Network USB Hub

With the increased usage of computer accessories nowadays, it can happen that the number of USB ports a computer comes with doesn't suffice.

Most new computers these days come with 6 ports, but if you use a USB mouse, USB keyboard, video camera, printer, scanner and a flash drive, you have just run out of slots.

Or, what if you want to share the same printer or scanner among two or more computers, and want all of them to print independently from the others on the network?

This is where a network USB hub comes in handy. First and foremost, it allows you to connect more than one device to the same USB port. Simply connect your printer and scanner to any free slot on the hub, then connect it to the computer. The USB hub will, of course, handle the routing issues, back and forth, from the computer to the devices. 

Network USB hubs also permit connecting more than one computer to a peripheral device, such as a printer that needs to be accessed from two or more locations, but doesn't offer network connectivity.

Rather than sharing the access to the printer over SMB or a similar protocol, which requires one computer to be always turned on, so that the others can access it, using a network USB hub offers network use while being much more convenient and at a cheaper price. 

USB hubs usually are stand-alone gadgets, but they can be incorporated in monitors, printers or stereo sets. Also, some computer cases come with more than 6 USB ports, which is what the motherboard is equipped with, by incorporating such a USB hub.

Network Hub / USB Hub 

Some network hubs combine the functionality of a regular USB hub and a wireless network switch, such as the Belkin 5 port network USB hub, allowing users to connect via the local WLAN to any USB device within the local network range, even though that device doesn't come with built-in wireless network access.

Cables are a mess for anyone who has discovered the wireless magic, and now you can easily print from your laptop to your cheap $100 printer.  

Network USB hubs are hot-swappable, meaning you can connect and disconnect them on the fly. This could be particularly useful for your portable computer.

If you use it in more than one location, let's say in the office and at home, then you could attach a full sized USB keyboard, a mouse and a printer to the hub and only connect the hub to your notebook's USB port. And when you leave for home, simply disconnect the hub – only one cable, rather than three.  

Last, but not least, chaining USB hubs can allow you to use even more devices, if the number of ports on one hub doesn't suffice. With a chain or star connectivity, you can connect up to 127 USB devices to a computer. This can be particularly useful, for example, if you wish to connect many monitors to the same workstation for a presentation.

For your convenience, we highlighted some great options at the top of this page, in association with Amazon. Have a look around!

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