Battery Powered USB Hubs- Introduction, Charging and Safety

Well, there is no point of doubt in the fact that technology has made our everyday lives much easier. One of the biggest blessings of technology is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. A USB port enables a user to connect more than one hardware such as external hard drives, keyboards, printers, etc., to host a device. One of the most useful and common features of the USB port is that it gives a charging system for other wireless devices. You might have come across various gadgets that require a USB connection to perform their function in your daily life.

With the increasing demand for USB ports, USB hubs were made. This instrument is quite the same as extension cords that are used in offices, homes, and schools, but in the place of conventional two or three-prong plugs, it comes with a number of USB ports. USB hubs are significantly useful for schools, IT directors, gamers, and others who require to charge a number of devices together.

Are powered USB hubs better?

In simple words, a USB hub is an accessible way of having multiple USB ports at the same time. The performance of powered USB hubs depends on the requirement of the user because there are two kinds of USB hubs, powered USB hubs, and non-powered USB hubs. Both of these have their own features that attract the user, but in order to know whether powered USB hubs are better, it is vital to know the difference between these two kinds.

?Powered USB Hub:

Typically, when any device is connected to a laptop or computer through a USB port, the device functions on the power of a laptop or computer. But a powered USB hub is enabled with its own power supply; therefore, when a device is connected via a powered USB hub, it provides power to the device on its own. With a powered USB hub, a laptop or computer is not required to provide a power supply to the device.

Powered USB hubs are excellent if a user wants to connect USB devices that can operate on high voltage, such as scanners, external hard drives, printers, or a number of devices at once.

?Non- Powered USB Hubs:

Non-Powered USB hubs are dependent on the power supply of a host system in order to function. Let us understand the function of this USB hub with the help of an example when a non-powered or passive USB port is plugged in a computer, it will draw power from the computer’s current in order to provide power to all the peripheral devices.

It is important here to note that non-powered USB ports provide limited power to the peripherals because they draw power from another system. Therefore, these are suitable for devices that can be operated on low voltages, for example, flash drives, smartphone chargers, keyboards, game controllers, mice, etc.

If a user connects a high voltage device to the non-powered USB port, then the device can underperform. Therefore, powered USB hubs are slightly better than non-powered USB ports because there is no such problem of underperformance of a device, and a user can connect more devices as compared to a non-powered USB hub.

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Can USB hubs charge?

As mentioned earlier, a non-powered USB hub must be plugged into a particular host system to charge a device; however, powered USB hubs can charge a device without having access to a host system.

Powered USB hubs need to have access to a power strip or an electrical outlet as they are enabled with their own AC adapter. When a USB hub is plugged in and takes power from an electrical outlet, the AC adapter changes energy from AC to DC in order to provide a power supply to the devices connected to the USB ports. In simple words, a powered USB port will be able to give power to peripheral devices and charge the devices as long as there is a power strip or an electrical outlet is present in the work space.

A non-powered hub is useful to charge a limited number of devices that have a low voltage, for example, smartphones, flash drives, keyboards, etc. Otherwise, with high voltage devices like printers and scanners, these USB hubs can experience underperformance and other compatibility issues as they are not designed to distribute power to an increased number of devices.

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Are powered USB hubs safe?

There are only laptops available in the market that comes with a bunch of USB ports, almost every other laptop has a maximum of three USB ports. Therefore, if the need be, you can use USB hubs in order to connect more than three devices to your computer.

All the USB hubs are safe to use, be it a powered USB port or a non-powered USB port. There will be no harm to the attached devices if they are connected to the right kind of USB hub. Powered USB hubs are convenient and safe for high voltage devices. If you want to experience no compatibility issues whatsoever, then it is always recommended to check the voltage required by the device in advance.

Make sure that you are not plugging too many devices in a non-powered USB port because they are designed to provide power from the host system, and with an increased number of devices, the host system, laptop, or the devices can experience performance issues.

Some Closing Thoughts:

Well, that’s all for battery powered USB hubs. Surely they are easy to use and provide great convenience; depending upon the use, you can buy different types of battery powered USB hubs.