Multiport thunderbolt 4 connector/adaptor/hub

Question

Level 1

46 points

Multiport thunderbolt 4 connector/adaptor/hub

I'm looking for a multiport Thunderbolt hub with multiple Thunderbolt 3 or 4 ports so that I can plug in say a power adaptor, Thunderbolt drive and Thunderbolt USB key. Are there any in existence? There are plenty with multiple HDMI or USB 3 ports, but most have only one Thunderbolt or USB-C port. Even then, a lot of the USB-C ports are just power passthrough and don't support data (except for the port to connect to a computer).

The primary reason is so I can connect a Kingston Datatraveler (USB-C 3.2 Gen 2) drive to a MacBook Pro. The drive works fine with the laptop (and is really fast), however it's so wide that it prevents anything from being connected to the adjacent Thunderbolt port, so it effectively takes up 2 ports (or 3 if there was another one on the other side). That's seriously annoying, and wasn't mentioned in any of the reviews I read.

If there aren't any, I'll just get a male to female cable, but am hoping for a hub. I can't understand why there aren't plenty available.

Posted on Jun 1, 2023 1:56 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Servant of Cats

Level 8

40,613 points

Jun 1, 2023 6:23 AM in response to ozRob

With respect to connecting multiple Thunderbolt devices to a single Thunderbolt port on a computer, the usual way to do this is with daisy-chaining.

There are some hubs that can split a single Thunderbolt chain into multiple Thunderbolt chains. OWC has a couple. Once hub makers start to try to obtain USB4 certification for their devices, this sort of feature may become more common. But right now it is hard to find hubs that will turn a single USB-C port into several – probably because of the very "Swiss Army Knife" nature of USB-C that makes it attractive in the first place.

I've never heard of a "Thunderbolt USB key." Do you mean a USB flash drive with a USB-C connector? To the best of my knowledge, those only need a USB-C port that supports USB data transfers. I believe there are a few USB-C or Thunderbolt hubs or docks that offer USB-C (USB data and power delivery only) ports, even if they do not replicate DisplayPort and Thunderbolt signals.

Reply

Answer 2

ozRob Author

Level 1

46 points

Jun 1, 2023 5:49 PM in response to Servant of Cats

Hi,

Daisy–chainable device enclosures are a rarity, so not really a solution. I have a fairly new OWC Envoy480 Thunderbolt external drive, it only has one port. When researching fast Thunderbolt external drives, I don't recall any of the candidates I looked at having more than one port (though I think there are one or two available, they didn't fit my criteria).

There are a small number of hubs that have more than one USB-C port, but they tend to be at the top end of hubs, e.g. OWC's three port hub is $250 and likely the Kingston USB key would block two ports (or all 3 if put in the middle port). My laptop has Thunderbolt 4 so I'd like the hub to support Thunderbolt too. I have no idea why Intel insists on multiple specifications for it's USB devices and connectors that are lesser than Thunderbold 4, especially when it's part of the consortium that devised it.

The specs for the Kingston USB key are in the post, but I'd want a hub to be Thunderbolt 3 or 4. I imagine that Thunderbolt USB keys (thumb drives, flash drives, whatever) will be available eventually.

Anyhow, in the meantime I've gone for a 90° connector so that the key will sit upright and out of the way of other ports. Hopefully it doesn't affect speed.

Reply

Answer 3

ku4hx

Level 7

23,726 points

Jun 1, 2023 5:35 AM in response to ozRob

Yep, physical dimensions can be a problem. My solution was find a hub or dock that was compatible both physically and electronically. In some cases I use very short extension type cables. It's a crap shoot; not every combination is fully compatible both physically and electronically.

Reply

Multiport thunderbolt 4 connector/adaptor/hub

Similar questions