Pluggable USB hub - reliable brand?

[marekkurlmann]

I need to replace a USB hub that I suspect has been causing problems with my MacBook Pro. I saw a Plugable brand USB 3.0 hub advertised on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Adapter-firmware-backwards-compatibility/dp/B008ZGKWQI).

I'm not familiar with the brand, but the build quality looks good and the reviews are positive. I'm reluctant to go with a generic or poor quality brand for fear of causing further problems with my MacBook. Can anyone who's used Plugable peripherals share his or her experience?

Thanks!

 

[Fishrrman]

I haven't tried a plugable.com usb dock yet, but I do have two plugable.com USB3/SATA docking stations and both work without problems. No trouble at all.

 

[ColdCase]

Pluggable is well known around here and well regarded.

Based on recommendations here I've purchased the one you reference six month ago and its been working well. I had to power off reset it once because it got confused after I moved a couple devices around, otherwise flawless. I typically fill all 7 ports and often have 5-6 USB devices operating simultaneously. I believe there may be a silver model that could be newer or better, but the one you reference works well for me. Pluggable is more than a generic brand.

That being said, USB 3.0 chip sets have four ports. This hub, as well as I think most or all others, daisy chain two chip sets together (using one port on chip one to connect to the upstream port of chip two. So you get three ports direct and four ports with one hop, which is typically not a problem... but USB 3.0 drives seem to work best when connected to the three direct ports.