3 distinctive methods I take advantage of a USB-C hub I am going to wager you by no means considered

We’re lastly shifting towards a world the place USB-C is the norm, and there is a lot to be enthusiastic about. Nonetheless, it took lots longer than I’d have favored, and it led me to make use of USB-A units for a lot longer than I wished to. I’ve constructed up fairly a group, and shifting to USB-C leaves them with no house.

USB-A continues to be used fairly a bit, and I am not prepared to offer it up completely. This implies a USB-C hub was wanted that would convert my singular USB-C port into one thing that would use my older units. This has been a giant improve for me for quite a lot of causes, and it is opened the door to issues I did not assume I might do. You in all probability know in regards to the frequent causes to make use of one — primarily to plug in additional units — however I discovered that I can unlock issues on my laptop computer, for instance, that weren’t in any other case potential.

Add an Ethernet port to your laptop computer

Give your self higher stability

Many laptops have Ethernet ports, however it’s not the case with all of them. For instance, my Chromebook does not have a port. This implies I am largely alone, and fortunately, my connection speeds are adequate that I do not should be plugged in on a regular basis. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless occasions after I’m sitting down at a desk near my modem, the place it is sensible to plug in.

There are a number of USB-C hubs which have an Ethernet port included with them. The best way this works is you plug the hub into your USB-C port, as you usually would, however then you definitely plug an Ethernet cable into the included port in your hub. Every thing merely works from there, so there are not any additional steps you must take. It is positively an underrated method to make use of a USB-C hub that I by no means considered till I received this Chromebook.

Join a printer

I do not print typically, so it is good

Just a few years in the past, it felt like I wanted a printer for therefore many issues. However now that issues like DocuSign have develop into the norm, I have not had to make use of a printer in ages. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless some conditions the place it requires one, and utilizing a USB-C to attach one is good. My printer makes use of the older USB-A hook-ups, and I think about a variety of printers are in the identical boat.

With a hub plugged into my laptop computer already, I haven’t got to unplug something from my USB slots to plug within the printer. It is as straightforward as plugging the printer into one of many empty hub spots, and I can simply disconnect after I’m carried out. The larger drawback that I run into is whether or not my printer has ink or not. I’ve typically discovered it cheaper to purchase a brand new printer than purchase a brand new cartridge of ink, however that is a dialogue for an additional day.

Plug in an SD card

Although you may want a slot

Whereas telephones are the preferred approach to take photos for most individuals, there are nonetheless many individuals preferring having an actual digicam. These folks probably save their photos to SD cards, and the one approach to get these in your laptop is thru an adapter or a port. Whereas your laptop won’t have a devoted port, you may probably discover an reasonably priced USB-C hub that has one for you.

Adapters that plug right into a USB-A port are fairly low-cost, however they solely have that single use. You probably have a necessity for a USB-C hub, it is higher to select one up with an SD card reader because it’d have much more versatility. You possibly can additionally plug in that USB-A adapter to your hub and skim your SD card that method.