Connectivity Issues with 7-Port USB 3.0

#1

I bought 2 7-Port USB 3.0 hubs and they work great with my new Mac. But I’d like a little more reach so I bought some 6’ 3.0 USB data cables (Cable Matter brand) to go with them (I received 4 total, long story).

When I use one of these 6’ cables with the hub, nothing seems to work right. For instance, the wireless mouse, whose receiver is plugged into the hub, “freezes” (stops moving) every few seconds. My Yeti mic would not work when plugged into the hub. If I switch back to the supplied 3’ cable, everything works great. I’ve tried different combinations of hubs and 6’ cables with the same results so I don’t think it’s case of a bad hub or cables.

Any reason this hub should not work with a 6’ cable?

#2

I dont suppose the 6’ matters.
Check the pins of the plugs.

#3

USB 3 is well known for causing interference with wireless mouse receivers and similar products that work over 2.4GHz. The mouse problem sounds related. There might be issues with the shielding or ground connections on the longer cables that make this worse, or the extra cable length might just be enough to matter.


I have had some hubs / ports that work with a wireless mouse, and some that don’t. Not easy to predict or troubleshoot. Sometimes it seems to matter what else is plugged in on the next port, and how active it is.

The mic issue makes me wonder if the new cables have a thinner gauge wire (reducing the power transmitted) - are these separately powered hubs, or do they get power from the host computer?

You don’t mention the model number, and anker makes a lot of hubs - hard for me to tell much more from that.

#4

“7-Port USB 3.0” is the product name, it’s here: 7-Port USB 3.0 Hub - Anker. Both hubs are self-powered.

Great info on USB 3.0 and 2.4GHz, I was not aware. This seems like the explanation for what I was seeing.

Thanks!

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#5

I have had success using a USB-2 extension cable between the hub and the wireless transmitter. I had an old one lying around. Doesn’t seem to need a lot of space, just not being right next to the chips helps.

#6

jercox, thanks so much! Indeed, a USB extension fixed the problem.

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