Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini by Belkin Components
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Digital camera reviews of Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini
Digital camera Review: Perfect USB hub for Apple Airport Extreme
Summary: 4 Stars
This fits perfectly under the apple airport extreme wireless router, which allows you to access your printer and multiple attached hard drives oh-so easily. It doesn't have a power supply, so devices must have their own power (so mini external hard drives don't work unless they have external power cord). Easy to use,, a great product companion for the airport.Digital camera Review: Perfect for a Mac Mini setup
Summary: 5 Stars
Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini This hub is just perfect -- form factor is the same as the Mini and the Airport Extreme base station, a whole bunch of cables come out the back and are hidden away out of sight, neat and tidy installation. Highly recommended!Digital camera Review: Perfect for iMac
Summary: 5 Stars
This thing fits perfectly on my iMac's stand. If you put some velcro on it, it won't slide around either. BUS powered is nice too, just make sure you have your own cords (firewire and USB). eg Zen Micro USB 5 Pin Mini Connector & 6 Pin to 6 Pin IEEE-1394 Firewire Cable-2 Meters.Digital camera Review: Performs as promised - one annoyance with USB though
Summary: 5 Stars
I took the leap and bought this hub, even after reading an unfavorable review here at Amazon. The hub is a bit odd because it does not have its own power source. After researching all over the net, I realized this was actually good design, not a defect. It's actually very nice to have one less power cord hanging from the desk top.
I have a pair of speakers, a wireless keyboard, a digital camera, and a USB pen drive plugged into the hub now for over a month without any problems. I also have a firewire iPod plugged in. I have had no power issues. My guess is that the combination of power from the firewire and USB cords that plug into your Mac Mini work together to send power where its needed. I tested the hub with a "Kill-A-Watt" meter and found that it only raised the power consumption of the Mac Mini by about 3 watts while in standby mode.
The one annoyance I will report is going to be with the USB standard in general. It appears that some USB devices have a "slightly" shorther plug than others. This difference is in millimeters, but it was an issue with my "Lexar USB pen drive." The pen drive will not plug into this hub and power on every time. This is because the Belkin hub has a very thin skin of plastic between the USB ports and the device plug. I've read other reviews with other hubs where this is an issue. You should take a couple of your USB device cables and hold them next to each other to see an length difference. If you find any plugs that are slightly smaller then the rest, it may not work with this hub. This issue is annoying, but easily fixed. I just plugged the pen drive into an USB extension cable, and then plugged the cable into the hub. I don't fault Belkin on this issue. I fault Lexar for not making the plug long enough. All the rest of my devices fit fine.
This issue of the USB plug length may be confused with other power issues in reviews for this hub. I believe that the hub provides plenty of power for it's devices. I just think some older devices may not have a long enough plug to fit those last couple of millimeters into the socket.
Digital camera Review: Re: Firewire cable
Summary: 4 Stars
Those of you using this with your Mac Mini should get Apple's thin and flexible 0.5m long (19") firewire cable to connect this hub to your Mini. It's available at Apple's online store for $14 or in an Apple retail store.