Powered or unpowered USB 2.0 Hub question.

Do I need a powered USB 2.0 Hub? All I can find in stores are powered USB Hubs or mini hubs for labtops with a very short cable. I need one for my G5, but don't want the extra cable (ac power)if I don't need it. Have enough cables cluttering up place. One store told me they don't stock the unpowered hubs any longer because people return them asking for the powered hubs.

Can you plug a Belkin unpowered hub into a Belkin powered hub? Would the second hub then draw power from the first?
Basically, can you daisy chain USB hubs?
We have a small office and we use 4 printers, a scanner and two backup firewire drives. We have an Airport extreme plugged into our main Mac, and the powered USB Belkin hub pluged into the Airport Extreme. Trouble is we're expanding and will need two more USB ports and one Firewire. So we're wondering if we got the Belkiin 6 port combo USB Firewire hub, (which is unpowered), would it draw power from the first Belkin powered hub?
TIA

Similar Messages

Problems after connecting USB 1.1 devices to an unpowered USB hub

After connecting a mouse, usb stick and an external hardrive to an unpowered USB 2.0 hub, I now get no response from any of those devices, though they had been working fine before. Other devices that I have since plugged into that same usb slot work just fine. What could possibly have happened??? I appreciate any insight!

Nance,
Welcome to the Discussions.
You did not mention if each one of these devices still works when plugged directly into the USB 1.1 port. If they do, then I cannot explain the problem. If they do not, it is possible the USB 1.1 port was overloaded with all three devices connected to the unpowered USB 2.0 hub. You may have gotten such a warning on the screen.
If you have not done so, I would disconnect all devices, shut down the powerbook, then reset the PRAM.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
Now test each device by connecting directly to the USB 1.1 port.
If both the USB stick and USB HD (I am assuming that you have an unpowered 2.5" HD) were mounted on the computer's desktop when this 'possible' power shortfall occurred, it could have corrupted both devices so they will not longer mount properly. Connect each device to the USB 1.1 port, then see if Disk Utility can see the device and repair any damage. The mouse may no longer work if the preferences or other software was corrupted.
If you are running an unpowered HD, I would recommend a powered USB 2.0 hub so you can connect other devices without worry.

Airport Extreme + unpowered USB hub + Lacie Porsche drive = FAIL

This is more a warning than a support question: we've recently lost two (TWO!) Lacie Porsche USB2 drives by connecting them to our Airport Extreme (802.11n) via an unpowered USB hub.
The drives themselves are now unusable (their little lights light up but there's no other signs of life).
I suspect it's the fault of the drive rather than the Airport Extreme, and most people connecting HDs via unpowered hubs simply report that they don't work rather than actively up and die, but it's worth knowing that this is a risk. Hope it saves somebody else the heartache.

its commonsense and risky. tx anyway for your experience.

Powered USB 2.0 hub random disconnects

I have a powered Cables to Go 7 port hub plugged into my macbook. Mostly, only a usb keyboard and mouse, but on occasion hook up a card reader to it. No matter what is hooked up, all at a time, or one at a time, the connection randomly drops out. The port works fine when I plug directly up to it.
Is my macbook shutting the hub off for some reason? Is there a way for fix it?

Get a different hub or call the vendor for support.
It's usually not a good idea to connect a keyboard through a hub. Better to connect the keyboard directly to one of the USB ports on the computer.

Is there a USB 3.0 Hub that really works with the Mac Mini?

My Mac Mini's four USB 3.0 ports work fine with my four USB Seagate GoFlex 3.0 hard drives. The drives mount at startup, and perform at expected USB 3.0 speeds. But, when I connect the drives to a USB 3.0 HUB to free up the Mac's USB ports for other devices, typically two of the USB Seagate drives will mount at startup, but two won't. There's a fix for this: after startup, I simply disconnect AC power from the drives that didn't mount, and reconnect the power a few seconds later. Now all my drives are mounted, they perform properly, and other USB devices connected to other Mac Mini USB ports (a mouse, a USB midi interface) work just fine as well. It's annoying, though, to have to perform this extra disconnect-reconnect step every time. I've tried two different USB 3.0 HUBs -- one from Uspeed and one from Satechi -- and I have exactly the same problem with both. Question: Is anybody else experiencing the same thing with a late 2012 Mac Mini and a USB 3.0 Hub? Has anybody found a 3.0 Hub that doesn't have this issue with the Mac Mini?

The USB 3.0 hub instability problems extend beyond the Mac-Mini, as addressed below.
At long last we're seeing progress in getting 2012 Macs to work with USB 3.0 hubs. As discussed on this and other discussion groups I've had a horrible time with my MacBook Pro Retina being unstable with USB 3.0 hubs. I know many of you have also or you wouldn't be reading this posting.
In June 2012 I bought one of the first 2012 MacBook Pro's with a Retina display. It's been a battle since with Apple selling what appears to be an incompatible or unstable system to effectively communicate with the USB 3.0 hubs. You'll see vendors now making comments that Apple is the source of the problem.
I've been through USB 3.0 issues with two MacBook Pro Retina laptops. I've also tested a Uspeed hub, with 3 portable USB 3.0 drives connected, at the Apple Store. This was on a newer model MacBook Pro Retina, and also on a 27" iMac. All had instances where drives failed to mount during the short period allowed for testing. (Because of time constraints, we were unable to test at the Store for spontaneous and unprovoked unmounting of drives connected to the hub. These problems have existed since the beginning on my rMBP.)
I am now on my 20th hub that has been purchased, or provided for testing. They varied from 4-Port to 10-Port powered hubs and involved 11 brand names. Comments were posted on Amazon, Tiger, and others for most of the ones purchased, and some that were tested. Some, like the HooToo specifically warned against use with Macs in the manufacturer's manual and, as I learned, for good reason. That was reflected in my comments for the drive on Amazon.
The Plugable 7-Port USB 3.0 powered aluminum-finish hub that I have been testing since October 13 was provided by Plugable after the first one, purchased through Amazon, was returned as unreliable. This 3rd, and newer generation Plugable hub uses the VIA VL812 chipset with the new version 90.81 firmware. My experience over the last 4+ weeks with this hub has been solid. While there have been problems with Eject errors, none were traced to the hub electronics. (Problems with intermittent connections at the cable connectors appeared to be the cause of the disconnect errors. Almost all of the failures were traced to intermittent Micro-B connectors, but that's another story.)
In addition to the greatly improved reliability of this hub, I find several features of this Plugable to be a plus including:
The plug engages fully to the "hilt" when plugged into the hub giving a solid connection, as occurs on the MacBook Pro Retina USB 3.0 ports. Others hubs typically had a gap between the "hilt" of the connecting end, and the hub allowing for lateral movement. With some hubs this allowed for intermittent connections if the cable was disturbed.
The on/off switch on the hub allows the hub to be powered down when not in use.
The full size Type-B connectors on the cable at the hub end engage solidly. Hubs with Micro-B connectors have presented intermittent connections in the cable connector.
The aluminum case looks attractive with Macs, IMO, but not a reason to buy.
Overall, Plugable's support is the best I've encountered. I've found their response to questions to be prompt and thorough. This, coupled with their online support articles has put them at the top of my list. They provide news and information that I've not found with other hub vendors.
The article titled "Plugable USB 3.0 7 Port Hub Firmware History" at the below link gives insight into the history of the problems that we've been having with the USB 3.0 hubs on Macs and the firmware updates, regardless of the brand of hub you have. Apparently, if you have the VIA VL 812 chipset, firmware version 85.81, you're in safe territory.
http://plugable.com/2013/10/30/plugable-usb-3-0-hub-firmware-upgrades2
(One of the Plugable hubs appears identical to the black 7-Port Uspeed hub, and both use the VIA VL 812 chipset. They appear to be from the same manufacturer with the real difference appearing to be in the VL812 version of the firmware in the hub.)
Some of the firmware can be upgraded, and some can't. Contact Plugable or Anker if you're affected.
Uspeed has made improvements, but they were still unstable as of the last one I received for testing. In her last reply on 10/13/13 Sunnie with AnkerDirect Customer Support stated:
Unfortunately, the new Firmware version (908x) does not work with the model "68UNHUB-B7U" you have. The hub bellow has much less complaints about Mac issue. We suggest that you order this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z9M3DY
AnkerDirect Customer Support
Note that the above hub recommended by Anker has an 8th port just for charging iOS devices. Some will see this as a plus. However, the lack of such a port is not seen as a big problem. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to purchase extra 5V power adapters for charging, which is my preference. Plugging and unplugging devices on a hub that is powered "On" presents the potential for movement of the cables. This could interrupt a cable connection and disconnect a drive during data transfer resulting in corrupted files. With 7 and 10 port hubs, and all the cables needed, this gets risky.
I believe the USB 3.0 hub issues we're having are the result of poor design of the Mac's USB 3.0 implementation at the start. Unstable hubs that I've had a friend with Windows 7 test, said they "performed like a dream" on his PCs. This indicates the problem is with Macs, not the (twenty) hubs I've used.
A statement from a support person dealing with USB 3.0 hubs tells what's I've long suspected: " -- the evidence is pointing to something specific to the Apple design (perhaps external to the chipset, like the signal re-driver….."
If you're having USB 3.0 problems, be sure to let Apple know by sending in a Feedback comment to Apple at:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/
I'm told they read and treat the feedback seriously (although the duration of this USB 3.0 problem makes me wonder if Mavericks and iOS 7 haven't had a higher priority and distracted from this. Microsoft got USB 3.0 right, how about it Apple?)

USB 3.0 Hub for my iMac

Good Day!
Just obtained a Belkin 4 port Hub model : F4U073 purchased through MacStore online.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/HD988ZM/A/belkin-4-port-usb-30-powered-hub?fno de=58
My main purpose was to connect my SuperDrive to it but it doesn't connect.
A message comes up on my iMac monitor indicating that the SuperDrive USB Apple needs to be connected to a Mac's USB port.
3 Questions :
Why is this? Any idea?
Is it worth the purchase or investment if I connect other USB cables to the USB Hub and attach the SuperDrive to the iMac's USB port?
Do I need to use the Power Supply for it to work on my iMac? (It seems to work without it.)
Do I need to use the Power Supply for it to work on a MacBook? (Haven't tried it yet)
Cheers for the New Year!
It will be going down to -20° C or -6° F tonight.
Keeping warm...

SMC Reset:
Shut down the iMac
Unplug the iMac's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the iMac's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the iMac.
The SuperDrive device must be plugged directly into your iMac.
A SuperDrive device connected to a hub will not have access to extra power above the standard USB specification of the port the device is connecting to
(500 mA for USB 2, and 900 mA for USB 3).
The USB port providing extra power is determined by the SuperDrive device that requires power beyond 500 mA for USB 2, or 900 mA for USB 3. The remaining ports will continue to offer their normal maximum output. Some Apple Macs may offer the ability to operate more than one USB port at 1100 mA at 5 V. On those computers, the second port is enabled when an appropriate device is connected.

USB 3.0 hub seen as USB 2.0

I have a Mac Mini, late 2012 model running the latest Mavericks. I plugged a D-Link DUB-1340 4-port USB 3.0 SuperSpeed hub. When I look at System Report on my Mac, it shows that hub as a USB 2.0 hub. Why doesn't my Mac Mini see this as a USB 3.0 hub? Is there something I need to change on my Mac or the hub for it to be correctly recognized? It is plugged into the Mac Mini using the supplied USB 3.0 cable (has the double-connector on the hub-side) and I have plugged it into an AC outlet. When I plug my iPad into the hub it always tells me it is not charging, but if I plug my iPad directly into the Mac Mini it does charge.

Have you tried different ports on the Mac Mini?
Try a different Cable.
Confirm that the unit is being powered, the ports will only supply 100ma when unpowered.
Have you anything else plugged into the Hub, if so test the items one at a time.
Have you contacted D-Link support for advice?

Mac Mini and USB 2.0 hubs (hubs stop working within a month)

I have an aluminum Mini running OSX 10.6.6 (Snow Leopard). With only 4 USB ports, I have need of a USB hub to accommodate my external drives and other peripherals: keyboard/mouse, camera and iPhone have to use the existing ports in the Mini (difficult access to ports due to space limitations), leaving one port for up to 4 external drives (older drives 40-60gb used for backup and extra storage).
I have problems using powered USB 2.0 hubs with this computer; I have 'burned out' 2 hubs since buying the Mini in February. They just flat out stop working, though they still show power (the power indicator light on the hubs); no peripheral is recognized when plugged into the hub (which worked fine for about a month). I can unplug the 'must use Mini ports' (camera, iPhone, charger, etc) and the peripheral drives are recognized and work normally when plugged directly into the Mini ports.
One hub was a Belkin 4-port hub (about 1 year old) and the other was a GE 3-port hub with several flash card readers (19-in-1 card reader), also about a year old. Is there any reasonable explanation why powered hubs would suddenly stop working, related to use with the Mac Mini 2010 aluminum version?
I had worse problems with the USB ports in an old (~2006) Mac Mini (out of warranty), where the USB ports in the Mini stopped working, which is partly why I bought the new mini. In light of this tidbit, (be honest, please) are there known issues with Mac Minis and USB?

Each of the external drives has its own power supply; I generally only use one drive at any one time, but on rare occasions I have powered up more than one to confirm or transfer files. I don't leave any of those drives on when not in use, and when everything is working I properly eject/unmount them before turning them off.
There have been times when I powered up a drive connected to a powered hub and both the hub and the drive indicated activity but the drive didn't mount. On those occasions the drives sometimes would not appear in Disk Utility, and other times would appear, but would not be "mountable". I didn't know what the best way to deal with that was, so I would just turn the drive off, hoping the lack of mounting on the desktop meant no real drive activity was occurring and I wouldn't risk data loss or drive damage. So far all the drives seem to work fine when plugged directly into the back of the mini.
The main external hard drive I was using when the Belkin hub failed (iomega 40g) is USB 2.0 only (no firewire). I have another drive that is only firewire (la cie 60g)... so it wasn't a factor. Two other external drives are ACOM, one 40g one 120g, and then there's my old iMac G5 disk (display fizzled and everything but the disk recycled through Apple's recycling program) which is mounted in an external enclosure and is part of the USB contingent, but is not being used for anything but backup (all three both USB 2 and FW400 capable). (I know, too many toys... but why throw them out?)
The USB hubs both had their own power supplies, too, and I never used them without power (though I tried it as part of troubleshooting, before reading the Apple article on USB and power requirements). Other USB devices that only work when plugged into the mac directly are my Epson Stylus CX4800 all-in-one, and my Radio Shark.
So, whaddya think? Should I risk buying another powered USB hub or just live with plugging in peripherals to one available USB port (through a short USB 2.0 extension) and only use one at a time? That would be a bit of a pain, but if there are no issues you've heard of with Mac USB ports (several unanswered questions in the Mini Support forums here involving USB and peripherals, I noticed), what else would explain the seemingly short lives of USB hubs?
Oh, here's something I just remembered: the last time the Belkin hub was working (last night), I had my Radtech BT mouse charger cable plugged in (not charging, mouse not attached) along with two of the external hard drives, and my Fuji camera USB cable. I got an error message onscreen (on the Mini) that a drive had been improperly ejected (or put away?), yet the hard drive in question was still mounted on the desktop. I looked at the hub, and the loose ends of the charger and the camera USB cable were touching. Could that have caused the error (and maybe the hub to fail)? (Edit: the camera cable I think was plugged into the mini's one available port; 3 external drives and the mouse charger were plugged into the hub, _but only one drive powered up and in use (3rd edit)_. The camera end of its USB cable contacted the mini-plug end of the mouse charger... could that have short-circuited the hub? +That wouldn't explain the failure of the GE hub a couple weeks before... but I don't know if any of this is connected, so to speak--2nd edit.+)
Message was edited by: blick
Message was edited by: blick
Message was edited by: blick

Why does my USB 3.0 hub appear as a USB 2.0 Hub?

I have a brand new 2012 iMac running OS X 10.8.2. I purchased a hub that is a USB 3.0 hub, hoping to take advantage of the higher transfer speeds.
I have the following devices plugged into the hub:
HP Photosmart Printer/Scanner/Fax (a USB 2 device)
HP 2015 Laserjet (also a USB 2 device)
Neat Mobile scanner (USB 2)
When I plug in a portable hard drive (bus powered 2.5 inch drive) that is in a USB 2.0 case, the drive mounts on my desktop as it should.
When I plug in a portable hard drive that is in a USB 3 case, it fails to mount.
When I plug a hard drive that is USB 3 into the back of the Mac, it shows up as a USB 3 drive.
Is this happening because I have USB 2.0 devices plugged into the hub? What would be a good solution, two hubs (one 2.0 and one 3.0) plugged into the back of my iMac?

Have you tried different ports on the Mac Mini?
Try a different Cable.
Confirm that the unit is being powered, the ports will only supply 100ma when unpowered.
Have you anything else plugged into the Hub, if so test the items one at a time.
Have you contacted D-Link support for advice?

Best USB 2.0 hub to buy?

I need a USB 2.0 to be able to connect a printer, card reader, and an external drive to.
Two questions:
1) what is the best one to buy, or what features should it have?
2) does a USB 2.0 hub slow down the applications plugged into them (when plugged into the USB 2.0 port)?

Hi-
1-All you really need is a powered hub with the number of ports you require.
2- If multiple devices operate simultaneously through the hub, the transfer time will increase (performance decrease). This is because the devices all go into one port on the computer, which has a limited capacity. Data transfer, one device at at time, through the hub, will show no decrease in performance.
The following link lists a variety of good hubs, with various features:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/usb/hubs/
A Firewire hard drive would be more advantageous than a USB hard drive.
G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-110D,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

What's a good USB 3.0 hub?

I've got a late 2012 Mac mini. Mavericks OS (10.9.4). I have lots of USB devices, most of them of the 2.0 variety, a couple 3.0. I bought an inexpensive "USB 3.0" hub, and it causes the Mac not to wake from sleep mode. Instead it just powers off, and I have to unplug it from the wall before it will reboot. So I've gone back to my old 2.0 hub for the majority of my gear, but I've got a couple of drives that want 3.0 connections to function efficiently.
From what I can tell, it's the mixing of USB 2.0 and 3.0 that is causing problems. I'm not sure if the ports on the mini are paralleled, or are on separate power and driver chips. But so far, I can keep 3.0 devices plugged into the computer and 2.0 into my hub. That's fine 'til I need to plug in a 3.0 flash drive. I cannot make it work with the two hubs - I still have the same "no wake up" issue, unless nothing is plugged into the 3.0 hub. SO...
Who makes a robust USB 3.0 hub? The Belkin sold at the Apple website has roundly terrible reviews. I'd rather not be a guinea pig again. Does anyone have serious experience with these? It's not enough that you have one and it works. I'd like to know that you understand the workings a bit better than I do, and maybe can even explain to me what might be causing this incompatibility.
Thanks.

Re: Is there a USB 3.0 Hub that really works with the Mac Mini?

USB 3.0 Hub won't work in 3.0 mode

I have a Portege Z835-P372 and my USB 3.0 Hub (StarTech 2 port hub) won't work in 3.0 mode.
When I purchased the StarTech.com hub, it came with no instructions or CD (with drivers, etc). Their website also has no driversor firmware updates for the hub (As I understand, the hub itself doesn't need any drivers).
When I connected it to my computer the first time it installed it as a Renesas Electronics 2.0 hub. It thus always works only in 2.0 mode.
As I understand I probably need the latest NEC/Renesas drivers and firmware updates, these I have downloaded from the Toshiba driver site, but still no luck.
I did some research and found that the drivers on the Toshiba site are old and there are newer ones out there (but from other sites that I had to register and pay for). Are they available elsewhere?
I did some more research into similar problems people are having out there and there were comments that the Intel USB 3.0 Driver also has to be updated.
Any suggestions?

hey RagingPigeon,
try uninstalling all USB control drivers from your unit and then install this :
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=DS015025
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USB 3.0 Hub attached to a Mac Mini does not work

I have already 2 USB 2.0 hubs attached and work perfectly. I want to add a 3.0 USB powered hub but it does not work. The USB is a Iogear 3.0 USB Hub.
Thank you

Does any USB thing show up?
Of not...
USB reset...
If your Firewire or USB isn't recognizing any device. A solution which has worked for some whose hard drive became invisible in 10.4 was simply to follow these four steps to reset the Firewire/USB bus:
1. Shut the machine down.
2. UNPLUG the power lead to the computer and any firewire/USB drive or devices.
3. leave it for 10 minutes.
4. Connect back up and reboot.
http://www.macmaps.com/firewirebug2.html

I can't get my iPhone 4S to charge with a usb (2.0) hub

I have an Early 2011 17" MBP, (10.7.4), and my iPhone 4S charges just fine when plugged directly into any of it's (3) USB ports.
However I am having no luck getting it to charge, (or be recognized by iTunes for that matter), through a powered Belkin 7-port USB 2.0 hub, (model F5U237.)
While it would be nice for this to just work, I would also like to hear from anyone with suggestions for a different USB hub, that does consistently charge their iPhone.
I have read cases with people who have to plug and unplug their usb hubs, or power supply, to get them to work.
If I were interested in this scenario, I'd just keep doing what I am already doing, --swapping out USB's from my MBP.
I am simply looking for a totally reliable solution, that never needs such nonsense to work consistently.
Thanks for any and all help!

I knew it was several years old, I had one and never got it to work with my iPhone 3G. I use the Kensington, looks like half a ball, but just about any new one should work. Keep in mind if you connect a lot of devices that are pulling power it may affect it.
Polls are a violation of the Terms of Use here so I wouldn't post one. You might check with http://www.iLounge.com and read the reviews there.

Where do I get the AC to DC Power Adapter for a Linksys "Compact USB 4-Port Hub [USBHUB4C]

I have two Compact USB 4-Port Hubs, Model Number USBHUB4C. These Hubs can be powered, but I cannot find any information on External Power Adapters for these Hubs in any of the documentation or on the Linksys Web Site.
I need to know if Linksys has such Power Adapters available, and if so what the Model Numbers are, and how or where to purchase them.
If I will need a third party Power Adapter, I need to know what the Output Voltage & Current requirements are, and I also need to know the Polarity of the of the two Jack Contacts. [i.e. Is the center pin on the Hub's Jack Positive or Negative?] If possible I'd like to have a recommended Brand and Model Number for the Power Adapter.
Thanks In Advance,
Bruce

Friday, August 28, 2009, 0302 PDT
Hi, again,
Boy, am I glad I was able to find an answer to my problem in here. I find this very interesting. Here it is, almost 3 years after I made the original post, that I need to find the Power information, for this Device, again, but because of a Computer Crash, I could not get to the original notes, I made about this Forum Entry, so I began the search, again.
I find this very interesting. Here it is, almost 3 years after I made the original post, that I need to find the Power information, for this Device, again, but because of a Computer Crash, I could not get to the original notes, I made about this Forum Entry, so I began the search, again.
I have myriad AC/DC Converters, some of which are Voltage Selectable, but since the Power Specifications aren't on the HUB, or in the PDF Documentation, as is the case with most other Products, I came back to LinkSys/Cisco. As soon as I entered the Model Number of the "Compact USB 4-Port HUBs, Model Number USBHUB4C," for a search, this Forum entry came up on the page, and it appears there haven't been any queries, on any other subject, about this Device, in the interim.
Since the entry has been Viewed 2,484 times, hasn't it dawned on someone that it might be a good idea to carry a Power Product, that is compatible with this HUB, or at least provide a Specific Source, with a Model Number, (for instance, a Radio Shack SKU) so we don't need to hunt for one, over, and over. Why the information was never included in the package with the HUB, beats me. (It should have been on the Device, itself.)
Anyone who knows anything about USB Devices, knows that many of them cannot be powered from the USB Ports on a Computer, especially, on Laptops. Since one of the things mentioned in the Specifications is the fact that you can have "Max. Devices 127 (Daisy-chaining Hubs Together)," it would seem to be obvious that Power Information would be necessary. Since the "Daisy Chain" number is true, it should be obvious, that the "Chain" would require quite a few AC/DC Adapters to power it, adequately.
When this Device was Designed, the requirement for External Power must have been known, or there would never have been a Power Connector built into the Device. I've been in electronics for about 50 years, now, and I know that presently, it's a rarity that the Power Requirements aren't shown on the Device itself, with a Symbol depicting the Polarity of both the Inner, and Outer Conductors. Even Toys have that information shown on them.
I love these HUBs, but LinkSys/Cisco has really dropped the ball on this one. I'm guessing that a lot of people have discovered, that if this 4-Port USB HUB doesn't have External Power, they quickly decided not purchase another one, when they need to "Daisy Chain" them together, for their Network of USB Devices.
When you consider the loss of HUB Sales, coupled with a loss of income from a Power Supply they've never stocked, the numbers could be quite large. That's not even considering the Support time I'm guessing would have been necessary when Customers determined they had a problem, and needed answers. (It's not really a guess, since I talked to several Support People, without getting a satisfactory answer, before I finally came to this Forum, as a last resort.)
I was actually shocked to find that LinkSys/Cisco, didn't sell an AC/DC Power Supply for the HUB, because Power Supplies like that are so commonly required, with the Electronics sold, today. I'd be willing to wager that LinkSys/Cisco does, in fact, carry an AC/DC Power Supply that would be compatible with the "Compact USB 4-Port HUBs, Model Number USBHUB4C," they sell. When something like this happens, I wonder how many other Opportunities like this, have been missed by the people who work for this company.
We've all heard the expression about "Being too close to the Forest, to see the Trees." This may be a good example of it's meaning. At least I was able to find the answer to my Problem, thanks to the fact that the Query I made almost, 3 years ago, which had an answer, was still available to me, thanks to this Forum.
Very Interesting!
Bruce Feezel
Comedian62

Powered or unpowered USB 2.0 Hub question.

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