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IOGear Wireless USB Hub Reviewed
Tagged Under : USB, Wireless
IOGear Wireless USB Hub. Unquestionably, wireless USB technology has a lot of potential. Difficult to say this device lives up to that. Wireless hub should not only remove wire clutter but give one fast transfers. USB 2.0 transfres are actually faster than achieved through the wireless set up.
Using the wireless hub is claimed to be as easy as connecting the antenna dongle, plugging in the hub and connecting devices to the hub on its USB ports. One needed to install separate drivers for the hub as well as the antenna. Hub then was to be associated with the PC through an authentication process and using a custom communication piece to communicate with the hub. Hub had quite a problem with the RF signal even when sitting a foot away from the antenna!
The setup required wasn’t had quite a bit of wire clutter. Wires existed between peripherals and the hub plus the power adapter for the hub of course. That’s quite a wire mix-up alright. Only wire free space was the distance between the hub and the antenna dongle.
As far as performance goes, it was not much to right home about either. Getting a 500 MB file transferred from the hub to the PC was not problem free. One time that it worked it took 2 mins 45 seconds compared to a direct USB 2.0 transfer time of 22 secs. This wireless device was nowhere near that league. On a smaller scale to it was no match; took 45 secs to transfer a 100 MB MP3 file compared to USB 2.0 time of 10 secs or less.
So why do you need this device! Well, to use a laptop anywhere in a house yet be free from taking around external peripherals with you for using them, you could have a case. While your desktop obviously does not need one, nor if you are ok with using the peripherals on that being in the same room (through a wireless LAN) then the $200 tag is bit much.
Well, I’ll pay attention when USB devices and a laptop is able to talk to each other directly. Until then it is a waste of good technology in a pointless application.
Well, I’ll pay attention when USB devices and a laptop is able to talk to each other directly. Until then it is a waste of good technology in a pointless application.
