USB Hub: Connecting All the Cables
Euro Union has declared that all phones and accessories need to charge with the USB C connector by Fall 2024 if they are charging via a wired connection and if they want to be sold in the EU.
The EU is a big market for any phone manufacturer, so compliance is not really a choice.
The consumer gadget market has been trying for years to use one connector for devices but not all players are joining the mission. And without cross-compatibility, the mission will not be accomplished.
In the meantime, we already have plenty of USB-C-based devices, if not all. Now if you are buying any gadget, it would be ideal to think of the future and opt for one that charges via USB C.
You are likely to face some friction in the transition if you have a really specific setup right now and you don’t want to change that. This is where USB hubs come into play. These hubs come in various forms, from really small ones with only one port that you can easily carry around to multi-port ones that can do more than just connect cables, and can become permanent desk accessories.
Any advanced setup likely has one computer that runs it, and everything needs to be connected to it – an external display, a wireless mouse, a keyboard of choice, a card reader, perhaps a camera, a microphone, and so on and so forth.
It is also highly likely that your laptop does not have the number of ports this requires, let alone the variety of ports. A USB hub becomes the second most important gadget in the setup, in this case.
So, let’s talk about an ideal hub and the ports it should have:
USB A:
A classic! This is perhaps the most commonly used connector used for external drives and wired keyboards and printers.
Ethernet port:
This might not be the most important port to have but it is certainly a nice-to-have port. A wired connection is better when it comes to high-quality streaming, video calls, and so on.
Micro USB B:
This is another nice-to-have port, often used by point-and-shoot cameras. These cameras can be set up to be used as webcams because the inbuilt webcams on any laptop are most often, quite bad.
USB C:
Your ideal docking station should have more than one USB C port. You need one to connect to an external monitor via a USB C video cable and one that connects to your laptop which powers the whole setup.
DisplayPort:
This port comes in its traditional physical state as well as built into a USB C port. So, make sure you have it one way or another.
SD Card slots:
A normal-sized SD card slot and a microSD card slot are necessary if you work with media regularly. Transferring photos via an SD card is the easiest way to do it.
Headphone jack:
Wireless headphones are great but there is nothing like a good headphone jack, so you don’t have to charge one more device!
There are a few other things your ideal hub should be able to do like being able to switch computers with a switch, not consuming too much power, and not throttle any of your devices.
USB hubs and docs make your setup frictionless. With the right cables already plugged in, all you have to move around is your laptop. You can also move around with smaller, more focused hubs if you need a couple of particular ports on the go.
SF Cable stocks all kinds of USB hubs, and the cables to go along with it. Contact us if you want assistance in figuring out the right hub for your workflow.