Question USB-C to USB-A Adapter / HDMI to USB Adapter

[Brunck]

Need help to post the thread in the correct list. Please, apologies if it is in the wrong one.

I am looking for a very good USB-C to USB-A (preferably 3.2 or, at least 3.1/3.0) adapter. I understand that the transfer speed in USB-C is higher than USB-A (3.2), so it will low the transfer speed to adjust. Brand, manufacture and model suggestions?

I got an adapter (USB-C as male) that allows me to have 3 connections (female): HDMI (4K, but I do not know the speed or version support - 1.4 or 2.1), USB-A (3.2) and USB-C. All three simultaneously. The computer where I need to use this adapter has only USB-A (3.0) and I tried using and adapter USB-C to USB-A (do not have technical specifications from this adapter), but it did not work. I guess it is because of the transfer speed of the USB-C to USB-A adapter.

For the display, I already have an adapter HDMI to USB-A (3.0, I guess). It is not working well, and I need to replace it, that's why I bought the adapter above.

Syntax:

I'm looking for two things:

1. A very good (very well built, very well manufactured) USB-C to USB-A (preferably 3.2 or, at least 3.1/3.0) adapter.
2. HDMI to USB-A (preferable 4K 60fps, but can be, in worst scenario case, 1080p 60fps).

Both, I am looking for good products.

Guidance and suggestions are extremely welcome.

 

[Misgar]

I tried using and adapter USB-C to USB-A (do not have technical specifications from this adapter), but it did not work. I guess it is because of the transfer speed of the USB-C to USB-A adapter.

USB-C comes with a bunch of protocols not found in USB-A, allowing the use of programmable output voltages for charging laptops, video outputs or even Thunderbird.

I'm a bit confused by your description, but if you're connecting a 4K HDMI adapter terminated in a USB-C plug, to a passive USB-C to USB-A converter, then plugging this into a USB-A port on a computer, the PC will probably not speak the same "language" as the USB-C adapter, so the USB-C adapter will fail to respond. I doubt it has anything to do with speed differences.

I've used Inateck USB hubs and adapters in the past, but I'm not sure if they have what you want. Most of their adapters are USB-C these days.
https://inateck.com

I normally use price as a guide. If a device costs less than $10, it may not be as well built as something costing $40. Look for known good brands.

I'm not even sure if USB-A can support 4K on HDMI. The cheap USB-A to HDMI adapters I can see on Amazon only support 1080p.

 

[Audrey526]

Hey, I had a similar issue before with juggling multiple adapters, and honestly, it was such a headache. I ended up trying USB2Others, and it solved everything in one go.

Basically, it acts like a network-enabled USB hub. You can connect your USB-C devices (like your HDMI adapter) and share them over WiFi or the cloud. It works with USB-A ports too, so you don’t need to worry about transfer speed bottlenecks or compatibility issues.

For your HDMI, it supports 4K displays directly through the setup, and the best part is you don’t need two separate adapters—just this one device. Super simple, and it’s been working great for me! Definitely worth checking out.😉

 

[Paperdoc]

I'll start with labels and language to help ensure we all mean the same thing. Today ALL new USB systems are called USB3.2, with Genn appended. USB3.2 Gen1 operates at a max data transfer rate of 5 Gb/s and CAN be used with the newer USB3 versions of Type A connectors OR with Type C. (Older original USB2 Type A connectors and cables can NOT do the same job as USB3 versions of Type A.) MANY people and sellers still use an old label of "USB3" or "USB3.0" for this type. USB3.2 Gen2 operates at up to 10 Gb/s and really SHOULD be used only with Type C connectors and cables. You CAN use Type A cables / connectors, but you may or may not achieve that 10 Gb/s max rate. MANY people use the older label of "USB3.1" for this type of port. In this sense, IF you use an adapter to "convert" a computer's USB3.2 Gen2 Type A socket to a Type C socket, then a real Type C cable from there, you are likely to get that max speed. (NOTE, however, that the USB designers intended that ANY Gen2 socket on a machine OUGHT to be Type C to begin with! But many computers use a Type A for this just to make it easier for users.) Of course, IF the original port on your computer is only Gen1 by design, no cables or adapters will change that! USB3.2 Gen2x2 can operate up to 20 Gb/s and MUST be used only with Type C cables and connectors to get that speed. As one might expect, there is backwards compatibility in all this, in the sense that using cables and connectors for slower speeds (like 5Gb/s) on a port designed to run faster WILL work, but just at the slower speed.

Secondly, language on direction, if you will. You appear to use "from" for the distant device (like a keyboard of printer) that you plug in "to" a host computer's socket. I prefer the other way: the "from" device is the source of data and control, and the "to" device is what you plug into the "from" device. But for now I will try to use YOUR way of labels here.

So you start with a computer with a single USB3.2 Gen1 port with a Type A socket on the outside. Then you already have a Hub unit with a cable ending in a Type C connector to plug into the computer. That Hub has three output sockets for different uses. You are right to try to use an adapter that converts the Type A socket on the computer to a Type C socket so that the Hub cable can plug in there. ASSUMING that the adapter is a very simple passive adapter (that is, it only connects the right pins together, and has NO electronics functions), technically that should work. BUT all that system then still is capable of only a max data rate of 5 GB/s, because that is all the computer's controller chip can deliver on that port.

I do not know for sure whether you can deliver 4k video to an HDMI port via USB3.2 Gen1. The max data rate may be too slow. The fact that the Hub is built with an input cable using a Type C connector may be a clue that Gen2 speed is needed for that, I'm not sure. But aside from that, you need to have a way to send the necessary signals for all that video (and audio) data from their source (video card or mobo video and audio chips) out via the USB3.2 Gen1 port you are trying to use, instead of the "normal" way. THAT involves using a different driver for the audio /video systems and maybe also the right driver for the USB3.2 system. So I am not surprised that just plugging it in did not work for the HDMI output port of your USB Hub. I would expect that the Type A and Type C ports of the Hub DO work properly at the host port's Gen1 speed of max 5 Gb/s.

I think you need to figure out:
1. Can you get 4k 60 fps performance using the USB3.2 Gen1 port on your computer? Related: if that DOES work, what is the impact of ALSO using other Hub ports for more devices at the same time?
2. Do you have to downgrade video performance to 1080p to get it working?
3. If it CAN work, what adjustments / device drivers do you need for that? I suspect (do NOT know) this may involve drivers to send all video and audio digital data from your computer to the HUB via the USB3.2 Gen1 port (NOT through the mobo video /audio chips OR your video card) for some processing and forwarding to your monitor. I would hope the makers of the Hub you have can supply some answers.