Peripheral maker Belkin International on Tuesday introduced their Network USB Hub, a $129.99 that enables you to share up to five USB-based devices with a network. Initially shipping with Windows drivers, Belkin is working on Mac drivers for the Network USB Hub presently, which it hopes to ship in September.
The hub simulates a direct USB connection, which makes your computer think that the devices on the network are attached directly to your computer instead. The device and drivers utilize special caching techniques to allow USB 2.0 devices to work at full speed.
You can share up to five devices, including printers, media readers, scanners and hard drives. The device supports multiple users, although only one user can be connected to each device at a time. It also supports isynchronous transfers.
The Network USB Hub features a single 10/100base-Tx Ethernet network jack. Two of the USB ports are on the device’s front; three more are on the back. It can also work on a wireless network if connected via a wireless router.