OTG Charger/Adapter Recommendations

[Brew Swayne]

Pretty straight forward, I think. I want an adapter that I can plug into the USB C charging port of my tablet that will provide me with 1 USB 2.0/3.0 port that I could connect to a thumb drive or external hard drive and a 2nd port that will accept the USB C charging cable so that I can power/charge my tablet while connected to the thumb/external drive.

There's no shortage of options on Amazon, but with stuff like this I'm never sure if I'm going to get a quality piece of equipment, or some poorly made pos, so does anyone here have recommendations?

 

[Rukbat]

Whether you can charge during OTG (with a type C connector) depends on the kernel (some do, some don't), so any type C hub should work - if the tablet's kernel supports charging during OTG. I don't know whether the stock kernel in the Tab S4 does - that's one spec never mentioned. (But you can find kernels on XDA that allow it.)

 

[Brew Swayne]

Whether you can charge during OTG (with a type C connector) depends on the kernel (some do, some don't), so any type C hub should work - if the tablet's kernel supports charging during OTG. I don't know whether the stock kernel in the Tab S4 does - that's one spec never mentioned. (But you can find kernels on XDA that allow it.)

Thanks for the info. I've never messed with changing kernels before, so before I even consider trying to dive into something like this, is there a way I can verify if my current/stock kernel would support it? I grabbed it from system information:

Kernel version
4.4.78-14803871 (gcc version 4.9.x 20150123 (prerelease) (GCC) )
dpi@21HHAG06 #1
Thu Nov 29 19:38:27 KST 2018

 

[Rukbat]

You'd have to try it.

 

[Brew Swayne]

Guess I'll give it a go. Thanks.

Anyone have experience with this particular adapter or company? Looks to be the closest to what I'm looking for in functionality and is also in the price range that I'm looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/Pass-Through...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU6498548

 

[Brew Swayne]

Ended up ordering a slightly more expensive unit than the one above, but I got it today and so far so good. I still need to test the HDMI port and the Cat 5 port, but those are the 2 least important features for me so it might not happen anytime soon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FX2LW3...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU6507238

Early review pros:

Feels well built
Sleek and attractive design
Sturdy USB C cable to connect to the Tab S4
Pass through charging works

Early review cons:

Cable is just a hair on the short side. The unit itself doesn't want to lay perfectly flush on the table top. Perhaps with some use, the cable will soften up a bit. If not, I saw 6" USB C extension cables that should do the trick and allow me to place the hub how I want.

The pass through charging doesn't appear to support fast charging, but I don't think that should be much of an issue since the battery lasts me pretty much all day and then I charge overnight.

 

[ClintRo]

Here is the one I use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU6508026

 

[Brew Swayne]

Clint, how well does that unit support pass through charging?

I didn't notice it at first with the one that I bought, but it actually doesn't charge my tablet at all when while I'm using it. It's still draining battery, albeit at a much slower rate....like maybe 1-2% per hour. It did charge the tablet overnight when not in use though. Still, that's a no go for me. I've contacted the company and hoping that maybe I just got a bad unit that they will replace, but if not then I'm back to looking at other options.

 

[ClintRo]

I will have to check it tomorrow and get back to you... Won't have time today.

 

[bill-e]

The items referenced in the thread listed below will allow the Tab to charge while connected to a monitor, BT keyboard and BT mouse while watching Netflix and playing audio from the Tab utilizing the OEM charger.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s4/938229-usb-hdmi-hub-works-without-cover-found.html#post6452272

 

[Brew Swayne]

The items referenced in the thread listed below will allow the Tab to charge while connected to a monitor, BT keyboard and BT mouse while watching Netflix and playing audio from the Tab utilizing the OEM charger.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s4/938229-usb-hdmi-hub-works-without-cover-found.html#post6452272

Appreciate that info. Unfortunately, the hub you linked to is currently out of stock on Amazon. Figures. lol

 

[Brew Swayne]

I will have to check it tomorrow and get back to you... Won't have time today.

Did you get a change to test the charging capabilities yesterday?

 

[ClintRo]

Going to do it later today when the wife gets up... All my stuff is in the room and I don't want to wake her up... You would never get answers if I do that... Lol

 

[ClintRo]

Ok so it works... With keyboard but no mouse connected since I don't have a wired one at the house...Lol

 

[Brew Swayne]

So the hub you bought actually does allow pass through charging to charge the tablet while the tablet is in use?

Just want to confirm it's going to meet my needs before ordering.

 

[ClintRo]

Yes it does... See the screen shots?

How are you going to use it? Maybe I can replicate in a bit.

 

[Brew Swayne]

Unless there's more that aren't displaying, I see 1 screenshot and 1 pic of your charging adapter.

I see the charing indicator is on in your screenshot, but the charing indicator also comes on when I plug in my current hub and then plug the power adapter into the hub...but it's not actually charging. It's actually still depleting the battery. So I just want to make sure that your battery % is actually going up while the hub is in use.

What I primarily plan to use the hub for is to connect an external hard drive and monitor. Will also occasionally use the SD/microSD slots as well, but that won't be a steady use thing, just when I need to transfer pics/vids from my cameras. Basically, I'm trying to see if I set this up to create a psuedo-desktop/laptop environment.

 

[ClintRo]

The screen shot shows charging... I didn't leave it on long to see if it was... But I can do that

 

[ClintRo]

So a key board and wired mouse or just the keyboard case... I should be able to replicate what you want to do... Out right now but can later.

 

[Brew Swayne]

Yeah, like I said...mine showed that too and the battery still kept draining. When you have a chance and can eyeball it for a couple minutes just to confirm that it is actually charging the tablet, I'd appreciate it.