Belkin 2-in-1 USB hub review

Hub for home and travel

26 August 2008 12:00 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

No matter how many USB ports your computer has, you'll find that at some point you'll need more. With more and more of us switching to notebooks, extra ports are also an issue. Belkin has hit on a novel idea to offering more UBS ports when at your desk as well as when on the move.

On the surface this looks like any standard USB hub, offering seven extra ports. There are three on the rear of the unit and a further four on the top. You'll need to connect it to the mains in order to get the ports to work at full speed but a power brick is included. There is even a small tray on the front, for storing tiny office items.

So far, so average. However, the top four ports can be pulled away from the main body – it's linked using USB – and as it's quite small, it can be used as a travel hub. Slotting it in to your notebook will instantly offer four extra ports.

We've been using it to attach our permanent connections, such as mouse, external hard drive and MFD to the hub, then using the top hubs for occasional plug-ins. If we have one complaint about the hub, it's that we'd have liked more ports on the dock and less on the travel part, as we have more desk bound devices than portable ones.

Verdict

The Belkin 2-in-1 Hub is a great device that means your USB hub isn't tied to your desk. It won't change the way you work but it should make adding peripherals on the move that little bit easier.

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Review Recap

Made by: Belkin
Price as reviewed: £25
The good: Seven ports, can be split and used by traveller
The bad: Should be more ports on desk bound part
Quick verdict: This is a versatile USB hub for the price that adds plenty of expansion options
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