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| USB & Firewire Connectivity |
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HomeInput/Output DevicesUSB & Firewire ConnectivityBelkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini |
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|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 61 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
110 of 114 found the following review helpful:
 Two big flaws Dec 09, 2005
By Ken
1. The hub itself does not have its own power source, restricting its [reliable] use to self-powered devices. So if you add this device to your system, you still run the risk of all your portable USB and Firewire goodies (the reason you need a hub, right?) flaking out from lack of power.
2. Although having the hub in a form factor complementary to the Mac mini is an attractive feature (and probably the major reason for purchasing it), placing it under the Mac mini limits access to the ports you are adding because you will have to fight the cables in the back of the mini to plug anything in. Apple does not advise putting anything on top of the mini because of interference issues with Bluetooth and Airport, so below the mini it must go. I am thinking I may be able to rotate it 90 degrees to get better access to the ports, but then the cable tangle will spread.
Really nice design, but the reality is that you'd probably be better off focusing on ease of access than a nice-looking hub. If you need a hard drive too, the better option is something like the NewerTech miniStack that adds powered USB and Firewire ports as well as a larger external hard drive.
56 of 59 found the following review helpful:
 Not just for the Mac Mini Aug 10, 2006
By Mel Beckman
I'm using mine with my PowerMac G5, where it fits perfectly on the top, right under the carrying handle, to bring a ton of ports to the front of the machine. I have no use for the short, tiny patch cables in this installation, but they make a great addition to my Road Warrior kit!
Incidentally, complaints about power limitations on this hub are misplaced. The hub draws power from the Firewire port if its connected, which has much more power than a USB port.
The only down side is that it only has two firewire ports.
38 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 Performs as promised - one annoyance with USB though Feb 11, 2006
By Lance K. Wig
"Central 183"
I took the leap and bought this hub, even after reading an unfavorable review here at Amazon. The hub is a bit odd because it does not have its own power source. After researching all over the net, I realized this was actually good design, not a defect. It's actually very nice to have one less power cord hanging from the desk top.
I have a pair of speakers, a wireless keyboard, a digital camera, and a USB pen drive plugged into the hub now for over a month without any problems. I also have a firewire iPod plugged in. I have had no power issues. My guess is that the combination of power from the firewire and USB cords that plug into your Mac Mini work together to send power where its needed. I tested the hub with a "Kill-A-Watt" meter and found that it only raised the power consumption of the Mac Mini by about 3 watts while in standby mode.
The one annoyance I will report is going to be with the USB standard in general. It appears that some USB devices have a "slightly" shorther plug than others. This difference is in millimeters, but it was an issue with my "Lexar USB pen drive." The pen drive will not plug into this hub and power on every time. This is because the Belkin hub has a very thin skin of plastic between the USB ports and the device plug. I've read other reviews with other hubs where this is an issue. You should take a couple of your USB device cables and hold them next to each other to see an length difference. If you find any plugs that are slightly smaller then the rest, it may not work with this hub. This issue is annoying, but easily fixed. I just plugged the pen drive into an USB extension cable, and then plugged the cable into the hub. I don't fault Belkin on this issue. I fault Lexar for not making the plug long enough. All the rest of my devices fit fine.
This issue of the USB plug length may be confused with other power issues in reviews for this hub. I believe that the hub provides plenty of power for it's devices. I just think some older devices may not have a long enough plug to fit those last couple of millimeters into the socket.
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 NOT COMPATIBLE WITH NEW MAC MINIS!!!!!! Mar 26, 2009
By LittleBearNYC
This product cannot draw enough power from the new mac minis - it only has a firewire 400 connection -and the new Mac Minis only have firewire 800. You can use a 400 to 800 firewire cable but it will not draw enough power for even a USB keyboard
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Couldn't use it with my new Mac Mini at all... Oct 01, 2007
By J. Lund
This item unfortunately doesn't say that it won't work too well with the latest Dual Core Mac Mini, due to the new Mini design which moves the rear USB and Firwire ports to the other side, making it nearly impossible for the tiny connectors to reach. I finally got it connected but the resulting tangle of cords made it nearly impossible to add additional cables, and kept turning the Mini slightly so it sat kind of off-kilter on the hub and looked pretty silly. I also had no use for the front Firewire port, since none all my small peripherals (Palm, iPod, camera etc.) use USB so I had to have a bulky scanner wire connected to the front of the hub, draping around both it and the Mini. What a mess! I would make sure you check the back of your Mini before purchasing, to see that the locations of the connectors line up.
See all 61 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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