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What was the last peripheral device you attached to your computer? It may have been a printer, scanner, digital camera, MP3 player, web cam or one of the numerous memory devices that are currently available. Whatever the peripheral’s actual role, I am willing to bet that it used USB when connecting to your computer. In all probability it was also USB 2.0 compatible. Whereas the original USB 1.0/1.1 standard was capable of transferring data at 12 Mbps, the enhanced 2.0 version supports a data transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps (a 40x increase). USB has now a firm grip on connectivity within the peripheral sector.

See also: USB

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This popularity of the technology does mean that you could struggle to find a spare USB port to attach any new peripheral to your system. One of the original ideas behind the USB standard was for the ability to daisy-chain devices by linking them together but this never bore fruit. Instead the concept of using a hub to increase the number of USB ports gained popular acceptance. One such product is the 4-port USB 2.0 Hub from Kensington.

One point that should be made clear is that although such devices as the Kensington product are backwards compatible with the early standard, in order to gain the full benefit of USB 2.0 all the various components must be 2.0 compatible. This means the USB port on your computer, the hub and the peripheral device must all be USB 2.0 aware. If the USB port on your computer is 1.1 or the peripheral device is 1.1 then you will be limited to a data transfer rate of 12 Mbps even if the Kensington hub is involved.

This highly polished dome shaped hub is black in colour with a silver Kensington logo decorating the front. One of the four ports is located on top of the dome while the other three are positioned at the back of the hub along with a permanently attached USB lead for linking to the computer. This linking lead is just 50cm in length. However you do get a 2 metre extension cable which should help alleviate any problems with positioning the hub. An AC power adapter is included in the box.

Before using any of the ports on this device you will need to remove rubber protective plugs from each of the four ports. An array of LED lights on the front of the hub will glow to indicate which ports are in use. The product has a weighted base with non-skid feet to help with stability, requires no additional drivers and has a five year warranty. It should be available for around £23.

http://www.kensingtonuk.co.uk/mobility_products/product.asp?subsection=23&id=2122