Which USB 3.0 Hub? [MERGED]

I did get the 7 port charging hub from anker a few weeks ago but i still havent tried it out :-/ Too busy at work. But i like what you day about it. Sounds promising!

I bought the Anker 7-port hub and it was worked flawlessly so far.

Got the Dynex yesterday. So far so good. HDD are not falling asleep or disconnecting. I'm going to run some speed comparisons on the drives. Despite it being powered, it isn't enough power to drive the Apple SuperDrive, so that will still have to tie up desk space. That was predictable though. I'll have to see if it provides enough power to charge an iPad or not.

I got the 4 port, based on the package insert, there is a 7 port version as well.

TyPod said:

Just ordered the Anker others have purchased as well. Excited for more available ports for my iMac!

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Got my hub on Wednesday, and it has been working great so far. Super compact and fast. Only gripe would be the bulky power adapter.

Highly recommended.

^^^^ same hub for me. been using it about a week with no issues. extra fast ports are super nice to have and easy to access.

Where are all of the GOOD USB hubs??

I don't understand why all of these manufacturers think that we love to have USB cables snaking everywhere! I want a USB hub with input and output ports ON THE SAME SIDE, so all of my USB cables can be managed! If you want to put one or two ports on the front for a flash drive, great! But the REST need to be on the back!

Who wants an octopus on their desk??

hi bflowers
how is the Dynex working for you? what kind of computer are you using?

also - henkebarn, how is that Anker charging hub doing? i also have a Macbook pro retina.

thx to all
g

bflowers said:

Got the Dynex yesterday. So far so good. HDD are not falling asleep or disconnecting. I'm going to run some speed comparisons on the drives. Despite it being powered, it isn't enough power to drive the Apple SuperDrive, so that will still have to tie up desk space. That was predictable though. I'll have to see if it provides enough power to charge an iPad or not.

I got the 4 port, based on the package insert, there is a 7 port version as well.

Click to expand...

guangguang said:

hi bflowers
how is the Dynex working for you? what kind of computer are you using?

also - henkebarn, how is that Anker charging hub doing? i also have a Macbook pro retina.

thx to all
g

Click to expand...

Working as expected so far. I'm using it on my mostly maxed 2012 iMac. I just ran some tests with Blackmagic Disk Speed Test (been meaning too since my last post) and got some odd results. All three drives clocked better speeds when plugged into the hub...

Drive / ReadWrite Speed with Hub / ReadWrite Speed without Hub
Seagate Backup+ Desk 3TB / 191-190 / 187-189
Seagate GoFlex Desk 3TB / 123-50 / 80-72
WD My Book 1.5TB / 40-40 / 33-29

The two Seagates are using USB 3 connections, but are the type that can swap the base for different adaptors. They look identical, and I simply guess that between the year I purchased them, they were just rebranded. They might also use different physical drives, but I'll have to go find the spec info to compare. I got drastically different speeds between them, and wonder if I need to find a current optimization tool to bring the GoFlex into range.

The MyBook is a USB2/Firewire 800 device. I'm wondering if I would get any better speed out of it by getting a Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 adapter and using one of my empty Thunderbolt ports. The direct connection test could also have been slowed for this drive because it is my Time Machine drive, and it might have been checking if it needed to update. It wasn't actively backing up, but I probably should have left it idle for a bit. Still, this drive isn't critical for high speed.

Hope this helps.

Fatboy71 said:

I've had my 10 port Anker USB 3 hub since January and its never caused me any problems, even with now using it on Mavericks. Anker make some excellent hubs.

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They do not make the hubs. They sell them under their brand. Their power supplies look like the often defective LaCie power supplies from 2002-2012. They are also not very energy efficient.

At 5 GBit/s transfer speed you need a shielded, flat USB hub with the incoming data port on one side and the outgoing data ports on the other side, so that the signal has only a short way until it reaches the connectors.

Mavericks compatibility ?

anarti said:

I just bought Anker 10port Mac Style usb 3.0 hub after reading reviews.

Image

It looks a bit odd but it is aluminium style instead of the plastic and has powerful power adapter.

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Hi,
do you know if this one works with Mavericks 10.9 and/on a late-2012 iMac ?

Just saw it's the VL811 iniside, not the last revision...

HooToo® HT-UH006 USB 3.0 Hub 7-Port

HooToo® HT-UH006 USB 3.0 Hub 7-Port Bus-Powered (5V/3A Power Adapter, Latest VIA VL812 Chipset, 3.3 feet USB 3.0 Cable), Backward Compatible with USB 2.0 and Supporting Windows / Mac / Linux OS:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DKOVVR4/

Pros:
- Small, energy efficient power supply
- Power indicator
- Surge protection
- Enough space between the USB ports
- Retains the USB 3.0 device speed (various users report this)
- Compatible with USB 3.0 Macs (OS X 10.8.5+)
- Flat design, with the incoming data port on one side, and the outgoing data ports on the other side. That design sounds reliable.
- Standard, 5 V power connector, so that you can replace the power supply, if necessary.
- The hub works also without a power supply, if necessary.
- The price is low, compared to other 7 port USB 3.0 hubs.

Cons:
No visible shielding. That’s probably no big problem, if you use double shielded USB 3.0 cables. Users report no problems with 2.4 GHz devices (keyboard & mice). User “tmwsiy” writes on newegg.com:
“The overview of this product states that wireless KBs and mice may not work correctly with this device but I have not had any issues. My computer sits on a credenza behind my desk and I had my wireless receivers plugged into my front USB ports on my computer. This caused all kinds of interference and the mouse was just not usable. After I installed this hub via a 15' cable under the carpet, I plugged in the receivers on each end and they both work great.”

A short review is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqZ3DZ7lRA

A longer review is here:
http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/Video-Perspective-HooToo-HT-UH006-7-port-USB-30-Hub

Note: Both videos are available as HD videos.


The question is: How reliable is this hub for you!? Thanks for your answers!

Hi TheyCallMeBT

Yes you have that right - my USB 3 drive would demount in the middle of a file save and then have to be reformatted, loosing all the data.

The Anker was 3 USB 4 port hub ASIN: B007ZW1TYW. But I bought it in July. Its chipset may have changed since then.

In September Anker support emailed
We would like to recommend you the below hub for your iMac which has better compatibility with Mac OS.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uspeed-Char...UTF8&qid=1380004015&sr=1-5&keywords=anker+hub

but I haven't bought one yet to try.

Mr. Retrofire said:

They do not make the hubs. They sell them under their brand. Their power supplies look like the often defective LaCie power supplies from 2002-2012. They are also not very energy efficient.

At 5 GBit/s transfer speed you need a shielded, flat USB hub with the incoming data port on one side and the outgoing data ports on the other side, so that the signal has only a short way until it reaches the connectors.

Click to expand...

Has I said earlier, I've never had a single issue with mine. USB 3 devices perform the same as they do if I plug them directly into my iMac. I done some testing whereby I transferred a 8 GB file. I done it once with the external hard drive connected to the Anker USB hub, and then after this I connecting the external hard drive directly to my iMac's USB ports. Both times the time took to copy the file to the external hard drive was identical. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Anker USB hub.

MisteurJ said:

Hi,
do you know if this one works with Mavericks 10.9 and/on a late-2012 iMac ?

Just saw it's the VL811 iniside, not the last revision...

Click to expand...

Works like a charm, no difference.

Does the Anker hub or any hub do well with external drives attached to it? I have the Iogear and whenever I wake the mbp from sleep it tells me that the external drive was not ejected properly.

Thanks,

MacMojo1 said:

Does the Anker hub or any hub do well with external drives attached to it? I have the Iogear and whenever I wake the mbp from sleep it tells me that the external drive was not ejected properly.

Thanks,

Click to expand...

I got this Anker hub in January of this year. But Anker seem to have discontinued this model now.



It's worked flawlessly with everything that I have connected up to it and these include external hard drives.

The external hard drives I've used with it, range in age from new to 7 years old and all work fine with this hub.

I will point out that I use the Anker hub with a late 2012 iMac. I have read that some hubs work fine with an iMac, but can have issues with a MacBook.

Here are the results of my little research regarding the compatibility of USB 3.0 hubs with Mac hardware:
The USB Hub should have a VIA Labs VL812-B2 USB 3.0 hub controller with the firmware #9081 or higher. All newer models should have this controller (September 2013 or later). Some people report no problems with the VL812 (without the B2) and firmware #8581.

USB 3.0 cables are important for stable connections and high transfer speeds. Read the reviews on amazon.com and other sources! Around 75 % of all USB 3.0 cables have obviously quality problems. This results in lower transfer speeds or unstable connections.

OS X plays also a role regarding the unstable connections. AFAIK, only OS X 10.8.5 and 10.9.0+ show no problems, if you use the correct USB 3.0 Hub and the correct cables. I read also that Windows users do not have the problem with the unstable connections on the same hardware (MBP, Mac mini, ...).

The biggest problem is probably, that many people buy older hubs, with older USB 3.0 hub controllers. Another problem is, that people do not use the power supply for the USB 3.0 hub.

Sources:
amazon.com & amazon.co.uk / hub & cable reviews
plugable.com
google.com search results

Fatboy71 said:

I got this Anker hub in January of this year. But Anker seem to have discontinued this model now.

Click to expand...

I bought the same Anker unit a couple of months ago from Amazon. It's been flawless for me with Mac Mini, MBA, and MBP. Running 3 external drives continually. No wake from sleep issues at all. I recommend it.

TimothyB said:

EDIT: Thought this model wasn't in the first post because I clicked the wrong link.

I just ordered the Plugable USB 3.0 7 Port hub, arriving today.
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Alum...d=1383951772&sr=1-9&keywords=plugable+usb+3.0

28 reviews, 5 stars, many of are Mac users.

Didn't care about looks. But it's not that bad since it has the USB ports on top, and angled. Plus the power supply and USB cable are on the same side. I mention that since that may look the best, until you see it with cable sticking out each end.

Not sure about how it handles charging iPhones and iPads, but they have a deal where if you buy this hub, you can get their 1A power usb adapter for $2 each. Not sure if it can supply full power for an iPad, but could also be handy on the go to for tricky USB ports with USB-Thunderbolt cables.

I had to get this for my external USB 3.0 drive and keyboard and mouse used on a Early 2013 rMBP 15'. I was planning to use my Dell 30" USB 3 hub, but when you power the monitor off, it kills the USB ports too.

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I am not a hub-fan, but as many guys there, I like them because of it's really convenient for more and more PC tablets there during nowadays. And because of the demand on hubs is increasing, a variety of hubs are emerging. Anker's hub really great espcially Anker's customer service. I recently got LOFTEK usb hub (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H73HPRO/) as I was attracted by the hub appearance. Really cool! Not expensive price but great composition, of course,with good performance! My experience sharing here.

http://www.amazon.com/CoolGear®-7-P...UTF8&qid=1394989065&sr=8-14&keywords=coolgear

I have experience with the 4 port version. Quality IMO

Hi!

Does someone knows if this hub will be able to nicely charge and transfer data between my mac and my iPhone?

Thank you.

It is nice to find such a topic.
I just started using my new mbp 15' late 2013.
I found out that the usb 3 hub I had, seems to have random problems.
It does not show my external hard disk, sometimes it disconnects it, etc.

I need a good quality usb 3 hub, with enough power to support everything that I attach on it, especially compatible with mac(that means - personal experience from you!), with good speed (to get most of usb3), and above all, very reliable.
I would like a 7port, but make your suggestions anyway.

Mr. Retrofire said:

Around 75 % of all USB 3.0 cables have obviously quality problems. This results in lower transfer speeds or unstable connections.

OS X plays also a role regarding the unstable connections. AFAIK, only OS X 10.8.5 and 10.9.0+ show no problems, if you use the correct USB 3.0 Hub and the correct cables.

Click to expand...

Agree Big Time!

A year ago in prep mode for setting up a client's very expensive backup rig, the issue reared it's ugly head. I couldn't find a "Go To" company for quality 3.0 cables. The best hits were USB.com and Cables To Go, but there were no magic brands to be had. Aside from the many A/B cables I required, two Mini/A were needed, and those were impossible to trust without buying 2-3 best guesses and testing.

What I learned? You can get lucky, but you can't find a bullet proof brand like the old days with Granite Digital's Firewire Cables. They don't make USB3 stuff.

Good Luck

That's why I personally love and prefer Thunderbolt.

However, I'm very impressed with USB 3.0, and I've only ever had a problem with a couple of USB (2.0) cables.

Crunch said:

That's why I personally love and prefer Thunderbolt.

However, I'm very impressed with USB 3.0, and I've only ever had a problem with a couple of USB (2.0) cables.

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The down side is in single drive configs USB 3 is faster and more expensive then TB.