We also did power testing on every powered USB hub. To see just how much electricity the ports could deliver, we connected a MakerHawk Electronic Load Tester to the hub and tried to dial up as many amps as we could. As we dial up amps on any device, the voltage drops, so a 5 volt USB port could drop down to 4 volts or less as we increase the load, but USB devices need close to 5 volts – 4.7 or 4.8 volts is usually enough – so we tested how many amps we could get at 4.8 volts and at the, likely unacceptable, rate of 4.05 volts. Best of all, you get three display outputs, with a single 4K/60Hz HDMI 2.0, a lower-spec HDMI 1.4 and a 1440p-capable DisplayPort, giving you the option of using two or three screens at the same time. It might have been nice to have a faster 10Gbits/sec Type-C or Type-A port for your storage, but for connecting a laptop to a desktop setup, this is one of the best hubs around. Lasuney’s 10-in-1 hub (two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI 1.2 ports (4K@30Hz), DisplayPort gigabit ethernet, microSD/SD, USB-C power input) offers a lot for your money, including an unusual mix of not one, but two HDMI ports, and even a DisplayPort. Thanks to ethernet support, the hub can replace many of your wired connections. Power input is rated at 100W in, with about 87W available to the laptop. The USB has had multiple upgrades since it first came out, with each iteration introducing vast improvements and new features. USB 1.0s are generally not found much these days unless you have a somewhat ancient device, so the models you need to focus on run from USB 2.0 to USB 3.3.

The TS3 Plus allows you to maximize the capabilities of a Thunderbolt 3 connection. It features two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2 port, five USB 3.1 Type-A ports, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, an SD Card Reader (SD 4.0 UHS-II), a Digital Optical Audio (S/PDIF) port 1x Gigabit, Ethernet, an Analog Audio In, and an Analog Audio Out port.A USB splitter refers to a simple device that splits a single USB port into multiple ports, allowing you to connect multiple devices simultaneously. This type of splitter doesn't typically have its own power source and relies on the power provided by the connected computer or laptop. USB splitters are often used for basic connectivity needs and may have limitations in terms of power distribution and data transfer speeds.

On the hunt for a USB hub? We bought the top 11 models to test in a head-to-head showdown to see which are the best for various applications. These devices come in a vast array of designs and styles for all kinds of different purposes. Over the course of several weeks, we used each hub in the lab and at home to carefully inspect them for their ports and features, how well they travel, and their looks. In the end, we identified which models are the best overall, which is the best bargain, which is best for travel, and which are the best for specialized purposes. There are still a couple of caveats here. First, your device needs to support a DisplayPort 1.4 video output over USB-C, which will count out many Chromebooks and some MacBooks and Windows laptops. Second, the hub itself takes 15W of power, which means that – even with a 100W USB-PD charger – you may find some laptops not charging at their highest speeds. But if you’re happy to live with these compromises, this is one of the best USB-C hubs we’ve seen. Some USB-C hubs go further by incorporating USB-PD passthrough. Here the idea isn’t so much to power the connected devices as to power the laptop the hub connects to, so that you just connect the laptop to the hub, and it charges as you use it without the charger taking up the spare USB-C port. The key thing here is how much power the hub can supply. Most will deliver 80W or more when used with a 100W charger, which should more than cover any laptop. However, with some you’re looking at 50W or less, which might mean missing out on fast-charging modes on some of those laptops that support them. Anker’s hub was among the fastest we tested to deliver data under load, including simultaneous data transfer between USB-A ports while the SD ports were active. The hub offers an 18-month warranty, and it even ships with a carrying pouch. Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.You can also get other versions of Inatek's USB hub, the HB2025 for example, that connect to your computer via USB-C, which is a more common interface for 10 Gbps connections, particularly on laptops. We really wish one of these hubs had a mix of USB-C and USB Type-A downstream ports, but they are all Type-A downstream. Upstream connection (Type-A or Type-C?): USB hubs have multiple downstream ports to connect to your devices but only one upstream connector, which could be a port but is often a built-in wire that connects to your computer. Many laptops, including a lot of the best Ultrabooks, only have USB-C ports, so your hub's upstream connector would have to be Type-C. Keep in mind that the hub’s power port is for taking power into your laptop, and not outto a phone. But your hub may still be able to charge your phone, with some caveats. A “bus-powered” USB hub connects to your laptop and pulls power from it, which it has share with several devices—and it won’t do it that well. If you have a recent-gen iPad with a USB-C connector, you may find yourself wishing you could connect a USB Type-A device, headphones or even an external display. Anker’s 541 USB-C Hub for iPads has you covered with a unique design that’s meant to snap right into the side of your tablet or even a USB-C laptop. There’s no wire as the USB-C plug and a slight, protruding chin hold the entire metal hub in place. We also like the choice of cables, with a short, pull-out cable that stows inside the case for travel, plus a longer desktop cable for when you need to stretch a little further. It gives this unit a little more flexibility than other USB-C hubs.