USB 3 hubs - which support multiple external drives?

#1

Problem: My aging laptop has 2 USB3 ports; my external WD drives and Bluetooth work when directly connected, but fail or are intermitttent when plugged into my powered USB3 hub. I looked for an Ankar replacement for the hub, but…

Amazon’s details on an Ankar USB3 hub read:
___ Compatibility: 2.4GHz wireless devices, … and some USB 3.0 devices may not be supported.

Bluetooth operates at 2.4GHz, so perhaps that’s explained, but I need to back-up Terabyte drives - from one external drive to another - and USB2 is unappealing for that.

I need 3 devices (BT+2 HD) and the only way to get that is with a hub. Do ANY Ankar USB3 hubs support multiple external WD HD drives? (Or does any onther manufacturer’s product work?)

I love all my Ankar cables and products… I expected to find an answer in an Ankar product.

Thanks!

PS: Can anyone direct me to a technical explanation of WHY these problems exist? Always curious…

#2

@spamatme

Kindly be advised that normally a powered Anker hub will be able to work with BT and HD. If our product does not meet your expectation, would you please kindly contact us via email address: support@anker.com with your Amazon order number? We will try our best to make things right for you.

#3

  • Bluetooth: Unfortunately, USB 3.0 ports generate noise that just so happens to be on the same channel as Bluetooth. So many Bluetooth and “nano” receiver dongles (for wireless mice and keyboards) perform poorly on USB 3.0 ports. This can sometimes be overcome by using a USB 2.0 extension cable for the dongle.

  • Multiple hard drives: It basically comes down to power requirements. A USB 3.0 port typically supplies between 900mA and 1500mA of power, while an external hard drive typically requires 900mA. So when you take 1 USB port and try to divide its power between two external hard drives, there typically is not enough power to keep both spinning. A powered hub (one that plugs into the wall as well as your computer) should work better as it’s not limited to the power of a single USB port.