Belkin Connect Universal USB-C 8-in-1 Dual Display Core Hub w/Silicon Motion Technology - Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Chromebook - 100W PD w/ 10Gbps Transfer Speeds & 1GbE Ethernet - Silver

My review is for the Belkin Connect Universal USB-C 8-in-1 Dual Display Core Hub w/Silicon Motion Technology - Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Chromebook - 100W PD w/ 10Gbps Transfer Speeds & 1GbE Ethernet - Silver Belkin to me is a totally trusted brand, and this falls in that continued category. It works and it works FAST. I also like the understated design/style. however, it's not all perfect in my hands: - 1 star for heaviness - 1 star for excessive price (in retrospect, I could've gotten away with getting a much cheaper one) Overall, if you want a quality product with a product guarantee you'll get that here, but you'll pay more for it. It's up to you if that's worth the extra cost.

Looking for a dual display hub for your Apple Mac? The Belkin Connect Universal USB-C 8-in-1 Dual Display Core Hub is working well with my Apple MacBook Pro, 2017 model. The hub supports up to 100w with 85w available for the laptop, so it works well keeping my MacBook Pro charged and ready to go. Recommended Pros: - Design: The hub is well built, sturdy, and dissipates heat well - Dual HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, and one power input USB-C - Tested with Chromebook (Samsung and Google), Windows, and MacBook Pro 2017. No issues Cons: - Potential Con: The listing states that no drivers are needed, but it seems to depend on what model you are using. The M1 chip models seem to require the extra drivers from Silicon Motion. I didn’t test the drivers because I tend not to trust random software downloaded from the web. - Heavy: This is not a travel hub and I don’t think it was designed to be. It’s about ¾ the size of a paperback book. - Price: If you don’t need dual monitor support, there are less expensive hub options available.

The media could not be loaded. This 8 to 1 USB type C 3.0 adaptors came from Belkin and was priced at $140 when ordered. The unit has a high quality feel to it and is quite dense. The shell is made of a high quality plastic that could be mistaken for metal. This hub has a very premium feel to it. Packing was well done using fully recyclable paper based material which secured and protected the hub during transport. The packing was fully color branded and retail quailty. They could have gone for the premium unboxing experience as the product is top knotch, but I respect their decision not to waste any materials. Use was very easy. Just plug it in to a 3.0 port, then start the connection of accessories. I tested this on a Samsung Ultra s8 and Windows based PC and never downloaded the recommened software, as performance was flawless even without it. At the same time I was able to run a touch screen 4k monitor, head set, key board and mouse. All while also connected to power and hardwired for 1Gb internet access. I don't have any complaints about the performance of this product at all. It was just plug and play with perfect performance. The one issue I found was with tablet compatability was difficulty getting the audio signal to play from the tablet when the hub was connected. I had to use head phones or external speakers. No such issue exsisted with the PC, so this is likely related to the tablet, but worth mentioning. Overall this is a top quality hub from a reputable brand that will honor their warranties. The price is a bit high, but with apple compatability baked in, that maybe where the extra cost is going. Even at the price, you get what you pay for. The ability to dock a tablet or labtop and instantly turn it into a full PC style experience with no fuss is just amazing.

I'm using this with a recent vintage MacBook Air to basically have a quick and easy docking solution for when I'm back at my home office. In general, there is a pretty healthy range of ports, including: Two USB-C Two USB-A A PD USB-C port to hook up power Two HDMI ports An ethernet port My setup includes a wired ethernet connection, one 4K display over HDMI, a USB-C drive, a mechanical keyboard and a wireless mouse with a dongle. All works just fine and I didn't use a driver, as I am not adding a third display (e.g., laptop screen + two external displays). I just have the one external. I don't love the idea of having to download a driver, if I do wish to add a third. Even though this is Belkin, a name I know, I'm not in love with having excess drivers unless from super-trusted manufacturers. The overall build quality is very high. It's got a metal body and a hefty feel to it. So why did I take off a star? A few reasons: * At this price point, I think you are pretty close to expecting Thunderbolt. This is just USB-C. I probably could have gotten similar connectivity at lower prices from someone like an Anker (albeit with lower build quality and without the possibility of adding a third screen) * The need to use a driver for full functionality, as mentioned above. * The fact that the USB-C connector to the laptop is fixed and very short (less than a foot). If you do not have a convenient place to put this relative to wherever your laptop has its USB-C ports, you are going to struggle to make it fit. A detachable cable seems like a better and more flexible long-term approach. * Why two USB-A ports still? Time to give up the USB-A port and maybe provide an adapter in the box for any legacy peripherals? Much more future proof. Other than that, it's working well. Just there are a lot of options out there, so spend wisely for specifically the functionality you need. Presumably this thing is going to be fully out of date in a couple of years as Thunderbolt and other faster communications protocols become more commonplace.

Belkin has for many years produced top-notch accessories and this is another great addition to their product catalog. While other USB-C hubs may have more connections, this one has all the core ports you need without extraneous ones that will rarely get used and just add size / weight for no reason. The hub is well-constructed of high quality materials (an all aluminium case, etc.) and should prove to be highly durable. As far as ports, the central attraction here is that you get two HDMI outputs which will work in extended mode on nearly all devices (at least if they support basic video out over USB-C) - INCLUDING M1 Macbooks and other devices that usually only support one external monitor in extended ABC mode. That's enabled by the Silicon Motion chip and drivers - you do have to install the appropriate drivers (there's a sticker on the hub with the download link on it) but it's quite easy to do. I do wish that both ports were 4K 60Hz, but one is 4K 60Hz and the other is 4K 30Hz (both will do 60Hz+ on 1080p) which should be sufficient for most scenarios. Beyond that, you get gigabit ethernet, pass through USB-C PD charging (the hub accepts up to 100W and passes on about 15W less than it takes in - so if you supply 100W, your device will get 85W), 2 USB-C ports at 10Gbps, and 2 USB-A ports at 5Gbps. Now, the fully speed of the various ports will depend, of course, on the plug you use to connect it to your device with Thunderbolt and / or USB 4 providing more TOTAL bandwidth to the device than less standards (though lesser standards - as long as they support USB-C PD and video - will work just fine). So if you could use a great way to add more connectivity to your USB-C enabled device, this is a great way to add it in the form of a powerful and durable hub from a great name brand. Give it a try today!