jamjar
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Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
Now I know that you should never run a USB external audio interface through a hub, but if you had no choice - which hub would you choose?
DLink used to be one of the few manufacturers that made a USB-certified HUB which (in theory) should be trouble free (the DLink DUB-H7 in grey/blue plastic box), but they've stopped making it (the DUB-H7 is now in a white box and is totally different and non-certified).
I'm interested to know if people have in good or bad experiences............
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Guitarhacker
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 12:12:03
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If you need to use a hub on your computer I would recommend that you use it for the printer, the mouse, and other non-mission-critical things.
I would always give priority to your interface.
You can always add more hardware USB ports with out using a hub.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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TheSteven
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 12:43:41
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You can always add more hardware USB ports with out using a hub.
On a laptop? I would be interested in hearing any hub recommendations...
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils" Loius-Hector Berlioz  www.AgitatedState.com MenuMagic - plug-in management powertools! My Tunes
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fireberd
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 15:49:54
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I only recommend "powered" USB hubs (ones that have their own power supply). You only have a limited amount of bus power and a non powered hub, depending on what is attached, can overload the USB bus and cause all USB devices to quit working.
I avoid Belkin products. I do part-time PC support/repair and I've run into more problems with Belkin products than any other.
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Guitarhacker
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 16:09:56
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TheSteven
You can always add more hardware USB ports with out using a hub. On a laptop? I would be interested in hearing any hub recommendations...
Good point, however, unless you have a really, really old laptop you should have several USB ports. My lappy is an off the shelf Dell...over 4 years old, (runs Vista) and it has 5 USB ports on it. If you have fewer ports you have to prioritize what is more important. A hub would be a possibility but on the audio interface only as a last resort.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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TheSteven
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 16:15:20
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I agree about putting the audio interface on a hub. I have a number of USB devices (piano type keyboard, pad, Kore, etc) that compete for my remaining ports.
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils" Loius-Hector Berlioz www.AgitatedState.com MenuMagic - plug-in management powertools! My Tunes
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TheSteven
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/27 16:21:05
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fireberd
I avoid Belkin products. I do part-time PC support/repair and I've run into more problems with Belkin products than any other.
I too have had my share of headaches with Belkin devices. The only one I still like is the Nostromo SpeedPad but I really haven't used it for awhile.
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils" Loius-Hector Berlioz www.AgitatedState.com MenuMagic - plug-in management powertools! My Tunes
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Cactus Music
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/28 12:01:38
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The bare minimum any computer will have 3 USB ports. Use the Hub for everything else and give your interface it's own port. Make sure it's always the same one. If I plug my interface into a hub, the audio will stop when I play the USB keyboard/ controler. It's a powered Belkin. It seems to work fine for my mouse, keyboard, printer and external drive. I leave the 3rd port for my flash drives.
post edited by Cactus Music - 2011/10/31 19:59:54
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jamjar
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/28 22:26:02
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[class="post"]If anyone is interested, I've been looking into this myself and found some interesting information that is quite concerning for any important USB data streams that are passing through a hub.
If you open up a good hub (like the DUB-H7), you'll notice it has lots of components. If you open up a cheap chinese one, you'll notice they don't populate all the expensive caps. This alone makes a huge difference in noisy environments and when cable lengths are long. Goodness knows what other corners are cut in the name of saving costs...........
You'll also find that some chipsets don't respond to certain USB protocol commands, such as suspend, in the way they should which can lead to enumeration problems.
Then there's the enforced limitations on the amount of current that can be drawn from a USB power by a bus-powered device. If a device demands more from the hub than this a USB protocol 'over current' message should be put on the bus and that device have it's power dis-connected by the HUB via a FET - another component that many cheaper hubs dont have to save cost, hence sometimes leading to power-instability and indeterminant states (if my understanding is correct).
USB.ORG has a special compliance tool to check for all these things and the DUB-H7 is one of the last vintage of hubs to conform to the compliance standard.
However, the DUB-H7 is a $70 hub and can no longer compete with the $2 chinese hubs. The new DUB-H7 (in 'iPod white') is not compliant and a visual inspection of the PCB shows that it is of an inferior build quality with less Electrolytic Caps (used to filter out all the nasty stuff). Also, since it has 2 ports that can charge an iPod it's also inherently non-compliant anyway. By it's very nature, an iPod requires more than 100mA from a single port (the compliance standard) and hence no compliant hub can ever charge one.
I'm no expert, as I said, I've just been doing a bit of research - take everything I say with I giant pinch of salt.
In summary - I don't believe that all hubs are the same and, definitely, some hubs are WAY better than others. In this day where USB is so integral to every PC system, it's amazing that there can be such variation in quality that is very difficult to fathom without actual purchasing the equipment. After all, it's supposed to be a 'standard'.........
Sonar 8.3.1 Core2Duo E6750 Asus P5K-Deluxe-WiFi 2GB RAM I wish there was another me to make me laugh as much as I do
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Guitarhacker
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/29 08:04:58
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jamjar..... +1 to that last post.
not all hubs are the same.
Experiment to find the one(s) that will work. Be sure the store allows a 100% refund policy for 30 days and that way you can keep trying the models until you find one that works.
You might have to run the interface on a wall wart as opposed to hub power, but if that works, then roll on. My Saffire is on a wall wart since the laptop firewire port doesn't provide power anyway and when I switched to a desktop DAW, I just kept running it the same way.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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Bajan Blue
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Re:Which USB 2.0 hub is glitchless?
2011/10/31 19:53:12
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Hi
I only use powered USB hubs - never had a good experience with a non powered hub
I try wherever possible to only use the Hubs for non essential stuff as already mentioned.
I have and use a number of D Link Hubs they are numbered Hub H 4 and Hub H7 - whilst I know what you have said about not being the same as the old certified ones, these have always seemed the best to me and have never caused me any problems
I have also had more than my fair share of problems with Belkin stuff and now do not touch it.
Nigel
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