Belkin F5U231 TetraHub USB 2.0 Hub (4-port)

Average customer rating: 4.0

Works fine
Belkin Tetra Hub
works perfectly
It works, but gets a little warm
TetraHeadache

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Belkin F5U231 TetraHub USB 2.0 Hub (4-port)

Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B0000DC662

Related Categories:

Networking & Online Communication

Networking & Online Communication

USB Connectivity

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Home Office Electronics

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Product Description

What is TetraHub 4-Port Hub T4 Technology? TetraHub T4 (Turbo Transaction Translator Technology) provides you with the best of USB 2.0 and 1.1 technology in one solution! What is the difference between the standard USB 2.0 hub and the Belkin TetraHub Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub? The TetraHub provides 480Mbps for all your Hi-Speed USB 2.0 devices such as Hi-Speed USB 2.0 scanners and hard drives.Unlike other USB 2.0 hubs, the TetraHub Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub also supplies a guaranteed 12Mbps to each port so you can connect full-speed USB 1.1 products, like USB speakers and USB video-capture devices that require full bandwidth to operate. Traditional hubs share 12Mbps bandwidth among all the ports.

Customer Reviews:

Works fine.......2007-05-24

Bought this hub and installed per directions provided with item. No problems for Windows XP Pro, recognized and installed with no issues. Connected up all four ports and have no problems at all - I have a multi-card reader installed in one, two ports use my Apricorn portable HDD (one power, one power+data, usb Y cable), and one has a UPS attached (for status monitoring.) Hub is running at 'high' (orange), UPS is running at 'low' (green) and the Apricorn & card reader are running at 'high' (orange), based on LED colors for each port. I have no spacing issues for the standard USB cables that came with each piece of equipment attached. No heat issues but I found an old stand from my external DVD writer that I am not using and and have put the hub on top of that to provide some air space underneath. So far no heating issues after 2 days of use. It is barely warm. Portable HDD is on auto sync every day and no problems transferring data. I like the fact that I can connect any level of USB to this without having to figure out at what speed the USB runs, which was my primary reason for buying this hub.

Belkin Tetra Hub.......2007-04-13

I am using the Belkin Tetra Hub to connect four external hard drives running simultaneously; and I am enjoying high transfer speeds. It appears Belkin is no longer promoting or distributing this product. I wonder why.

works perfectly.......2005-10-08

I just plugged it in to one of my usb2 ports, and hooked up my scanner and camera and printers... absolutely wonderful. No more 'this would work better with a usb 2 port' messages! Couldn't be easier.

It works, but gets a little warm.......2005-08-20

This is my second Belkin tear hub (I have them daisy chained) and it works as advertised, It does, however, get a bit warm, but from all the reviews I've read, this is normal and of no concern. It's also a little pricy, but I like and trust the Belkin name, so I'm willing to spend a extrra few dollars.

TetraHeadache.......2005-05-31

I wanted to like this hub. Really. I've got 2 older Belkin USB 1 hubs from eons ago & never had any problems with them. I've got a pricey Belkin KVM switch, Nostromo pad, various cabling. I'm bordering on BelkinLand here...

The idea of being able to run a mixed set of USB devices (1 & 2) all without losing any kind of throughput sounded cool. I was sold on the "Tetra" concept & bought one for my girlfriend. In the end, I went through 3 units (the original & 2 replacements), all of them suffering from the same problem: overheating.

From a hub? Yeah, I thought it was weird too.

The first unit I got ran WAY too hot with the AC adapter plugged in. Not warm, but hot to the touch. Like hand-pulled-away-"ouch! damn that's hot!" hot. I didn't want my girlfriend to lose her USB key drive, printer or iPod by plugging it into the hub. I wrote Belkin & they agreed it shouldn't get warm, let alone that hot, so they sent me a replacement unit (gotta give it to them, their support was on top of it). But then the 2nd unit had the same problem. If nothing was plugged into the hub, but it was on AC power, it was fine. But as soon as you plugged in a single device (or the computer), things started to go south.

So I put in another call. They sent another unit. And once again it ran hot. I changed outlets. I mixed & matched adapters (I had a few of them now). I tried various USB devices (1 & 2.0), even tried the hub on a few different machines. Nothing worked.

Maybe this thing isn't ready for primetime. Maybe I pissed off the USB Gods in a past life. I dunno, but after 3 strikes, they're out. I wanted to like the hub. Belkin's support is to be commended, but maybe their engineering team needs to spend a few more weeks ironing out the bugs. I noticed the power specs on one of the adapters (and the hub itself) was different than the other 2 (don't remember which replacement hub it was), so maybe Belkin is aware of a power issue & is quietly trying to fix it.

So now I'm gonna give my girlfriend one of my older hubs until I can find a decent USB 2 replacement. I do feel burned in more ways than one. Now I have a drawer full of high-tech, useless hubs that I could fry an egg on. It'll be a long while until I buy another Belkin hub again. Possibly anything Belkin.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics