Hello Vincenzo,
Your situation sounds frustrating. If the SSD is working well through the Belkin HUB but not when connected directly to the Macbook Air M1, several factors could be at play.
1. Cable Quality: The quality of the cable you use to connect directly could be inferior or damaged. Make sure you're using a high-quality cable that supports the data transfer rates that your SSD requires.
2. Port Issues: It could be an issue with the USB port itself on the Macbook Air. You may want to try using a different port, if available, to see if the issue persists.
3. Power Supply: Some SSDs require more power to function correctly. Hubs often have their own power supply and can provide more power to connected devices. Make sure your MacBook Air is sufficiently powering the SSD when directly connected.
4. Firmware/Driver Updates: Check if there are any firmware updates for your SSD or driver updates for your Mac that may resolve the issue.
5. System Preferences: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy tab, then select "Full Disk Access" and see if your external drive appears there. Sometimes permissions can cause issues.
6. Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility and run "First Aid" on the SSD to check for any issues.
7. Console Logs: You might be able to find more information on what's causing the slowdown by checking the Console logs when you connect the SSD directly to the MacBook Air.
8. File System: Ensure that the file system of the SSD is fully compatible with macOS for optimal performance. For a Mac, you generally want to use APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
9. Activity Monitor: Open Activity Monitor and check if any process is hogging CPU or Disk resources when you connect the SSD directly, which might give you a clue as to what’s happening.
10. Contact Apple Support: Sometimes it’s best to consult the experts if none of the above steps work. They may offer insights specific to the M1 chip.
