USB C hub - am I going crazy?

[Plexberry]

Hi there

anyone know how or where to by a usb c hub? I need as many usb c ports as I can get hold of!!

I have a 2018 iMac. It has 2 USB C ports on it. Everything I seem to buy at the mo is USB C, which is great cause I find it to be fast and reliable.

I have five usb c hard drives (so far) and a second monitor that need those ports.

so at the mo I’m doing a Rubix cube when it Comes to switching The drives and getting the right ones on the right time. And I’ve given up on a second monitor.

seems an odd situation in the modern world.

but - I can’t find a usb c hub anywhere!!
Surely they must exists right? I have 4 old usb slots on my iMac and I can easily get a usb hub ( of which I do have one ) but I can’t find a usb c extender hub anywhere.

I can’t be the only person in the world who needs more than two usb c devices at one time.

Any info on where to buy one would be great!

If they don’t exist please tell me why! It’s insane!

 

[ferrarr]

See if anything in this article helps, https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-best-usb-and-usb-c-hubs?

 

[lclev]

Wow - you are right. It seems the hub makers all assume you want to use them as an adapters.

This is the best I could find and it only offers two! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082WT3FL4/?tag=macforums0e4-20

There are also adapters that would let you use the USB 3 ports on your iMac with USB-C devices but you will loose some speed.
Lisa

 

[RadDave]

Well, I've own the small hub below from OWC since getting a new iMac last year - check the link HERE to see their other offerings - good luck. Dave
.

 

[Rod]

Thats a really nice looking hub Dave but I still get a bit peeved when I think that I would have to spend an additional AU$76.00 to purchase an accessory just to get the same ports I already have on my 13" 2015 MBPr. I bought this model at Christmas 2017 because I knew what was coming and I wasn't willing to swap out all my USB A devices just yet.
Now nearly 3 years down the track we still find that even Apple doesn't produce many USB C connected devices. Even my 2020 iPhone SE still comes with a USB A cable while my wife has to use an adaptor to plug her iPhone X into her 2018 MBP.
There is however a leak on Mac Rumours https://www.macrumors.com/2020/07/14/apple-iphone-12-braided-lightning-cable/ that suggests that the iPhone 12 may come with a braided USB-C to Lightening cable, all I can say is about time.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Hi there

...anyone know how or where to by a usb c hub? I need as many usb c ports as I can get hold of!!

You won't be happy with this answer... the chipsets required to make a USB-C hub just aren't available.

Why no Multiport USB-C hubs?

Why no Multiport USB-C hubs?

Does anyone know of any multiport (3+ ports) usb-c hubs? I'm talking about something like this: Except all of those regular USB ports would all be USB-C. I'm thinking of smaller portable hubs, not something like this from OWC, which is a larger desktop style hub: Even that only has two...

forums.macrumors.com

You might be able to find a hub with two USB-C ports, but they won't both be 100% functional as normal.

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer • Attorney at Law
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)
Macintosh Routine Maintenance • http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________

 

[Plexberry]

Thanks everyone. Very I try.

the problemwith hubs with two usb c plugs is that you’re only gaining one.

@Randy B. Singer do you know why they’re not available? A patent issue? For me it makes the technology of usb c totally useless. The old USB therefore is the much better option - despite the age of it and speed issues.

 

[ferrarr]

I think because they can be used in a daisy chain, there is no need for them.

 

[MacInWin]

I think because they can be used in a daisy chain, there is no need for them.

Maybe not "no need," but certainly less need. That was my thinking as well, Bob. Just daisy chain them.

 

[Plexberry]

Maybe not "no need," but certainly less need. That was my thinking as well, Bob. Just daisy chain them.

That’s what I thought but none of my 5 hard drives have this. These aren’t ‘cheap’ drives either A they’re G Raid and LaCie drives, no daisy chaining options. And because of no hdmi port on new iMac I have to use one of my ports for a second monitor - which I no longer use

not sure what suitable editing drives offer daisy chaining...

 

[MacInWin]

Then you may be stuck with what's in post #4.

 

[ferrarr]

They may be available sooner or later.....

USB4 enables hubs with multiple USB-C ports

Today’s USB-C hubs include multiple USB-A ports, but can’t add additional USB-C ports. This will change when USB4 gets widely implemented, which just took

www.cultofmac.com

 

[Randy B. Singer]

@Randy B. Singer do you know why they’re not available? A patent issue?

I do not know. Not even the experts that I've communicated with know.

For me it makes the technology of usb c totally useless. The old USB therefore is the much better option - despite the age of it and speed issues.

Well, then USB-C will work fine for you then. Because it's easy to find inexpensive hubs that connect to your Mac's USB-C port that provide multiple USB 3.x type A ports. Just make sure that you don't purchase any peripherals that have USB-C inputs.

 

[MacInWin]

Just make sure that you don't purchase any peripherals that have USB-C inputs.

Unless they have two ports and can be daisy chained.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Unless they have two ports and can be daisy chained.

I've never seen anyone daisy-chaining USB-C devices. So I did some research. While Thunderbolt allows some daisy-chaining (it likes monitors to be at the end of such a chain), USB-C does not:

Explaining Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, and Everything In Between - TidBITS

The new MacBook Pro laptops are the first Macs with Thunderbolt 3, a standard that uses the USB-C plug style and retains USB compatibility. But what’s most interesting about Thunderbolt 3 is how it supports numerous other protocols, including USB, Thunderbolt 2, FireWire, DisplayPort, and...

tidbits.com

This shouldn't be a surprise. USB devices have never been designed to be daisy-chained, they've always been designed to be used in a "star" configuration (i.e. with a hub):

Error

ask.adaptec.com

This topic becomes confusing to folks because some Thunderbolt ports use USB-C type connectors. But these aren't USB-C ports, they are Thunderbolt ports.

 

[MacInWin]

x

USB devices have never been designed to be daisy-chained, they've always been designed to be used in a "star" configuration (i.e. with a hub):

Randy, I'm daisy chaining USB3 devices right now. I have a USB3 drive that has a USB3 port on the front that then connects to a USB thumb drive. The drives mount separately on my desktop. I have a second, identical, USB3 drive that has a scanner daisy chained from that port. Works perfectly for me. Maybe I'm just lucky, but in practice it works every time. Maybe USB-C changed and they can no longer be daisy chained?

 

[MacInWin]

What about some of these? Would any of these work for the OP?

HyperDrive USB-C Hubs | Hypershop

Discover a diverse collection of high-quality USB-C hubs at HyperShop. Browse our extensive selection of versatile and reliable USB-C hubs, offering seamless integration, fast data transfer, and multiple ports. Shop now and enjoy the convenience of expanding your device's capabilities with ease...

www.hypershop.com

 

[Randy B. Singer]

What about some of these? Would any of these work for the OP?

Take a close look at those "USB-C hubs". None of them take a USB-C output and turn it into more than two USB-C ports. And even in the latter case, the two USB-C ports aren't equal to the original that they are attached to.

 

[MacInWin]

Noted that, but the OP also said he had a monitor to support, so one of those hubs would allow that function to be satisfied and still leave the same number of USB-C ports available. Not perfect, and the Rubik's cube will still be in play, but at least the Monitor is satisfied.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

x

Randy, I'm daisy chaining USB3 devices right now. I have a USB3 drive that has a USB3 port on the front that then connects to a USB thumb drive. The drives mount separately on my desktop. I have a second, identical, USB3 drive that has a scanner daisy chained from that port. Works perfectly for me. Maybe I'm just lucky, but in practice it works every time. Maybe USB-C changed and they can no longer be daisy chained?

USB 3.0 may be an outlier. None of the articles that I cited talk about whether or not they are daisy-chainable.