If you're running a couple of (relatively) high-speed devices off a hub, you might want to look at getting an internal PCI based on instead.... can't for the life of me remember where I saw it though -- sorry! Don't think it was too expensive, somewhere around the 30 quid mark.
Bascially, it would add 4 USB ports to your system and let them ALL run at the max speed, so multiple devices aren't having to multiplex on one port.
On a side note, it's interesting to hear you're getting booted off Openworld every 2 hours... so far, Freeserve have been very good about keeping the line open. Although I must admit I do cheat by keeping MSN Messenger constantly running on the server (Win2k and a small 5-port ethernet switch to the "real" home PC). My installation engineer told me that the drivers supplied for the Alcatel modem were old and to grab some new ones straight away from alcatel.com.