why are USB-C adapters so hard to find

[ignatius345]

I just got the new 24" iMac and have plenty of USB-C stuff to plug into it. Everything I see is either some overkill "docking" solution with HDMI and charging passthrough for laptops, and everything else under the sun for $100 or more -- or just provides a few USB-A ports (which I'm trying to move away from).

Anybody find a good solution for this? I'm really just looking for something analogous to the simple USB-A hubs I used to use, but in USB-C form. Is there some technical limitation?

 

[velocityg4]

I've wondered about this too. Best I can find is that the chips for it simply didn't exist before Thunderbolt 4. So, it'll be a while before these start coming to market.

Why can't I find a USB-C hub with multiple USB-C ports?

My computer only has one USB-C port and I want to connect multiple USB-C devices to it. I have trawled through Amazon but am amazed that I cannot find a single one. There are many hubs that have U...

superuser.com

There's also the power delivery issue. USB C devices can draw way more power than USB A devices. Any single port should be capable of delivering 3A@20V (60W) to comply with minimum cable requirements. I'd also want each port to be capable of delivering 20W concurrently. Which means on a 4 port hub you'd need an 80W power adapter (20W per port or 60W for one port plus a couple low power devices).

 

[Super Spartan]

I just got the new 24" iMac and have plenty of USB-C stuff to plug into it. Everything I see is either some overkill "docking" solution with HDMI and charging passthrough for laptops, and everything else under the sun for $100 or more -- or just provides a few USB-A ports (which I'm trying to move away from).

Anybody find a good solution for this? I'm really just looking for something analogous to the simple USB-A hubs I used to use, but in USB-C form. Is there some technical limitation?

Anker 7-in-1 USB C Hub with 4K HDMI, 100W Power Delivery, USB-C and 2 USB-A 5 Gbps Data Ports, microSD and SD Card Reader

A8346

www.amazon.com

 

[ignatius345]

Anker 7-in-1 USB C Hub with 4K HDMI, 100W Power Delivery, USB-C and 2 USB-A 5 Gbps Data Ports, microSD and SD Card Reader

A8346

www.amazon.com

Yeah, no. Things like that are everywhere and obviously I'm not having trouble finding them. I'm talking about something like this, but with USB-C ports:

I've wondered about this too. Best I can find is that the chips for it simply didn't exist before Thunderbolt 4. So, it'll be a while before these start coming to market.

Why can't I find a USB-C hub with multiple USB-C ports?

My computer only has one USB-C port and I want to connect multiple USB-C devices to it. I have trawled through Amazon but am amazed that I cannot find a single one. There are many hubs that have U...

superuser.com

There's also the power delivery issue. USB C devices can draw way more power than USB A devices. Any single port should be capable of delivering 3A@20V (60W) to comply with minimum cable requirements. I'd also want each port to be capable of delivering 20W concurrently. Which means on a 4 port hub you'd need an 80W power adapter (20W per port or 60W for one port plus a couple low power devices).

Huh. Weird. So even though the user might not need anywhere need that much power to run (say) a portable SSD or something, each port must be able to provide it?

 

[joevt]

Yeah, no. Things like that are everywhere and obviously I'm not having trouble finding them. I'm talking about something like this, but with USB-C ports:

View attachment 1812550

Huh. Weird. So even though the user might not need anywhere need that much power to run (say) a portable SSD or something, each port must be able to provide it?

USB-C ports only need to be 15W max. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

The CalDigit SOHO has a USB-C port that works even if you're not using a separate power supply. Not sure if it's 15W in that case.

There might be some 4 port usb-C hubs:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...3-or-4-usb-c-ports-also.2253025/post-28861743
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-additional-usb-c-ports.2279554/post-29490160

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Huh. Weird. So even though the user might not need anywhere need that much power to run (say) a portable SSD or something, each port must be able to provide it?

Can't you just use USB-C to USB-A adapters?
Any problems with that?

Đầu chuyển USB Type A sang USB Type C tốc độ cao Baseus (USB Type C to Type A Adapter/ Converter)

Chuyển đổi cổng USB Type A trên các lọai Laptop, Macbook thành cổng USB Type C3.1- Dùng kết nối với các bộ sạc và đồng bộ dữ liệu tốc độ cao giữa Laptop, Macbook và Smartphone dùng cổng USB Type C.- Thiết kế nhỏ gọn , sang trọng, dễ dàng mang theo.- Chất liệu kim loại siêu bền, các mặt tiếp xúc...

baseus.vn

 

[usagora]

Sitecom CN-385 Interface hub USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C 5000 Mbit/s Aluminium, Black

Connect multiple USB-C devices to a single USB-C port on your laptop via the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port. It plugs into your laptop's USB-C port, giving it four USB-C ports to connect new USB-C devices. All ports on the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port support 5Gbps data transfer speeds and 7.5W of power. Bus...

www.amazon.com

 

[joevt]

Can't you just use USB-C to USB-A adapters?
Any problems with that?

Đầu chuyển USB Type A sang USB Type C tốc độ cao Baseus (USB Type C to Type A Adapter/ Converter)

Chuyển đổi cổng USB Type A trên các lọai Laptop, Macbook thành cổng USB Type C3.1- Dùng kết nối với các bộ sạc và đồng bộ dữ liệu tốc độ cao giữa Laptop, Macbook và Smartphone dùng cổng USB Type C.- Thiết kế nhỏ gọn , sang trọng, dễ dàng mang theo.- Chất liệu kim loại siêu bền, các mặt tiếp xúc...

baseus.vn

They might work but I think they are against the USB-C spec.

Sitecom CN-385 Interface hub USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C 5000 Mbit/s Aluminium, Black

Connect multiple USB-C devices to a single USB-C port on your laptop via the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port. It plugs into your laptop's USB-C port, giving it four USB-C ports to connect new USB-C devices. All ports on the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port support 5Gbps data transfer speeds and 7.5W of power. Bus...

www.amazon.com

View attachment 1812749

Nice, if you don't mind not having 10 Gbps.

 

[usagora]

Nice, if you don't mind not having 10 Gbps.

I think that might be the reason why you don't see many of these (all I could find was the one I linked and some rack-mounted options that are far more expensive but still limited to 5Gbps) - Because it's the same speed as the USB-C to USB-A-type connector adapters that are the 3.1 Gen 1 (max 5 Gbps) standard. So you might as well get one of those and just use USB-C to A adapters.

 

[ignatius345]

Nice, if you don't mind not having 10 Gbps.

I don't mind not having 10Gbps for my Yeti mic and my Time Machine drive, no.

 

[ignatius345]

Can't you just use USB-C to USB-A adapters?
Any problems with that?

Đầu chuyển USB Type A sang USB Type C tốc độ cao Baseus (USB Type C to Type A Adapter/ Converter)

Chuyển đổi cổng USB Type A trên các lọai Laptop, Macbook thành cổng USB Type C3.1- Dùng kết nối với các bộ sạc và đồng bộ dữ liệu tốc độ cao giữa Laptop, Macbook và Smartphone dùng cổng USB Type C.- Thiết kế nhỏ gọn , sang trọng, dễ dàng mang theo.- Chất liệu kim loại siêu bền, các mặt tiếp xúc...

baseus.vn

I know what those are, thank you. They're irritating to use and I'd prefer to just use native USB-C connectors if I can.

 

[ignatius345]

Sitecom CN-385 Interface hub USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C 5000 Mbit/s Aluminium, Black

Connect multiple USB-C devices to a single USB-C port on your laptop via the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port. It plugs into your laptop's USB-C port, giving it four USB-C ports to connect new USB-C devices. All ports on the CN-385 USB-C Hub 4 Port support 5Gbps data transfer speeds and 7.5W of power. Bus...

www.amazon.com

View attachment 1812749

This is what I was thinking of, thanks! Surprisingly expensive. Weird there aren't more options, but I guess it has to do with the port specs.

 

[joevt]

This is what I was thinking of, thanks! Surprisingly expensive. Weird there aren't more options, but I guess it has to do with the port specs.

Did you see this one: https://juicedsystems.com/products/vertexhub-usb-c-hub-data-and-charging-hub-usb-3-1-gen2 in one of the links I posted? It's a bit bulkier and requires external power and is even more expensive but it has some USB-A ports, support 10 Gbps on all ports, and probably? allows more than 7.5W per port.

 

[ignatius345]

Did you see this one: https://juicedsystems.com/products/vertexhub-usb-c-hub-data-and-charging-hub-usb-3-1-gen2 in one of the links I posted? It's a bit bulkier and requires external power and is even more expensive but it has some USB-A ports, support 10 Gbps on all ports, and probably? allows more than 7.5W per port.

That is nice, but kind of massive! I'd definitely check out something like this if my setup needed several high-speed drives attached.

 

[theluggage]

I'm really just looking for something analogous to the simple USB-A hubs I used to use, but in USB-C form. Is there some technical limitation?

Problem is, for regular up-to 5Gbps USB peripherals, there's no technical advantage to using USB C over USB A beyond (YMMV) a nicer connector - it's just the same USB 3.1 gen 1 standard - and any high-speed peripheral that actually uses 10Gbps and/or USB3.2 channel bonding is probably not something that you want to connect via a hub. Meanwhile, virtually every USB-C peripheral not sold by Apple comes with a USB C-to-A cable or adapter in the box...

Bottom line: if you have lots of vanilla USB devices to connect, USB-C doesn't currently offer you a sensible solution. Unless/until someone comes out with the USB-C equivalent of the $30 8-port USB hub, you're stuck with USB A.

Best I can find is that the chips for it simply didn't exist before Thunderbolt 4. So, it'll be a while before these start coming to market.

That's Thunderbolt 4 (and the Thunderbolt-based part of USB 4) - that protocol didn't support hubs at all until version 4. So, 20/40Gbps speeds with embedded DisplayPort etc. so it is going to come at a premium. There are a couple of these on the market/coming soon (Caldigit and OWC, I think) but they're relatively expensive, are designed as laptop docks (so, massive charging brick) and would be total overkill if you just want to connect a bunch of USB 3.1 devices.

I think you're right about the extra complications of USB-C vs USB-A vis. power supply, USB3.2, various alt modes etc. making a USB-C hub more complex and expensive, even without TB, but I do recall seeing a press release for a proper "non-TB" USB-C hub chipset several years ago - if any devices ever incorporated it, you can count them on the fingers of one hoof.

Looking at what is actually on sale (including the rumoured return of so-called legacy ports to the MacBook Pro), I guess the market has spoken and what the majority of people (who aren't obsessed with how many 6k displays and NVME RAID arrays they can connect to their ultrabook) want is their USB-A/HDMI/DisplayPorts back.

 

[ignatius345]

Problem is, for regular up-to 5Gbps USB peripherals, there's no technical advantage to using USB C over USB A beyond (YMMV) a nicer connector - it's just the same USB 3.1 gen 1 standard - and any high-speed peripheral that actually uses 10Gbps and/or USB3.2 channel bonding is probably not something that you want to connect via a hub. Meanwhile, virtually every USB-C peripheral not sold by Apple comes with a USB C-to-A cable or adapter in the box...

Bottom line: if you have lots of vanilla USB devices to connect, USB-C doesn't currently offer you a sensible solution. Unless/until someone comes out with the USB-C equivalent of the $30 8-port USB hub, you're stuck with USB A.


That's Thunderbolt 4 (and the Thunderbolt-based part of USB 4) - that protocol didn't support hubs at all until version 4. So, 20/40Gbps speeds with embedded DisplayPort etc. so it is going to come at a premium. There are a couple of these on the market/coming soon (Caldigit and OWC, I think) but they're relatively expensive, are designed as laptop docks (so, massive charging brick) and would be total overkill if you just want to connect a bunch of USB 3.1 devices.

I think you're right about the extra complications of USB-C vs USB-A vis. power supply, USB3.2, various alt modes etc. making a USB-C hub more complex and expensive, even without TB, but I do recall seeing a press release for a proper "non-TB" USB-C hub chipset several years ago - if any devices ever incorporated it, you can count them on the fingers of one hoof.

Looking at what is actually on sale (including the rumoured return of so-called legacy ports to the MacBook Pro), I guess the market has spoken and what the majority of people (who aren't obsessed with how many 6k displays and NVME RAID arrays they can connect to their ultrabook) want is their USB-A/HDMI/DisplayPorts back.

Thanks for the clarification.

I have to say, for "one connector that will make everything easy" USB-C really is a massive failure. Years into this supposed unification of ports, it remains full of deeply technical caveats and the end result seems to be either more dongles or expensive docking stations. I guess, with the exact right combination of cables and devices, we get speed improvements -- but it seems to come with a lot of complications and expense. I'm working with a desktop in this situation (which makes it all easier), but it's no wonder people out there continue to want computers with the ubiquitous USB-A port.

 

[Fishrrman]

The problem with using a small hub such as the one in reply 11 above is that it relies upon "bus power" to run.

But if you have too many OTHER devices plugged into it that ALSO require bus power, you may start drawing too much power from the single port to which the hub is connected.

A hub like this needs its own power supply (with a power supply block that plugs into a wall outlet). Then it can handle multiple drives that require power, without overloading the Mac's USB port.

The juicedsystems hub linked to in #14 above looks like it might be what the OP needs. Of course, it costs a little more.

The OP commented:
"I have to say, for "one connector that will make everything easy" USB-C really is a massive failure. Years into this supposed unification of ports, it remains full of deeply technical caveats and the end result seems to be either more dongles or expensive docking stations."

Yes, and folks are finally coming around to recognizing this.
Remember, back in 2016, the exhortations in this forum to wit:
"USBa is dead...!"
Well, it ain't.
It's still around just like it always was.
And USBc was no panacea. In fact, it remains downright confusing...

 

[joevt]

Problem is, for regular up-to 5Gbps USB peripherals, there's no technical advantage to using USB C over USB A beyond (YMMV) a nicer connector - it's just the same USB 3.1 gen 1 standard - and any high-speed peripheral that actually uses 10Gbps and/or USB3.2 channel bonding is probably not something that you want to connect via a hub.

USB A can do 10 Gbps just fine. Channel bonding is not a thing for USB 3.1. Maybe you are thinking about USB 3.2 gen 1x2 or gen 2x2 which no Mac uses. In the case of a Mac and most PCs, USB 3.2 gen 1 or gen 2 is just gen 1x1 and 2x1 which are exactly the same as USB 3.1 (in the case of gen 1 and 2) or USB 3.0 (in the case of gen 1).

A USB 3.x hub is a perfectly reasonable way to connect multiple devices - each device can use the full bandwidth when the other devices are idle - and you can read from once device and write to another at full bandwidth since there's separate lines for transmit and receive (an improvement over USB 2.0).