USB Hubs are a logical progression in the evolution of computers and technology. Since the dawn of time in computer world, one of the main goals is to make things smaller, and smaller, and smaller, but still retaining the same capability. I have witnessed the destruction of the 5 ½” floppy drive, the Modem, the 3 ½” floppy drive, the Zip drive, Super Disk Drives, and now… CD drives and USB ports on some modern surface style PCs and thin laptops. Honestly, it’s quite frustrating that my Surface Pro only has one USB port… but thankfully after-market accessories have picked up the slack where designers and hardware manufacturers have left us behind. Say hello to the AUKEY Ling PD USB-C Hub (CB-C68).
What is a USB Hub?: USB hubs are nifty little devices that pick up the slack on the connections side of the house, which have been removed from a lot of laptops recently? Gone are the days of 4+ USB connecters, VGA out, and media card slots. In an endeavor to streamline our laptop form factors and give us the smallest and lightest profile possible, many of these connections have been axed… which sucks because we kind of need them. Well, companies like AUKEY have come to our rescue and bundled all of the functionality and availability of extra slots and placed them into a peripheral, known as a Hub.
What Does It Do? Well, I think the better question is “what doesn’t it do?” Here’s a rundown of the amount of ports/connections that the AUKEY Hub has:
- (3) USB-C 3.1 connectors – with data transfer speeds up to 5GBS
- (1) HDMI Port – with output at 4K up to 30FPS
- (1) USB-C (Power Delivery) port - 5V – 20V at 5 amps
- One SD/MicroSD Media Card Slot (supports up to 2tb)
- Supports MicroSD, MicroSDHC, SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards
- It even comes with a microfiber carrying pouch
What does all of this mean? All of these connections and ports mean that you and connect things to your computer for days! You can ditch the power cord and use the USB-C Power Delivery cable to connect directly to your laptop and supply it with power. Additionally, it will transfer all of the wonderful data from your USB-C connectors and SD connections as well. And if that wasn’t enough, you can even use the HDMI port to display the video from your laptop directly to a TV or Monitor at 4K @ 30FPS – pretty neat huh? The best way to think of the Hub is a native extension of the laptop, which offers all of the power and functionality that a traditional computer would have on the back of the case, all combined into one neat package that supplies power to your laptop as well.
Conclusion: The AUKEY Link PD USB-C Hub is a great addition to any laptop – especially the new Mac’s and Surface Pro’s. The ability to charge your laptop and ditch the cable, plus the ability to connect additional USB devices is a godsend. I am super happy that we have lighter and more powerful technology than ever before, but sometimes the means is not justified by the end in the beginning, and some things get left behind at the decision of the manufacturer. Maybe one day we will have the one-stop-shop connection system to our computers, but we aren’t quite there yet… which is why the Hub is so important. I definitely recommend picking up one of these if your laptop supports the USB-C Power Delivery port; and even more so if your laptop has ditched many of its additional USB connections.
If you’re interested in picking up one of these convenient and fancy new AUKEY Link PD USB-C Hubs, you can find them on Amazon’s website for $49.99 - https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Adapte...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU6404390 - and if that wasn’t enough, the Hub has AUKEY’s 24-month warranty, and qualifies for Prime 2-day shipping if you’re an Amazon Prime member. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section.
What is a USB Hub?: USB hubs are nifty little devices that pick up the slack on the connections side of the house, which have been removed from a lot of laptops recently? Gone are the days of 4+ USB connecters, VGA out, and media card slots. In an endeavor to streamline our laptop form factors and give us the smallest and lightest profile possible, many of these connections have been axed… which sucks because we kind of need them. Well, companies like AUKEY have come to our rescue and bundled all of the functionality and availability of extra slots and placed them into a peripheral, known as a Hub.
What Does It Do? Well, I think the better question is “what doesn’t it do?” Here’s a rundown of the amount of ports/connections that the AUKEY Hub has:
- (3) USB-C 3.1 connectors – with data transfer speeds up to 5GBS
- (1) HDMI Port – with output at 4K up to 30FPS
- (1) USB-C (Power Delivery) port - 5V – 20V at 5 amps
- One SD/MicroSD Media Card Slot (supports up to 2tb)
- Supports MicroSD, MicroSDHC, SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards
- It even comes with a microfiber carrying pouch
What does all of this mean? All of these connections and ports mean that you and connect things to your computer for days! You can ditch the power cord and use the USB-C Power Delivery cable to connect directly to your laptop and supply it with power. Additionally, it will transfer all of the wonderful data from your USB-C connectors and SD connections as well. And if that wasn’t enough, you can even use the HDMI port to display the video from your laptop directly to a TV or Monitor at 4K @ 30FPS – pretty neat huh? The best way to think of the Hub is a native extension of the laptop, which offers all of the power and functionality that a traditional computer would have on the back of the case, all combined into one neat package that supplies power to your laptop as well.
Conclusion: The AUKEY Link PD USB-C Hub is a great addition to any laptop – especially the new Mac’s and Surface Pro’s. The ability to charge your laptop and ditch the cable, plus the ability to connect additional USB devices is a godsend. I am super happy that we have lighter and more powerful technology than ever before, but sometimes the means is not justified by the end in the beginning, and some things get left behind at the decision of the manufacturer. Maybe one day we will have the one-stop-shop connection system to our computers, but we aren’t quite there yet… which is why the Hub is so important. I definitely recommend picking up one of these if your laptop supports the USB-C Power Delivery port; and even more so if your laptop has ditched many of its additional USB connections.
If you’re interested in picking up one of these convenient and fancy new AUKEY Link PD USB-C Hubs, you can find them on Amazon’s website for $49.99 - https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Adapte...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU6404390 - and if that wasn’t enough, the Hub has AUKEY’s 24-month warranty, and qualifies for Prime 2-day shipping if you’re an Amazon Prime member. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section.
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