The Hindu : Front Page : USB hub: a ‘must-have’ for notebook owners

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Sunday, Jul 20, 2008
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USB hub: a ‘must-have’ for notebook owners

Anand Parthasarathy

Logitech’s premium 4-port model comes with its own power adaptor

— Photo: Special Arrangement

ONE INTO FOUR: Logitech’s premium 4-port USB hub comes with external power adaptor to ensure that all four devices work well.

Bangalore: The Universal Serial Bus is a standard that is almost 12 years old. But the USB port — which allows one to connect a variety of peripherals and devices to a desktop or laptop personal computer — has become common only after the turn of the century. Today any new desktop PC comes with 3 or 4 USB ports and they are likely to be meet the faster USB 2.0 standard, which in theory can transfer data as high as 480 megabits per second (in practice the speeds are 40-50 MBPS). Older PCs follow the original USB standard that promised top speeds of 12 MBPS.

Notebook PCs rarely offer more than 2 USB ports, which is why it makes sense to invest in a USB hub, a device that allows many USB devices to share one USB port on a host PC. This way, one can connect a thumb drive, a mini mouse, possibly an external hard disk or a wireless data card, all at the same time.

The hub is able to work in this ‘Buy one, get three free’ mode because the notebook or PC port delivers 500 milliamperes (mA) of current — and typically every USB device demands about 100 mA. So you can have a maximum of four extra ports in a hub (100 mA each and 100 mA for the hub itself).

You can buy such 4:1 hubs all over India — and they cost Rs. 300-1,000. The cheaper ones are USB 1.0 and will limit even USB devices to the lower speed.

Logitech last week launched its own 4-port USB Hub for Notebooks at an MRP of Rs. 895. It has also launched a premium model for Rs. 1,495 which comes with its own mains power adaptor. Why, you may ask, when the USB port provides its own power. The problem is, there are innumerable USB devices out there — 2 billion at last count — that many do not strictly adhere to USB standards: they suck in more than 100 mA. Try connecting four such current-hungry devices, and the hub will crash. That is why Logitech has provided its own power unit to boost the current flowing to the device if required. Its use is optional, but it can be useful in some situations when one has to connect with multiple USB devices of unknown reliability.

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