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USB Hubs

So what is USB, aka a Universal Serial Bus, Hub? It is essentially like a power strip for your computer. If you have multiple devices that work through or with your computer, such as a printer, desktop computer will not be enough to jack in all these peripherals. ! Besides USB ports on your computers, there are also serial and parallel ports, which previously caused a conflict in the connection department. You may also have ports for a FireWire, modem/ethernet, and Bluetooth. But USB ports are a universal method for connecting all types of devices. Usually your PC or Firewire 1394 ports in addition, often with speeds at both 400 and 800 MBs.

Important Questions

* '''What price can I expect?''' ** USB ports are relatively inexpensive costing anywhere from $6USB'>Belkin ($130). * '''How Many Ports Do I Need?''' ** This all depends on how many devices you have and how many of those you plan to run simultaneously. Usually, the standard USB hub comes with 4 ports, but there are some on the market that feature 7, 8, or even 16. If you buy one with 4 ports and realize that you need more, you can always buy another one and hook it up to the first one. ** Keep in mind that while USB hubs can theoretically support up to 127 different devices, that doesn't mean that your computer is capable of supporting all of them. ** If you are a MAC user, consider a USB port that has FireWire connections as well — which are great for digital cameras. * '''Let's Talk About Speed''' ** There are two types of MAC OS X, etc) and computer type (PC or MAC). * '''Power''' ** USB hubs come either Belkin is the most popular. Here are some others: ! * Adaptec * CP technologies * ConnectGear * Micro Innovations * Targus * XHub

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