USB Hub with Power Delivery Buying Guide: Specs & Wattage
USB Hub Power Delivery: Which Specs You Need for Multiple Devices
A USB hub is a device that expands a single USB port into multiple ports, allowing you to connect several USB devices to your computer simultaneously. But when you're charging multiple devices at once, understanding power delivery specs becomes critical—overshooting or undershooting your power requirements can mean the difference between rapid charging and mysteriously disconnected devices.
Understanding USB Power Delivery Standards
USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) allows up to 240 watts. However, not all hubs support these maximum levels. The modern Power Delivery specifications began with USB PD 1.0 in 2012, providing up to 60 watts; PD 2.0 version 1.2 in 2013 with USB 3.1, supporting up to 100 W; and USB PD 3.1 in 2021 raised the maximum to 240 W.
The current USB PD 3.1 spec delivers up to 240W through its Extended Power Range (EPR) profile, enough to fast charge a phone, run a tablet, and power most laptops over a single USB-C cable. For most consumers, however, these top-tier specs are overkill. The wattage tiers (30 W, 65 W, 100 W, 140 W) correspond to different device categories.
Matching Wattage to Your Devices
Before selecting a hub, you need to know what you're actually charging:
- Laptop: 30–240W
- Tablet: 20–45W
- Smartphone: 20–45W
- Power Bank: 20–100W
Most phones and ultrabooks only need 30–65W, but if your laptop came with a 96W charger, you'll benefit from 100W cables and chargers.
The key spec is power capacity, not performance. A standard 3A USB C cable supports a maximum of 60 watts of power delivery (20V at 3A). To exceed 60W and reach higher power levels like 100W or 240W, you need an electronically marked (eMarked) 5A cable.
Pass-Through Power Delivery vs. Bus-Powered Hubs
This distinction matters enormously for simultaneous charging. A true USB-C hub with power delivery must support pass-through PD, meaning it accepts high-wattage input (e.g., 65W–100W) from your original charger, routes power to your laptop without throttling, and simultaneously powers connected devices like SSDs, monitors, or Ethernet adapters.
A pass-through PD hub has a dedicated PD input port (usually labeled