having USB connectivity problems on MacBook Pro M2: unreliable Thunderbolt port? unreliable USB-C hub?
I recently acquired a 16" M2 MacBook Pro.
I intend to use it with an external keyboard and mouse connected by USB. I also have a couple external drives, a couple sound modules, and a copy protection dongle. All of these peripherals are USB 2.0 or 3.0.
Before I got the M2, with my previous Intel MacBook I used a powered USB 3.0 hub (Atolla) for some of the peripherals, and daisy chained a USB 2.0 hub for the keyboard and mouse.
For the M2, I bought an Insignia hub that goes from USB-C input to 4 USB 3.0 outputs. I also bought two USB-C to USB 2.0 dongles from Apple.
I hooked up the Insignia to one of the Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports on the new MacBook. I daisy-chained the Atolla into it to attach my USB 3.0 drives and sound modules. I plugged my keyboard and mouse into another one of the Insignia outputs.
It worked at first. But ever since then, the my USB connectivity has been spotty. Each time I reboot the M2, it's hit-and-miss whether the keyboard and mouse will work. One time after rebooting, nothing connected to the Insignia (including external drives) worked. When I unplugged the Insignia and switched to the USB-C-to-USB-2.0 dongles, everything came back. (Although I can't use my USB 3.0 drives at full speed that way.)
Then I tried the Insignia in a different MacBook Thunderbolt port. It worked! Then I moved it back to the original Thunderbolt port. It worked!
What does it sound like the problem is? Do I just have a defective USC-C hub, or can there be issues in the MacBook OS that can cause this?
MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023)
