mbeat 13-Port USB 2.0 Hub Manager USB-M13HUB

Great product, though check supplied power adaptor – I bought the 13-port version after purchasing one of mBeat's 7-port versions which has worked superbly. The functionality of the 13-port version is similarly very good - the side/top layout is great - I have all my regular USB plugs inserted in the 7 side sockets (eg, webcam, mouse and keyboard, gaming mouse, printer, external backup drive), and the 6 top ones I use for data sticks, card readers, camera downloads, phone syncing and other devices used on a more ad hoc basis. The individual on/off switches work fine, and great for switching off permanently connected devices when not in use. The individual lights are handy too for confirm power status, and the blue light emitted is not distractingly bright. You might need to mount at an angle or vertically as the lights are a bit hard to see when it's flat on the table away from you.

The downside for me is that the wIth the 3Amp AC Adaptor plugged in and powered, the PC refuses to switch on. I was able to use the double-ended USB connection that comes with the mBeat unit to the PC (ie, using 2 sockets on the PC) to get around this issue. There was isn't much info in the documentation about this "Y" configuration, but it seems to work fine, and I normally have up to 10 devices actively in use at any one time.

The above situation may be a problem with my PC power supply or some other factor. The capability of the mBeat unit is so good, I'd still recommend it, even if you run into the same problem that I did, and so far, the unit has been working flawlessly (without the adaptor) for 2 months now. A flawless performance with regard to the AC adaptor would score this 5 stars. I've had other powered hubs in the past that have not triggered a PC shutdown, so I suspect there is a current imbalance in the overall circuitry. I have alerted the retailer and waiting for a response.

Improvements - the 6 USB sockets on top of the unit, if left unused, will catch a bit of dust over time which could affect connections over time. A few cents worth of plastic "dummy" plugs to use as caps would be icing on the cake.