Belkin USB Hub Provides Instant Wireless Connectivity

By Staff On Mar 27 2006 - 8:00am

The Belkin Cablefree USB Hub, model FSU301, said by the company to be the industry's first USB hub that doesn't need a cable to connect to a computer, allows users to place their laptops anywhere in a room while still maintaining wireless access to their USB devices — printers, scanners, hard drives and MP3 players.

This is the first ultrawideband-enabled product to be introduced in the U.S. market, said Belkin. The CableFree USB Hub's wireless functionality is enabled by Freescale Semiconductor ultrawideband technology, said the company.

Suggested retail for the Cablefree USB Hub and Dongle set is $129.99, with shipping early in the spring. Belkin is offering a 4-port hub that will enable immediate high-speed wireless connectivity for any USB device without requiring software. The hub gives desktop computer users the freedom to place their USB devices anywhere in the room without running long cables, while still maintaining access to their stationary USB devices.

The Cablefree is compatible with the more than 700 million USB devices estimated to be in the market today, said Belkin, which the company said would increase to 2.1 billion by 2009, according to its outside market research forecast.