How Apple could ever think that the four USB 2.0 ports on an iMac or Mac mini would be enough for all of the digital cameras, external hard drives, and iOS devices in our lives is beyond us. MacBook users are even worse off. Two USB ports? Seriously? Fortunately, there’s a cure to the too-few-ports blues: the Satechi 12-Port USB Hub. It’s powered, lightweight, and wicked useful.

If you know anything about USB, there’s not much to see here spec-wise. Like other USB 2.0 devices, the Satechi’s 12 ports can transfer data at speeds upwards of 480 megabits per second. Since the hub is powered, you’ll be able to charge most devices, including an iPhone or iPod. But this is standard—what makes the Satechi a good buy are the other things it’s got going.

Need a USB port? Not anymore you don't.

First, 11 of the hub’s 12 ports are lit up with bright LED lights, making them easy to find and work with even if you keep the hub stashed away behind your monitor. It also boasts baked-in surge protection, and it’s light enough that, when mounted to the back of a monitor with its included glue strip, it stays in place, even when weighed down with cords from 12 USB devices. Our only complaints about the hub are that it doesn’t pack enough juice to charge an iPad, and its included USB cord is a bit short.

The bottom line. Unless your goal is to charge 12 iPads simultaneously, the Satechi 12-Port USB Hub is a great pick.