[Rinpoche]

i'm thinking about buying a titanium painted adesso usb hub with 4 ports for 14.99. i like it because its the cheapest one available and also the paint matches my powerbook.

anyhow i remember hearing that sometimes usb devices can cause kernel panics and that its always important to install the latest drivers and whatnot to insure that problems don't arise. i wouldnt know if that applies to these types of devices, but does anyone ever get any bad crashes because of these usb hubs? , maybe this one in particular if anyone owns it? or should i buy a more expensive hub?

[G-mac]

I've had both powered and unpowered USB hubs with my PowerBook. They have worked without any problems. Every now and then, I'll have to unplug and replug in the main USB cable into my PowerBook since my wireless mouse and Epson CX5200 seem to lose connection sometimes during sleep. However, I've never had any kernel panics or crashes due to the hub or USB issues. Good luck with your purchase!

[engaged]

I'd personally recommend going for a powered USB hub; mine will actively switch power to and from ports depending on whether they need more power or not. (It's a Lindy, don't know if they're widely available outside the UK.)

I had a Dr Bott hub before that, it wasn't powered and I had problems with ports refusing to work.

Never had a problem with KP's.

[Mohammed Al-Sabah]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by engaged:
[B]I'd personally recommend going for a powered USB hub

same here i think powerd ones are much better.. never installed any drivers on any one my macs for USB hubs and so far everything is working fine

goood luck

[bradoesch]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mohammed Al-Sabah:
[B]

Originally posted by engaged:
I'd personally recommend going for a powered USB hub

same here i think powerd ones are much better.. never installed any drivers on any one my macs for USB hubs and so far everything is working fine

goood luck

It depends on what you want it for. If you don't have any devices that need the extra power, a powered hub won't do anything for you. I have a MacAlley hub which I really like. If you don't power it, it acts like an unpowered hub, but if you need more power, just plug it in and it's a powered hub. Perhaps all powered hubs do this, I'm not sure. But I do have the option.

[slider]

I can recommend the T3Hub from Dr.Bott. I have used one and it is semi powered. I was able to run a usb powered zip100, an optical mouse and number pad off of an iBook 466 usb port. I am really happy with it, just haven't had a need to use it lately. Little bit more expensive at just under $30, but it's small and you don't need a power block with it.

[engaged]

Originally posted by bradoesch:
If you don't power it, it acts like an unpowered hub, but if you need more power, just plug it in and it's a powered hub. Perhaps all powered hubs do this, I'm not sure. But I do have the option.

Mine's the same, it'll work with or without the mains adapter. Just remember that devices with moving parts (scanners, drives) will draw more current.

Originally posted by slider:
I can recommend the T3Hub from Dr.Bott. I have used one and it is semi powered.

This is the one that I had first, and I did have problems with it when I plugged in a scanner, printer and digital camera. It is 'semi self powered' (from Dr Bott website) and is not able to supply any more power than the USB port itself is able to, as it doesn't have an external power supply. It is nice and small, but I'd be wary.

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by engaged:
It is 'semi self powered' (from Dr Bott website) and is not able to supply any more power than the USB port itself is able to, as it doesn't have an external power supply.

I think they should've used a better term than "semi self-powered." It's pretty misleading. There's only powered and unpowered. I wonder what they consider as unpowered then?