Dongle nightmare - do USBC hubs exist?

[JW5566]

As an Intel MacBook Air owner, and as someone working with large video files which need to be backed up (and the backup also backed up), I frequently run into the nightmare shown below. To back up from drive A to B it takes up both ports and leaves me with no power and often the backup takes longer than available battery even at 100%.

I know you can get USBC to hubs with multiple old USBA sockets in... but... as I am now moving over to Samsung T7 SSDs which are USBC, I can't find any USBC to multiple USBC hubs anywhere (am I being thick? they all seem to be USBC to USBA, or, USBC to a load of ports I don't need). Is there a USBC hub that simply provides multiple USBC ports, shaped like on the Air, but will leave one of the two on the Air free for power? That's just USBC - not USBA or SD card or HDMI (the ones on Amazon only seem to have one USBC).

Am I right in thinking I'd get half the transfer speed too, from device A to device B but via port A (rather than device A on port A to device B on port B)?

Or has anyone got any other suggestions?

The photo below shows my old Western Digital HDD drives which are the old USBA and if I don't use a hub, we have mindbogglingly silly dongles and right angled adapters so it all fits As a former 2010 MacBook Pro owner this is such a step back (and yes, before the suggestions that I need a better MacBook with the ports required, I can't afford that as an option at present).


H E L P ! !

 

[razmanugget]

For less than $10 you can get a usbc to hard drive connector on Amazon. Search - "usb c to hard drive cable". You'll get double the speed of usba and the cables will easily fit.

I tried looking for a USBC hub a couple of years ago and there was nothing. Hopefully, that has changed though

 

[BrianBaughn]

Hopefully someone can recommend one they're actually using for that sort of thing.

I haven't needed one of those yet but I'd be concerned about power with a passive hub. With the slim selection available it may be that you end up with one that has ports you don't need. If you get a recommended one that actually delivers power to the MBA then you could avoid putting both drives on the hub.

 

[JW5566]

@razmanugget Great tip, thanks - I assumed they were a proprietary lead for Western Digital, but can see them on Amazon for < £6 searching for that term, if they work that will save the USBA to USBC dongle. I'll get one and report back.

@BrianBaughn yes that's the problem, ports I don't need, good point actually about power, maybe that's why you can't split USBC to multiple USBC unless it's powered by an external PSU (which I don't mind, I just need to free one of my two ports while two drives are talking to each other).

 

[joevt]

Why not a Thunderbolt 4 hub like the CalDigit Element Hub? Three USB-C ports (which also can do Thunderbolt 3/4 or 1/2 with adapter). 4 USB-A ports. All capable of USB 10 Gbps (but all share USB 10 Gbps upstream connection). Thunderbolt ports can do ≈22 Gbps (sharing 22 Gbps upstream connection - shared with USB). Thunderbolt ports can also do video output for up to two displays (displays that are not USB-C or Thunderbolt will need a USB-C display adapter).

Am I right in thinking I'd get half the transfer speed too, from device A to device B but via port A (rather than device A on port A to device B on port B)?

USB, PCIe, and Thunderbolt all use separate lines for transmit (write) and receive (read) so you should be able to read from one disk while writing to another without loss of performance from either even if the two devices are connected to a USB hub (as they will be if both are connected to the CalDigit Element Hub or similar Thunderbolt 4 hub).

 

[ArkSingularity]

Hubs with multiple USB-C ports are still very difficult to find for technical reasons, largely due to the design of older versions of the thunderbolt protocol. It's difficult to split one USB-C port into multiple USB-C ports if you want to support non-USB protocols such as thunderbolt and displayport, which up until the USB4 standard (which was released fairly recently), did not support being in a hubbed architecture like this.

Some of the newer USB4/thunderbolt hubs can split USB-C ports, but they tend to be very pricey. There are a handful of cheaper USB-C hubs that also have multiple USB-C ports, but these are just USB3 ports that use the Type-C connector (which are much easier to implement than a fully featured USB-C port). If USB3 is enough (and you don't need thunderbolt or displayport on those ports), you can find a few of these on the market still.

 

[jdb8167]

As an Intel MacBook Air owner, and as someone working with large video files which need to be backed up (and the backup also backed up), I frequently run into the nightmare shown below. To back up from drive A to B it takes up both ports and leaves me with no power and often the backup takes longer than available battery even at 100%.

I know you can get USBC to hubs with multiple old USBA sockets in... but... as I am now moving over to Samsung T7 SSDs which are USBC, I can't find any USBC to multiple USBC hubs anywhere (am I being thick? they all seem to be USBC to USBA, or, USBC to a load of ports I don't need). Is there a USBC hub that simply provides multiple USBC ports, shaped like on the Air, but will leave one of the two on the Air free for power? That's just USBC - not USBA or SD card or HDMI (the ones on Amazon only seem to have one USBC).

Am I right in thinking I'd get half the transfer speed too, from device A to device B but via port A (rather than device A on port A to device B on port B)?

Or has anyone got any other suggestions?

The photo below shows my old Western Digital HDD drives which are the old USBA and if I don't use a hub, we have mindbogglingly silly dongles and right angled adapters so it all fits As a former 2010 MacBook Pro owner this is such a step back (and yes, before the suggestions that I need a better MacBook with the ports required, I can't afford that as an option at present).


H E L P ! !

View attachment 2094716

It seems to me that the Caldigit SOHO USB-C dock should allow you to do what you need.

It has pass through power so you can plug in your USB-C power adapter into the dock. It also has a USB-C port along with a USB-A, HDMI, and Display Port. So, you use the USB-C on the SOHO dock and the other USB-C port on your MacBook. Power is handled by the USB-C Power Delivery on the dock.

 

[dwig]

...

The photo below shows my old Western Digital HDD drives which are the old USBA and if I don't use a hub, we have mindbogglingly silly dongles and right angled adapters so it all fits As a former 2010 MacBook Pro owner this is such a step back (and yes, before the suggestions that I need a better MacBook with the ports required, I can't afford that as an option at present).


H E L P ! !

View attachment 2094716

That cabling is a seriously stupid way to handle the issue! True, a pure USB C hub would cleanup things at the computer, but it alone wouldn't fix this stupid mess of cables and adapters.

The "correct" approach is to set aside all of those cables and adapters and replace the two cables with proper USB 3 microB to USB C cables, whether you connect directly to the computer or through a pure USB C hub.

 

[JW5566]

Thanks so much for the Caldigit suggestions... the Soho looks ideal because as stated above it essentially allows me to plug a drive into my Mac whilst passing power through too, and it doesn't have its own PSU so is small (I'm very mobile in terms of where I work). But an added bonus is the SD card readers, which means I can bin another dongle. Amazon reviews are a little mixed though.

 

[JW5566]

That cabling is a seriously stupid way to handle the issue! True, a pure USB C hub would cleanup things at the computer, but it alone wouldn't fix this stupid mess of cables and adapters.

The "correct" approach is to set aside all of those cables and adapters and replace the two cables with proper USB 3 microB to USB C cables, whether you connect directly to the computer or through a pure USB C hub.

Yes, you have made me feel "seriously stupid" about it

 

[Anappleaday29]

Hi,
I went pretty simple on my setup. I am using the OWC Thunderbolt Hub which connects to my Mac using one T4 cable and has three usb-c ports in the back to do whatever. I have mine splitting to two monitors using usb c, and the third goes to my portable sandisk ssd.
I never paid attention to write times as it seems to transfer data just as quickly as if I had the peripheral plugged straight in to my Mac.

Anyway. my hub was $160 and with holidays filled with deals around the corner, I'm sure you could get it cheaper.


Link below.

OWC Thunderbolt Hub - Add Three More Thunderbolt (USB-C) Ports

Add three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port to your Mac or PC and connect more storage, displays, and accessories.

eshop.macsales.com

Edit: They do have one with an SD card slot available as well. it is the 11 port owc thunderbolt dock.

 

[erikkfi]

I legitimately hate that Apple ever released a "Pro" computer with only two USB-C ports. Truly the dark times and we're only partially out of them.

 

[ArkSingularity]

I legitimately hate that Apple ever released a "Pro" computer with only two USB-C ports. Truly the dark times and we're only partially out of them.

Apple may have had intentions to take things even further. The 12" MacBook had only one port on it, and I suppose the unpopularity of that idea stopped Apple from really experimenting on any of the other models.

I still don't think two is enough, but with them adding magsafe back onto the new Air, at least one of those ports isn't tied up for charging anymore.

 

[theluggage]

For less than $10 you can get a usbc to hard drive connector on Amazon. Search - "usb c to hard drive cable". You'll get double the speed of usba and the cables will easily fit.

That saves a dongle but is unlikely to make any significant difference to speed - nor does it solve the problem of not having enough ports.

There are two sorts of "USB-C to hard drive" cable you might be talking about - USBC to SATA and USBC to USB Micro B - both of which are irrelevant to @JW5566 who has said that they are currently using mechanical hard drives (which won't even max out a 5Gbps USB 3.0 port) and moving to Samsung T7s which have USBC ports and come with USBC cables which will plug direct into the Mac (if you have enough holes).

USB-C is *not* automatically faster than USB A/3.0 - the majority of non-Thunderbolt USB-C devices use the same old 5Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3.0) that you get over USB-A cables. Some drives (usually newer SSDs like the T7) support 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen2 speeds but so do USB-A cables - Apple don't make any machines with 10Gbps USB-A ports but you get them on PCs and some hubs. Anyway, most such drives come with USB-C ports anyhow.

Meanwhile, anything with SATA in it will not go above 6Gbps - the max speed of SATA. To be fair, I did find one USB-C to SATA cable on Amazon that claimed 10Gbps - maybe it would be slightly faster with a SATA SSD that did more than 5Gbps but since SATA tops out at 6Gbps I wouldn't trust those specs.

There's also USB 3.2 Gen 1 x2 and 3.2 Gen 2 x2 - which offer 10 Gbps and 20 Gbps but only if both devices support x2 mode... because "USB 3.2 Gen 1 x1" is our old friend USB 3.0 with yet another new name. Sigh. Also beware "Thunderbolt Compatible" which sometimes just means "yes, you can plug it into a Thunderbolt port too" not that its going to go any faster if you do.

Am I right in thinking I'd get half the transfer speed too, from device A to device B but via port A (rather than device A on port A to device B on port B)?

It's not going to make a blind bit of difference to your old mechanical HDDs which can't even saturate a regular USB 3.0 port.

Samsung T7s should be faster over a USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection vs 3.0 - but probably not anything like twice as fast.

The solution would be one of the newer, multi-TB4-port Thunderbolt hubs from OWC or Caldigit. Expensive, unfortunately (but a bit cheaper than TB hubs used to be).

If you end up going for a USB-C multiport adapter solution be very careful to check that it really does support USB 3.1 Gen 2 - or at least gen 1 - on the ports. Clue: if isn't Thunderbolt it has a DisplayPort or HDMI that supports 4k then it's likely that any USB ports will max out at USB 2.0 speed (its a long story). Running you drives at 5Gbps on a USB-A port wouldn't be too slow - but USB 2.0 at 1/10th speed would suck.

 

[Not My Real Name]

I have this one. And it charges at the same time, so you'll have FOUR open USB-C/Thunderbolt ports (40gb/s) (one on the Mac, three on the dock.) and you'll have 3 USB-A(10gb/s).

OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock for M1 and Intel Macs and Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) PCs

Add three Thunderbolt ports, 4 USB ports, along with Ethernet, audio, and card reader functionality to your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac or Thunderbolt 4 PC.

eshop.macsales.com

 

[ArkSingularity]

If you end up going for a USB-C multiport adapter solution be very careful to check that it really does support USB 3.1 Gen 2 - or at least gen 1 - on the ports. Clue: if isn't Thunderbolt it has a DisplayPort or HDMI that supports 4k then it's likely that any USB ports will max out at USB 2.0 speed (its a long story). Running you drives at 5Gbps on a USB-A port wouldn't be too slow - but USB 2.0 at 1/10th speed would suck.

Some of the newer USB-C hubs can support 4K 60hz displays and USB 3 at the same time. It just depends on which version of the displayport protocol they are using. Displayport 1.2 needed to use all four lanes in alternate mode in order to support 4K displays, but DP 1.4 uses DSC and can run 4K 60hz displays with two lanes instead of four, leaving the USB3.1 lanes intact.

I've found that most of the newer USB-C hubs are using DP 1.4 nowadays, but it's still a gamble on some of them. It's a remarkably confusing mess.

 

[jdb8167]

Thanks so much for the Caldigit suggestions... the Soho looks ideal because as stated above it essentially allows me to plug a drive into my Mac whilst passing power through too, and it doesn't have its own PSU so is small (I'm very mobile in terms of where I work). But an added bonus is the SD card readers, which means I can bin another dongle. Amazon reviews are a little mixed though.

I like the Caldigit SOHO dock. It does crash occasionally and it can get pretty hot but other than that, I've had no issues. It does 60 Hz on both HDMI & DP but since I have a M2 MacBook Air I don't know if it can do 60 Hz on both simultaneously—I don't think it can. The SOHO dock can also work without passthrough power making it double as a mobile dock but it is probably going to be a pretty serious battery hog.

If the dock crashes you have to unplug both the connection to the Mac and the power adapter to get it to restart. I should probably check to see if Caldigit has a firmware update since I bought it almost 2 years ago. Anyway, recommended by me for under $80.

 

[ArkSingularity]

I like the Caldigit SOHO dock. It does crash occasionally and it can get pretty hot but other than that, I've had no issues. It does 60 Hz on both HDMI & DP but since I have a M2 MacBook Air I don't know if it can do 60 Hz on both simultaneously—I don't think it can. The SOHO dock can also work without passthrough power making it double as a mobile dock but it is probably going to be a pretty serious battery hog.

If the dock crashes you have to unplug both the connection to the Mac and the power adapter to get it to restart. I should probably check to see if Caldigit has a firmware update since I bought it almost 2 years ago. Anyway, recommended by me for under $80.

I didn't realize they made docks for under $100. I've heard a lot of recommendations for their stuff, I'll have to try it out.

Right now I'm just using cheap USB-C hubs (Vava 8 in 1 for anyone who's curious, it's actually a pretty good hub for the price, but it's just a USB3 hub). They get the job done, but I wouldn't mind having something higher end for when I start plugging music equipment in.

 

[iStorm]

USB-C hubs exist, but they are hard to find. I think part of the reason manufacturers avoid making them is because they can be confusing to the average user. Since a lot of things/protocols are using the USB-C plug, people could think "Oh, this will turn my USB-C jack into four...now I'll be able to plug in multiple monitors!"

Here's a basic USB-C hub that seems to be what you're looking for, and can do power delivery.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M7W9MZ7?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_9TR3EJBMYG3YSKT86D9S

 

[Sumleilmus]

Given the density of cheap junk for sale on Amazon, high quality USB-C hubs like the CalDigit (the one I bought) or the OWC make a lot of sense. You will be less frustrated using high-quality accessories for your high-quality Apple hardware.

 

[joevt]

I have this one. And it charges at the same time, so you'll have FOUR open USB-C/Thunderbolt ports (40gb/s) (one on the Mac, three on the dock.) and you'll have 3 USB-A(10gb/s).

OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock for M1 and Intel Macs and Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) PCs

Add three Thunderbolt ports, 4 USB ports, along with Ethernet, audio, and card reader functionality to your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac or Thunderbolt 4 PC.

eshop.macsales.com

Data over Thunderbolt is limited to ≈22 Gbps. The rest of the 40 Gbps can only be used by displays.
Thunderbolt 4 hubs/docks and Thunderbolt 3 docks that support DisplayPort 1.4 are usually just USB hubs limited to 10 Gbps total. To use 22 Gbps of data, you need to connect downstream Thunderbolt devices. For USB4 hosts such as M1/M2 Macs, the downstream Thunderbolt device needs to be Thunderbolt 3 or contain PCIe device or an upstream device needs to be Thunderbolt 3 otherwise it will share the 10 Gbps of the upstream USB4/Thunderbolt4 hub because of USB tunnelling.

Thunderbolt 3 docks that support only DisplayPort 1.2 use multiple USB controllers so they can do 22 Gbps USB by themselves, though it is spread among the USB controllers. For example, the CalDigit TS3+ has four USB controllers: two 4 Gbps (up to four type A ports each), one 8 Gbps (one USB-C port at 8 Gbps and one USB-A port at 4 Gbps), and one 10 Gbps (Thunderbolt port).

Some of the newer USB-C hubs can support 4K 60hz displays and USB 3 at the same time. It just depends on which version of the displayport protocol they are using. Displayport 1.2 needed to use all four lanes in alternate mode in order to support 4K displays, but DP 1.4 uses DSC and can run 4K 60hz displays with two lanes instead of four, leaving the USB3.1 lanes intact.

I've found that most of the newer USB-C hubs are using DP 1.4 nowadays, but it's still a gamble on some of them. It's a remarkably confusing mess.

It is not clear in what situations macOS will enable DSC for such USB-C hubs. I believe Catalina enabled DSC by default but later macOS versions do not. Maybe this has improved?

The USB-C hub needs to contain an MST hub in order to decompress DSC for non-DSC displays.

Without DSC, a DisplayPort 1.4 MST hub with two lane upstream connection can do 4K60 at 8bpc but HDR requires 10bpc. The MST hub can convert the HBR3 x2 input to HBR2 x4 output.

I like the Caldigit SOHO dock. It does crash occasionally and it can get pretty hot but other than that, I've had no issues. It does 60 Hz on both HDMI & DP but since I have a M2 MacBook Air I don't know if it can do 60 Hz on both simultaneously—I don't think it can.

macOS doesn't support multiple displays through MST, but it does support the other features of MST mentioned above.

Even if macOS supported MST for multiple displays, M1 Macs and M2 Macs that are not Max or Pro or Ultra only support one display from Thunderbolt.

If the OS and GPU supported multiple displays and MST, then the CalDigit SOHO should be able to do two 4K 60Hz displays 8bpc.

The DSC of the CalDigit SOHO's MST hub does not support 10bpc so HDR will be limited to 4K30.

 

[Wizec]

https://***************.com/?q=best+usb-c+hub

tehe, 🤭

 

[iMacDragon]

https://***************.com/?q=best+usb-c+hub

tehe, 🤭

As has been noted already that really doesn't help, hubs that have only or multiple usb c ports are exceedingly rare and that search Does not unearth them.

sitecom cn-385 and 386 (latter has 100w pd passtrough ) are some of only hubs with no usb a ports I have so far seen, I have a 385 and it seems to work fine for basic usb data transfer needs like requested here, which is all that's supported, no monitors etc.

 

[JW5566]

I have not decided on hubs yet, but my "micro B" to USBC cables (as suggested above) arrived today and these are great, this removes the USBA to USBC dongle, the right angle adapter when plugging two in, plus makes the whole thing more stable to movement!

Thanks again for your help on this. As for hubs, the more I think about the advantages of these when plugging/swapping drives etc the more I think I'll benefit from one. Today I was swapping a card reader with my video files on, with the T7 SSD for editing, and an older HDD to get some older footage, whilst having to keep the power connected as battery was low. This would all be easier on a hub.

My next Macbook will definitely have magsafe to free up some ports!

 

[razmanugget]

Cool. Have you tried to benchmark the new cables vs the old usba?
I'm just curious if you'll see a speed increase. I did, even though, theoretically, it seems like you shouldn't.