USBGear Compact 4-Port USB 3.2 Gen 1 Mini High-Power Hub w/Power Adapter, Port Status LEDs, 5 Gbps Data, Surface Mountable

USBGear Model #USBG-4PminiH – 4-Port USB 3.0 High-Power Metal Hub for PC or MAC - Certified ChipBecause of its small size, I decided to purchase this mini hub. After using it, this is a great 4 port mini USB 3.0 hub for tight space applications or organized connections for several of your USB 3.0/2.0 devices.First Visual Observations:I was surprised to find a Sunday delivery, the item had been delivered in a padded envelop boxed in the manufacture's box. The item's box itself was a thin white box approximately 8 inches long by 1 1/2 inch high.The Mini USB 3.0 hub was received packaged neatly in the manufactures box that included:- Hub’s power supply- USB 3.0 A to Mini-B cable- USB 3.0 hub- User manualThe Mini Hub is small enough that will fit into a small space no bigger than your open hand. The USB 3.0 cable connectors are a tight connection into the USB 3.0 Mini-B port as is the power supply connector needed when using the hub for devices with higher constant power consumption requirements.Hub Operation:I used a Windows 8.0/8.1 (ASUS) laptop with the operation of this hub. My basic process with hubs is to connect the USB cable to the hub, then the cable to the host USB port. This laptop is very quick so I had checked my device manager for the connection; the “Generic SuperSpeed USB Hub” was listed in my Universal Serial Bus Controllers list.I should note that this hub has a (Red) Power LED and becomes brightly illuminated with the hub connected to the computer’s USB port. The power supply this hub comes with is only for additional power, not for initially powering the hub, the USB 3.0 Type-A to Mini-B cable must be connected as this is the medium for transferring the data.This is a 4 port USB 3.0 hub, USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1 devices which is what I am using with this particular hub. Backward compatibility means that the hub will operate USB 2.0 devices through its USB 3.0 ports but will only have USB 2.0 data transfer speed (480Mbps). Once my connection was made, I had plugged in several thumb drives, when a USB device is connected the hub’s corresponding “Green” LED becomes active indicating that particular port is connected.The thumb drive data instantly appeared on my screen and I was able to browse folders very quickly as I would when accessing my hard drive. Using the thumb drives in my case was the intent of purchase of the USB 3.0 mini hub. Although I didn’t mount the hub in any way, it does include mounting flanges as part of its construction to accommodate for mounting to a table top or wall. There are no screws included but looks like standard mounting screws (two on each side) will work.Based on my usage of it so far, this hub has a good, solid chassis construction, all ports including the power port have a tight connection and it is instantly recognized by my Windows system, I did not have to go through a separate installation process for it to do what I needed, switching between data sources was just a matter of opening folders to that thumb drive.Recommendation:Being as small as it is, I would recommend this USB 3.0 4 Port Mini Hub for tight places may require some sort of hub integrated into its equipment or out in the open where multiple port connections need to be made, possible in an office, school or industrial environment. It was operational as soon as I connected it.Pros:- Extremely small and capable piece of equipment for running multiple USB data sources- Easily connects to a Windows system running 8.0/8.1- Includes LED for power and individual port connection- Backward compatible with USB versions 2.0/1.1- Worked right out of the boxCons:I found no CONS with this device’s function, worked right out of the box.Additional Information:The USB 3.0 Mini Hub’s power supply adapter is labeled:- Input: 100-240V – 50-60Hz 1.5A- Output: 5V – 4000mASpecial note: This item was purchased and received from Amazon through the manufacturer’s Amazon store. No opinions were solicited for this item.

I have this unit mounted upside-down under the shelf of my monitor stand so I have quick access USB ports while working. It is well-built and is working great so far. It is very small and unobtrusive - the front panel with the USB ports has no printing or LED lights. As noted by another reviewer, there are 4 screw holes for mounting but no screws are supplied. I don't understand why so few other USB hubs are mountable as it increases the usefulness when it doesn't have lay flat on a horizontal surface.The only flaw in an otherwise quality unit is the power hookup - the cable length is very short, and the plug itself is lumpy and awkward enough to pretty much guarantee that it will take up more than one outlet. A six or eight foot cord would hardly be a break-the-bank expense and would make the hub easier to use. The USB cable supplied with my unit is 3 feet long - you'll probably be needing a longer one. The LEDs are not obnoxiously bright. The unit supplies power to the ports even when the upstream USB port power is off (ie when the computer is off). However, each port receives a maximum of 900ma so it can't charge high-current draw devices. The USB ports are spaced just slightly under 1/4" apart. This isn't a problem for normal USB plugs but could cause problems with non-cabled devices, eg strangely shaped flash drives.Five stars because of the build quality, the reliability so far, and for having no swoopy curves or unnecessary enclosure flamboyances. Clearly, the money went into the engineering and not the bearded hipster design consultants. It's a small, inconspicuous solid metal box with four USB 3.0 ports that work reliably. That's it.

I've had this for almost 1 year.I have it using the supplementary power supply.It works well with one device, however, with more than one device attached, it begins to fail. For example, if I plug both a USB drive and a USB mouse in at the same time, the mouse will begin to stutter.Sometimes the 2nd device will not respond at all.The point of having a hub is the be able to connect more than once device - something this does not do reliably.

This works well enough just as a USB hub. I had hoped with the power cord it would provide enough juice to charge my phone, but alas, plugging in a phone results in super slow charging and constant disconnecting/reconnecting. You don't even need the power cord to use this as a USB hub so I'm not sure why it even has additional power input if you can't use it for charging.

While I like the sturdy metal box, orientation of the ports, and mounting wings; it hasn't been a very reliable hub. Too many of my devices become unreliable or unstable when plugged into it.I thought maybe it was getting power supply noise from the AC/DC adapter, but running it without it straight off the bus didn't make anything better.Kind'a bummed out since I really like everything else about it. But I'm going to retire it from my computer and use it as USB power charging block instead. Works well powering a few LED lights.

Ran into some issues hooking this up to my mac mini but a quick search turned up some help, such as having it plugged into the mac and the power outlet causing the mac to shut down, so just unplugging the power outlet makes it run great. It is fast and sleep, and with double sided tape was able to mount it under my desk for a nice clean look.