J5 Create JCH471

A range of USB-C connectivity.

Extra USB-A ports are always handy, but sometimes other options are also useful. The j5 Create hub adds a Gigabit Ethernet connection, all over a single USB-C port. The Hub also has three standard USB Type-A connections, for all your other peripherals.

These days Wi-Fi is fairly ubiquitous, but just everyone has experienced the pain of a bad connection. Worse, most modern ultra slim laptops don’t actually have LAN ports anymore, leaving you at the mercy of the wireless gods. For those who travel a lot, hotel rooms are a perfect example. Wi-Fi issues abound, and when busy, speeds can slow to a crawl. But most large hotels (especially though aimed at business travellers) also have wired network connections, which can offer much faster and more reliable connections. The J5 create makes it easy to add LAN connectivity to a laptop, while also giving a bunch of extra USB ports. For those who want a slimmer adapter, there is also a LAN-only model.

Unlike a straight-up hub, the j5 create needs drivers installed before a network connection is possible. A driver CD is included in the box, but a simpler option is to just download it from directly from www.j5create. com. It is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Chrome OS.

In use, the JCH471 gave USB 3.0 transfer speeds identical to being plugged the computer directly. The Gigabit Ethernet connection also performed well, and easily maxed out the transfer speeds on our test NAS.

Verdict

A high speed USB 3.0 hub and LAN adapter in one.