Hiyatek is a Taiwanese company that specializes in low cost computer components, including card readers, external drive enclosures, notebook coolers, and USB peripherals. They have sponsored a number of reviews at Bigbruin.com over the years, but this will be the first one that takes a look at one of their USB hubs. Hiyatek's HB-8700 is a 7-port USB 2.0 hub that includes a circular base intended to make it stand upright. You have four downstream ports on one side of the compact device, and three downstream ports, one upstream port, and a power connection on the other side.
The promotional image above provides a clsoe up of the Hiyatek HB-8700, and this review is going to take a closer look at how it works in Windows and Linux. Before getting to that though, let's take a look at some published data, as taken from the product page on the Hiyatek website.
Features:
» Compliant with USB Specification Rev. 2.0
» 7 downstream facing ports
» Compatible with high-speed (480Mbps), full-speed(12Mbps), and low-speed (1.5Mbps) transaction
» Acrylic panel with sputtered metal film.
» Supports self-powered mode & DC Adapter
» Plug & play and Hot Swapping
Specifications:
» Interface USB Rev. 2.0, OHCI Rev. 1.0a, EHCI Rev. 0.95
» Power Mode Self-power mode / DC adaptor
» USB A-type downstream*7, mini B-type upstream*1
» Dimension 93.5 x 45 x 15 ( L x W x D ) mm
Packaging:
The packaging for the HB-8700 consists of a plastic shell and cardboard insert that protect the hub and provide about all the information you could possibly want about it. The printed information provides a good deal of information, including a list of Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems that it is compatible with. Either this unit is so old that Vista didn't exist yet, or they simply omitted it from the list, as the Windows versions listed as being supported include XP, Me, 2000, and 98se.
 
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