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Belkin Hi-Speed USB hub's Turbo Transcation Translator Technology guarantees 12Mbps to each port to accomodate more bandwidth-hogging devices without tradeoffs.
Belkin TetraHub Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub ReviewJune 7th, 2004
Pros: Performs as advertised; very capable hub; speed LED indicato; attractive and stackable.
Cons: Devices connect in the rear of the hub; awkward design (had to dig for that!).
Verdict: Belkin TetraHub is the first USB hub that can compete with USB PCI cards in terms of compatibility and speeds.
The Belkin TetraHub is an interesting twist on the standard Hi-Speed USB hub. What it does that is different from other hubs is that it uses the expanded bandwidth of high speed USB to benefit standard full speed USB devices as well as USB 2.0 devices. It achieves this by "partitioning" high-speed bandwidth among all 4 ports that have USB 1.1 devices connected to them.
'Partitioning' Bandwidth Normally, all Full Speed (USB 1.1) USB ports would share one standard 12Mbit/s connection for a maximum of 3Mbit/s per port. By partitioning a high-speed (USB 2.0) channel, this hub allows a full (pun intended!) 12Mbit/s per port for standard full speed devices. One of the weaknesses of standard hubs is that multiple full speed devices compete for the available bandwidth and many devices fail to work well as a result. The TetraHub still does share the available 480Mbit/s bandwidth for high-speed devices, but very few high speed devices need more than 160Mbit/s and performance should not suffer for multiple true USB 2.0 devices. The TetraHub senses the type of device connected automatically and mixed device types are handled gracefully.
Typical Saucer Design; Speed LED indicators The TetraHub has a similar design to their other hubs circular or saucer-like in appearance. They can be stacked and locked together nicely. Unfortunately, Belkin has chosen to place the indicator lights on the front and connections in the back. As ugly as cables are, hot-pluggable devices should be connected in the front. Moving connections to the rear of a hub makes plugging awkward. Stacking the hubs further complicates this. Still, the hub is attractive and comes complete with a high-grade USB cable for connection to your PC.
The indicator LEDs are very helpful (if you are not colorblind). One LED indicates the main PC connection speed - red for USB 1.1 and amber for USB 2.0. The remaining 4 port LEDs indicate device speed - green for Low Speed, red for Full Speed and Amber for High Speed.
Real-life challenge The TetraHub easily hosted 4 USB storage devices - three of which were bus-powered. That is a testimony to the power management of the hub. Well done. Replacing the one powered drive with a Logitech 4000 Pro camera was a frightening prospect and would normally cause trouble, but the TetraHub handled it beautifully. It was sharing bandwidth with the one Full Speed USB device - a Zip 250 drive - and didn't miss a beat. Bravo! There was no noticeable drop in frame rate for the camera even when copying a significant amount of data from the USB Zip drive.
The Bottom Line For years, we have been recommending the purchase of USB expansion cards over USB hubs. Finally, there is a hub that can actually compete with PCI USB cards. Belkin has produced a very nice product. One cannot help but wonder if this technology is proprietary or not. If it is, Belkin will have a significant advantage over their competition.
- William DeVercelly, Contributing Editor
Where to buy Belkin TetraHub Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub?
User Review(s)
We're currently upgrading our user review system; so we won't be accepting new reviews for now. TetraHub Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub Specs
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Number of USB ports
4
Built-in Ethernet?
No
Built-in parallel converter(s)
0
Built-in serial converter(s)
0
Built-in PS/2 converter(s)
0
Built-in SCSI converter(s)
0
Stackable?
No
Type
External
Extra?
Turbo Transaction Translator Technology
Number of FireWire 400 ports
0
Power source
Bus-powered
Warranty
Lifetime
Extras Lost a USB cable? Get a replacement USB cable.
Running out of USB ports? Get an extra USB hub.
You may need a new USB card to achieve Hi-Speed USB speeds.
Confirm with our USB 2.0 FAQ if you have Hi-Speed USB on your PC.
