USB C Hubbing
August 15, 2024 7:56 AM Subscribe
A small question about an annoyance that's bugging me: where are the USB C hubs?
Pretty much every computer peripheral I get these days as a USB C connector on the end of it, but if I want to plug in more than my computer has USB C ports, I need to buy a hub.
But -- every hub I find has a USB C connector for the computer end -- but no USB C connectors to plug into, they're USB3 A connectors, which are fast but need an adapter. If there IS a USB C connection it's power passthrough, not data.
So, what my annoyance is: do USB C hubs, where you can plug a bunch of USB C peripherals into one USB C connector on a computer without using adapters, even exist and if not, why not?
Pretty much every computer peripheral I get these days as a USB C connector on the end of it, but if I want to plug in more than my computer has USB C ports, I need to buy a hub.
But -- every hub I find has a USB C connector for the computer end -- but no USB C connectors to plug into, they're USB3 A connectors, which are fast but need an adapter. If there IS a USB C connection it's power passthrough, not data.
So, what my annoyance is: do USB C hubs, where you can plug a bunch of USB C peripherals into one USB C connector on a computer without using adapters, even exist and if not, why not?
Response by poster: What the -- I generally consider myself good at searching, but I haven't found that sort of thing before and I've been looking for a while. That is exactly what I need, and the "more like this" has put me on alternatives, thank you!
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:19 AM on August 15, 2024
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:19 AM on August 15, 2024
You're definitely on to something with this. It is easy to find hubs with 7 or so USB-A ports, but not so much USB-C.
They're more expensive, but Thunderbolt docks (which are compatible with USB-C) do seem to fill that gap. Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 are basically the same thing—Thunderbolt 4 passes more stringent certification.
posted by adamrice at 8:23 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
They're more expensive, but Thunderbolt docks (which are compatible with USB-C) do seem to fill that gap. Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 are basically the same thing—Thunderbolt 4 passes more stringent certification.
posted by adamrice at 8:23 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The problem with USB-C hubs is that unless they are expensively overengineered, they aren't going to support all of the protocols, data speeds, and watts of power that a casual user might expect. Like, if they plug a monitor into one of the ports and nothing happens, or they have a thunderbolt disk that works perfectly when plugged directly into the computer suddenly doesn't work when using the hub. Manufacturers might decide that all of the returns aren't worth the bother.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:28 AM on August 15, 2024 [10 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:28 AM on August 15, 2024 [10 favorites]
What the -- I generally consider myself good at searching, but I haven't found that sort of thing before and I've been looking for a while. That is exactly what I need, and the "more like this" has put me on alternatives, thank you!
Maybe you just had a bad search day - searching for "usb c hub" on Amazon gets me a lot of the same. And here's a bunch on Best Buy and B&H.
ETA: never mind, I misread the question! Still, some of those have USB-C ports, and I think B&H lets you filter for that specifically.
posted by trig at 8:40 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
Maybe you just had a bad search day - searching for "usb c hub" on Amazon gets me a lot of the same. And here's a bunch on Best Buy and B&H.
ETA: never mind, I misread the question! Still, some of those have USB-C ports, and I think B&H lets you filter for that specifically.
posted by trig at 8:40 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
I bought a powered USB hub just a few days ago and, as you would expect, it has nothing but USB A ports (including three that are just power which frankly I find more annoying!). I just resigned myself to it and also bought several USB A -> C adapters. Many of my devices have USB A connections, even some newer ones, so it's not really a big deal. I figured a few years ago that it's going to take 5-7 years at least, and probably longer, for things to transition completely to USB C and I'm not going to just get rid of my USB A devices so I'm going to need adapters for quite a long time.
I also think that 1970s Antihero answer may have some merit. I also just purchased a fancy new USB cable because none of mine carry video. And I have to use one of two specific ports on my port replicator - not my new USB hub - to get a video signal because the other USB ports don't transmit video. The many different speeds and capabilities of USB C cables and devices is a real mess!
posted by ElKevbo at 9:48 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
I also think that 1970s Antihero answer may have some merit. I also just purchased a fancy new USB cable because none of mine carry video. And I have to use one of two specific ports on my port replicator - not my new USB hub - to get a video signal because the other USB ports don't transmit video. The many different speeds and capabilities of USB C cables and devices is a real mess!
posted by ElKevbo at 9:48 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
I bought a similar hub as an adapter for my Macbook Air because it comes with almost no ports at all. The issue, as 1970s Antihero says above is that you have to read the descriptions closely to see if they support what you want. My new hub came with 2 USB C and 2 USB A ports, only one of the USB c ports supports power pass-through and that gets used for the Macbook power cable. But at least I can connect my older external drives.
posted by drossdragon at 10:41 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by drossdragon at 10:41 AM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I had some Best Buy points building up, so without breaking the bank I bought that Belkin one from trig's link -- and as 1970s Antihero suggested, it doesn't pass through video. My laptop has two USB-C ports, and I have two usb-c "hdmi-network-usb-audio-hub" adapters so I have two external monitors -- and neither monitor works through the hub, so the hub isn't negotiating the Displayport-over-USBC, which if you think about it shouldn't be surprising.
I still have a use for this 4-port USBC hub -- I connect it to one of the multiport hubs with a USBC-to-USBCA adapter, and then the other USBC stuff connects to it without an adapter. So, problem solved for the most part!
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:19 AM on August 15, 2024
I still have a use for this 4-port USBC hub -- I connect it to one of the multiport hubs with a USBC-to-USBCA adapter, and then the other USBC stuff connects to it without an adapter. So, problem solved for the most part!
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:19 AM on August 15, 2024
I've used a Kensington SD5700T dock. It works, but is not the cheapest thing on earth.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:46 PM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:46 PM on August 15, 2024 [1 favorite]
Some links to provide some context about the tangled thicket that “USB C” encompasses. A couple are out of date, but should give you an idea of some of the complications.
It's 2024 and USB-C is even more of a mess
Now how many USB-C™ to USB-C™ cables are there?
USB-C redux
posted by zamboni at 5:14 PM on August 15, 2024 [2 favorites]
It's 2024 and USB-C is even more of a mess
Now how many USB-C™ to USB-C™ cables are there?
USB-C redux
posted by zamboni at 5:14 PM on August 15, 2024 [2 favorites]
A bit late, but I also have wanted a pure hub that supports usb-c for a long time, where the market has instead instead been dominated by multi-purpose things aimed at docking a laptop. This anker one that I picked up recently is working well -- 4 usb-c, 4 usb-a, usb-c to computer with a usb-a adapter if needed, does have a power passthrough as well, does *not* support video. (My only complaint is that dc in and usb-to-computer are on the opposite sides of the device, which is awkward for my setup.)
posted by advil at 10:12 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by advil at 10:12 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
Plugable’s new 10-port USB-C hub is exactly the overkill my nightstand needs
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:17 AM on October 22, 2024
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:17 AM on October 22, 2024
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posted by I EAT TAPAS at 8:13 AM on August 15, 2024 [3 favorites]