Need more room for expansion? Have too many devices to plug into your PC? You’ll be needing a USB hub
Ever since its arrival, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) has established itself as the industry standard connector. What started out life as a method of easily connecting computer peripherals has now spread into many more areas of technology, including gaming, mobile phones, home theatre and more. It’s a connector that we see everywhere and USB cables can be found filling up people’s draws of random stuff the world over.
Most computers come with a plethora of USB ports fitted as standard, especially today’s modern systems that feature motherboards with multiple ports and PC cases that also house front-mounted connections. It’s rare for most users to run out of space, but for some, even the most well-endowed PC doesn’t have enough USB connectivity and more is needed. For others, an older PC may simply be getting full, having limited space for external expansion. There’s even the possibility that users with older system lack the later, faster revisions of USB and therefore need to give their PC a little pick-me-up.
If this is the case, the solution that’s usually turned to is the USB hub or expansion card. These devices, often external units, can add several additional USB ports to a PC by splitting one existing port into several, thereby increasing the number of USB devices that can be connected at any one time. It’s a very simple system: simply plug a new hub into an already present USB port, and you’ll gain however many ports your chosen hub has.
Not all USB hubs are equal, though, and if you’re looking to increase your USB connectivity and aren’t totally sure of what’s best, you should know a few things before you buy.
We’re going to take a look at this, beginning with a brief look as USB itself, how the tech has evolved and where it sits now, as this can affect your purchase too.
USB Evolution
USB was first created during the mid 90s and was intended as a solution to the increasingly complex and confusing array of computer peripheral connections. Before USB arrived, people had to cope with serial and parallel ports, PS/2 connectors, game ports and other platformspecific inputs. There was no real standard for connecting hardware to a PC, and the result was a mess of different-sized ports and connectors sticking out of the back of a PC and a setup that made new computer users scratch their heads. A better option was needed, and we got one in the form of USB.
With the name Universal Serial Bus, it was clear that this was to be a connection that would standardise hardware connectivity, and so it did. It took a while, but eventually most other connectors were phased out, left in PC designs for legacy purposes only and even then, some were given their marching orders for good. PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors were among the first to go, and soon USB ruled the roost, only challenged by the likes of FireWire, which never really had much of a chance.
USB’s initial release spec of 1.0 was launched in 1996, and it boasted a speed of 1.5Mbps at low speed and 12Mbps on full speed. That’s slow by today’s standards, but when you consider most USB hardware of the time was nowhere near as powerful as it is today, it’s not too bad. Most users only used USB for input devices and few would have ever considered using it to transfer data. That would change, however, as USB grew and grew.
‘High speed’ USB 2.0 was launched in 1998, and this greatly enhanced the performance of the tech with a huge increase in speed to 480Mbps. This made USB the perfect choice for external storage, even for large HDD volumes.
USB then saw a long period of inactivity in terms of development, lasting around ten years until USB 3.0 was released in 2008. This once again greatly enhanced the tech, with a speed of 5Gbps. This would go on for several years until 2013, when USB 3.1 arrived with double the speed at 10Gbps.
USB may have started out life with a goal to provide a universal plug, but even within USB this wasn’t simple, and soon we were met with various kinds of USB connector. Over the years more and surfaced, many designed for specific devices leading to some propitiatory connectors and smaller designs for the mobile market.
The original Type-A connector most are familiar with is still widely used, as is the chunky Type-B, which can often be found on external hard disks and printers. Smaller models have grown in popularity, though, with the mini-B being one of the most popular and the micro-B also being seen in plenty of devices. The UC-E6 is another tiny connector, although this is classed an a non-USB proprietary model.
More recently, one of the major criticisms of USB has been addressed by the latest USB design, Type-C. This is a new reversible connector, which addresses the issues people have with the often tricky to connect, one-way older versions. Both ends of the cable are also the same, so there’s no need for different ports. It’s been touted as truly future-proof but will require a lot of adapters to be produced until it eventually phases out the old models, which could take a very long time.
These are the most common forms of USB, but there are many more, often proprietary models for specific devices or companies. The type used by most USB hubs is the standard, Type-A.
A common feature of USB, regardless of the generation, is its ability to supply limited power to a device. Although this is limited to low-power hardware, it does make USB cables very useful in some situations.
Hub-capped
Now you know about the various types of USB and how it’s evolved, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for as you shop for a hub. If you’re looking online, you’ll find all sorts of hubs available, but even today, not all will be the latest, and in some instances, you may not even want or need this.
Hubs will naturally support a different USB revision and will handle higher-speed hardware with varying degrees of efficiency. For example, you can still buy hubs that are USB 2.0, not 3.0. They’re cheap and they work, but if you have hardware that supports USB 3.0, you won’t get the most out of it, as the hub can’t process the higher speeds. You should also note that a USB hub will only offer the advertised USB speeds if connected to the corresponding USB port on the PC. So to get USB 3.0 out of a USB 3.0 hub, it’ll need to be connected to a USB 3.0 port on the PC.
USB tech is backwards compatible, though, so if you have older hardware, it won’t be much of an problem. A USB 2.0 device will work perfectly well on a 3.0 hub; it just won’t benefit from the increased speed the hub can provide. That said, a 3.0 device will often still work on an older 2.0 hub, but its potential speed will be bottlenecked by the hub, and the device won’t perform as well as it can.
The only way you’ll stumble into a genuine form of incompatibility would be to buy a hub that doesn’t support Type-C connectors, and even then a simple adaptor would solve the problem. This means you’ll rarely buy a device you can’t use; you just may end up running at a lower level of performance than you could potentially attain.
For this reason, it’s important to check the speeds of your various devices, looking for the fastest one you own (the one that supports the latest form of USB) and go with that. If you have a collection of USB 2.0 hard drives, along with a more recent USB 3.0 model, ensure you buy a USB 3.0 compatible hub so you get the most out of everything. If you only have USB 2.0 hardware and don’t plan to upgrade any time soon, save the money and buy a USB 2.0 hub. They’re usually cheaper and you won’t miss the added speed. For future-proofing, though, 3.0 could still be useful.
There are exceptions to the rule, however, as there always are. This revolves around devices that really don’t benefit from the increased speed of later USB versions. Most keyboards, mice and other input devices don’t need such speed, so benefit little from higher-speed USB. Storage devices, optical media and other, more powerful hardware does, so if you need a hub solely for lower-power devices, it might be overkill to use a USB 3.0 hub for them.
It’s also important to know which USB port you’re actually plugging the hub into, as this also affects the overall performance. Plugging a USB 3.0 hub into a USB 2.0 port on the PC will only bottleneck every device attached to the hub. A lot of modern PCs will come fully fitted with uniform USB ports, so you may have a system with all 2.0 or even 3.0 ports. Many PCs, especially older models, don’t do this and have a selection of speeds. For example, a PC may have USB 3.0 ports on the motherboard, but the PC case it’s installed in might only have USB 2.0 ports mounted on the front. It’s most common for the rear, motherboard-mounted ports to be the fastest, while front or otherwise mounted ports are generally slower. This isn’t always the case, however, so it’s important you check this setup on your own PC before buying or connecting a hub.
USB With Muscle
Another consideration is power. As we’ve mentioned, not all USB devices are powered, but this capability depends on the port it’s connected to. If a USB device doesn’t provide its own power via a separate power plug, it’s not magically going to work without any, and this means the USB port it’s connected to needs to be powered. If not, nothing will work. Standard USB can send around 5.25V of power through a port (PoweredUSB can provide more, but is usually used for specialist devices), and this also applies to USB hubs, and some devices require more than this and thus will need their own power, regardless of the USB port’s ability to provide it. You can find some devices that are equipped with more than one USB plug, connecting to multiple ports in order to draw power, but they’re not as common and they’ll obviously take up more space – space you might need for other things.
This isn’t usually a problem for USB ports mounted inside a PC, especially on the motherboard, since these are always powered. However, front-mounted hubs contained in PC cases are not always so lucky. To find out, you need to open up the case and check there’s a power cable running from the hub to a power socket on the motherboard.
If you’re going to be using an external hub, this is also a concern, because an unpowered hub will always need to be plugged into a USB port that provides power. For this reason, most connect such hubs to a PC’s rear port, but you can do so to a front-mounted port, as long as it’s powered. If you have a hub with its own power supply, though, there’s no reason to worry, and the hub can be connected anywhere.
On Board Or Off?
You might only think of a USB hub as a small plastic device that plugs into your PC via USB, and that’s certainly true, but expansion cards are also, technically, hubs of a sort, so it’s important to remember that you don’t have to stick only with the external variety.
Internal PCI expansion cards have been around for a long time, and they’re one of the best ways to expand a PC’s USB capability, as well as being the perfect way to add improved USB performance to a system by adding later USB revisions the system currently lacks.
For example, if you have an older PC that only has USB 1.0 or 2.0, you could buy a USB 3.0 expansion card so you can give your system the latest USB performance. It’s a great upgrade for people who use a lot of USB devices, especially external hard drives and optical media. These cards are also not all that expensive and usually feature several extra USB ports, also increasing your overall connectivity.
Internal USB cards also have power by default, as they’ll connect to the motherboard, and they’re usually faster and boast better performance, being fitted directly to the motherboard and using its bus, not an external USB cable. You’ll also have fewer devices cluttering up your desk, which is nice.
Endless Expansion?
It’s not uncommon for users who lack connectivity options to utilise not one, but multiple USB hubs, connected or ‘daisy chained’ together to provide even more ports for use. This is a practice actively supported by USB technology, and you can connect multiple hubs together to expand your selection of ports. Even plugging one hub into a computer’s USB port is effectively daisy chaining, as the port you plugged the hub into is part of a hub itself, connected to a USB host controller within the PC.
However, contrary to what many may think, this isn’t infinite, and doing this does come with downsides. The limit for connected devices to USB, including hubs, is 127. That’s a very large number, which most users certainly won’t hit, but it’s important to know.
The main concern regarding daisy chaining, however, is not limits in devices but speed. Although you can have so many devices connected, all of these still trace back to that single port the initial hub was connected to, meaning there’s one single USB port handling all of this. Therefore, you’ll have all of those devices sending and receiving data through a single USB port. This creates a bottleneck, which isn’t all that noticeable with a handful of devices, but with more connections this speed will drop – a lot.
A more straightforward concern comes from power. As we’ve mentioned, USB hubs, even if they’re powered, will only provide limited power and many won’t provide power at all. The more devices you have, the more power you need, and this will no doubt require a lot of power strips – not really the most efficient and practical method of expanding your PC.
More Than Just A Hub
The majority of USB hubs are the familiar boxshaped models that feature front-mounted USB ports. They’re simple, but functional and suitable for most users. However, there are more types of USB hub, and some are included within other devices.
You can often find USB hubs included within PC keyboard and desk sets, and many monitors also include a few extra USB ports within a hub that’s part of the display’s case. In the case of the latter, it’s surprising how many people neglect or don’t even know that their screens have USB ports and instead spend money on an unneeded extra hub.
You’ll also find USB ports on some routers and media servers. These are rarely for use as a hub, but instead allow the connections of items to the devices in question. However, as this often includes the ability to connect extra storage or hook up another device to your network, it’s technically also a hub.
Here Are Some We Spotted Earlier
We’ll finish up with a couple of sample hubs, mainly to look at the prices of them, giving you an idea of how much you need and should be paying.
Model: Belkin Ultra Slim 4 Port USB powered hub
Price: £12
This is a powered Belkin hub that features four USB 2.0 ports and is mains powered. It’s simple, and if you need to connect devices than need power, it’s a decent choice.
Model: Mobilizers: High Speed 7 Ports USB 2.0 hub
Price: £3
This cheap as you like hub has seven USB 2.0 ports, each with their own power switch and LED power light. It’s designed mainly for mobile use and for charging devices, but it’s bus powered, meaning it draws its power from the computer’s USB port.
Model: Anker Ultra Slim 4-Port USB 3.0
Price: £10
This is a USB 3.0 hub that features four USB.30 ports and draws its power from the system bus. It’s small and very portable. However, as it’s USB 3.0, it needs to connect to a USB 3.0 port on the PC, otherwise the power is limited. For £10, it’s a great way to give yourself more USB 3.0 ports.
Model: CSL Flexible USB 2.0 hub
Price: £5
Most USB hubs are solid, brick-like devices, and these are occasionally not the best fit if you need room to move. This model addresses this, and instead of four rigid ports, each is on a separate cable, which can be flexed however you like. Simple, but very useful. It’s a bus-powered USB 2.0 model and has four extra ports.
Model: D-Link DUB-H7
Price: £15
This is a more expensive hub from D-Link, but it features seven USB 2.0 ports and has the ability to function with or without external power. It also has a fast charge mode for use with chargeable devices like mobile phones and tablets.
Model: InLine Front panel hub
Price: £25
If your desktop PC doesn’t already feature any front-mounted USB ports, a device like the Inline model here will be useful. This example is a 5.25” bay mount that includes a whopping 13 USB 2.0 ports. It’s easy to it, and because it has an internal Molex power connector, drawing power from your system’s power supply unit, it’ll power most devices with no problems.
Model: Icybox IB-AC6113
Price: £70
Certainly one of the most expensive hubs you can buy, the Icybox IB-AC6113 is a full USB 3.0 hub that features 13 ports with their own LED status lights. It connects to the system using a single Type-B USB 3.0 connector, and because it’s USB 3.0, it offers the full 5Gbps transfer speeds.
Although USB 3.0 hubs are more expensive than older USB standards, as you can see they’re not ridiculously expensive and older models are very affordable, so there’s no real reason to put up with limited USB capacity.