Safe to connect multiple portable USB 3.0 hard drives to a 4 port usb 3.0 hub?

[KendiKong]

http://www.amazon.com/Unitek-Extension-Adapter-Compatible-Smartphone/dp/B00KMKKJWW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1448742767&sr=8-5&keywords=unitek+4+port+usb+hub

Heres the usb hub that I just bought.

I have 5 portable 2.5 inch hard drives i want to connect to my laptop, and there are only 2 ports available. So I got this hub. How many hard drives can I safely plug into the hub? My initial test with 4 hard drives plugged in seemed ok, but then I had some trouble with one hard drive being read, and it kept disconecting and reconnecting and making clicking noises(I plugged it back directly to my laptop and it works fine, so its not broken or anything). But so you know, I do not know if this is the issue with my hard drive or the usb port, because even without the usb hub, my hard drives have occasional difficulty being read and making clicking noises because my usb 3.0 ports are very unstable. Most of the time they work just fine, no noises. Its very inconsistent.

 

[Paperdoc]

This is not the hub you need. Its only power source is from the host computer's USB3 port and hence it is limited to a max of 0.9 amps total power to all connected devices. The description on the page you linked says that clearly as item 2 in Additional Notes.

One advantage of the USB3 system is that each port can supply up to 0.9 amps (USB2 was 0.5) to a device. USB2 "portable hard drives" had to be specially designed to work under that 0.5 amp limit OR provided with special connection cables that you had to plug into TWO host USB2 ports. The new USB3 "portable hard drives" are designed to work with the higher 0.9 amp limit and usually do NOT come with double-connector cables. So, EACH portable hard drive of the USB3 type is VERY likely to need most of that 0.9 amp limit, and you cannot plug in more than one of these on this hub.

What you need is called a Powered USB3 Hub. It comes with its own power supply block that plugs into the wall and draws virtually no power from the host computer's port. The power supply unit should provide at least 0.9 amps PER PORT for as many ports as the hub has. Here is one that is much more than you need - it has 10 ports (one of which is designed for charging certain devices) and can supply up to 10 amps total to its combined load, so it certainly can handle 5 drives at 0.9 amps each. However, it's more expensive than others.

http://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Anker-SuperSpeed-Including-Charging/dp/B005NGQWL2/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1448772026&sr=8-9&keywords=usb3+powered+hub

This next has only 4 ports (do you need to use 5 at once?) but CAN provide 0.9 amps per port to all four.

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-SuperSpeed-4-Port-Powered-DUB-1340/dp/B005AS337Y/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1448772479&sr=8-10&keywords=usb3+powered+hub

This next has 7 USB3 ports plus 2 charging ports, and comes with a 12 V, 5 A (60W) power supply that should be able to support all 7 USB3 ports at 5 V, 0.9 A (33.5W) with no trouble.