Business Editors

COMPTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2000

Belkin Components, the leading manufacturer of Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectivity products, today introduced its new USB 2.0 4-port hub.

Designed with a USB 2.0 chipset from NEC Corporation (NEC) (NASDAQ:NIPNY), the Belkin USB 2.0 4-port hub (F5U221) offers unparalleled performance and the ability to support high-speed devices of up to 480Mbps.

Introduced to complement the Belkin USB 2.0 PCI Card (announced earlier this month), the Belkin USB 2.0 4-port hub allows the connection of up to four high speed USB 2.0 devices to a USB 2.0 port and up to a total of 127 devices overall. The USB 2.0 4-port hub is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 devices, while a combination of USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 devices can be connected simultaneously. The hub features intelligent power management that automatically detects when the hub is bus-powered or powered by the included wall adapter. The Belkin USB 2.0 4-port hub uses the same connectors and cabling model of the USB 1.1 standard. It also offers the same ease-of-use features of the USB 1.1 standard, such as plug-and-play installation, so the user will not see a change in the usage model. They will, however, benefit from being able to use an additional range of high-speed, high-bandwidth peripherals such as video-conferencing cameras, next generation scanners, cameras, printers and mass storage devices.

"Simply put, greater bandwidth allows more devices to work on the bus without slowing the bus down," said Eric Deming, USB 2.0 product manager at Belkin Components. "Users will notice a tremendous difference in the speed and quality at which new USB 2.0 devices work without noticing any difference in the way that those devices connect and work with the computer," he added.

The Belkin USB 2.0 4-port hub will be ready to ship in January 2001 and will have an MSRP of $89.99. Included with the hub will be a USB 2.0 device cable and AC wall adapter.

Belkin Components is the leading manufacturer of computer cables, surge protectors and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectivity devices, FireWire(R) digital video editing and connectivity products, Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) switches, LAN cabling, peripheral sharing devices, high-quality audio/video cables, and cellular/PCS and computer accessories. Belkin products are available through a network of major distributors, resellers and superstores. For more information, call 1-800-2BELKIN, or visit the company's Web site at www.belkin.com.