The Good: Works 90% of the time, Convenient, Easy-to-use
The Bad: USB Jack is a pain to extract, Cannot use multiple peripherals through this device.
The Basics: Inexpensive and (mostly) easy-to-use, the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub transforms outdated or limited computers or USB devices into devices that can handle multiple USB inputs!
As I clean up my house, I continue to find products that I have wanted to review, but for one reason or another, have not gotten around to reviewing! Many of them are ridiculously simple products or devices, like the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub. The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub is an ideal tool for technophobes like me who are using old computers with outdated hardware and operating systems simply to foil the efforts of anyone who might be making computer viruses. After all, who makes a virus to attack a ten year-old OS?! The limitation of this, however, is that as technology has changed, I have been left a little behind with ways to plug it into my old PC. My tower PC has only two USB ports, which became a real problem when the mouse port and keyboard port burned out (apparently!) and I wanted to be able to plug my flash drive into the computer.
Fortuntately for me, there is the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub. The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub is, as its name might suggest, a very simple computer device that is basically an adapter for USB devices. The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub transforms a single female USB port into four female USB ports and it does so with minimal effort or risk of tangling!
The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub is a small, plastic and metal device that is 3 3/16” long, 1 1/8” wide and 9/16” deep, making it exceptionally portable. The hard plastic shell of the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub lends it superior durability; I have taken mine with me many places and the shell has never cracked or worn. With a black and gray color scheme, the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub is about as fashionable as any laptop computer, so it matches most current existing technology. This little box has four tiny rubber feet on the bottom of the device to prevent it from slipping when on a flat surface. This may be useful when connecting it to other devices that have USB ports near their bottom or lay flat on a surface as well. Because the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub has such a short cord, though, the feet are not useful to most people using the hub on a tower computer.
The black box that forms most of the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub features four female USB ports. These are the standard, typical, utterly mundane USB ports into which any male USB jack may fit. The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub allows one to plug in three USB jacks on one long side and one USB device on the bottom short side. On the “top” short side, there is a notch. Turning the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub over, that notch is revealed to be the access point for the hub’s male USB jack. That USB jack plugs into the female USB port on any USB-capable device. The male USB jack is conveniently stored on the underside of the device. What is inconvenient about it is that the 1” wire that connects the jack to the hub seems brittle and it is stored very tightly within the framework of the hub. It is a real pain in the butt to get out!
The Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub works very well, though it is by no means a flawless device. First, I have noticed that on older systems – my PC runs Windows 2000 – the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub cannot process input from two peripherals. So, I have to plug either my mouse or my keyboard into the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub, but neither will work if I plug both in. This is irksome, but not a huge detraction, as my PC has another USB port I am able to plug my mouse into when I have my keyboard plugged into this.
Ultimately, the Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub is useful and with the slow rise of USB 3.0, it is probably a tool that will be useful for quite some time. By the time this actually wears out, Dynex will probably have the equivalent for the USB 3.0!
For other computer devices, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Logitech Classic Keyboard 200
APC ES350 Back-Up
Targus AWE45US1 HeatDefense Cooling Mat
5/10
For other electronics or computer devices, please be sure to check out my Electronics Reviews Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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