Qwiizlab UH25 Max

[Machist]

Any experiences to this product?

UH25 Max (Silver)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Qwiizlab USB C Hub with Dual Drive Enclosure, Docking Station for Mac Studio Mac Mini M2/M1/Intel, Type-C 10Gbps, Card Readers 104MB/s, DisplayPort 4K HDMI, Fits M.2 SSD 2.5'' SATA SSD (Silver) About this item： INTERNAL STORAGE EXPANSION - supports M.2 M.2 PCIe SATA and NVMe...

qwiizlab.net

 

[apostolosdt]

I, too, would like to hear about that product. (Thanks, Machist, for the OP!)

 

[Machist]

I already ordered it an now we wait 20-30 days 😆

 

[Machist]

More info:

Qwiizlab

It's committed to become global brand upholding the concept of making products user-friendly. It is a leading provider in accessories and peripherals for computers with innovative design and prospective technology. It servers customers with eternal conscience and preference.

qwiizlab.net

First, both USB-C ports on the back of UH25 Max are merely for connecting it to Mac instead of to any monitors directly or any other USB devices. After you connected both USB-C ports to Mac, you are able to connect the DP or HDMI port on rear of UH25 Max to external monitors.

Second, compared with UH25 Pro, UH25 Max does not actually need an external power supply when both internal HDD and SSD are working in the mean time. However, if you insist on connecting it to an external power supply through the USB-C port on the rear of UH25 Max labelled as Host 2, you will lose the function of connecting it to external monitors through DP or HDMI port on rear of UH25 Max.

Third, notice that you should connect the USB-C port (labelled as "5V Power") on the rear of the USB-C dock to an external power adapter with USB-A outlet (not USB-C outlet), and use the USB-C to USB-A cable we included in the packing of the product. Power adapters are between 5W to 20W , please refer to the recommended list as below (to be updated):

• Apple 5W USB Power Adapter , $12.99
• Apple 12W USB Power Adapter , $17.99
• AILKIN 10.5W USB Power Adapter , $15.99
• LOUATIP 10.5W USB Power Adapter , $11.99

As for 2.5-inch SATA HDD, it supports capacity up to 2TB (below 9.5mm thickness). Recommended HDD models are listed as below (to be updated):

• Western Digital: WD Blue / Black / Green / Red / Gold
• Seagate: Skyhawk / BarraCudda / BarraCudda Pro / FireCudda
• Toshiba: L200 / N300

As for 2.5-inch SATA SSD, it supports capacity up to 8TB. Recommended SSD models are listed as below (to be updated):

• Samsung: 870 QVO/EVO, 860 QVO/EVO, 850 EVO/850 PRO, 840 EVO
• Western Digital: WD Blue / Green / Red / Gold
• Crucial: MX500 / BX500 / BX300 / M550 / M500 / M100
• PNY: CS900/CS1211/CS2311
• SK Hynix: SC311 / SL301
• Silicon Power: SP002TBSS3A55S25 / SP001TBSS3A55S25 / SP512GBSS3A55S25
• Teamgroup: EX23 Elite / Vulcan Z / Delta Max Lite / AX2
• Kingston: A400 / Q500 / C600
• Seagate: BarraCuda / IronWolf / FireCuda / Nytro
• SanDisk: SSD Plus / Ulra 3D SSD / Extreme PRO / X600 / X300

Qwiizlab

It's committed to become global brand upholding the concept of making products user-friendly. It is a leading provider in accessories and peripherals for computers with innovative design and prospective technology. It servers customers with eternal conscience and preference.

qwiizlab.net

As for M.2 SSD, it supports both SATA and NVMe PCIe Gen3 protocols up to 4TB. Recommend M.2 SSD models are listed as below (to be updated):

• Samsung: 990Pro, 980 Pro/980, 970 Evo Plus/970 Evo/970 Pro/970, 960 Evo, 950 Pro
• Western Digital: Black SN850/SN770/SN750 SE/SN750, Blue SN550/SN570, WD Blue SA510, Red SN700/SA500, Green SN350
• Crucial: P5/P5 Plus/P3/P3 Plus/P2/P2 Plus
• SK Hynix: Platinum P41, Gold P31
• Silicon Power : NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 SSD 500GB/1TB/2TB
• Sabrent: Rocket 4 Plus / Rocket Q/Rocket
• Teamgroup: MP33/MS30
• Kingston: NV2 / NV1 / DC1000B / KC3000 / A400
• Timetec: NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 SSD 512GB/1TB/2TB
• Seagate: BarraCuda Q5/510, FireCuda 520/510, IronWolf 525
• Adata: Legend 850/840/750/740/710/700, Protector 950
• SanDisk: Extreme Pro M.2 / Z400S / X400
• PNY: CS2130 / CS1030

 

[DKO110]

As for M.2 SSD, it supports both SATA and NVMe PCIe Gen3 protocols up to 4TB. Recommend M.2 SSD models are listed as below (to be updated):

• Samsung: 990Pro, 980 Pro/980, 970 Evo Plus/970 Evo/970 Pro/970, 960 Evo, 950 Pro
• Western Digital: Black SN850/SN770/SN750 SE/SN750, Blue SN550/SN570, WD Blue SA510, Red SN700/SA500, Green SN350
• Crucial: P5/P5 Plus/P3/P3 Plus/P2/P2 Plus
• SK Hynix: Platinum P41, Gold P31
• Silicon Power : NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 SSD 500GB/1TB/2TB
• Sabrent: Rocket 4 Plus / Rocket Q/Rocket
• Teamgroup: MP33/MS30
• Kingston: NV2 / NV1 / DC1000B / KC3000 / A400
• Timetec: NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 SSD 512GB/1TB/2TB
• Seagate: BarraCuda Q5/510, FireCuda 520/510, IronWolf 525
• Adata: Legend 850/840/750/740/710/700, Protector 950
• SanDisk: Extreme Pro M.2 / Z400S / X400
• PNY: CS2130 / CS1030

Is there a particular M.2 SSD that has the best price to performance ratio?

 

[Machist]

I will try Samsung 970 Evo Plus (2Tb).
I check all recommended M.2 SSD and Samsung is best for Price/performance.

Monday I get shipping information and tracking code.

 

[Fishrrman]

As I look at that, I'm wondering... how is the amount of power from the single USBc port (on the back of the Mini) going to supply enough for all the stuff that you connect to it?

And even if it does, won't that tend to "load down" the Mini and its power supply -- and possibly send the Mini's fans into overdrive?

If it ran off a power supply block plugged into a wall outlet -- that's an entirely different story.

 

[DKO110]

As I look at that, I'm wondering... how is the amount of power from the single USBc port (on the back of the Mini) going to supply enough for all the stuff that you connect to it?

And even if it does, won't that tend to "load down" the Mini and its power supply -- and possibly send the Mini's fans into overdrive?

If it ran off a power supply block plugged into a wall outlet -- that's an entirely different story.

That's a good question. I'd like to know as well.

 

[apostolosdt]

As I look at that, I'm wondering... how is the amount of power from the single USBc port (on the back of the Mini) going to supply enough for all the stuff that you connect to it?

And even if it does, won't that tend to "load down" the Mini and its power supply -- and possibly send the Mini's fans into overdrive?

If it ran off a power supply block plugged into a wall outlet -- that's an entirely different story.

That's an interesting question that should have been asked already, considering the long-time existence of similar items like the Satechi usb-c hub. I wonder what info the companies give; a hasty look in their site shows none.

 

[Machist]

As I look at that, I'm wondering... how is the amount of power from the single USBc port (on the back of the Mini) going to supply enough for all the stuff that you connect to it?

And even if it does, won't that tend to "load down" the Mini and its power supply -- and possibly send the Mini's fans into overdrive?

If it ran off a power supply block plugged into a wall outlet -- that's an entirely different story.

You need to use BOTH USB-C ports

"
both USB-C ports on the back of UH25 Max are merely for connecting it to Mac instead of to any monitors directly or any other USB devices. After you connected both USB-C ports to Mac, you are able to connect the DP or HDMI port on rear of UH25 Max to external monitors.

Second, compared with UH25 Pro, UH25 Max does not actually need an external power supply when both internal HDD and SSD are working in the mean time.
"
Qwiizlab support answer:

"Basically there is no need for extra power supply no matter connect to USB-A on the rear of the Mac mini or a power adapter.

The key point is to do not use a M.2 SSD as backup for Mac mini (by Time Machine) that will requires too much power supply. You may use a 2.5-inch SATA SSD as backup for Mac mini (by Time Machine) that will requires much less power supply, only one USB-C connection from UH25 Max to Mac mini is enough for all functions including DP and HDMI output.

Of course, use a M.2 SSD as expansion of storage for Mac mini is also OK. But not for backup."

 

[apostolosdt]

I wonder if an external power supply would be a simpler solution. There are plenty of power sockets near a computer, but not many usb-c ports.

 

[Machist]

"We have prepared the shipment, and the carrier will pick it up soon."
14 days and not yet shipped.. this is so sloooow... 😴😴

 

[DKO110]

I ended up getting the UH25 Pro from Walmart. It's basically the same unit but without the HDMI and DP ports. Just waiting on my new M2 Mac Mini to set it up.

 

[icemantx]

I purchased the Quiizlab UH25 Pro to use with my M2 Pro Mac mini 10,16/2TB/16GB. I received it yesterday in the mail and have some initial impressions after one day of use.

The shape of the Quiizlab is not an exact match of the corners of the Mac mini. The finish is also not an exact match.

I have the Samsung EVO 970 Plus 2TB installed and have experienced 3 random disconnects when not actively transferring data. I have the hub plugged into a 20W Apple charger via USB C. Speeds are in the 750-800 read/write range.

Since I also had issues with random disconnects using a Sabrent external NVME enclosure, I decided to return the Samsung EVO 970 Plus and get a crucial P5 Plus 2 TB NVME drive to replace the Samsung.

I’m thinking the disconnects are either the mini or the drive overheating in the hub/enclosure.

I’ll report back if I have any other feedback between today and when I get the Crucial drive on Thursday.

 

[icemantx]

I purchased the Quiizlab UH25 Pro to use with my M2 Pro Mac mini 10,16/2TB/16GB. I received it yesterday in the mail and have some initial impressions after one day of use.

The shape of the Quiizlab is not an exact match of the corners of the Mac mini. The finish is also not an exact match.

I have the Samsung EVO 970 Plus 2TB installed and have experienced 3 random disconnects when not actively transferring data. I have the hub plugged into a 20W Apple charger via USB C. Speeds are in the 750-800 read/write range.

Since I also had issues with random disconnects using a Sabrent external NVME enclosure, I decided to return the Samsung EVO 970 Plus and get a crucial P5 Plus 2 TB NVME drive to replace the Samsung.

I’m thinking the disconnects are either the mini or the drive overheating in the hub/enclosure.

I’ll report back if I have any other feedback between today and when I get the Crucial drive on Thursday.

Another thing I discovered is that if you plug a USB C device to charge into the front of the Quiizlab hub, it will disconnect any connected drives IF you have the second USB C on the back plugged directly to a power adapter. IF you plug the power USB C port on the hub into the USB A port on the Mac mini then the drives do not disconnect if you plug something to charge into the USB C on the front of the hub.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[Fishrrman]

ice wrote:
"Another thing I discovered is that if you plug a USB C device to charge into the front of the Quiizlab hub, it will disconnect any connected drives IF you have the second USB C on the back plugged directly to a power adapter. IF you plug the power USB C port on the hub into the USB A port on the Mac mini then the drives do not disconnect if you plug something to charge into the USB C on the front of the hub."

See my warning in reply #7 earlier in this thread.

Drawing USB power from the host Mac is a serious design flaw. The Mac may not be able to "keep up" with the power demands.

Any hub that has a good number of ports should have ITS OWN POWER SUPPLY or problems may result...

 

[DKO110]

ice wrote:
"Another thing I discovered is that if you plug a USB C device to charge into the front of the Quiizlab hub, it will disconnect any connected drives IF you have the second USB C on the back plugged directly to a power adapter. IF you plug the power USB C port on the hub into the USB A port on the Mac mini then the drives do not disconnect if you plug something to charge into the USB C on the front of the hub."

See my warning in reply #7 earlier in this thread.

Drawing USB power from the host Mac is a serious design flaw. The Mac may not be able to "keep up" with the power demands.

Any hub that has a good number of ports should have ITS OWN POWER SUPPLY or problems may result...

He said he is running it off it's own 20W power supply.

 

[icemantx]

He said he is running it off it's own 20W power supply.

Yes, I did try using a 20w Apple power adapter plugged into the power USB C plug on the back of the Quiizlab and this is when I noticed the issue of disconnecting drives.

Problem is that IF you set your power up this way, then connect a USB C device to the front of the hub, all of your hub attached storage drives will disconnect.

Yes, this is a design flaw. My only way around this was to plug the USB C power port of the hub into the USB A port on the mini and then I could power something from the USB C port on the front and keep the NVME drive (or any other drives) connected to the Mac mini.

I dunno - I am considering alternate options such as a separate powered USB Hub with an SD card reader and attaching my NVME directly to the Mac mini using an enclosure (possibly thunderbolt).

 

[DKO110]

Yes, I did try using a 20w Apple power adapter plugged into the power USB C plug on the back of the Quiizlab and this is when I noticed the issue of disconnecting drives.

Problem is that IF you set your power up this way, then connect a USB C device to the front of the hub, all of your hub attached storage drives will disconnect.

Yes, this is a design flaw. My only way around this was to plug the USB C power port of the hub into the USB A port on the mini and then I could power something from the USB C port on the front and keep the NVME drive (or any other drives) connected to the Mac mini.

I dunno - I am considering alternate options such as a separate powered USB Hub with an SD card reader and attaching my NVME directly to the Mac mini using an enclosure (possibly thunderbolt).

That's a pretty big design flaw. I wonder if yours is defective or other people are experiencing that too. I did a decent amount of research on Reddit and YouTube regarding these docks and haven't seen anything about this issue.

Have you tried another power adapter?

 

[icemantx]

That's a pretty big design flaw. I wonder if yours is defective or other people are experiencing that too. I did a decent amount of research on Reddit and YouTube regarding these docks and haven't seen anything about this issue.

Have you tried another power adapter?

I tried with 18w and 20w Apple USB-C power adapters and an Anker 40w dual USB-C power adapter. Same thing would keep happening when you had an external hard drive plugged into USB-A (5Gbps or 10Gbps), SD Card inserted and a thumb drive inserted then plugged in something that draws power such as an iPad mini 6. And this happened today with no NVME installed consistently. My guess is it just is not well suited for providing much power to other devices and is best suited for data transfer.

At least that is my experience. It is not necessarily a deal killer, but does diminish the value to me with the one I have been testing out.

The more I think about it, the less I need USB-A now and will need even less moving forward. I have been looking at Amazon for separate devices and see if that is better suited for my situation.

And forgot to mention this annoying message when trying to eject an HDD when I did not even use it with any apps - just connected it (will be retired soon anyhow so not a huge deal), but not sure if will be a similar problem with other USB connected devices. This does not happen to the HDD when connected directly to the Mac mini.

 

[mavis]

Another thing I discovered is that if you plug a USB C device to charge into the front of the Quiizlab hub, it will disconnect any connected drives IF you have the second USB C on the back plugged directly to a power adapter. IF you plug the power USB C port on the hub into the USB A port on the Mac mini then the drives do not disconnect if you plug something to charge into the USB C on the front of the hub.

I hope that makes sense.

According to Qwiizlab customer service, the USB-C port on the rear of the device that's used for power needs to be plugged into a USB-A port or charger, not a USB-C charger.

edit: more details here. According to their customer service,

Olli, we also recommend that user to use a power adapter to get power supply to the product instead of connecting it to USB-A port on the rear of Mac mini.

• Currently, there is some limitation that you need to use a power adapter with a USB-A outlet instead of USB-C outlet. The recommended list for the power adapter is not complete, you can use anyone with a USB-A outlet and over 10 Watts.
• We have asked technical team to improve the power supply management (to change two chips and several resistors) so that users can use any kind of power adapter (just to be over 10 Watts, no matter it is USB-C or USB-A outlet). It is supposed to be done in next month.

 

[icemantx]

According to Qwiizlab customer service, the USB-C port on the rear of the device that's used for power needs to be plugged into a USB-A port or charger, not a USB-C charger.

edit: more details here. According to their customer service,

Well that explains it… A design flaw. Maybe I will try it again once they fix their power management issue. I returned mine today.

 

[mavis]

Well that explains it… A design flaw. Maybe I will try it again once they fix their power management issue. I returned mine today.

I wouldn't call it a design flaw per se, more of a design oversight. But that's splitting hairs. Basically the UH25's power port doesn't support PD, so when it's plugged into a USB-C charger (or port) it doesn't draw any power. USB-A ports, on the other hand, always supply 5V of power, even if the client device doesn't support PD. So if you're connected to a USB-C charger (or the second USB-C port on the mini) it's not drawing any power at all. Hence the disconnects. This is something that affects LOTS of devices, and it is really annoying.

 

[DKO110]

Mystery solved. Now I might have to buy or find another charger to try since I was originally going to use my 30W USB-C PD charger. You think an 18W charger would work?

 

[mavis]

Mystery solved. Now I might have to buy or find another charger to try since I was originally going to use my 30W USB-C PD charger. You think an 18W charger would work?

They say anything 10W or higher is fine. 5V/2A ... that covers a pretty broad range of chargers. Just don't worry about specifically getting something that's PD enabled.