Is this normal about usb hub with external power

I have been using one that gets powered by the laptop only for a long time but I had to replace it(the usb connectors did not make a good connection anymore)
I switch to this one but since I have never used this kind of usb hub before(with a power supply),I don't know if this is normal or I have to change something in windows


If the power suddenly goes off(the laptop switches to battery),the usb devices get disconnected(wifi mouse for example)until I disconnect the hub from the laptop and connect it again(even if there is still no power)

If I don't connect the power supply(even if the laptop is not running on battery),then it works like my old usb hub(almost)but I don't know if it's safe to use it this way
My old usb hub had 4 ports and this one have 7 and it is like more "advanced" than my old one

I have 2 hard drives connected to it
If I put the laptop to sleep and the hub charger is not connected,usb devices loose power(I cannot change them)
When I do the same thing with my old usb hub,there is no problem,I can charge my usb devices while the laptop is in sleep mode(even shut down)

vsub said:

If I put the laptop to sleep and the hub charger is not connected,usb devices loose power(I cannot change them)
When I do the same thing with my old usb hub,there is no problem,I can charge my usb devices while the laptop is in sleep mode(even shut down)

Click to expand...

In power settings, check what happens with the USB ports when the laptop enters sleep mode. Note that different USB ports may behave differently.

I don´t think the new hub is more advanced that the old one. It may be that it just operates differently.

A powered hub can be used without the power adapter connected, if the USB port can supply the current the connected devices draw from it. If the devices don´t work properly, you need to connect the power adapter.

Do you mean this

Is there a reason you are using a USB Hub all the time? Do you have a lot of devices connected?

My laptop has: 2 x USB-A 3.0 and 2 x USB-C 3.0 ports. I always plug the Logitech USB dongle into one of the built-in USB-A ports. The other three USB ports are only used if I plug in an external drive. Which is not very often. If need any more USB ports I use a powered USB Hub.

For me it makes sense to plug the mouse dongle into a built-in USB port because that makes the laptop more portable. BTW, I back up my laptop every day but that is done using WiFi.

MisterEd said:

Is there a reason you are using a USB Hub all the time? Do you have a lot of devices connected?

My laptop has: 2 x USB-A 3.0 and 2 x USB-C 3.0 ports. I always plug the Logitech USB dongle into one of the built-in USB-A ports. The other three USB ports are only used if I plug in an external drive. Which is not very often. If need any more USB ports I use a powered USB Hub.

For me it makes sense to plug the mouse dongle into a built-in USB port because that makes the laptop more portable. BTW, I back up my laptop every day but that is done using WiFi.

Click to expand...

I have multiple usb devices and I have only 3 usb ports
I prefer using a usb hub so the usb ports of the laptop don't wear out overtime
It's much cheaper to get a usb hub than replacing a usb port

I don't really use the laptop as a laptop but as a desktop(I don't move it)

vsub said:

I have multiple usb devices and I have only 3 usb ports
I prefer using a usb hub so the usb ports of the laptop don't wear out overtime
It's much cheaper to get a usb hub than replacing a usb port

I don't really use the laptop as a laptop but as a desktop(I don't move it)

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Some high end laptops can't run very long on their batteries but that is OK because they are being used as a desktop replacement. In other words they are usually used in one place and powered by their AC adapter.

You use a powered USB hub for two reasons:

• A USB device requires more power than the built-in USB ports can provide
• You require more USB ports than the computer has

You won't wear out a USB port normally. However, if the devices are using much power then out of caution then I could see using a powered USB hub.

I don't know how many watts your old hub's power supply had, but 20W on a 7 port USB3 hub still isn't always enough to power a lot of devices. It could be running out of power even if you only have 4 devices plugged in to it, as there are ample USB3/USB2 devices out there that do not have their own dedicated external power supply and that can attain well over 5W of power consumption depending on use. I find that the underpowered-ness of many affordable (cheap) USB3 hubs usually tends to be an obvious sign of being "less advanced", or skimped upon. So, with these hubs you can expect to see various additional limitations not all of which necessarily need to be sought in the area of experiencing slower transfer speeds or unstable data connections. It's one of those common reasons why so many YouTube reviews don't tell you about subtle details like losing connections when the laptop shifts to battery power.

Personally, I, have the 100W (pre-2024) version of this RSHTECH 16 port hub: Amazon.co.uk With a EU-style power plug, that is, as I am in Belgium. The AC power cord is detachable also. Last year they changed the design from 100W to just 96W it seems, but 96W divided by 16 ports still gives you up to 6W (1,200mA at 5V) on each port regardless of what you have plugged in to the other 15 ports. Here is a pic from someone who bought this hub on Amazon UK:

Those may be alright for charging devices but all share only one port for data bandwidth, plug in 2 or 3 and everything slows down considerably or grind to a stop.

CountMike said:

Those may be alright for charging devices but all share only one port for data bandwidth, plug in 2 or 3 and everything slows down considerably or grind to a stop.

Click to expand...

It allows me to keep more than just a few storage devices (plus several other devices) plugged in for prolonged periods of time. At the same time it also allows me to choose individually which of my external HDDs I want to either 1/ keep spun down such a way that effectively prevents Windows from spinning them up again frequently when I don't want that or 2/ keep spinning for instant accessibility whenever I want, as long as I want, and precisely as long as I want. It matters to me because I have a large collection of (mostly) media files. It's this:

I use a powered hub all the time. It sits on my desk so I don't have to go under my desk to plug in my stuff. I use a USB oscilloscope that requires a lot of power and I don't want to tax the motherboard's USB regulators too much. If I put my PC to sleep, I lose USB, obviously, but any device I have plugged into it (like my phone) will still charge. Just no data.

Most of the time, I just use it to plug in thumb drives and external USB drives temporarily. Much more conveinient that climbing and doing acrobatics under my desk. I can run a USB extension cable, but sometimes I have to use more than one port. Like for my 'scope and DVD writer.