About usb hubs

Lounge
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Hi

I regularly run into the frustrating task of of plugging in and out usb cables from my laptop depending on which devices I want to use.

I started looking into usb hubs but got a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities and price ranges.

I read that USB 3.0 specifies 900mA (0.9A) per port (https://superuser.com/questions/1460313/what-is-the-maximum-power-supplied-by-a-usb-3-0-port). Does this mean I can still use a passive splitter for devices that don’t add up to 0.9A (e.g. mouse, keyboard, Traktor Kontrol)? Is it possible to combine passive devices with active devices?

Are there any (non-design related) major difference between usb hubs? Or should I look into something else than usb hubs?

I am looking for a long-living and wallet-friendly solution.

Any other piece of advice or documentation is of course also welcome. Thanks!

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Yes, including the power the hub needs itself. Please check the manual of your laptop if it can supply 0.9A.

Yes.

You should think how the ports should be arranged. Some have ports on the side, some on the top. I would buy a hub with external power supply, especially if it is a bigger hub with many ports (>4). I would also consider a metal case instead of plastic.

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This. Anker make a good and reasonably priced one with 7 data ports and 3 charging ports. I’ve got 2 of these still going strong after 3 or 4 years.

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Thanks for the suggestion. This does look like a very good price-quality one. But it seems like shipping to Europe is quite expensive. Do you know of any other brands that are sold in Europe?

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Thanks for the advice!

Do you have any brand-specific suggestions?

Just to be sure: in a powered one, I can combine passive devices devices that sum up over 0.9A?

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in germany you get the Anker usb hub for 45,- €, is this too expensive?

there are cheaper alternatives like this one for 30.- €

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I bought myself one from „Icy Box“ some time ago but I can’t give any recommendation, I’m following the hub-market not that much :sweat_smile:

Yes, as long you don’t exceed the maximum power of the external power supply (most of them are not designed to supply every port with the full power at the same time).

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I bought this cheap 7-port USB 3 powered hub from Thomann and have been quite happy with it: https://www.thomann.de/gb/lindy_7_port_usb_3.0_hub.htm?ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoiZ2IiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6IjQiLCJsYW5ndWFnZSI6ImVuIn0%3D

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Hello, for info, i use this one on a Mac Mini, really stable with 5 MIDI controllers

Logilink

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Also +1 for the Anker box. It’s a great buy.

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Ended up buying this one, which works really well with two controllers and audio interface.

https://www.bol.com/nl/p/lifegoods-usb-3-0-hub-7-poorten-5gbps-externe-voeding-blauw-led-licht-zwart/9300000003814712/