NETGEAR EN108 - hub - 8 ports

Advantages: great design, vertical ports for regular items such as memory sticks, led display
Disadvantages: maybe a bit expensive but comparrison but it is quality

...I bought this hub as an impulse purchase but based my decision on: (a) you can never have enough usb ports (b) belkin are a respected manufacturer (c) I liked the design It cost me £12 when I bought it but I think that was the stores mistake as I have seen it advertised at between £19 and £24. Even at that price though this is a good piece of kit. Bearing in mind you can get USB 2 hubs for about half the piece of this one made by companies you may have never heard of, the design and features on this device make it a very attractive and useful addition to your desktop. It has seven USB ports; five on the back and two placed nattily and very usefully on the top. The top ones are what make this great in my view. They are ideal for things you want to plug in and take out on a regular and irregular basis. I use them for usb... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, reliable, simple to use
Disadvantages: None.

...I liked this switch so much, I bought two of them. Netgear have a reputation for cheap and reliable networking equipment, and this 5 port unmanaged switch is no exception. When I bought my two, they were retailing online for approx £35 each - but these days you should be able to get one for approx £25 (inc VAT.) The switch is more or less the size of my hand (yes, I have big hands). With 5 ports on the back - all are auto-sensing, as is the gigabit standard, so you don't have to worry about crossover cables if you're daisy-chaining switches... The only other port on the back is for power, which is the usual "wall-wart" plug in transformer you get with most home networking equipment. Given the switch is unmanaged, you can just plug desktop computers, laptops, XBOXes, network printers straight into the switch, and not worry... Read review

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Advantages: Easy installation, small, sturdy, quiet, auto uplink
Disadvantages: Runs quite hot

...cables. Operation Compatibility: Most recent PC's have at least a single gigabit Ethernet port on them now. Now you can make use of it. Tested fine with Intel Pro/1000 MT cards and nVidia nForce cards Noise It contains no fans so operation is completely silent, however, as with all other Netgear switches, this unit gets quite hot. For peace of mind it would be best to keep it away from sources of heat (I tend to lay an old PII heatsink on the unit just to help with the cooling!) Troubleshooting The LED indicators provide you with all the information you could possibly need to help diagnose any connectivity problems - not that you should have any Conclusion Very fast, reliable equipment. With prices for gigabit equipment coming down, now is a great time to upgrade... Read review

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