Macally USB2 hub

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Published: February 26, 2004
Author: Amber Lupala
Editor: Amber Lupala
Provider: Macally

Introduction

Well as USB2 is getting more and more popular people are getting more products that require USB 2 ports. Tonight we will have a look at a USB2 hub from Macally. It’s a 4 port hub that can run your products on USB 2. This is a small little hub that will not take up alot of space but still supports 4 USB ports.

About Macally:

http://www.macally-europe.com

Specifications:

� Provides 4 additional USB ports
� Connects both USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) and USB 1.1 (12 Mbps) devices simultaneously
� Plug and Play compatible
� LEDs indicate proper power and bus status
� Compact and lightweight design for easy portability
� AC adapter included

System Requirements:

� USB port (USB 2.0 port for USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)
� Mac OS 9.0, Mac OS X v10.1.3 or later for USB 2.0 Hi-Speed*
� Windows 98SE / 2000 / ME / XP

The product:


Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures

This little gadget came in a small box which has specifications etc. on the back of it. Not much more to say about these pictures :)


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Included in the box is a power cable, manual, and a USB cable that goes between the computer and the hub. The hub itself is tiny, it’s a bit bigger than a lighter so that should give you a mental picture :) It has a nice color scheme as it comes in silver and it goes with most of todays computers that are normally silver or black.


Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures

As said before, this hub supports four devices. We did some testing and saw that there is no difference in plugging it in straight to the computer or to the hub so speedwise they are the same. On the right picture you have the power plugin which is placed on the back of the hub.


Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures

Well I tried this device with a USB2 disk from X-micro that we reviewed earlier. The USB cable is plugged into the side of the device so there is basically a cable going all around this little hub :)

Conclusion:

This is a great device that works very good. Performance wise there is no difference if using the hub or not. It’s very small so it will fit anywhere. Everything you need is included so you can just plug and play. One thing that I found was wrong with it is that it’s to light weight. Plug a stiff cable into the hub and it moves the hub around all over. It should have had a bit more weight so it would have stayed on the table. Another flaw is the lack of documentation. All in all though this is a great prodcut that will be to good use since the USB2 devices are getting hotter on the market. We give this 4 out of 5 for a small prodcut that shows good performance and works very good overall.

Pros:

+ Small
+ Works very good
+ Easy to use
+ Looks good

Cons:

- Very lightweight so the cables actually move the hub around
- Lack of documentation