Can anyone suggest a reliable USB hub please?

Question

Level 1

32 points

Can anyone suggest a reliable USB hub please?

I like to have a lot of USB devices plugged in to my imac. Card readers, flash drives, lightning cables just to name a few. Over the decades I've had several USB hubs and NONE of them have performed well. Its mainly just where the imac won't recognize things plugged in and I have to unplug and replug stuff to get it working. All the hubs i've used have their own power source. I'm currently using a ACASIS Powered USB Hub,16 Ports USB 3.0 Data Hub, 12V7.5A 90W Power Adapter. I'm having the same problems I've always had.

I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to make it just work reliably? Is there any kind of USB controller manager software that could help? Or has anyone just had really good luck with a hub that has a lot of things plugged in? Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

iMac 27″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Jul 26, 2022 7:16 AM

Reply

Answer 1

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,613 points

Jul 31, 2022 11:10 AM in response to Eric George

Many connection issues are not hub related but can be cable and/or OS. I found Monterey to be very sensitive. That being said my Kensington and Caldigit docks have performed well.

Reply

Answer 2

Aug 3, 2022 7:00 AM in response to Eric George

I've always used StarTech products over the years as they have usually been reliable and long lasting with the heavy use I put them through although I did have some compatibility issues with an early USB3.0 devices and Macs.

I recommend getting a hub which supports UASP which will make your USB3 drives perform better especially when older USB2/1 devices are also connected. However, for UASP to work with your drives, the drive enclosures & adapters must also support UASP.

I also really like Plugable as they have some really nice stuff and they provide lots of technical details about their products. The only downside is they have a very limited selection of products.

OWC definitely has some great products (and some that are not so great), but I'm not sure they support UASP.

Reply

Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

217,228 points

Jul 27, 2022 12:05 PM in response to Eric George

Take a look at the many USB hubs offered by OWC (MacSales.com). They are considered by many the premier 3rd party hardware provider for Macs. Give their Customer Support a call and give them you needs and budget so they can direct you to the optimal solution. I have many OWC external dries, docks and am a very satisfied customer only.

Reply

Answer 4

Jul 27, 2022 1:39 PM in response to Eric George

I'm really happy with my SABRENT Multi-Port iMac Hub. and it doesn't take up any desktop space.

Reply

Answer 5

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,078 points

Jul 27, 2022 12:20 PM in response to Eric George

I am using a bus-powered, StarTech 4 Port USB-C hub that features USB -C 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 ports (2xUSB-A, 2xUSB-C).

Reply

Answer 6

hc1111

Community Specialist

Jul 27, 2022 11:24 AM in response to Eric George

Hey there Eric George,

To help with connecting multiple devices to your Mac, check out the information and link below:

You can connect more than one device to a USB port by using a USB hub. Connect the devices to the USB ports on the hub, then connect the hub to the computer. Most USB hubs have a power adapter and should be plugged into an outlet.

Be sure to connect USB 3.0 SuperSpeed devices to a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HUB, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed devices to a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed hub, and so on.

About USB on Mac - Apple Support

Take care!

Reply

Answer 7

Mal-S

Level 5

5,072 points

Jul 27, 2022 12:29 PM in response to Eric George

I use this one on my M1 iMac.

Reply

Answer 8

Eric George Author

Level 1

32 points

Jul 31, 2022 9:49 AM in response to hc1111

Hi bot, you didn't even read the question.

Reply

Answer 9

Eric George Author

Level 1

32 points

Aug 3, 2022 6:17 AM in response to Eric George

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll have to check in to them. Does anyone know if there are good usb controller software out there? I'm not even sure if that's a thing lol.

Reply

Can anyone suggest a reliable USB hub please?

Similar questions