Product Application:

 USB 7 Port Hub

Product Provided by:

 Ultra Products

Available at:

 Ultra Products

Estimated MSRP:

$39.99

Availability:

Now

Review by:

 Darren

Edited by:

 Scott

Review date:

September 7th, 2007
 

 

     Sometimes a product comes along that fills a need you might not have even known you needed; the new Ultra 7 Port USB Buddy Hub is such a product.  The Buddy Hub is a powered USB 2.0 switch box that allows up to 7 devices to be shared between two different PC's at the push of a button.  Sort of a USB version of a KVM switch.  Lets take a closer look!

front

     The Buddy Hub comes packaged in a simple blister pack that shows nearly every inch of the product.  In fact, I was sure the nearly 3 inch deep package contained a much larger product.

back

The back of the packaging shows the basics of connecting the Buddy hub and the contents of the package.

ports

     Out of the box the Buddy hub looks much like any powered USB hub.  The hub measures in at a trim ~5.25" x 2.5' x 1" and weighs almost nothing at all.  The front of the hub is dominated by the 7 powered USB 2.0 ports.  The top surface shows the 7 device switches.

ports2

     The back simply holds the two USB to PC connections and the power adaptor port.  Everything is clearly labeled and makes misusing the Buddy Hub nearly impossible.

accessories

     Included with the Buddy Hub we find: a simple color Installation Guide, a warranty registration card, two 4 foot USB cables and a 4 foot power cord.  The included accessories are all high quality even to the woven cabling for each USB cable.  The Buddy Hub is also backed by Ultra's Limited 3 year warranty.

Installation:

install

Installing the Buddy Hub is as simple as plugging the hub into each PC using the included cables and plugging in the power lead.

installed2

     Next simply plug in your USB devices, select the system using the selector button and allow them to plug and play as normal.  I tested the compatibility with my Logitech G15 Keyboard, a Logitech G7 Mouse, a Vantec USB enclosure, a pair of Turtle Beach AK-R8 Headphones and my Sony Cyber-Shot digital camera.  For what its worth, I used both an ABIT Fatal1ty motherboard running Windows XP and an ASUS P5W DH Deluxe motherboard running Vista 64 bit.

     I do wish the Buddy hub had all of the ports on one side or even the USB/Power on a small side so a clean front edge could be presented on your desk, but that's a pretty minor quibble.  The hub looks nice and the small size makes it easy to tuck out of the way.

switch

     During testing I found everything worked fantastic through the Buddy Hub except the Turtle Beach headphones.  For some reason they had to reinstall the drivers to detect and even then would not always work correctly the first time, but a simple unplug and re-plug did fix them every time.  I am convinced this is simply a product of the Turtle Beach drivers and not a hub issue.

Conclusion:

     So simple I wish I had though of it!  And even better this is a device I am finding I can't live without.  No more deciding which devices I install on which PC, now I can use my favorite mouse and keyboard on both PCs without even having to touch a plug.  I am sure there are countless ways sharing up to 7 USB devices could come in handy around the office or anywhere you have more than one PC.  its simple and easy to use for not much more than a typical powered 7 port USB hub.  You may not know you need the Buddy Hub but trust me; if you have two PCs in close proximity, you need a Buddy Hub.

Innovation:

9.0 out of 10

Performance:

 10 out of 10

Quality:

 9.5 out of 10

Stability:

 N/A

Overclocking:

N/A

Software/Drivers Pack:

 N/A

Value:

 8.5 out of 10

Overall Rating 9.0

9.0

Project Skill Level
(10 being most difficult)

4 out of 10