USB HUB FOR IMAC

I bought this hub with the optional power adaptor for my 2017 5K iMac:

Sabrent Aluminum Hub

Optional Power Adapter

Without the adaptor the hub only supports low-power devices like mice. Same with other non-powered hubs. With the power adapter it works with USB flash drives and can read my DSLR camera via USB cable. It will NOT charge my iPad Air Gen1 even with the adaptor. Still, it does what I need and gives front-side port access without looking like a SteamPunk project.

For the iPad I bought this inexpensive USB-C to USB-A adapter for one of my Thunderbolt 3 ports. It has no issues charging the iPad. A bit longer cable might help but, at this point, all I use it for is the iPad.

non powered usb hubs share the amount of amps one can draw from the usb ports so if 2 devices draw a lot they will not work on an unpowered hub

ac powered usb hubs provide separate current amount for each port

all hubs share data transfer maximum between ports

usb-c is just a connector but to connect a hub to it the hub needs that connector

if one only has 1 device connected to a hub the device can be charged the same as if the device was connected directly to the usb port of the computer

I have 2 of the following Sabrent 4 port USB 3.0 Hubs w/power adapters. (1 for our iMac and 1 for my Mac Mini)

see > https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Individual-Switches-Included-HB-UMP3/dp/B00TPMEOYM/?

They have no problem supporting 3 Seagate 3.0 Slim Drives and then using the 4th port for FlashDrives. I addition to the 4 port hubs, I also have a Sabrent USB 3.0 dual drive dock w/power adapter and 6 Sabrent USB 3.0 2.5" drive enclosures that all work as expected.

BDAqua wrote:

An AC powered Hub is essential, no idea how they can get away selling multi-port Hubs which divide the already poor mA available from the Mac or PC!

FWIW, AC powered hubs are not always essential. I have a powered hub on my 5K iMac and a non-powered hub on my iMac Pro which works just fine. :) It depends on the requirements.

In the user's case, a powered hub would seem to fit the bill.

Yes, USB-c is a bit different than USB2 & usb3 hubs that I wasthinking of, I haven't tried it, but this appears to be hood specs & reviews...

Notes

1. The dock can draw a maximum of 60W from a dedicated USB-C Power Adapter.

• • The dock itself requires 1.5W of power to operate.
  • If the media reader or USB peripherals connected to the dock do not perform as expected, connect the dock to a dedicated USB-C power adapter.
  • When connected to a power adapter, each USB Standard-A port can deliver up to 12W of power.
  • Any power not used by the dock, media reader, and connected USB peripherals is passed to the host for battery charging, if applicable.

1. Speeds are dependent upon the type of SD card used, including its speed class.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDK5PSGU/

Unless you need more power...

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDK5P2SG/

Or more ports...

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDK10PMHSG/

An AC powered Hub is essential, no idea how they can get away selling multi-port Hubs which divide the already poor mA available from the Mac or PC!

The Sabrent hub has tabs that hook into an air vent to positively secure it to the case:

The hub does not move at all relative to the case.

However, inserting a USB plug into the hub takes more force than is needed to move the screen's tilt mechanism, so I have to support the case while plugging in. I've not found it to be an issue to date, but your mileage may vary.

Drat! This is the UK partner of the US firm whose Sabrent link I posted.

https://www.megamac.com/collections/owc

I have an appointment in a few minutes and don't have time to scan to see if they do Sabrent. The US firm may ship to the UK but shipping and VAT could run the price up quite a bit.

Also check with Sabrent's support for Euro-venders: https://www.sabrent.com

Your welcome, maybe a better idea to see what is going on is System Report>Hardware>USB...