USB Hub buying advice please?

Question

Hello,
Buying advice please!
I have an iMac, and as we all know... it's got a disrespectful number of USB ports. I have several high power external hard drives which I access at different times. I have to keep swapping and changing the USB directly into the back of my iMac as my hub won't function properly with more than two inserted.

(At the moment, my ports are: 1 -> USB instrument / 2 -> Apple iPod/iPad Connector / 3-> Super powerful Hard Drive / 4 -> Hub: i-HDD ii-HDD iii-Pod Dock iv-HUB: one-keyboard two-mouse three-memory stick) (Read that as a flow chart, it isn't too confusing - I have to keep swapping port 3 as I have more HDDs :P)

So yeah, can I purchace a USB Hub with switches, so I don't have to worry about overloading the power or anything - I can just route the HDD I am using to the computer when ever I want...

THANKS :)

Answer 1

Hi,



Instead of a USB hub go for a docking station and i think that it will be more useful for you.

Answer 2

Have you tried powered hubs? They have their own power supply so that the power for the external device's USB is not supplied by the computer. I use Belkin powered 4 port USB hubs on most of my Macs and a 7 port on my main Mac at home. They are available with anywhere from 2 to 10+ ports.



My normal PowerBook G4 (2 USB ports) is Left port with either my wireless modem or my Cannon scanner and the right port for my USB hub. The hub powers the USB cooling fan under the PowerBook, the FM transmitter to tie my PowerBook to my 18 wheeler's FM radio and speakers, a 1 TB external HD and an external Superdrive. If I want to do some gaming, I'll swap the Superdrive for a wired mouse, or a flight game stick. When I want to sync Tunes and my iPhone, I'll connect the iPhone data cable. (hmmm maybe I need a hub with more ports or at least another hub to daisy chain. Didn't realize how much I use on the USB!!)



I've never had a problem with devices not being recognized and connected properly to my Macs except for some scanners that had to have a non-shared port and my PowerBook's USB wireless modem. (The scanner problem has been around for many years. Even under the old SCSI system, scanners had to be connected closest to the computer's SCSI port and other devices later in the SCSI chain. Device number didn't matter. They had to be physically first in the SCSI chain.)



http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=belkin+in-desk+usb+hub&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3403379687&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2327553481877385017&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_1rb6251d07_b shows a bunch of different types and manufacturers.



BTW: You can also daisy chain hubs. The output for a hub can be plugged into one of the inputs from another hub and so on. The Mac (and I assume Windoze machines as well) can recognize up to 256 individual USB devices at the same time. I always use powered USB hubs because non-powered put an unneeded strain on the computer's USB ports and power supply.

Answer 3

They do make switchable ports example below.

As long as you do not mind an extra power adapter suggest you get a hub with an external power source.



http://www.amazon.com/4-Port-Switchable-Usb2-0-Compatible-Rubber/dp/tech-data/B008N4EIMQ



This one is optional for external power