

it may not get enough power from a non-powered USB hub. If you’re connecting something that needs more power, like an external hard drive, webcams. In that case, a non-powered USB hub that splits the power between several ports will likely still provide plenty of juice to support those connections.
#Macbook usb c plugged in not charging full#
If you’re connecting items like USB memory sticks or a teleconferencing headset, they likely don’t need the full power output of a standard USB port. Some USB devices need more power than others. What’s the Difference Between the Powered and Non-Powered USB Hub? In some cases, the device could function intermittently but not reliably while in other cases, it wouldn’t function at all.Ģ. Those devices may not work correctly if you try to run them from a passive USB hub. Some USB devices need full power from the port they’re plugged into to work properly. Instead, they take the power output from the computer’s USB port they’re connected to and split it between the devices connected to the hub. Passive hubs don’t have that external power supply. These hubs connect to an external power source to provide the full power output from each port on the hub. Today, we’re going to look at the most frequently asked questions that will help you find the ideal USB hub.Īn active USB hub is another term for a powered USB hub.

A USB hub can turn a single port into several, along with other connections like HDMI, Ethernet, and SD card slots. Where you could have had four or more USB ports on laptops a few years ago, there’s not enough space in many current models.įortunately, it’s not difficult to add more ports to your MacBook that support the latest USB-C connection, Thunderbolt 4. The one disadvantage to the more streamlined designs is that there’s less space for ports. The latest models are smaller and lighter than ever. It would have been a nice-to-have, though.Modern laptop designs have come a long way from even a few years ago. It’s not a huge deal, as the machine comes with the MagSafe cable, so anyone wanting fast charging can use that. The latter fact is explained by the fact that the company had an inside track on the development of the standard, so was able to create a compatible proprietary cable. Some even expressed surprise that Apple had managed to include it in the new MagSafe port. The likely explanation is that the EPR standard is too new, so no suppliers have yet made USB-C ports that incorporate it – or, at least, not in the volumes Apple needs. Snell doesn’t state a source for this info, but is unlikely to make such a definitive statement without hard facts. You can still charge via those ports, of course-just not at the ultra-fastest speed.
#Macbook usb c plugged in not charging pro#
While there’s a new specification that allows for much higher power delivery levels over USB ports, the Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports on the MacBook Pro don’t support it. On the 16-inch models-all of which come with a 140W adapter-you can only do ultra-fast charging via MagSafe. However, Jason Snell says that the lack of a suitable cable isn’t the only issue. Apple’s using some proprietary cable to MagSafe. There are yet to be a C-to-C cable rated at EPR levels though. MacBook Pro USB-C ports don’t support fast chargingĪ Reddit post by USB-C engineer Benson Leung yesterday noted that there isn’t yet a USB-C to USB-C cable that supports EPR, so fast charging is available only via the new MagSafe 3 port.Īpple was instrumental at proposing the 28V, 36V, and 48V new voltages levels to USB’s working groups, so it would make sense that they were planning on releasing the first implementation. The 14-inch model isn’t affected as the charger is 96W, so below the 100W maximum. Apple’s implementation is limited to 28v. This delivers up to 48V at 5A, supporting anything up to 240W.Īpple’s new 16-inch MacBook Pro charger uses the new USB PD 3.1 EPR standard, and is – as far as I can see – the very first charger on the market to do so. This new standard is known as USB PD 3.1 Extended Power Range (EPR). A new standard was developed to support power delivery of up to 240W, and Apple was instrumental in driving this. That was fine at the time, but with higher-powered laptops on the way, more power was needed. This allowed for power to be delivered via USB-C cables at up to 100W. When the USB-C standards were developed, there was a specific standard for charging, known as USB-C Power Delivery (PD). We yesterday outlined the background to this. While there is a specification that supports the higher voltages needed, the new 16-inch MacBook Pro models don’t support it … A report today apparently answers an open question about MacBook Pro USB-C ports: whether or not they support the new USB PD 3.1 EPR standard needed for fast charging.
