HooToo USB 3.0 Hub Review (Model HT-UH15 and HT-UE02)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received these products for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received two USB 3.0 hubs from HooToo for a product review. I decided to review them at the same time, since they are very similar.  One is a 4-port hub and the other is a 3-port hub with built-in Ethernet port.  They are bus-powered, so a power supply isn't required.

Both hubs, they are about the size of a candy bar.

I tested both devices to make sure they worked properly on both Windows 7 and Ubuntu.  I expected the 4-port hub to work without any problems, but I was unsure if the 3-port with Ethernet would have drivers available or if I would have to load them.  The 3-port hub with Ethernet does come with a CD that has the drivers.  I had no problem with either device, and was able to get the Ethernet port to work on Windows and Ubuntu without having to use the driver CD.

In addition to functionality tests, I also wanted to see what sort of load (power wise) they pulled.  I used my DROK USB testers to measure load, and come up with the results below.

4-Port Hub ( HT-UH15 )
- Hub only: 0.03A
- Hub + 16GB microSD card in adapter + external hard drive: 0.42A

3-port hub w/ Ethernet ( HT-UE02 )
- Hub only: 0.07A
- Hub + Ethernet in use: 0.20A
- Hub + Ethernet + 16GB microSD card in adapter + external hard drive: 0.6A

Two options to choose from, depending on your needs.

Based on the tests above, both of these hubs should be able to handle multiple USB devices without any problems but be careful when using power hungry devices (such as an eternal USB drive) since they can push the limit especially with a USB 2 port that only provides 0.5A of current.

For my final test, I used Ubuntu to perform benchmarks on an external USB 3.0 case (with a 500GB 7200rpm drive in it).  The hubs had minimal (maybe 1%) impact to the measured speeds, which is similar to what I have seen on other hubs.

Here are the main points I noticed about these products:

Ease of Use: As a USB 3.0 hub, there isn't much you have to worry about since they pretty much just work when you plug them in but it was nice that two operating systems (Windows 7 and Ubuntu) were able to support the adapters without any additional drivers.

Style: I normally focus on performance and usability since I consider these tools, but the aluminum cases and good built quality are worth noting.  They aren't too big, about the size of a candy bar.

Performance: Both hubs pulled less than 0.1A for the hub itself, and had no real impact on the USB 3.0 performance of a connected USB hard drive.  Unless you are going to use multiple power hungry devices, these hubs should do the job and do it well.

Bottom line: Both of these hubs are solid options if you are looking for a portable USB 3.0 hub.  I would recommend you only consider the 3-port with Ethernet if you have a need for it, otherwise just get the 4-port.

Amazon Product Page: HooToo HT-UH15 USB 3.0 4-Port
Amazon Product Page: HooToo HT-UE02 USB 3.0 3-Port Hub w/ Gigabit Ethernet Port