Electrically, there’s almost nothing to differentiate USB hubs from each other. Two styles exist: Powered and unpowered. Belkin’s new Hub To Go has managed to bridge the gap between the two different styles of USB hub.

It’s a powered hub that comes supplied with a 3.8 amp 5V power supply. This means that if all seven USB ports are occupied by devices each drawing full power, there will still be 3300mA of headroom, less the minimal current draw of the two green LEDs.

The unit is actually comprised of two independent four port hubs. The powered base provides three USB ports at the back and one on the top; next to which are two electrical terminals that provide 5 volts to the upright secondary hub. This upright hub can be removed and used as an unpowered hub. The USB connector will swivel 180 degrees to accommodate different USB layouts on various computers should you choose to.

Installation is very much a plug and play procedure: we had no problems at all using it on any of our Windows Vista, XP or Mac OSX machines. The computers automatically detected and cascaded the hubs together when both sections were docked.

The styling is a little strange, but somewhat functional. The strange plate and tray style base is begging to be stocked with spare USB keys, loose change and assorted dongles. It’s odd, but vaguely useful.

The only problem we have is characteristically Belkin. You can buy a similar hub from other manufacturers for less. Should you choose to, you will be paying for the Belkin name and the build quality it represents. It’s a common conclusion we come to with Belkin products, and we’re glad we think the same about the Hub To Go.