Hiya!
I am slowly transitioning to a wireless desktop setup and I am looking for a simple and suitable usb hub which can accommodate, at least, a wireless mouse and keyboard.
I am having trouble finding what I am looking for, so here I am hoping that you guys/gals can help me.
Why I think I need a hub; I want to keep the wireless dongles as far away from the pc/other devices and other cables to limit the distance and interference. The back usb slots are quite full with cables for an audio stack, gamepad, gamecontroller stream deck and (sometimes) a webcam. I am also rocking a Fractal Torrent case, which has deep incline to where the back slots are, making a clear “line of sight” from dongle to device impossible.
What I would like is a simple, minimal hub with just a couple of usb3.0 ports and nothing else and with high data transfer speed, as I figure that would be most beneficial for two input devices.
I can only find either articles about wireless devices and hubs or hubs with also hdmi/dp, Ethernet, SD card slots etc.
Does anyone have a recommendation or advice?
Thanks in advance!
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Input devices almost never use USB 3.0. In fact, most manufacturers save money and don’t shield the cable, forcing half-speed USB 1.1, which is enough for all mice and keyboards - less than 50 kb/s of the available 6 Mb/s is required even for 240Hz polling. High-end mice might have USB 3.0 (9 pins instead of 4 in the plug) but there should be no practical difference between 3.0 and 2.0 speeds. The polling rate will most likely be identical and the microsecond difference between how long each takes to transfer the data is likely way lower than lag from the mouse’s wireless connection.
Just use any USB 2.0 hub, even $2 ones from AliExpress will work the same as high-end ones. Most are sold with 4 ports because that’s what their standard generic chip does. You probably have one lying around or built into the monitor. You’re unlikely to cause interference so just choose any spot with strong signal to the desk area, not necessarily line-of-sight: if the mouse works everywhere within 2 meters from the intended area, then the intended area will have good signal and minimal chance of dropout. The lag or polling rate does not decrease with signal strength unless you count extra nanoseconds the radio waves need to travel.
The only difference is when you need another port for high-speed applications such as mass storage devices or MTP with your phone, at which point just plug them directly into the PC for max speed.
I found a 4-in-1 usb hub from Anker with the warning that wireless devices may not function properly, so thats what made me think it might be an issue.
The razer deatheradder v2 x hyperspeed I use does have some issues when the dongle is in the back of the pc though, but that might just be a “Razer” thing…
Never heard of the usb 2.0 thing though, thanks for the info!
You’ll want to search online for a USB hub and find one in your price range with the features you want. I use Newegg for that sort of thing, and I like the Orico brand for it. I don’t have a specific recommendation because I don’t think there is much benefit from one to another.
I will also say that most wireless peripherals are USB 2.0 speeds, so a 3.0 hub would not provide much benefit to them. That said, having more bus speed available should allow for more devices on the hub without throttling each other.
The thing I find more important is an external power source if you’re connecting many devices. I run my mouse, keyboard, webcam, microphone, Bluetooth adapter, controller dongle, and streamdeck all through a hub mounted under the desk.
In fact, USB 3 can cause interference with 2.4GHz wireless so a 2.0 hub could actually be better for OP’s purpose. It probably won’t make much of a difference unless you’re plugging in a thumb drive right next to the receiver though.
Maybe I should consider one with an external power supply. For now it would be only a 2.4ghz keyboard and mice and a orb weaver gamepad, but I would like to connect a wireless controller too in the long run.
Thanks for the advice!
The reason you’re finding articles about usb “hubs” (actually usb docks) with those features is because no one feels the need to spend time writing a guide on purchasing a simple device like a hub. A dock has more choice involved, more to consider in terms of connectivity, speed and other factors.
I would just look up “usb 3 hub” on amazon or wherever. That will give you a good speed. Though if you want to keep it cheaper and you only need it for wireless peripherals, then a usb 2 hub would most likely be fine for that. Just know that if you ever plug a usb or external drive into the hub, it will be limited to 500 megabytes per second, compared to the usb 3 at 10 gigabytes per second roughly.