My Anker USB 3.0 devices are being recognized as USB 2.0 devices

#1

I have a 2015 MBP running macOS 10.12.6. I have 7-Port Anker USB hub (the black and blue plastic one) connected to a USB port on the computer and then I also have two additional hubs: a 4 port USB aluminum hub and an Anker Gigabit adapter w/ 3-port hub (a couple of years old).

After a couple of days of going into and out of the office, the 7-port hub stops being recognized as a USB 3.0 device and from that point on, the other USB-3 devices in the hub chain stop working as well. Unplugging and replugging the device back in do not work.

However—USB 3 devices that stopped working (e.g. the gigabit ethernet adapter), if plugged into the machine directly will usually start working.

A reboot always seems to resolve the issue.

I’ve installed the related drivers from Anker’s site. However, normally when I discover that something isn’t working I’m in the middle of something else—sometimes I can’t reboot. I’d really just like the USB devices to work properly.

Anyone else running into this? How did you fix it?

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#2

It sounds like you may be exceeding the power limit of the USB port. If a USB port draws too much power, Macs seem to disable the USB device to prevent damage to the system (I found that out when I somehow inserted a flash drive upside down).

If I’m understanding this correctly, you’re plugging a 4 port hub and a 3 port hub into a 7 port hub, correct? This would likely exceed the amount of power available on a single USB port. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0#Power_and_charging

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#3

The power of an USB-port is limited. You may draw too much current when plugging too many consumers. So the system shuts down to avoid damages.