The SilverStone EP04 is as what the title says, a USB 3.1 hub with RJ45 networking capability. Great isn’t it? A USB hub that is also a network port and this is useful for devices that are without any network port whether it’s due to design or malfunction.
The SilverStone EP04 is a simple product, so simple that it is as simple as plug and play. Have a USB Type-A port? Just connect it and get 3 additional USB slots and an RJ45 port.
The aluminum enclosure felt solid while underneath this rather simple looking product lies the a lot more technology, for example it has twisted pair crossover detection and auto-correction (HP Auto-MDIX) technology.
What this means is that you can use both cross and straight cable on it and the system will auto correct and make it functional. That aside it also supports Wake-on-LAN and “RealWoW” (Wake-on-LAN) technology. For more details, do check out the official product page.
The Benchmarks
Here’s the USB 3.1 performance with and without the hub, you’ll see that the performance remains just as good. Going by the numbers below it actually looks better but I recommend taking the number with a pinch of salt as it fluctuates during tests but rest assured it is very close.
As for the RJ45 (LAN) port, I tested it by disabling Wi-Fi and have my Acer Aspire S 13 connect to my Gigabyte P35W V3 that’s connected to my Wi-Fi signals that’s located a floor above. Looks good, right?
Then of course there’s the drive to drive test with the same setup, both systems are using SSD storage.
Looking great here? Yes it is.
The Verdict
The SilverStone EP04 USB 3.1 Hub retails at RM 115, it is a great product to not only expand the USB 3.1 ports but it’s even more useful for those who want to use wired connection on their computer that lacks one.
