Question: What is the best type of USB Hub to purchase?
The IT Guy says:
Most if not all USB hubs are going to be “powered†hubs, which means they plug into electricity to allow multiple USB devices which draw their power from the USB cable to successfully connect to your computer. The main discriminators in deciding what USB hub to purchase are 1) How many different USB devices to you need to connect to your computer, and 2) Do your USB devices use the older USB 1.0 standard or the newer USB 2.0 standard. The more USB ports your hub has, the more expensive it will be. Likewise, USB 2.0 capable hubs (which generally also will support USB 1.0 devices) tend to be more expensive than just USB 1.0 devices. Instead of purchasing a USB hub, you may consider purchasing a PCI card that includes more USB ports if you are buying for a desktop computer. PCI cards that include both USB and Firewire connections (IEEE 1394 is the formal name of the standard) are also available that may be comparable in cost or cheaper than USB hubs. If you have the money (or your school district does and is buying) you can conservatively hedge your bets by purchasing a large 8 port USB 2.0 hub that is backward compatible with USB 1.0 devices. Depending on your needs, however, you may be able to get buy with less capability and therefore less cost.
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