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Belkin has designed this hub specifically to stack on top of or below the Mac Mini, although its compact form is sure to alleviate space issues on any desktop. The hub provides four USB 2.0 ports, and two FireWire ports. A single USB and a FireWire port are located on the front to give you easy connection to transient peripherals, such as your iPod, camera, cell phone, or thumb drive. In addition to multiplying your computer’s connection ports, you get Belkin build-quality and Apple-quality aesthetics!
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- 5
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- 12%
- 4
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- 11%
- 3
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- 22%
- 2
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- 33%
- 1
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- 22%
| Product Rating: |
 
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| Total Reviews: |
9 |
Are you guys kidding?
- Pros: The hub fits perfect with my mini and creates some clearance from my desk surface for better cooling.
- Cons: The firewire is a bit short, but not much shorter than the external hard drive and hub from LaCie ,,, yeah it is a snug fit, yet that is the purpose.
- Other Thoughts: I have a hard time believing the last review that the hub crashes. I have not had mine long enough to test its endurance, so I won't be the judge. I cannot believe the other comments moaned about the length of the firewire cable. Maybe that is because it is designed for the mini. Come on guys, Belkin deserves better. I have a 4 port piece of plastic that does not stack nicely and is a mess and I have not once had an issue with it. Geesh.
Excellent Hub!
- Pros: - Extremely easy to setup
- Fits perfectly under Mac Mini or Airport Extreme
- SEXY! :)
- Cons: It would be nice if it came with 2 more cables for attaching it to USB/Firewire. Depending on your application, the included Firewire cable is too short for the Intel Mac Mini.....
| Model | F5U507 |
| Type | Cables / Hubs |
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- 5
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- 12%
- 4
-
- 11%
- 3
-
- 22%
- 2
-
- 33%
- 1
-
- 22%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
9 |
eh...
- Pros: It does the job it's supposed to...looks nice under the mini.
- Cons: unpowered. You will need a powered hub if your gonna use power hungry devices. The firewire ports are firewire 400, the mini's are firewire 800, which requires a different cable.
- Other Thoughts: I use this hub daisy chained off of a powered usb hub, then plugged into the mini. plugged into it are three 500Gb drives in I/O magic usb enclosures.. Absolutely no problems with the drives being detected or with one of them being selected for the "time machine" back-up utility.. Also, I don't get the high frequency noise others have complained about.
The bad outweigh the good
- Pros: Sits nicely under Mac mini, plenty of USB port expansion, passive USB operation requires no extra power supply
- Cons: High-pitched frequency is audible when in operation, additional Firewire port is on front of unit (no Firewire expansion on back of unit), which is not practical for permanently connected devices. Although I consider the lack of powered USB a feature, some may consider it a con. Supplied Firewire cable is too short to connect an Intel-based Mac mini to the unit.
- Other Thoughts: This is a nice USB hub, but not very helpful for permanent Firewire expansion. I wish I would've read more reviews before purchasing as this particular item was non-refundable. The high-pitched whine noticed by some is definitely present in my unit and I doubt it would be resolved by an exchange. The whine is a bit too noticeable to want it sitting on my desk, so unfortunately this one is going to end up in my closet a week after purchase.
If Belkin updates this product for the current Mac mini, resolves the high-frequency whine, and adds Firewire 800 support (with additional port on the back), I'd happily revisit the product for its intended purpose. With this version of the product, I could only see myself using it to expand the USB ports accessible on my Airport Extreme down the road. Still in a closet, but performing a function an out of audible range!
It's good for the price
- Pros: Form factor matches the Mac mini very well. Firewire hub is nice to have
- Cons: Not powered so it won't support multiple power hunger devices like hard drives, Ipods, etc.
- Other Thoughts: for those who had problems with the Firewire cable length, you don't have to plug the cable in the the port next to the mini usb plug. If you plug it into the hub port that is closest to the Mini's firewire jack. It will work just fine.
| Model |
| Brand |
BELKIN |
| Model |
F5U507 |
| Type |
Cables / Hubs |
| Features |
| Features |
The Hub has a low-profile design specifically engineered to stack on top of or below the Mac mini-helping to organize and save your valuable desktop space. The Hub provides four downstream USB ports compatible with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 (low- and full-speed) devices. It also features two FireWire ports to connect up to two of your FireWire devices. A single USB and a FireWire port are located on the front of the Hub to give you easy access for quick, temporary connections of USB thumb drives, media readers, small accessories such as the Apple iPod and iPod shuffle, and more.
Advantages:
Provides a low-profile, space-saving platform for stacking your Mac mini.
Features USB and FireWire front-loading ports for easy access.
Combines FireWire and USB technologies in one easy installation.
Connects up to 4 high-speed, low-speed, or full-speed USB devices.
Adds 2 FireWire ports to your Mac mini.
System Requirements:
Mac OS 8.6 or higher for USB 1.1 mode
Mac OS X v10.2.7 or higher for USB 2.0 mode |
| Spec |
| Specifications |
Compliance: USB-IF, OHCI-compliant, FCC/CE/C-Tick-compliant
Indicator Light Status: 1 Power LED |
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Reviewed By: Skatinbob on 7/27/2007
Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week
