very long before the top of your desk disappears under a wiggly maze of wires.
I personally reached the point where my older 4-port 1.0 hub and twin 2.0 inputs on my laptop just weren't cutting it. And I didn't want a second hub adding to the clutter of my home office workspace. Not only that, but the widespread adoption of the faster 2.0 USB technology standard has made 1.0 close to obsolete.
After spending considerable time searching for a 7-port 2.0 alternative, I was getting frustrated at the choices available, which ranged from the poorly designed to the outright expensive. Most were the identical mass-produced model with a different company logo sticker slapped on the top.
Then Belkin entered this market segment and made my choice an easy one. Here's why:
1. I have previously owned Belkin USB hubs and found them to be well-built and rock-solid dependable. This is important to me because of the high failure rate I've experienced with less-expensive generic hubs. And while a USB hub seems like a simple enough device, it's rapidly become an essential piece of hardware for any computer system.
2. The slim, sleek, ergonomic design was attractive and the two ports on the top of the device (in addition to the five in the rear) were perfect for mice and flash storage drives -- even though I didn't realize it at the time.
3. A decent price, all things considered.
From the minute I plugged this hub in six months ago it has run flawlessly. I absolutely love it. In fact, I recently purchased two more, one for my daughter's laptop and another as a Christmas present. You simply can't go wrong here.
9 Excellent HUB , Great Ergonomics
This USB HUB works perfectly. Previous reviewers are confused about "required drivers", which are not necessary for USB hubs since they are built into Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
I haven't had any problem with it at all, nor any of the many other USB Hubs that I have used.
This HUB is BETTER, though, becuase of the two top connections. I have 5 devices connected almost all the time and a number of other devices (camera, camcorder, DVD burner, GPS, Sandisk Cruzer driver, etc.) all of which are EASY to insert, eject because of the way this device is configured.
It really is much more convenient to work with than most others.
10 belkins usb2 hub
I bought this hub recently and the driver thru windows XP is incompatible and crashes my pc.I wrote to Belkin for updated driver and their reply was that they do not supply drivers and I have to look somewhere else for it.It is ok to buy a Belkin pda case or charger but do not ever buy any electronic component by Belkin,technical support does not exist and you are stuck with a bad piece of junk.
11 This review should be deleted
I've asked amazon to delete this review, it referred to an issue that does not apply to this hub.
12 Horrible performance
This hub is possibly the worst USB hub I have ever used- it loses connection when placed vertically as well as the fact that it seems to work completely sporadically. I definitely would discourage any would-be buyers from this item. Strangely, all the other Belkin equipment I use works swimmingly- perhaps this is simply an anomaly in their lineup.
13 Stylish but technically lacking
When I received this 7 port hub, I had high hopes. It looks nice, has 5 ports in the back and two convenient ports on top. But it has two very odd weaknesses.
First, when you plug it in, a red power light comes on and all 7 port lights are lit. What good are the port lights if they are lit even when no device is plugged into that port?
The other odd behavior is that devices that are plugged into the hub are powered on even if the host's USB port is not powered up (i.e. the computer is off). In fact, the devices are always powered on even if the hub is not even connected to the host. My computer is off, but my USB illuminated keyboard is still illuminated, my USB microphone's power light is on, my USB wireless network's power light is on, etc.
The behavior of these two issues seemed so odd (lights always on, devices always powered) that I assumed it was due to a defective part. So I called Belkin's technical support. The guy who answered was very rude and impatient. He basically stated "that is how the hub works". When I asked him if he could show me where this odd behavior is documented, he told me "it is not documented, but that is how it works and if you don't like it, return it and get another brand of hub". Not a bad recommendation.
