I have seen other related posts here but no real solution for customers that are having difficulty getting a USB hub to work. I have a MP3 media library set up on a USB hard drive that works OK when plugged directly into the Wiim Ultra. However, to add files or edit files I need to unplug the drive and plug it into a PC. I want to use a USB hub to connect my hard drive, my Wiim and my PC together so I don't need to be disconnecting cables. When I tried to do this with my powered USB hub, the USB did not show up as a possible input in the Wiim Home app Browse window. How can I make this work?
You cannot use both the WiiM and a PC at the same time.
But what you want to achieve is technically perfectly doable -> that you do not want to unplug any cables, but NOT in a way
that the USB HDD or USB Flash will be visible in WiiM and PC at the same time, but it can be switchable, meaning you switch it to use for PC, then copy/edit what you want and then switch back to WiiM.
But this cannot be achieved by simple HUB.
To do this you need a USB SWITCH (something like KVM switch, but only for USB ports).
There are N-port HUB to 2-port SWITCHable devices available (where N is 2,3,4,5,... and even with remote control where you press 1 or 2 to switch between WiiM and PC)
You connect one of those 2 USB connectors with USBA cable to WiiM and 2nd USBA to PC,
then on other side you can have 2,3,4,5... USBA/C ports and these are like HUB. Switch is switching those 2 USBs... so only one is active at a time...
This way in case of 2:4 USB switch you can connect 4 USB flash disks / HDDs (and these at same time) to one of WiiM or PC.
So at one time those 4 devices will be visible for PC and at other time for WiiM.
Example of such device is here:
What you need to consider is also how much current your devices needs (what MAX power draw supports the switch).
HDD are usually more power hungry than flash disks.
Keep in mind that HUB can be connected only to one HOST (to your PC or WiiM) and then those other USB ports are for devices (HDD, Flash disk, mouse, keyboard), but NOT other host like WiiM or PC.
Using that USB switch I was mentioning you can switch 2 USB ports between PC and WiiM and have 4 ports HUB to connect devices or even each of these HUB ports can HOST another HUB (even your hub if you connect it to one of those 4 ports with the side of HUB which should go to host), so you can cascade them as tree... but this is not recommended... or they should be then self powered (each HUB).
