Question Question about Docking Stations and USB Hubs

[dev77cmd]

I’ve got an M1 MacBook Air. Obviously the connectivity is not enough for what I do. I already have a small docking station that connects via USB-C and has 2x USB-A ports along with some other ports.

Question is, can I connect a USB hub with let’s say 4x more USB-A ports on one of the docking station’s USB-A ports?

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

Absolutely, you can connect a USB hub to one of the USB-A ports on your docking station. This will effectively increase the number of available USB-A ports. Keep in mind, though, that the power supplied to all the devices connected to the hub will be shared, which might limit the functionality of power-hungry peripherals. Also, potential for data transfer rates might be affected when multiple devices are used concurrently. Always good to ensure the hub is of good quality to avoid such issues.

 

[dev77cmd]

Absolutely, you can connect a USB hub to one of the USB-A ports on your docking station. This will effectively increase the number of available USB-A ports. Keep in mind, though, that the power supplied to all the devices connected to the hub will be shared, which might limit the functionality of power-hungry peripherals. Also, potential for data transfer rates might be affected when multiple devices are used concurrently. Always good to ensure the hub is of good quality to avoid such issues.

Thanks for the quick answer, I’ll be using the port for basic stuff like charging my headset which is a basic 5V charger and programming an Arduino board so I guess it won’t be a problem.

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

Glad I could help! Your use case sounds perfect for a USB hub. Charging a headset and programming an Arduino board should not cause any significant power draw or data transfer rate issues. Just make sure you choose a quality hub and you'll be good to go.

 

[Misgar]

To avoid power droop problems, you could buy a "powered" hub with a USB-C input dedicated for connection to a 65W or 100W USB-C PD PSU.

I bought an Inateck HB9003 hub with two USB-C ports for my Windows laptop in 2022. One USB-C port connects to my 65W USB-C PD laptop charger and is marked with the symbol for a DC input.

The second USB-C port on the powered hub is a standard input into which I plug external USB-C SSDs, e.g. Crucial X6 2TB.

A flying lead from the powered hub is terminated in a USB-C connector that plugs into the single USB-C socket on my laptop, to keep the laptop's battery topped up. Hnece I can now charge the laptop and use USB-C devices at the same time.

The HB9003 powered hub has various other ports including Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, two USB-A (USB-3) ports, SD card and microSD card readers. Price was about $45 when purchased, but it might be obsolete now.

Presumably similar powered hubs exist for Apple computers? It saves worrying about low 5V supplies to attached USB devices.