4-Port Ultra-Slim USB 3.0 Hub with Powered USB 3.0 Hard Drives Problem

#1

Connected a 4-Port Ultra-Slim USB 3.0 Hub to a Toshiba P755 series laptop (running Windows 10) with a single USB 3.0 port. For some reason when I try to connect a independently powered external USB 3.0 hard drive to the hub the external USB drive continuously connects/disconnects and ultimately never connects to PC.

When the hub is connected to a USB 2.0 port on the laptop, the hub and external drive operate normally.

Have connected the hub and external USB drive to a desktop PC’s USB 3.0 port and both operate normally.

Any suggestions to try in getting a powered USB external hard drive to work with the 4-Port Ultra-Slim USB 3.0 Hub on a Toshiba P755 series laptop that has only one USB 3.0 port?

#2

I would contact @AnkerSupport via support@anker.com and give them your model/serial number, date of purchase, and list out what troubleshooting you have tried. They should give you more details on the hub is suppose to work and help resolve your issues with the hub.

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#3

Thanks for the suggestion. Have gone ahead and emailed Anker.com support. Hub appears to work fine with flash drives I have. Just has a problem with two different brands of powered USB 3.0 hard drives on two separate Toshiba P755 laptops.

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#4

Hi, we are sorry to know this issue you have. According to the information you provide, we are afraid this is NOT a product quality issue with your Anker 4-port USB 3.0 hub.

This 4-port hub is one that comes without a power adapter, so it only has an output current that is about 0.9 amps to support devices plugged into it. That’s why the hub works fine with your flash drives which are not high-consumption devices. But when the device to be plugged in is a USB 3.0 hard drive, this hub does not have sufficient output power to support a high-consumption device like this hard drive.

In this situation, you may need a more powerful hub, like a USB 3.0 hub that comes with a power supply so it should allow you to use the external hard drives with the powered hub.

Our support will reply you through email if you have any further questions. Thank you.

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#5

The two USB 3.0 hard drives I tested have their own independent power supply. As such why would it be an issue of the hub not supplying enough power? One would think (and assume) that powered USB drives would be immune from the hub not being able to supply enough power. Not to mention the hub works perfectly fine with these two powered USB hard drives when connected to a USB 2.0 port on these two laptops.

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#6

I had a similar issue in the past with a different computer and hub. What worked for me was using a different cable than the one that came with my hard drive. But it could have been that or the fact that I had everything hooked up and restarted my computer, so it was connected when it booted up. Either one of those things fixed it for me

#7

Tired different USB 3.0 cables to the powered USB 3.0 hard drives and even tried a USB 3.0 extension cable. Tried powering on the powered USB drives after booting the PC and before booting the PC. No joy.

The two powered USB 3.0 drives (WD EasyStore and Seagate Backup+ Hub) simply don’t work properly through the unpowered Anker USB 3.0 hub on the two Toshiba laptops. Even though this same hub with both powered USB 3.0 drives attached attached works fine when attached to a four port USB 3.0 PCI card in a desktop PC.

I’m trying to figure out if it’s the single USB 3.0 port on either of the two Toshiba P755 series laptops I’m using are the issue, or if these unpowered USB 3.0 hubs themselves are the issue. I’m leaning towards the laptop USB 3.0 port being the issue at the moment.

Just frustrating that when attached to USB 2.0 port on either Toshiba laptop, the Anker hub and the two powered USB drives work fine, only with the USB 3.0 port on these laptops do I have problems.

#8

I understand your frustration, from what you said it leads me to think it’s the port themselves. One of the things to note is that you said it works off the pci card which can provide additional power for stability at the 3.0 port. So it could as @ankersupport mentioned be a power issue with that port, even though the drives themselves are powered separately. Some power will still transfer between the ports to maintain the high speed connection and bandwidth.