Belkin Components USB Portable Bridge Hub

Average customer rating: 2.0

USB Nowhere
Does not work with large files or large hard drives
Limited compatibility
It Really Does Work!
Not much better than nothing

Belkin Components USB Portable Bridge Hub

Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B000AR8V4U

Related Categories:

Networking & Online Communication

Networking & Online Communication

USB Cables

Product Description

The USB Anywhere connects two mass-storage devices (media reader, digital camera, hard drive) using USB cables to transfer photos, songs, and files from one device to the other-all without a computer. Use the Belkin USB Anywhere to copy files from your digital camera to your external hard drive, between two MP3 players, and/or between USB flash-memory drives, external hard drives, CD-R burners, and memory-card readers. The compact USB Anywhere is ideal for traveling, as it eliminates the need to use your computer for photo storage. When your digital camera's media card gets full, you can use USB Anywhere to download the images to your portable hard drive and take more pictures. Saves you money by eliminating the need to buy multiple memory cards Indicates transfer status with flashing LED Includes a 5V, 1.5A optional power supply Installs with Plug-and-Play and hot swap convenience Transfers files at up to 12Mbps Operates on 3 AAA alkaline batteries

Customer Reviews:

USB Nowhere.......2006-08-18

This item doesn't work at all. I tried it with 8 different combinations of devices and it worked just once. It is terribly slow just finding a device, and slower yet copying files. And then, it always has an error. Do not buy.
I'm sending my back for a refund.

Does not work with large files or large hard drives.......2006-08-14

The device has a number of problems.

First, it will not recognize large hard drives, though this problem can be ameliorated by creating a partition on the hard drive that is less than 32-34 GB in size (I made the first partition a 32-GB partition with FAT32 format on my Seagate 100 GB hard drive, and the Belkin bridge then recognized the portable hard drive). I believe this problem may relate to the fact that most FAT32 drives are 34 GB or less (though many newer drives with FAT32 format, including my Seagate, was shipped with a 100 GB FAT32 partition).

Second, the device will not transfer large files (approx. 60 MB to 100 MB and larger, in my experience). This is a problem if your camera takes video clips, which can be quite large. The file transfer simply stops when it hits a large file, and anything that has yet to be transferred on the source device (even small files) will not be transferred. This is an amazingly huge problem if a large video clip is one of the first few files on your flash memory card. If you only plan to transfer small files (e.g., 5 MB), this device still might work for you. However, while it the bridge is compatible with USB2.0 devices, it only transfers at USB1.1 speed (aka "Full Speed" USB, 12 Mbps max), which is 40 times slower than USB2.0 ("High Speed" USB, 480 Mbps max). You could be waiting for some time for large batches of files to transfer.

I originally thought my particular Belkin bridge might be defective, but Belkin sent me another one and I had the exact same problems. Given these rather basic problems in our current world of large files and storage devices, I'd venture to guess that there may be other design defects with this device, so buy at your own risk. I also agree with the review below that this device -- given its USB1.1 speed -- is already obsolete. (Fortunately, Amazon gave me a refund)

Limited compatibility.......2006-07-31

This is a great little idea, but maybe not a great little device. It isn't compatible with NTFS USB devices (i.e. most modern USB external hard disks), and apparently can't read some common USB accessories (for instance, my COWON mp3 player and some cameras). It can read smaller/cheaper mp3 players and some USB cameras - but both source and target devices must be FAT32/vfat formatted, which makes those devices somewhat less useful with your computer. The documentation and packaging fails to mention this important limitation.

Another thing the packaging doesn't tell you is that this is a USB 1.1 device, thus the transfer rate is too slow for anything but small devices unless you have access to AC power and plenty of time.

With USB-2.0 and better compatibility (NTFS, and maybe some config software so you could choose the source and target directory/folder structure) this would be a great device at twice the price. In it's current state it's already obsolete.

It Really Does Work!.......2006-07-16

I tested it, and it really does work. Instructions are clear, easy to use.

Not much better than nothing.......2006-03-07

The Iaudio mp3 player did not recognize my cameras, so this was suppoed to bridge the gap. It recognized one camera, but not the mp3 player. I then bought the 20Gb FotoChute. It transfers from the cameras quickly, to the PC extremely fast, with no problems.

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Electronics

Electronics