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macOS Monterey Users Report Connectivity Issues With USB Hubs
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This is disappointing to hear, to say the least, that these USB hub issues continue to persist. I have an M1 Air that I use for both work and home. At work, I simply connect to a USB-C hub that has all of my work peripherals, external monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.; at home, I have a Thunderbolt dock that I have a Thunderbolt SSD connected to as my main 'boot' drive, as well as an external keyboard, trackpad, and a 27" monitor, so that I have separate work and home "computers," basically. Ever since I've heard of the hub issues with Monterey, I have remained on Big Sur, but had hoped that these ongoing problems would be solved by now. Apparently not.
Disappointed in the QC that apparently Apple continues to struggle with in their software releases. Guess I'll continue to stick with Big Sur, as both my work & home setups rely on hubs in order for them to work.
Disappointed in the QC that apparently Apple continues to struggle with in their software releases. Guess I'll continue to stick with Big Sur, as both my work & home setups rely on hubs in order for them to work.
Just wanted to update: Even my small USB-C hub now works. BUT with my Mac mini M1 it still does not recognize anything connected through a USB-C monitor (has a built in hub). So it is better, but not solved for me.
Yes, I'm having to bring up Disk Utility and select a couple drives and Mount them. And for two drives, the password doesn't seem to get saved/stored when mounting, even though the check box is selected to remember in Keychain.
I updated to 12.1 when it was released and the iKling USB-C hub I have was back up and working perfectly on all ports and attachments!
I'm at 12.2 now with zero issues.
I'm at 12.2 now with zero issues.
Well, maybe the hub wasn't the problem for me.
I connected my two external HDDs directly to my 2020 iMac on macOS 12.1 and the HDDs will not stay connected! My notification center is filled with "DiskNot Ejected Properly" messages about my two external HDDs. And whenever they lose their connection, my Logitech mouse loses its connection, too, because the wireless receiving is plugged in via USB.
Although I didn't introduce the Thunderbolt 2 hub to my iMac until after Monterey, I have had these two HDDs connected directly before Monterey and I never had this trouble.
I connected my two external HDDs directly to my 2020 iMac on macOS 12.1 and the HDDs will not stay connected! My notification center is filled with "DiskNot Ejected Properly" messages about my two external HDDs. And whenever they lose their connection, my Logitech mouse loses its connection, too, because the wireless receiving is plugged in via USB.
Although I didn't introduce the Thunderbolt 2 hub to my iMac until after Monterey, I have had these two HDDs connected directly before Monterey and I never had this trouble.
My CalDigit TS3+ works fine except for one big issue: I can't reliably sync my iPhone when it's connected. I need to add music files to my iPhone almost daily so I need this to be quick. It works great when I unplug the Caldigit.
But I also want to read SD cards from my camera - which the Caldigit can read reliably when the internal SD card reader cannot. I't every frustrating - I have a ton of music, video and storage peripherals I need to connect and a dock is essential but it doesn't work.
Edit:
Removed the Caldigit. Synced music.
My iPhone now has NO playlists on it and NO music other than purchases.
WTAF???
But I also want to read SD cards from my camera - which the Caldigit can read reliably when the internal SD card reader cannot. I't every frustrating - I have a ton of music, video and storage peripherals I need to connect and a dock is essential but it doesn't work.
Edit:
Removed the Caldigit. Synced music.
My iPhone now has NO playlists on it and NO music other than purchases.
WTAF???
Last edited:
I bought this USB hub for my new M1 iMac...
I have both an NVME drive and an SSD in it. Generally, it works well, but I do get random disconnect errors with it. I have observed a couple of things. I can copy from one of the disks in the hub to another disk using another USB port on my iMac without issue. But, if I copy from the NVME to the SSD in the hub, I get the disconnect errors. Curiously, If I use a low speed USB cord to connect the hub to the iMac, I can copy from the NVME to the SSD in the hub without disconnect issues, though it is painfully slow. I also see disconnect errors when moving photos from an iPhone to the Photos library on the nVME if I connect the phone to the front port of the hub. The NVME drive in the hub is backed up to my Time Machine drive as well, and it works without issue as the Time Machine drive is connected to another port. I suspect the disconnect issues have to do with "overloading" the USB port somehow, as if the system can't handle the amount/speed of the data moving through the port.
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I have both an NVME drive and an SSD in it. Generally, it works well, but I do get random disconnect errors with it. I have observed a couple of things. I can copy from one of the disks in the hub to another disk using another USB port on my iMac without issue. But, if I copy from the NVME to the SSD in the hub, I get the disconnect errors. Curiously, If I use a low speed USB cord to connect the hub to the iMac, I can copy from the NVME to the SSD in the hub without disconnect issues, though it is painfully slow. I also see disconnect errors when moving photos from an iPhone to the Photos library on the nVME if I connect the phone to the front port of the hub. The NVME drive in the hub is backed up to my Time Machine drive as well, and it works without issue as the Time Machine drive is connected to another port. I suspect the disconnect issues have to do with "overloading" the USB port somehow, as if the system can't handle the amount/speed of the data moving through the port.
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12.2 isn’t out yet unless your are running the developer / public beta.
Glad to know that your usb-c hub is working after upgrading to 12.1.
Yes, macOS 12.2 has only had one beta release as of yet, and it's most likely not much different than macOS 12.1, like a placeholder. I'd expect b2 to include more fixes and possibly some of those new features that got cut at the last minute.
What issue is it that you're looking to be addressed?
I see, oh not sure if you saw my other post about this but I was just seeing if the issue with the usb hubs got addressed by Apple in MacOS Monterey 12.1 (somehow I didn’t see it in the release notes) or if I should hold off upgrading a 2017 MacBook Pro to Monterey or hang tight with Big Sur and wait to see what 12.2 brings.
Well, although I’m on an M1 2020 MBP, I’m no longer getting the many kernel panics prior to 12.1, which were OFTEN. Like at least once or twice every two days or so. I’m using a Belkin dock. I’m still having a myriad of other smaller issues I’ve reported, but at least it’s still usable. Not like game changing issues..
Both of my USB3 hubs are getting dropped with 12.1 on an M1 Mac mini. It is really a pain in the @$$.
I was holding off of upgrading and not taking any chances, but Apple upgraded it for me whilst doing my top case replacement, without asking me first. My HyperDrive hub works okay, in case anyone wants to know.
I can confirm that I just started experiencing this issue today, after a few weeks of it working fine. I didn't do any updates or anything, only restarted the computer and it no longer worked properly. I suspect this may be related to Thunderbolt 3 daisy chaining, since that is essentially what my OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock is doing with the USB drives connected to it, however, it leaves the monitors connected unaffected.
That said, I ask all of you who are currently still dealing with this extremely frustrating issue to please contact Apple so they have no choice but to investigate further.
There is another thread on the Apple Dev forum about this issue as well. Feel free to have a look: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/683409?answerId=701809022#701809022
- Computer: M1 Max MBP 16"
- Hub: OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock
- Connected Devices:
- 2 External Displays (are connected to the hub and work fine)
- 3x USB 3.0 External Hard Drives (do not connect through the hub, but do when connected directly to my MBP via USB-C to USB 3.0 dongle)
- Hub powers MBP (through the single Thunderbolt 3 connection, per the usual)
That said, I ask all of you who are currently still dealing with this extremely frustrating issue to please contact Apple so they have no choice but to investigate further.
There is another thread on the Apple Dev forum about this issue as well. Feel free to have a look: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/683409?answerId=701809022#701809022
Just another data point. I clean-installed 12.1 on a 2019 15" Intel MBP yesterday. I had to boot into recovery mode for a completely unrelated task, and then when rebooting the machine back into normal mode my wired SteelSeries mouse had no power & no function whatsoever. It was like it wasn't plugged in at all. Caught me off guard haha.
This system uses an eGPU in a Razer Core X Chroma chasis which has its own USB hub ; however I don't use that at all. The eGPU setup is strictly to drive an external monitor setup and to provide power for the Mac.
On the other side of the Mac I have a Belkin USB hub. This thing has a USB mic (Elgato Wave:3), the SteelSeries wired mouse thing, and a G-Drive dangling off of it. There's also an ethernet port on that hub which I use. Weird thing is that only the mouse wasn't recognized and everything else seemed fine. Unplugging and re-plugging the hub got the mouse to work as well so I'm not quite sure if this is really the same issue as ya'll are seeing here.
This system uses an eGPU in a Razer Core X Chroma chasis which has its own USB hub ; however I don't use that at all. The eGPU setup is strictly to drive an external monitor setup and to provide power for the Mac.
On the other side of the Mac I have a Belkin USB hub. This thing has a USB mic (Elgato Wave:3), the SteelSeries wired mouse thing, and a G-Drive dangling off of it. There's also an ethernet port on that hub which I use. Weird thing is that only the mouse wasn't recognized and everything else seemed fine. Unplugging and re-plugging the hub got the mouse to work as well so I'm not quite sure if this is really the same issue as ya'll are seeing here.
I'm having intermittent problems getting devices plugged into my LG 5K to be recognized by my M1 Pro when I connect the TB cable from my monitor to my MBP. Curiously enough, the port I use to insert the TB cable matters. If I use the one TB4 port on the right side, it usually doesn't work. If I use one of the two ports on the left side, it usually does. Disconnecting and reconnecting multiple times will sometimes get things working.
I'm also having problems on my 2018 MBP in Monterey. I have a Logitech trackball that only gets recognized sometimes when it's plugged in directly. Again, the choice of ports makes a difference. There's one port where it tends to work more often.
I have managed to fix the issue on my 2018 by using an old USB 2.0 splitter. It seems that if I put that in between my USB trackball and my 2018 MBP, it has no problem picking up the trackball all of a sudden.
I'm also having problems on my 2018 MBP in Monterey. I have a Logitech trackball that only gets recognized sometimes when it's plugged in directly. Again, the choice of ports makes a difference. There's one port where it tends to work more often.
I have managed to fix the issue on my 2018 by using an old USB 2.0 splitter. It seems that if I put that in between my USB trackball and my 2018 MBP, it has no problem picking up the trackball all of a sudden.
Here's an update on my experience.
Monterey definitely changed something that caused a problem with one of my external drive enclosures (see my previous posts in this thread for details). I wasn't having those connection troubles with this drive before Monterey.
But I realized I was having trouble with one specific drive, and the trouble was happening regardless of whether it was directly connected or it was connected through the Thunderbolt 2 hub.
So I simply replaced the drive enclosure for that one drive, and now it works fine! No connection troubles with that drive, no other weird USB disconnections while it's connected, and it works fine through the same Thunderbolt 2 hub while also having two other USB 3.0 drives connected (same hard drives, but original Seagate enclosures).
The problem is now completely resolved, at least for me. So if you're still having trouble with external drives, it could be the enclosure/interface instead of the hub. And it seems like Monterey triggered it somehow.
Monterey definitely changed something that caused a problem with one of my external drive enclosures (see my previous posts in this thread for details). I wasn't having those connection troubles with this drive before Monterey.
But I realized I was having trouble with one specific drive, and the trouble was happening regardless of whether it was directly connected or it was connected through the Thunderbolt 2 hub.
So I simply replaced the drive enclosure for that one drive, and now it works fine! No connection troubles with that drive, no other weird USB disconnections while it's connected, and it works fine through the same Thunderbolt 2 hub while also having two other USB 3.0 drives connected (same hard drives, but original Seagate enclosures).
The problem is now completely resolved, at least for me. So if you're still having trouble with external drives, it could be the enclosure/interface instead of the hub. And it seems like Monterey triggered it somehow.
I'm happy to report the issue of connecting to USB devices through my OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock has also been resolved, however, it was not the upgrade to macOS 12.2 that did it. I updated the OS a few days prior without any change.
It started working properly after I shut my computer down (keeping the dock connected), and restarting. I did this several times over the past week but for whatever reason, it did the trick this time. Hopefully this helps some of you get past this extremely frustrating issue that Apple should've fixed long ago.
It started working properly after I shut my computer down (keeping the dock connected), and restarting. I did this several times over the past week but for whatever reason, it did the trick this time. Hopefully this helps some of you get past this extremely frustrating issue that Apple should've fixed long ago.
I can't get my Brother scanner to work. This thread makes me think I've narrowed down the issue, but would love to know the device I need.
I have a Macbook Air M1 2020 running OS12.2, and a Thunderbolt Display 2011. I cannot for the life of me get my little desktop Brother DS-640 scanner to work through the display's USB 3 ports.
The Macbook is connected to the display with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter. The (ONLY) other USB-C port is the power cord.
The Mac sees the scanner but it will not send paper through. It just sits there. Does it require too much power? Because I'm using a Tonor USB microphone just fine.
Thanks, friends. This scanner worked fine on my 2015 Macbook Air.
I have a Macbook Air M1 2020 running OS12.2, and a Thunderbolt Display 2011. I cannot for the life of me get my little desktop Brother DS-640 scanner to work through the display's USB 3 ports.
The Macbook is connected to the display with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter. The (ONLY) other USB-C port is the power cord.
The Mac sees the scanner but it will not send paper through. It just sits there. Does it require too much power? Because I'm using a Tonor USB microphone just fine.
Thanks, friends. This scanner worked fine on my 2015 Macbook Air.
Just confirming this has NOT been fixed. Upgraded my M1 mini to Monterey from Big Sur and it immediately started crashing overnight. Removed the USB hub and it's been stable since. There is definitely still a USB hub compatibility issue with M1 and Monterey.
NOT fixed. I finally bought a wireless desktop scanner to be able to scan docs. I bought the Epson ES-60W.
Don't know if already mentioned, but there's also connectivity issues with the USB "hub" or extra ports on the back of the Apple Pro XDR display on new M1 MacBook Pro. So not limited to non Apple hubs. Never experienced with prev MBP (late 2019).
Every now and then the devices connected there disappears from the Mac, and work again when unplugging and reconnecting the display.
This is sometimes also required when waking the computer up from sleep. Black displays on both Mac and external Apple Pro XDR when tapping random keys, until I unplug and reconnect the display.
Every now and then the devices connected there disappears from the Mac, and work again when unplugging and reconnecting the display.
This is sometimes also required when waking the computer up from sleep. Black displays on both Mac and external Apple Pro XDR when tapping random keys, until I unplug and reconnect the display.