I need a 100% transparent USB hub.

October 8, 2005 1:20 PM

I need a USB hub that is fully transparent (doesn't impede or alter device performance) but I don't know how to find one or if such even exists. Here's why...

My Logitech MX510 works great as long as it's plugged directly into the PC. If I plug it into either of my "fully compliant/backward compatible USB 2.0 and USB 1.1" hubs, the mouse drivers starting sucking: 100% CPU for merely moving the mouse.

I believe I've experienced this problem with another USB device as well.


How do I determine if a USB hub is designed well enough to allow devices to behave identically to when they're plugged into the PC?

posted by Moistener to computers & internet (8 comments total)

what happens if you use a hub with an external power supply? sometimes the bus powered hubs cause flakiness.

without a USB bus analyzer or some quality time debugging the windows kernel, its going to be pretty much impossible to figure out what's wrong.
posted by joeblough at 2:28 PM on October 8, 2005

How do I determine if a USB hub is designed well enough to allow devices to behave identically to when they're plugged into the PC?

You could Ask MetaFilter if anyone knows of any such hubs.

My guess is that it's the Logitech drivers at fault. They suck in all sorts of ways. For example, when my cordless's batteries get low, instead of throwing up the alert telling me so (like it's supposed to) it simply mysteriously forgets my custom button programming. And then after that, I start to get 100% CPU when I use some of the buttons, unless I've recently moved the mouse. Weird.
posted by kindall at 2:38 PM on October 8, 2005

what happens if you use a hub with an external power supply?

Both of the offending hubs are externally powered.

My guess is that it's the Logitech drivers at fault.

...making the solution, "Get a different mouse." (stamps feet) I don't want to.


Is there some unwritten rule that I wasn't aware of? A rule like, "USB products may or may not work with USB hubs."?
posted by Moistener at 4:32 PM on October 8, 2005

USB cards aren't really any more expensive than USB hubs, why not just add some more ports?
posted by Chuckles at 5:16 PM on October 8, 2005

USB cards aren't really any more expensive than USB hubs, why not just add some more ports?

Actualy, why not just plug the mouse into one socket, and then plug your hub into the other socket? (assuming you have more then one USB port on your machine)
posted by delmoi at 7:27 PM on October 8, 2005

I don't know if this helps or not, but I have a Logitech MX518. I plug it into the non-powered hub that is in the back of my keyboard (Microsoft Natural KB) and it works fine.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:17 PM on October 8, 2005

Is there some unwritten rule that I wasn't aware of? A rule like, "USB products may or may not work with USB hubs."?

No. Hubs are hubs are hubs. Even if there were different kinds of hubs, hooking up the wrong kind should throw an error (or more likely just plain not work), rather than pegging your CPU. The fact that you've hit this problem with two different models of hub indicates strongly that the issue is the driver. The only way to find a compatible hub is to keep plugging different kinds in until you find one that doesn't trigger the bug in the driver.
posted by jjg at 9:49 PM on October 8, 2005

Have you tried reinstalling the offending device with it plugged into the hub?

I have problems with some devices not working in one port, but working in another. Especially the difference between a USB port in a built-in card reader, as opposed to a dedicated USB port. It seems to matter which port was used at installation, but I haven't checked that idea out.
posted by Goofyy at 10:50 PM on October 9, 2005