USB Hubs and Port Expanders

Powered or bus-powered: can the hub run your drives?

A bus-powered hub takes all its power from the computer's one USB port, which is fine for keyboards, mice and flash drives. Hard drives, phones that charge and other power-hungry devices can drop out or fail to start. A powered hub has its own adapter and gives each port a full supply, so choose it for drives and charging. Note that some listings here are card readers or other specialist devices, so read the product type and the port count before assuming you are getting a plain hub.

USB version labels and the bandwidth every port shares

Version names overlap. USB 3.0 runs at 5 Gbps and is also called USB 3.2 Gen 1, while USB 3.1 Gen 2 or USB 3.2 Gen 2 runs at 10 Gbps, so trust the Gbps figure. USB 2.0 tops out at 480 Mbps. The uplink to the computer is shared by every port, so a seven-port hub with a 5 Gbps uplink gives less to each fast drive when several are busy. Match the uplink speed to your fastest device.

Questions about USB Hubs and Port Expanders

Why does my external drive disconnect on a hub?

A bus-powered hub may not supply enough current for a hard drive, especially when it spins up. Use a hub with its own power adapter, or plug the drive into the computer directly.

Does a USB 3.0 hub make USB 2.0 devices faster?

No. Each device runs at its own speed limit. A USB 3.0 hub only helps USB 3.0 devices, and all ports share one connection to the computer, so several fast drives working at once each get less bandwidth.

Are USB 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2 the same?

The labels overlap. USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps, also called USB 3.2 Gen 1. USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 are 10 Gbps. Check the listed Gbps figure rather than the version number alone.