TechRadar.com - Deep into technology

We know what you're thinking: "£63 for a USB hub?" However, there's something rather different about this shiny slab. It'll take any standard USB device such as a USB hard drive and make it networkable. Yet where this device really excels is in its ability to make a USB printer accessible from any networked PC, whether wired or wireless.

The hub plugs into your router via Ethernet so it can be shared across your network. There are five USB ports on the device: three at the back and two at the front. Devices are accessed via the Belkin software that you need to install on each of your PCs. And yes, it must be a XP or Vista machine. That could be a problem if you live in a multi-platform household because you won't be able to use the Belkin with a Mac or Linux box.

Seamless use

As for the Ethernet capability, the Network USB Hub is a 10/100Mbps device, so there's no sign of Gigabit Ethernet. While your router is almost certainly not capable of this, your next one will be and with 802.11n proper finally with us this year, a lot of people will be upgrading. It's certainly a feature that we'd have liked to see.

Despite this omission, the device doesn't have a detrimental effect on the user experience, which is nothing less than superb. Accessing the Hub's Control Center displays a list of auto-detected devices attached to the hub. Our Canon printer was up and running in no time and we were printing wirelessly within two minutes of plugging everything in. USB storage auto plays perfectly as if it was connected to the individual machine.

There are a handful of competing products out there, such as Keyspan's USB2 server, but none have really struck home or been any cheaper. Granted, the price does appear expensive for the hardware on offer, but that's not the point. It's what you can do with it that counts.