Powered and Unpowered USB Hubs: What's the Difference?

What's a USB Hub?

A USB hub is a device that expands a single Universal Serial Bus port into several so that there are more ports available to connect devices to a host system, similar to a power strip. 

USB hubs usually come in two types: powered and unpowered USB hubs. 

What's a Powered USB Hub?

Powered USB hubs provide their own power supply for devices.

Typically, when you connect a device to your computer via USB, the device draws upon your computer's power to function.

Powered USB hubs come with their own power source and provide power for your connected devices so your computer doesn't have to.

Because a powered hub uses mains power, it can give every device connected to it the maximum voltage that USB allows.

So, not only can it run more devices than an unpowered hub, it can do so at full power, without any drops in performance.

What's an Unpowered USB Hub?

Unpowered USB hubs plug into a computer's USB port and draw power from its battery.

Unpowered USB hubs are usually cheaper than powered USB hubs, but they are unable to power high-voltage devices without performance issues.

They also struggle to power several devices at once. 

Final Words 

AUKEY has both powered and unpowered USB hubs for sale.

AUKEY has USB Hubs for all USB-A and USB-C ports.

These work with MacBook, Windows, and all laptops.

Power your laptop with 100W pass-through charging, compatible with thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

Our USB Hubs support ethernet, 4K HDMI, Micro SD, and more.