Connecting USB devices to 16" MacBook Pro

Cindy Rosenblum wrote:

I should also add that I have 2 EHD’s that are USB as well.

Presumably, you are referring to External Hard Drives (or SSDs) that use a USB-A connection.

If your Hub provides sufficient USB-A ports, this should work well for those, as well.

If those “EHD’s” use USB-C, then USB-C ports on your hub, or on your MacBook, should work, at least reasonably well.

Unfortunately, USB 4 (“Thunderbolt 4”) is not fully compatible with all previous USB-C (connector) using devices.

The USB 4 standard didn’t maintain full backward compatibility with all previous USB-C connector using systems.

(Presumably, there were too many conflicting cases, or, the standards body simply chose to streamline or simplify the new standard. I’m not sure what the reasoning was.)

Cindy Rosenblum:

So-called “Thunderbolt 4” is a marketing term used for USB 4, when it supports a certain set of the optional capabilities of USB 4.

As such, you can use that designation to help in ascertaining whether certain optional capabilities are available.

For instance, if you buy “Thunderbolt 4” cables, you can be certain that such will support all the advanced capabilities of USB 4.

However, since USB-A cannot support any such capabilities, such matters have no bearing upon USB-A devices and connections.

Welcome, Cindy Rosenblum, to Apple Support Communities!

USB 4 (which requires the USB-C connector; the first USB standard to do so) is the future (and what Apple is using, now).

Provided your USB hub is sufficiently compatible with USB 4, it should work well. (I presume that it provides USB-A ports, on the hub.)

You may also use USB-C to USB-A adapters. These should be reasonably easy and inexpensive to obtain. (These don’t need to be specific to USB 4, since USB-A connectors cannot use the additional signals.)

Cindy Rosenblum wrote:

Thank you for your answer. Just to clarify, is USB 4 the Thunderbolt 4 port? Just trying to figure out what port I would use to do all of this. Thanks again.

USBC ports.

See this info: MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch - Technical Specifications - Apple

then scroll down to Charging and Expansion.