Before you ask, no, the Belkin BusStation isn't a home for double-deckers, single-deckers or bendy buses.

The BusStation is a multiport USB (Universal Serial Bus) hub which allows you to plug in up to seven USB peripherals at a time.

So you can forget all those pale grey computer-colour boxes.

The BusStation is charcoal and purple with a curious convoluted design that looks strangely like a six-inch section of caterpillar!

Each section can be removed from the casing and switched for specific modules to handle Ethenet, SCSI or even more USB ports.

Like all USB devices, the BusStation is designed to be plug-and-play.

I connected the unit to my computer and within a few minutes was able to start connecting peripheral devices. A USB keyboard, mouse and scanner were soon up and running perfectly.

The BusStation allows the user to create their own docking station for a notebook computer.

Connecting all the peripheral devices to the USB hub means there is only a single USB lead to plug into the computer.

That's quite a time-saver and it's very easy to do.

The only downside to USB is unless your computer is factory-fitted with a USB port, it is quite expensive to add the capability.

Also, it is virtually impossible to add USB functionality to an old laptop.

Fortunately, most new computers come with a USB port as standard.

Price: £63
Contact: 01604 678300
Feelgood factor: 8 out of 10