External HD Connected to Monitor

[Lone Wolf]

I wanted to know if I am able to hook an external HD to a usb port on a monitor and use that for Time Machine backups. Im trying to figure out a way to not have to plug/unplug the hd to my MB. Thanks

 

[snaky69]

I wanted to know if I am able to hook an external HD to a usb port on a monitor and use that for Time Machine backups. Im trying to figure out a way to not have to plug/unplug the hd to my MB. Thanks

You'll plug and unplug the USB port from the monitor into your MBP, you'd be back to square one.

A NAS would probably be your best bet.

 

[Stephen.R]

Yes, the hub in your monitor should work fine, assuming it’s USB 3.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Thanks for the help. This type of setup is new to me. I had a 27" Imac for the last 10 years and am now moving to the MBP. I want a 24" 4K monitor but I'm looking for a one cable solution for charging..connecting to the monitor and having my backup drive connected. Looks like a USB-C hub is the best option.

 

[Stephen.R]

There are only two 24” 4K displays on the market (a dell and an lg) neither of which support USB-c natively. But a USB (or TB3) “dock” would do what you want.

For reference I have 2 of those same dells, and they work pretty well.

 

[robvas]

My LG 4K USB-C is only 2.0 speed on the ports on the monitor...

 

[Stephen.R]

I believe that’s due to how USB-c does alternate mode (which is likely related to the bandwidth required for a 4K DisplayPort signal). Remember that USB-c charge cables also limit data speeds to 2.0 spec.

For 3.0+ speeds I believe you’ll need either a TB3 display or a display with a separate USB connection to the host (or hub/dock)