There are two ways to look at Vantec's powered USB 3.0 and ethernet hub; as a way to get external wired ethernet or as a USB 3.0 hub with extra features.  For those who have found out their house could be better grounded while surfing during a thunderstorm and losing your NIC you might appreciate the ability to use wired connectivity again.  For those who don't need an external NIC, an extra three USB 3.0 Superspeed ports and the ability to recharge USB devices without needing to hook up your laptop.  Legit Reviews took a look at this $50 device, check out the performance here.

"Last month we took a look at the Diamond Multimedia UE3000 USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and found it to be a simple way to add a Gigabit Ethernet port to a desktop or laptop PC. The one problem with this adapter is that it used up one of your computers USB 3.0 ports! We recently ran across another Gigabit Ethernet adapter, the Vantec 3-Port USB 3.0 Hub with Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, that looks very promising. This device plugs into a USB 3.0 port, but has three SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports and a single Gigabit Ethernet port built-in. It also comes with a wall power adapter that allows you to charge USB devices without being hooked up to a PC!"

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