Inateck HB4009 4-port USB 3.0 Hub With KM Switch

Ever wondered how you could use one mouse and keyboard with multiple devices, especially if one device is Android? Do you ever wish you could easily transfer between systems directly instead of having to use other media? Inateck comes to us today with the HB4009 which is a 4-port USB 3.0 hub with the capability to share USB devices between different systems.

Specifications

These specs and features come straight from the Inateck website and/or their Amazon listing. One very notable feature is that you can share a keyboard and mouse from one system to another, whether that system is PC, OSX, or Android. You can also transfer files from a Windows or Mac system to another system without the use of external media.

• Magic-port for Cross Platform Files Transfer
  • HB4009 has featured a magic port, support connecting with two different devices (PC to PC, PC to Android…) and Transfer files between two computers in real time, similar to drag and drop files between folders, swap mouse and keyboard at the same time.
• Ideal solution for transferring files from PC to PC
  • HB4009 can Drag & Drop Files between Mac & Windows and shares the clipboard between two computers. If the mouse reaches the border of any monitor, it magically jumps to the other computer and you can control another Mac or Windows PC.
  • It can also transfer files from PC to PC, PC to Mac & Mac to PC; transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds without the use of backup devices.
  • * This HUB has a built-in driver; no extra CD-ROM drive is needed. Supports plug and play.
• Metallic gilded USB interface for long-term usage
  • 4 ports with gold plated USB interface easily solve USB port shortage problem, convenient to use mouse, keyboards, speakers and other USB devices simultaneously. It can transfer data at USB 3.0 super speeds of up to 5Gbps.
• OTG for Android devices
  • It can be easily achieved: transfer cellphone files by mouse; input text by keyboard, read USB stick.
• What’s included
  • Inateck HB4009 USB 3.0 3-Port Hub with Magic port
  • 120cm USB 2.0 Cable
  • OTG Adapter
  • Instruction Manual

Compatibility

Windows or Mac OS should be the control terminal. If it is controlled by an Android device, Android 4.4 and higher versions will be not able to activate sharing function, but this doesn’t apply to customized Android devices.

Here is the function table of different systems supported by the magic port:

Packaging/Accessories/Product Tour

Much like other Inateck products, the HB4009 comes in a plain box with minimal labeling. The one label on the box lists the brand and model, has a brief description, gives the size and weight, and has a barcode. Speaking of size and weight, since that wasn’t listed online, this unit is 100x30x20mm and weighs in at 50g. For those of us that don’t use metric units, that’s 3.93×1.18×0.787 in and 1.76 oz.

Opening the lid you’re immediately greeted by the HB4009 itself. There’s no packing inside the box, but you honestly don’t need any for this product. A box and padded shipping envelope are plenty to protect a USB hub.

Now that the contents are out of the packaging we get our first real look at the HB4009 and its accessories. Included are a 120cm USB male to male cable, a USB female to MicroUSB adapter, and the Instruction Manual. The MicroUSB adapter is used to connect to devices such as tablets and phones that don’t use a full size USB port.

And here’s the HB4009 all by itself (with the MicroUSB adapter attached). Note that the cable that the adapter is currently attached to is the one that goes to the host machine. The three ports on the top of the unit are for use with the keyboard/mouse/etc while the M-Port is connected to the second device. All the USB ports are gold plated, the main body is molded plastic, and the brushed plate on top is metal (I’m assuming aluminum).

Usability and Conclusion

For the first test of the HB4009 I connected the main USB cable to my desktop with Windows 10 and the M-Port to my benching system that was on 8.1. After a few seconds I received the “device connected” notification, and ran the software included on the hub. Now a box saying to press Alt+S to switch systems appeared, so I did. Suddenly my mouse/keyboard were working on the bench instead of my main desktop! After running the software again on the benching system I can then move to the edge of the screen to switch the mouse/keyboard to the other computer. The edge used on the host system is the right, and the edge used on the second system is the left.

For the next test I tried out the clipboard sharing. It’s as easy as copying (Ctrl+C) text on one computer and pasting (Ctrl+V) it on the other computer. And, even better, to transfer files from one system to the other is just as easy as the clipboard sharing. Using the exact same copy/paste method you can move files across the hub!

My next trial was to plug a USB stick into the hub. When I did this it only appeared on the host computer, but the file transfer method works for the USB stick as well. If you need to put files on from both computers, just copy/paste from either into the USB stick.

Now, plugging in an Android device instead of another computer. This part didn’t go quite as smoothly for me. Once my Droid Turbo was connected to the M-Port I could transfer the keyboard/mouse to the phone, but it wouldn’t come back to the desktop. Also, moving files didn’t work for me, even with the Windroidlinker app. I’m not sure if this is simply an incompatibility with my phone, the Android version (5.1), or if it was some other problem.

Taking a look at Amazon, the current price of the Inateck HB4009 is $24.99. Considering that you not only get a 3-port USB 3.0 hub, but also a keyboard/mouse switch and file transfer system, it becomes obvious that the price is actually very good. The PC to PC transfer and keyboard/mouse control worked phenomenally. The PC to Android control didn’t work well for me, but, again, this could likely be an issue with just my Turbo and not all Android devices. Overall, the HB4009 impressed me with the PC to PC functionality and low price tag.

Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.

-Austin (ATMINSIDE)