USB-A Hub That Will Support Portable Hard Drives

johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 17:57

I am looking for a USB-A Hub that will support portable hard drives.

Have tried several - all powered - with no success. Despite the seller of my current one telling me it would support a portable hard drive, it doesn't. It also doesn't seem to support the wireless mouse dongle very well either. But I wonder if those dongles have to be connected directly to the laptop. It appears so.

I only have USB-A ports on my HP Spectre 360 laptop, so the USB-C hub that was mentioned earlier here on OzBargain which claims to support portable drives, can't be connected to my laptop.

Is anyone using a hub with a portable drive successfully? If so, could you give me details.

Thanks.

Computing USB Hub

Comments

  • helpdesk on 19/07/2023 - 18:29

    USB C to USB A adaptor?

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 18:59

      Yes, I had thought about that. Whilst I wouldn't get USB-C speed of course, I wondered whether it would compromise the effectiveness of the hub to support a portable drive. I am not a techie, so flying blind with this stuff.

  • CodeXD on 19/07/2023 - 19:06
    -1

    You will most likely need a usb hub with dedicated power to support portable hard drives.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 19:19
      +1

      All the hubs I have tried so far were powered ones.

  • AndyC1 on 19/07/2023 - 19:29

    Are you trying to connect your laptop via wifi to the HUB that has a wifi adapter plugged into it? If you are then it will NOT work. A hub needs to be plugged into a PC/smart device that controls the HUB in order to configure the adapter and then take the wifi data and write it to the HDD.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 19:39
      +1

      Please re-read my original post. It has nothing to do with wifi. I want a hub with a USB-A connection to my laptop that will support portable HDD's. Nothing more.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 20:36

      Thank you. That was exactly the sort of information I was seeking. Really appreciate your help.

  • foxmulder on 19/07/2023 - 20:23

    The hub you needed has to be at least USB 3.0 and the same USB ver 3.0 or higher is also in your laptop. Its connector is blue.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 20:35

      Thank you. Unfortunately no USB 3.0 ports on my HP. Guess I'll have to wait till I can upgrade the laptop.

    • I like freestuff on 19/07/2023 - 20:55
      +1

      USB 3.0 and + are backwards compatable with 2.0.

      OP any chance there is an issue with your laptop? Seems possible if you are tried multiple hubs. I've never had an issue using a hub with an external HDD, even unpowered, unless you were trying to use multipe power hungry devices on it. But you said you have tried powered ones anyway.

      • bdl on 19/07/2023 - 21:08

        Could also be the enclosure is requiring too much power (?) … usually just a powered USB hub is sufficient.

        Not sure why comment above says it needs to be USB3 - USB2 will work, just way slower

        OP is your external hard disk 2.5 or 3.5 inch size? And how old is it?

        • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 21:27

          Just tried it again with my Samsung T5 250gb drive. Windows knows there's something there, but it just won't work. Windows Explorer just goes into a tizzy and stops working. Doesn't recognise USB flash drives either.

          • bdl on 19/07/2023 - 22:19

            @johninmelb: Are your USB flash drives detected in the BIOS? And do you have a second computer with working USB? If yes to both, try making a bootable Linux USB stick (https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1…), and boot your Spectre with that to see if USB works under Linux. If it does then it's worth reinstalling Windows to see if it solves your issue. If it doesn't work, there may be a hardware issue with your HP.

            Also try a different cable with the T5 (or plug T5 into a another computer), just to rule out that as a fault. I once ordered a new Epson scanner and had issues similar to what you were experiencing and the USB cable supplied ended up being faulty!

            • johninmelb on 20/07/2023 - 07:56

              @bdl: USB flash drives and the T5 both work perfectly when plugged directly into a USB port on the computer, so no problems with them or the T5 cable.

              It is now looking more likely that the problem is probably in the hub itself, so the question now is risk buying another hub as suggested below, or just live with the lack of ports problem till I replace this computer. It is manageable as I don't use the portable drives a lot, mainly for backup and storage of files that I access infrequently, so don't need to keep them on the hard drive taking up space.

              Thanks for the Linux link. I have an old Netbook from way back when I used to use when travelling. It has Win 7 on it and I don't use it any more. I might try converting it to Linux to play with.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 21:24

      Currently using a USB 3.0 Hub but connected to a USB 2 port on my HP Spectre 360 bought in 2017.

      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/194329600581?hash=item2d3ef26245…

  • pinchies on 19/07/2023 - 21:03

    USB 3.0 has interference issues with some wireless devices. What brand is your wireless mouse dongle? The Logitech ones tend to be a bit more robust with these things than some of the generic brands.

  • Ghost47 on 19/07/2023 - 21:10

    Have you tried this one?

    I own it and it works well. 4 hard drives connected to my computer via one USB cable.

    • johninmelb on 19/07/2023 - 21:37

      No, not tried that one. Do you have yours connected to a USB 3.0 port on your computer? It is looking like this is where the problem is as I have no USB 3.0 ports on my laptop, but using a USB 3.0 powered hub. Link to the one I have above.

      • Ghost47 on 20/07/2023 - 00:51

        Yeah I have it connected to a 3.0 port on my computer. I have connected my mouse to it which uses a receiver and have had no issues with it either. Theoretically I think it should work just at lower data transfer speeds because the hub you have has a power adapter. Maybe the hub is dodgy?

  • avoidfullprice on 19/07/2023 - 22:01

    Is it a HP Spectre X360 laptop with Thunderbolt? Use that instead through an adapter or a hub

    Your problem might be your usb data lane somehow triggering power saving feature of your portable drives. Not common in my experience but i don’t think it’s just having a hub with table power

    • johninmelb on 20/07/2023 - 07:43
      +1

      No, doesn't have Thunderbolt. It's an old Spectre, purchased in 2017, so getting long in the tooth now! It was a reconditioned computer I bought on Ebay and has has served me well with no problems at all. However, I am thinking that it will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. They don't run forever!

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