Question USB-C power port for data?

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

I need to get a hub that connects to Thunderbolt/USB-C on my Mac. The hubs I see have USB-3 ports, an Ethernet port (which is all nice) and a "USB-C Power Port". My question is whether that USB-C power port is JUST for power, or can it be used as a regular USB-C port for data transfer? I would very much like the latter, because once I plug this thing into my computer USB-C port, I have one less USB-C port on my computer to use for other stuff. The latest iMacs have only two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, so such ports are kind of precious.

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

power port is just charging port

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

OK, so if I hook a disk drive, for instance, up to such a port, it won't work, right? That's crappy. Why would you make a USB-C port that doesn't work like a USB-C port?

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

DLes said:
OK, so if I hook a disk drive, for instance, up to such a port, it won't work, right? That's crappy. Why would you make a USB-C port that doesn't work like a USB-C port?

can you post link to that hub?

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

Loads of them out there, but see this for example.
https://www.amazon.com/UtechSmart-Ethernet-Delivery-Compatible-Chromebook/dp/B07H2ZS1B5
"[100W Power Deliver] USB Type C hub"

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

in this case that USB-C port is used to charge your notebook

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

Yes, and my point is that it's a USB-C port that can't be used as a regular USB-C port. It should be advertised as a charging port that happens to fit in a USB-C slot. Does a regular USB-C data port have charging capability?

rgd1101 · Feb 16, 2023

unless it said to be power only, should be able to do both.

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

what about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Purgo-Adapter-2018-2016-Delivery-Thunderbolt/dp/B07K5ZR6HS

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

rgd1101 said:
unless it said to be power only, should be able to do both.

So,um, why do you make a USB-C port that can ONLY be used for power? Why not just make one you can use for one or the other or both?

rgd1101 · Feb 16, 2023

that what I said. unless it said it is for power only, it would do both.
min usbc does data.

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

kerberos_20 said:
what about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Purgo-Adapter-2018-2016-Delivery-Thunderbolt/dp/B07K5ZR6HS

Thanks. That's a nice one. But I was hoping to get one that also has Ethernet.

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

rgd1101 said:
that what I said. unless it said it is for power only, it would do both.
min usbc does data.

So, as I said, why make a USB-C port that only does one function? Why don't ALL USB-C ports allow use for both power and data? I don't recall any power-only USB-A ports. I have to assume that it's a lot harder to engineer them to do both, which seems pretty funny.

rgd1101 · Feb 16, 2023

because everything cost $

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

and because that hub is limited to 5Gbit USB transfer, while USB-C is at minimum 10Gbit..so they would get complaints if they would add traces for upstream/downstream data at such low bandwith....
docking stations should give you more connectivity imho

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

like this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087219P5J

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

rgd1101 said:
because everything cost $

Oh, that's why I pay money for these things! Good point. Never understood why I had to do that.

kerberos_20 said:
and because that hub is limited to 5Gbit USB transfer, while USB-C is at minimum 10Gbit..so they would get complaints if they would add traces for upstream/downstream data at such low bandwith....
docking stations should give you more connectivity imho

Not sure what you're referring to. Which hub? A quote would help.

kerberos_20 said:
like this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087219P5J

Ha ha ha. About ten times more expensive than anything else! Gosh, at that rate, to get more USB-C plugs, I'll just buy another computer.

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2023

DLes said:
Oh, that's why I pay money for these things! Good point. Never understood why I had to do that.

More features cost more $$.

It is less expensive to make something power only, or data only, rather than power + data.
Not everything does everything you want, at the low end price point you want.

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

USAFRet said:
More features cost more $$.

It is less expensive to make something power only, or data only, rather than power + data.
Not everything does everything you want, at the low end price point you want.

That's a little hard to understand, given that fully functional USB-C dongles are dirt cheap. Try again. If you call it USB-C, I don't consider it a "feature" to BE USB-C.

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2023

DLes said:
That's a little hard to understand, given that fully functional USB-C dongles are dirt cheap. Try again. If you call it USB-C, I don't consider it a "feature" to BE USB-C.

Its not just the physical port, but also the circuitry attached,

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

USAFRet said:
Its not just the physical port, but also the circuitry attached,

But in the cheap USB-C dongles, it's the same circuitry that's attached. Besides, in these multifunction devices, offering HDMI, USB-A, Ethernet, etc, there is all kinds of circuitry attached.

Hard to understand the logic in making a non-functional USB-C port in order to save a buck or two.

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

OK, I think this is what I want. No stupid USB-C "power port". Just a real USB-C port (which, I gather, can function perfectly well as a power port). Oh gosh, it's reasonably priced. Now how would they ever manage to do that with all that expensive circuitry that was required! It's about the same price as units with a USB-C "power port".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN7BGNRM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

DLes said:
OK, I think this is what I want. No stupid USB-C "power port". Just a real USB-C port (which, I gather, can function perfectly well as a power port). Oh gosh, it's reasonably priced. Now how would they ever manage to do that with all that expensive circuitry that was required! It's about the same price as units with a USB-C "power port".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN7BGNRM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1

this one doesnt have power delivery, so its still half wired usb-c as its only usb-c data without usb-c PD circuitry

DLes said:
Not sure what you're referring to. Which hub? A quote would help.

DLes said:
Loads of them out there, but see this for example.
https://www.amazon.com/UtechSmart-Ethernet-Delivery-Compatible-Chromebook/dp/B07H2ZS1B5
"[100W Power Deliver] USB Type C hub"

this one

DLes · Feb 16, 2023

kerberos_20 said:
this one doesnt have power delivery, so its still half wired usb-c as its only usb-c data without usb-c PD circuitry

As to my choice -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN7BGNRM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1
"USB C 3.1" can provide 100W, can't it? Sounds like power delivery to me. But I don't need power delivery in my USB-C port. I just need data delivery.

kerberos_20 said:
this one

Yep, that one has a "power plug", and not a "data plug". That's the example that was being asked for.

kerberos_20 · Feb 16, 2023

DLes said:
As to my choice -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN7BGNRM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1
"USB C 3.1" can provide 100W, can't it? Sounds like power delivery to me. But I don't need power delivery in my USB-C port. I just need data delivery.

is your macbook able to provide 100watts on its usb-c port?

btw power delivery is is ability to charge your macbook, without it, power gets supplied by your macbook, no charging

Question USB-C power port for data?

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