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Belkin unveils Wireless USB hub

Flash drives, printers, external HDDs accessed over Wi-Fi WUSB

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

16th July 2007 10:56 GMT

Updated Accessory maker Belkin has launched a USB hub that uses the wireless version of the popular peripheral plug technology.

Belkin Wireless USB Hub
Belkin's Wireless USB Hub: USB-over-next-gen Wi-Fi

The unit's specifications and look have changed a bit since we reported on the prototype. Originally intended to be a shiny black slab of a product, the better to tie in with Belkin's N1 802.11n next-gen Wi-Fi router, the Wireless USB Hub has been tweaked to look at home with the N1 Vision Belkin announced last week.

But - and here's the crucial point, and one we missed earlier, ahem - the wireless is Wireless USB, not Wi-Fi.

The hub connects wireless to a add-in Wireless USB dongle that comes bundled with the product and which you connect to your PC. Then you can send documents to a connected printer or back-up files to an external hard drive, all as if they were connected directly to said computer. Belkin claimed it operates at distances of up to 30ft.

Belkin Wireless USB Hub
Belkin's Wireless USB Hub: PC-friendly WUSB adaptor included

The Wireless USB Hub goes on sale late August, Belkin said, for $200. The European roll-out will follow soon after, the company said.

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