I'm a mobile developer, and wanted a hub I could mount on the wall, connect several devices, and charge as well.
Most USB hubs will only provide 0.5A for charging, so they will charge an iPhone slowly, and an iPad not at all. (iPad will not charge with less than 1.1A).
I got one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Industrial-SuperSpeed-Mountable-ST7300USBM/dp/B009AT5T1W
It's not cheap - a bit over $100. But it's metal, has mounting ears, 7 ports, and will provide up to 1.5A for charging on each port.
Now, for a bit of bad news:
- doesn't come with a power supply. This is because it's an industrial product. In most cases, systems these will be installed in (think metal cabinet in an auto plant) will have a suitable power bus.
- It works on any voltage from 7 to 30 volts. The higher the better. I tested it first on a bench supply, and then got a 50W universal laptop supply for about $30 at Fry's and set it to 20V. (It regulates this down to 5V of course.) If you're really going to draw 1.5A on every port, get a 75W supply.
This is actually a good thing. Most USB hubs come with inadequate power supplies. Better to let you choose your own.
- It will not charge an iPad while connected to your computer. Well, OK, it will, sort of. If you plug the iPad in when not connected to the computer it will start charging. If you then plug in your computer, it will continue to charge. (Should have checked the bench supply meter to see if it continues to charge at the same rate, but it has to be at least 1.1A...) And you can still access it with iTunes, XCode, etc.
I have some hope that there is some software that will enable charging without having to unplug and replug the computer.
- It will charge an iPhone at full rate. (I did check this with the bench supply meter, and did the math.. had to crank the voltage down to read the current accurately with only one port connected.) Presumably while the computer is connected. I haven't seen the problem with iPads where they will not start a charge if the computer is connected. But, then, they only need 0.5A to charge, which any USB hub will supply.
A Samsung Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Tab 2 will charge while the computer is plugged in, and will connect to the computer as well.
Using this with a 20-ft Accel UltraRun USB 3.0 active cable. But haven't tried with any actual USB 3 devices.
The computer is a 2012 Mac Mini.
Update: So, I have 6 devices on charge. Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab2, iPad 1, new iPad, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4. If I plug in the computer, it sees everything but the iPads.
Most USB hubs will only provide 0.5A for charging, so they will charge an iPhone slowly, and an iPad not at all. (iPad will not charge with less than 1.1A).
I got one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Industrial-SuperSpeed-Mountable-ST7300USBM/dp/B009AT5T1W
It's not cheap - a bit over $100. But it's metal, has mounting ears, 7 ports, and will provide up to 1.5A for charging on each port.
Now, for a bit of bad news:
- doesn't come with a power supply. This is because it's an industrial product. In most cases, systems these will be installed in (think metal cabinet in an auto plant) will have a suitable power bus.
- It works on any voltage from 7 to 30 volts. The higher the better. I tested it first on a bench supply, and then got a 50W universal laptop supply for about $30 at Fry's and set it to 20V. (It regulates this down to 5V of course.) If you're really going to draw 1.5A on every port, get a 75W supply.
This is actually a good thing. Most USB hubs come with inadequate power supplies. Better to let you choose your own.
- It will not charge an iPad while connected to your computer. Well, OK, it will, sort of. If you plug the iPad in when not connected to the computer it will start charging. If you then plug in your computer, it will continue to charge. (Should have checked the bench supply meter to see if it continues to charge at the same rate, but it has to be at least 1.1A...) And you can still access it with iTunes, XCode, etc.
I have some hope that there is some software that will enable charging without having to unplug and replug the computer.
- It will charge an iPhone at full rate. (I did check this with the bench supply meter, and did the math.. had to crank the voltage down to read the current accurately with only one port connected.) Presumably while the computer is connected. I haven't seen the problem with iPads where they will not start a charge if the computer is connected. But, then, they only need 0.5A to charge, which any USB hub will supply.
A Samsung Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Tab 2 will charge while the computer is plugged in, and will connect to the computer as well.
Using this with a 20-ft Accel UltraRun USB 3.0 active cable. But haven't tried with any actual USB 3 devices.
The computer is a 2012 Mac Mini.
Update: So, I have 6 devices on charge. Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab2, iPad 1, new iPad, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4. If I plug in the computer, it sees everything but the iPads.
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Still running on OS 10.6.8 (does this OS support USB 3.0)? I see the product descripts all recommend upgrading to OS 10.8.2+ for some USB 3.0 fix. This old Mac mini probably only supports USB 2, but I'm planning for future upgrades.
