IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

I need to have a USB2 hub and find that there are many on offer. I note however that some are powered. Can someone tell me what the advantage is of having a powered unit against a non-powered unit. The hubs I have seen have no switches on them and so if a device was connected to each usb socket on the hub how do you select the one you want to use.? answers most welcome.

It is useful to have a hub with an external power supply. Many devices can draw the power they need to operate through the USB connection. They are often used to charge up mobile phones. Some stand-alone disc drives take their power from the USB port and so you do not need to find a mains plug and a power adaptor for them. While any hub can draw power from your computer, that is strictly limited. Giving the hub its own power allows more flexibility.

I do not have such a hub, but I think that each socket should appear to your computer as a different drive. (F, G, H) etc.

Roy

To add to the advice Dave has given, if your PC has USB 3 connections then it is worthwhile hunting for a USB 3 hub. There is a speed advantage in using USB 3 if you can, especially if you want to transfer large amounts of data or a large file.

A powered hub will enable you to use it as a charging station for mobile devices, I would steer clear of charging devices from a non powered hub if you can.

DAVE. COLIN. Thanks to you both for your info. I had a suspicion that each hub socket would have its own drive letter, but I thought I should check. It would appear that I should buy a powered Hub. All my external drives are powered. Thanks again.

Each hub socket works as an INDEPENDENT USB Socket... drive letters are not involved unless the devices plugged in are "Drives".
A "USB 3" hub has no advantage unless the "host" USB socket is also "USB 3 (i.e. the computer supports USB 3")

Just my penn'orth in case it's not obvious!

Perhaps I should explain why I need a USB 2 hub. I have just obtained a new desktop PC which I am using for editing only and so is not connected to the internet. I have two other less powerful PC's to use the internet. Unfortunately I find that the Flashdrives I have do not all work with the USB sockets on the new PC. I.e. some of the flash drives wobble about in the sockets and so do not make a connection unless held in position which is unacceptable. Other Flash drives fit well and work ok. These flash drives that wobble when plugged in to the new PC work perfectly on the other PC,s. I thought that all flash drives were the same size and I thought that all flash drive sockets were the same size. I am hoping that a hub will solve the problem.

Just a thought, but you might find a short USB extension cable would provide a less expensive solution than buying a hub.
It's what we did at work when we had a PC with a slightly wobbly USB port.

Thank you Peter for your tip. Unfortunately it has come to late as I have already bought a 4 port powered hub for £10 new and it appears to have solved my problem.

USB sockets are like 13-amp mains sockets ... you can never have enough of them!

DAVE. That's a fact

Dave Watterson wrote:USB sockets are like 13-amp mains sockets ... you can never have enough of them!

And cutaways!

TIM. That too is a fact.

GRANFER. Do you count a memory stick(flash drive) as a drive. I only mention it because all the so called flash drives I have show the same drive letter. On the hub each socket shows the same letter when any flash drive is connected to any socket. Not that it worries me. it's just an observation. Incidently I have just purchased a 64 GB verbatim flash drive from SVP for £15. and this does show it's own drive letter.

Roy, it's all down to the way Windows assigns drive letters and how the motherboard is wired. I don't thinks it's something we, the users, have any real control over. We can change the assigned drive letter in disk manager, but I'm not sure that will hold forever - and indeed it cannot if you think about it. Insert USB stick 1, and Windows assigns drive letter G: Remove it and inser USB stick 2 - Windows assigns drive letter G: now insert stick 1 again ....

OK OK
I should not have raised the spectre of drive letters! What I ought to have explained is that the computer treats each thing connected to a USB hub separately. Thus you need not fear that saving a file to a connected DVD burner will also try to send the same file to a connected memory stick.

Sorry to have confused things.