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Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon

560 points by junkern 7y ago

donatj 7y ago
I’d personally like to be able to filter by DisplayPort ports.
ec109685 7y ago
This is great. I always wonder why amazon itself is so useless in this space. The only thing you can go is price and reviews there, without any good comparisons between products.
- kylehotchkiss 7y ago
  I like wirecutter for this. Their picks are rarely the most expensive and they try to recommend things that last long. I am happy they can make a dollar or two of my referral link pick for the research work they do.
  - atombender 7y ago
    I like them, but they're really inconsistent. I bought a bedding set they recommended (from Brooklinen), and it felt so cheap and thin, I couldn't believe this was their top choice. Brooklinen is a new brand, so I suspect some back room shenanigans; they have since been passed over in newer reviews.
  - dawnerd 7y ago
    I feel like they’ve been slipping recently in order to maximize referral income. There’s been a number of things they’ve suggested that are simply no where near the best. I’d use them as a guide but not a definitive answer - that should go for any site with affiliate links.
    - jjeaff 7y ago
      I agree. A lot of the highest quality products are not sold on Amazon any longer due to the myriad of issues and I have noticed that unless the site has a referral program or is a member of one, I rarely see a recommendation for their product. Or even a mention of their product. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure they have any recommendations for products that aren't sold with an affiliate program.
    - victor106 7y ago
      I agree with this. I was a big fan of wirecutter reviews. But in recent times they don’t include products in a review of a category that have significant market share. I find the comments section of wirecutter where people mention the products they didn’t review to be interesting.
  - etrautmann 7y ago
    I've had very bad experiences trusting reviews of the wirecutter for some products that were obviously inferior to alternatives after returning and purchasing alternatives.
    - chihuahua 7y ago
      I started getting suspicious of The Wirecutter when they reviewed bike racks and concluded that the best kind is the type that attaches to the trunk lid with hooks and straps. To anyone who has carried a bike on a car more than once, it's obvious that these are the worst kind, by far. But they are also the cheapest, by far. It's like saying that the best computer to buy is a $300 Chromebook, and it makes me question their judgement on all products.
  - jfim 7y ago
    As a heads-up, this means that if the best product isn't available on Amazon and the other site isn't willing to pay a commission to them, then you won't hear about it. An example of that is nextdesk: https://www.reddit.com/r/StandingDesk/comments/69npx4/drama_between_thewirecutter_and_nextdesk/ https://www.reddit.com/r/StandingDesk/comments/69npx4/drama_...
- delfinom 7y ago
  Yep, Amazon is utter garbage at category filtering. They have some different filters depending on category but ultimately just stop short by a few miles. It's silly too because other online vendors have no problem implementing it.
thrwaway69 7y ago
Nice! It looks pretty clean and I appreciate the affiliate toggle button. What's the story behind this? (Very specific product ;)) I would suggest adding more margin vertically on cards and making them smaller for mobile.
- junkern 7y ago
  Yeah, the design was/is more of a quick and dirty to get it up and running, will definitely improve it! The Story: I was actually looking to buy a USB-C hub myself but was annoyed by the amazon website: no filtering, no clear marking of features... Talked to some tech friends, they had encountered the same thing, so I quickly acted and created that website^^
tgdn 7y ago
It looks very cool :) Is it open source? I'd love to contribute!
mmastrac 7y ago
Awesome work. Having just gone through this for my company, I'd recommend a few valuable bits of information: - Thunderbolt 3 support filter - Power delivery capability (usually 60W-100W if at all) Both of those are valuable for mac shoppers.
- loopbit 7y ago
  Not only for macs... I have 4 raspberry pi4 powered through an USB hub and spent quite a bit of time looking for one that had at least 4 ports and that every port could deliver a minimum of 5V-3A. The US amazon had a few, but trying to find them (or similar) in several european Amazons was quite difficult.
  - sitkack 7y ago
    You have some model numbers handy? Which one are you currently using?
    - loopbit 7y ago
      For amazon.com, there were a few from Anker (one was mentioned in another comment) that looked interesting... As I said, no luck finding them in europe. I ended up going with this one: https://thepihut.com/products/anidees-6-port-smart-ic-usb-charger-50-watt https://thepihut.com/products/anidees-6-port-smart-ic-usb-ch...
      - hinkley 7y ago
        One of Anker's raisons d'être is high current USB ports, so I'd be shocked if they couldn't do 3A. I did not realize they were not available in the EU though. It looks like they list on Amazon UK, not sure how helpful that is.
  - alias_neo 7y ago
    Any chance of a link? I'm looking good something to power a Pi4 cluster. Thanks
berbec 7y ago
Seems very nice. Is there a way to search for hubs that don't have a feature? I want a hub that has ethernet, but not hdmi, for example.
- junkern 7y ago
  Is already on my todo list. It was easier to implement the simple "has feature", instead of doing a full blown search interface :D
Eric_WVGG 7y ago
oh goodness… yes, fine work, but this site rubs my hugest tech pet peeve today There is not a single USB-C hub on this site. A USB-C hub would take one USB-C port and turn it into several USB-C ports. These are what are called port replicators. There are no USB-C hubs in existence, which is a huge reason why the standard is still struggling. Thank you for putting a selector for "how many USB-C ports" front and center, that at least illustrates the problem…
- Eric_WVGG 7y ago
  (why are there no “real” USB-C hubs? some say that it is due to the lack of the existence of a chip that Intel is going to release "any time now" for like a year now… others say that the power delivery requirements of USB-C make this really tricky)
  - nrp 7y ago
    USB-C hubs are on their way. A couple of IC makers now have parts supporting that, so products using them are in the development pipeline: http://www.genesyslogic.com/en/product_view.php?show=69 http://www.genesyslogic.com/en/product_view.php?show=69 I'm actually currently developing one as well that has a unique twist to it.
    - Ididntdothis 7y ago
      Cool. It’s about time. After getting a MacBook Pro 2019 I was pretty surprised to find out there are no real USB hubs out there.
    - Eric_WVGG 7y ago
      Can't wait to see it! I'd love to be on your announcement list.
    - pzb 7y ago
      http://www.simulatechnology.com/Product/Detail/uid/5de9347e-1741-11ea-ad99-0050568966ec?typeName=Industries&type=Type-C_Accessory http://www.simulatechnology.com/Product/Detail/uid/5de9347e-... exists, at least to some extent. It uses the aforementioned chip.
Trias11 7y ago
I was thinking about adding few things to make it paid service: - allow people to enter keywords describing product - allow people to enter their own affiliate id - allow people to generate short url to dynamically generated page showing above All above would allow people to quickly generate and share chunks of specific amazon products to their following and monetize it. You could either produce sidebar with your own ads or just charge for such service so it would be win-win for all
- elwell 7y ago
  Like a 'roll your own affiliate marketing site'? You could call it 'affilterate marketing'.
- thrwaway69 7y ago
  I was thinking about the same. If there are any affiliate marketing people in here, can you tell us more about your workload, RoI, setup and problems? :D
  - tomschwiha 7y ago
    Depends on the niche. Some work easily out (especially if its about products with an EAN), for others it works too, but you need manually processing, if you care to not only offer a comparing of Amazon products. The Amazon API is howevery very detailed and useful for product data. You look at the data provided and either try to "not care and add everything" or to form it to fit your scheme (imo the better way). Issues are with marketing (SEO, useful text), malformed or wrong informations and normally there is no global valid usable database available to get all the data. Sometimes I depend on crawling, so websites changing break normally price-updating. By using an API its not such much a hassle, but also using the API sometimes product ids change and you have to keep it updated to not end up with a broken website. I created Keyfuchs[1], a german / english price comparing website for game key prices and we mostly manually write the texts, half-automatically crawl the different stores and try to set it up nicely for our users. [1]https://www.keyfuchs.de https://www.keyfuchs.de / https://www.thegamefox.net https://www.thegamefox.net
- chapium 7y ago
rubatuga 7y ago
There's only one USB-C hub listed with a detachable cable, the uni Hub. Any USB-C cable that supports full speed USB 3.2 Gen 2 works. I reviewed it on my blog here: https://www.naut.ca/blog/2019/09/11/uni-usb-c-hub/ https://www.naut.ca/blog/2019/09/11/uni-usb-c-hub/
- ydj 7y ago
  I’ve bought a uni USB-c to DisplayPort cable before. Support was helpful: had some trouble getting it to work with my laptop in Linux and they sent me another cable to make sure it wasn’t a cable issue.
atombender 7y ago
Nice work. I miss the ability to filter by video support. I got this one [1] without reading the fine print, and it only supports 4K at 30Hz, not 60Hz. I'm actually still looking for a hub that will do 4K/60Hz HDMI/DP and power delivery (and preferably 1-2 extra USB-C ports), so that I can power my MacBook Pro with it, and have it deliver video to my external display, all while only having one cable going into the MacBook. Not dual monitors, just a single display while the lid is closed. From what I can tell, that's only possible with an expensive Thunderbolt dock. [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G
- withinrafael 7y ago
  To work around macOS' awful monitor restrictions (i.e. lack of general MST support), we bit the bullet and got a Dell WB19TB [1] (Thunderbolt dock). It sucks from a wiring perspective but it works. [1] https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-wd19tb/apd/210-arik/pc-accessories https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-w... (To those that go down this route, be aware: you cannot use both DP ports on this dock as-is -- again, macOS lacks MST support. One monitor must be connected to the Thunderbolt add-on module.)
  - paulcarroty 7y ago
    > $259.99 It sucks from a price perspective too.
  - fpgaminer 7y ago
    I wouldn't trust Dell with this. I have a Dell monitor that I bought because it has a USB-C port that supported both PD and video. But it turns out it doesn't work well with MacBooks (constantly loses connection, and messes with the MacBook's sleep). Dell acknowledged the issue and released a patch that fixed it ... for Windows machines. They refuse to fix it for MacBooks because they don't want to support a competitor's product. So I would be highly skeptical of a Thunderbolt dock from Dell working well with MacBooks. Addendum: That monitor is also a dud in many other ways, notably that the PIP and PBP feature sucks and it has horrific ghosting. All a real shame as Dell used to have high standards for their monitors.
hrgiger 7y ago
Nice site! Would be nice to add cable length as well, finding hub for desktop PCs very hard.
blazespin 7y ago
Need to find a way to detect fraudulent reviews and you're set.
- intpbro 7y ago
  Fake spot api? ;)
  - junkern 7y ago
    haven't heard of them, yet. will check it out :) maybe a combination of fakespot and reviewmeta?
- junkern 7y ago
  Definitely! It is on my todo list to include https://reviewmeta.com/ https://reviewmeta.com/ information for every product :)
  - mthoms 7y ago
    Just out of curiosity, do you have any statistics on how many people disable the affiliate links? That's really clever by the way, placing that button so prominently. It both instills trust and serves as a gentle reminder of the amount of work that went into this (at least in my mind).
    - junkern 7y ago
      I do not track that information, yet. But it is a cool idea and I think would make for some interesting insights: Will implement!
  - ReviewMeta 7y ago
    Please do! https://reviewmeta.com/blog/implement-data-reviewmeta-com-api/ https://reviewmeta.com/blog/implement-data-reviewmeta-com-ap...
nachteilig 7y ago
Would also be great to know if it supports 4K!
- larrywright 7y ago
  And if 4K, whether it’s 4k@60hz or 4k@30hz. Almost none of the affordable hubs support 60hz.
  - sgarman 7y ago
    I still don't have a dock for my MPB at my home because none of them support 144hz+. Just have to shuffle cables around every time.
- junkern 7y ago
  Good idea! Will add that feature:)
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
falcolas 7y ago
Personal opinion: I have had the best value-for-quality out of the "J5 Create" brand. Adding them to this list (it's a useful tool) would be great. https://smile.amazon.com/stores/node/9123406011 https://smile.amazon.com/stores/node/9123406011
- junkern 7y ago
  Thanks for the hint! Will add them:)
dep_b 7y ago
Why not Thunderbolt 3 hubs? Also card readers are interesting, pass through power might be as well.
- _1tan 7y ago
  Thumbs up of for Thunderbolt 3 hubs!
- kylehotchkiss 7y ago
  Card readers are interesting but they need more UHS-II support on these hubs to get decent read times for modern SD card workflows
- junkern 7y ago
  My plan is to add more usb hubs (usb-3, thunderbolt), so stay tuned ;) Card reader filter will also be implemented very soon:) I am no expert on usb hubs, but filtering for pass through power is actually possible: You have to specify at least 1 for usb-c port, then you can select the "Power Delivery" checkbox. Is power delivery the same as pass through power? and it is it possible to have that without having a usb-c port?
tgv 7y ago
Useful, but one thing: a USB-3 port can be compatible with a USB-2 port, so one might expect that 2 USB-2 ports can also be covered by a device with two USB-3 ports (as long as they have the same connector), but I don't think the search works like that.
larrywright 7y ago
This is really cool. One more bit of data that would be helpful: cord length. Almost all of these have short cords that are great for portable use cases, but not ideal for use at a desk.
- junkern 7y ago
  Interesting thought. Not sure if I can gather cord lengths of all the hubs.. Will note it down for later:)
  - larrywright 7y ago
    I think it would be sufficient to just indicate if it has a long cable or not. You can tell from the pictures generally.
- koala_man 7y ago
  I was going to suggest just getting a longer cable, but I see now that almost all of them have non-removable USB-C cables sticking out. Why is this? Is it because only one port can be upstream, so they try to avoid the confusion? Or just cost?
  - wmf 7y ago
    Probably both. A good USB-C cable isn't cheap and using the wrong cable would cause the hub not to work.
- pkamb 7y ago
  +1 for a filter for units with a removable cord to the computer. I want all this junk mounted out of the way, not 3 inches from the computer.
guidedlight 7y ago
Here’s a bug/feature request: The website doesn’t support the Amazon links in Australia. When I click a link on my iPhone it opens the Amazon app, then tries to switch my app to the US listing which doesn’t work. My suggestion is to provide multiple Amazon links for various countries.
Roritharr 7y ago
I would prefer if it had less products but actually reviewed them, there is so much crap on Amazon you really need to try something out, disassemble it, sometimes even measure it to figure out if it's crap or not. SEO Spam really ruined product search / reviews. Just last week I tried hard but couldn't find a good review of USB-C Power Adaptors, just page after page of SEO optimized spam without actual content.
- mdolon 7y ago
  I actually wrote about this just last week: http://mdolon.com/essays/amazon-has-ruined-search-and-google-is-in-on-it http://mdolon.com/essays/amazon-has-ruined-search-and-google...
  - MaxBarraclough 7y ago
    Interesting post, thanks.
kyriakos 7y ago
An important filter is not just if it has hdmi but how many screens it can support. Just a suggestion.
- junkern 7y ago
  Is already on my todo list:)
whatsmyusername 7y ago
When it comes to peripherals you should seriously consider all the options, discard everything, and just buy Anker because it's the best.
- bubersson 7y ago
  I did exactly that. And I'm really positively surprised about the build quality of Anker hub. I bought some of the wireless chargers from Anker before and those feel quite plastic-y, so this was nice.
  - whatsmyusername 7y ago
    They tend to drop product lines immediately when they're no longer profitable (like their bang'n external drive docks) so we buy their stuff in bulk when it fits our purpose. edit: Oh hey, it's run by a former googler. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anker_(mobile_chargers) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anker_(mobile_chargers) neat.
- reiichiroh 7y ago
  Blind faith in Anker by itself isn’t enough. It has North American customer service presence but there are a few times where its products aren’t much more than rebrands of the many, many other weird Shenzhen brands like TaoTronics, TronSmart etc. Used to think Aukey, Satechi were in the same league as Anker but they’ve been shown to falsely show standards compliance as well as a being USB power non-compliant with some. Satechi has/had a lot of fake reviews powering its growth as well.
- Marsymars 7y ago
  Anker is good for their main product lines (chargers, cables and power banks), but the rest of their peripherals (mice, keyboards, speakers, data hubs, etc.) feel like afterthoughts that don't compete past the low-end of the market.
bitL 7y ago
Tangentially related, does anyone know if there is a DisplayPort-to-USB-C/Thunderbolt cable one could use to connect a GPU (DisplayPort) to a monitor (USB-C/Thunderbolt)? I'd like to connnect Titan RTX (DisplayPort) to LG's 31" 5k2k (USB-C) but all I see are cables for the opposite direction, i.e. USB-C/Thunderbolt to DisplayPort, for MacBooks. Other DisplayPort on LG is already used by another computer (gaming PC with 2080Ti) and HDMI can't do 5120x2160@60Hz.
- chx 7y ago
  The Delock 63928 https://www.delock.de/produkte/G_63928/merkmale.html?setLanguage=en https://www.delock.de/produkte/G_63928/merkmale.html?setLang... is in the direction you want but I am not 100% it can do DisplayPort 1.4. AmazonGlobal ships it globally from https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLOCK-Displayport-Adaptor-type-Monitor/dp/B07FYLCG3S https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLOCK-Displayport-Adaptor-type-Mon... please test and report back either at https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/co23kd/i_have_found_the_mythical_displayport_to_usbc/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/co23kd/i_have... and mention /u/chx_ so I see your report or just email me at chx1975 gmail . While reddit has unsavory parts, we keep our little corner focused on USB C knowledge. Alternatively, you can power the Gigabyte GC Titan Ridge from a mining riser, no PCIe is necessary, feed it DisplayPort signals, get Thunderbolt signals. Titan Ridge is DP 1.4 capable.
  - bitL 7y ago
    Thanks, ordering that DeLOCK now! Will get back to you when I test it! Titan Ridge is an option as well though I want to use it in an x399 Zenith Extreme board (DeepLearning rig) and that might be challenging (in theory it should work but the board is super buggy).
- JoshuaJB 7y ago
  > Tangentially related, does anyone know if there is a DisplayPort-to-USB-C/Thunderbolt cable one could use to connect a GPU (DisplayPort) to a monitor (USB-C/Thunderbolt)? Edit: See other comment. Looks like someone actually did manage to create a cheap adapter, and was able to power it from DisplayPort as well. I'd love to hear if anyone knows how well this works. I think this would be quite hard to do inexpensively, as USB-C hosts have to be configured by the client to send Display Port signals on the SuperSpeed lanes. [1] If the monitor (client) doesn't detect a host, it's probably not going to try to interpret the SuperSpeed signals as DP. It seems to me that an adapter would likely have to emulate a USB-C host supporting DP alt mode. This would at least require external power (unless your monitor's USB-C port is powered), and would more likely require the adapter to use one of your USB 3 ports so that it can also support devices on any monitor USB hubs. [1] https://www.totalphase.com/blog/2019/11/how-displayport-alt-mode-is-enabled-over-a-usb-type-c-cable/ https://www.totalphase.com/blog/2019/11/how-displayport-alt-...
az656 7y ago
From what I can see, none of these support multiple 4K monitors - how do people dock in situations like this? I’ve been using a USB-C eGPU with my multiple screens and Ethernet attached to that. Is there a cheaper way to do this?
- applecrazy 7y ago
  Is it possible to buy two adapters and plug one monitor into each? Tedious, yes, but cheaper than eGPUs.
  - Terretta 7y ago
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/
- bluedino 7y ago
  You really can't without lots of compromises - 4K @ 60Hz uses most of the bandwidth that USB-C 3 can really provide.
ebg13 7y ago
Unfortunately this doesn't fix any of the confusing bullshit around USB versions and specs and port shapes. And it muddies the issue by mixing "3" and "2" with "C", which describe entirely different things. My first search looking for 3 USB-C ports brought up this behemoth: https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Adapter-VEOOVE-Samsung-Universal-Compatible/dp/B07VNKR495/ https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Adapter-VEOOVE-Samsung-Unive... 2 of the USB-C ports are USB 2.0? WTF is that. Nobody wants that.
- soneil 7y ago
  And the third is just PD, no data. Searching for 2 ports is no better - they’re all one data plus one PD (with the exception of one that’s macbook-specific, so it can pass-thru two ports because it’s using 2 on the host). It seems like it’d be more realistic to have a tick-box for “a usb-c port” and a tick-box for “a PD port”.
macawfish 7y ago
This is so necessary! However, it still doesn't answer a burning question that I have: are there any USB-C hubs that can draw power from an upstream power delivery source and supply it to downstream USB-A devices? Just to be clear, I don't expect you to have this answer. From what I can tell, the answer is "no that doesn't exist".
- zamadatix 7y ago
  USB hubs did this even prior to PD. Is there a particular non-standard wattage you're looking for?
  - macawfish 7y ago
    The USB spec limits the amount of power a single device can draw from its host. For a USB hub, this means that the downstream devices will have to split a single device's worth of power allowance between them. So to support multiple power hungry devices, many existing USB hubs offer additional external power supplies. In my case, I have two midi controllers and an external audio interface that all want their full share of power. The audio interface refuses to run without it. So I'm wondering if there's a hub that is "externally powered" via the host's PD power supply. There are plenty of USB C hubs that can draw additional power from a downstream PD source. But I want something that can draw additional power from the host even if it's a laptop running on battery. (Power Delivery is an additional spec that can run over USB C, but its existence is independent of and doesn't change the USB spec's power limitations for a single device)
Terretta 7y ago
Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. Also filter whether it’s one USB-C connects to computer or two USB-C connects to computer. With two USB-C connected to computer, can pass through more types of USB to accessories. Finally, it doesn’t show matches that I know are matches. // I buy these to test, but don’t want to waste time testing duds, so spend time trying to figure out if/when the claimed stats are possible. 101 Intro: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/ https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-i... 301 Deep dive: https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-video-through-usb-c-hub/ https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-...
- maxsilver 7y ago
  > Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. I don't think they'd bother, because none of these docks can do it. USB-C 3.1 inherently can't support a 4k@60hz display, due to bandwidth limitations. And it certainly can't run two of them. You'd have to jump up to a Thunderbolt 3 dock for that sort of thing.
  - wmf 7y ago
    USB-C 2.0 can support 4K60 (see deep dive above) so you can drive one good monitor if you don't need fast network or storage.
    - 867-5309 7y ago
      did you mean USB-C at USB 2.0 speeds? there is no standard by that name and Rev 2.0 does not mention video
  - Terretta 7y ago
    The Thunderbolt capable docks on Amazon are still listed as USB-C because consumers seem to think it’s all about cable shape. That said, there are plenty of dual USB-C connector, dual HDMI 4K@60hz port, dongles designed for Mac on Amazon. I think this is the most recent addition: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ ”Satechi Aluminum Type-C Dual HDMI Adapter 4K 60Hz with USB-C PD Charging — Stunning dual HDMI display with a convenient USB-C PD port to keep your setup up and running - all in 4K 60Hz resolution. ENGINEERED FOR 4K DUAL DISPLAY - features dual HDMI ports to connect two monitors for stunning, extended 4K 60Hz display. Requires a direct HDMI connection, will not work with VGA, DVI or Thunderbolt displays...” By contrast, this is one HDMI 4K@60Hz and one HDMI 4K@30Hz: https://smile.amazon.com/Satechi-Multimedia-Adapter-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B07RH8L9GV/ https://smile.amazon.com/Satechi-Multimedia-Adapter-Gigabit-... Includes the two 4K HDMI ports of differing refresh rates, USB-C PD 3.0 charging, Gigabit Ethernet, micro/SD card readers, and USB 3.0 ports, and also will not work with Thunderbolt.
thierryzoller 7y ago
Sell it to Amazon, their GUI needs an overhaul, it's an unstructured mess.
reiichiroh 7y ago
Have you posted this to the folks at /r/usbchardware ?
- chx 7y ago
  Oh hi! /r/usbchardware mod here. I will talk to the other mods whether we want to endorse these. I personally would never encourage anyone to buy a non-certified device made by a noname company but the others might have a different opinion.
alagu 7y ago
It is quite nice of you to give option to disable affiliate links - though I guess no sane person would want to disable them.
tn890 7y ago
I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
- joshmgross 7y ago
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.PFlEbR25HGF5 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.P... Is pretty close at 87W
  - tn890 7y ago
    I would've compromised for this dock if it were cheaper. A lot cheaper. I'd pay $300 for a dock with 100W PD, 4k60 and gigabit. But this ain't it.
  - jdbernard 7y ago
    The power brick for the newest MacBook Pro delivers 96Ws and it will use all of it at high workloads. I've seen mine drain the battery (slowly) when plugged into the 87W power brick from the last-generation MBPs.
- nfriedly 7y ago
  4k60 + gigabit is not possible without going up to Thunderbolt 3 - there isn't enough bandwidth otherwise. The best you can do is 4k60 + USB 2.0 (so a gigabit Ethernet connection would cap out at ~300mbps in practice.) See https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-video-through-usb-c-hub/ https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-... DisplayPort 1.4 changes this, but everything seems to be stuck on 1.2 100W is, of course, possible. I use a CalDigit USB-C Pro Dock with my MBP: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VL675DT https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VL675DT - it's TB3, but it can fall back to USC-C (with reduced capabilities, of course). It uses Intel's newer Titan Ridge chipset. The older and more common Alpine Ridge chipset is TB3 only.
calaphos 7y ago
For choosing the right product based on a list of spec requirements I can highly recommend the price comparison website Geizhals [1]. They offer an insane amount of filter options over a wide category of products. Want USB C hub with Power Delivery, Gigabit LAN, a card reader and at least 2 display options? Here are your options: [2]. Also works for Mainboards, TVs and a whole lot of other stuff [1] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock [2] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock&xf=5206_2%7E5207_DisplayPort%7E5208_Gb+LAN%7E5211_Cardreader%7E5211_USB-C+Power+Delivery%7E5860_USB-C+3.0 https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock&xf=5206_2%7E5207_DisplayPort...
- TekMol 7y ago
  This one is my favorite site of this type: https://www.productchart.com https://www.productchart.com It has an awesome interface and covers the US and the UK.
  - arnaudsm 7y ago
    I've been working for 2 years on a successor for productchart! Modern UI and KISS, check it out here : https://picked.cc https://picked.cc
    - ghostpepper 7y ago
      How can you reduce phones to a single checkbox that says whether they're "intuitive" or not?
      - anoncareer0212 7y ago
        it lets people say 'i want an iphone' while still feeling reasonable
        jshevek 7y ago
        OnePlus, LG, and Xiaomi are all included under 'intuitive'. (Though Samsung appears to not be?)
h4kor 7y ago
Anyone else thinks its weird that we created an entire industry/product section just because notebook builders don't include common ports anymore?
- tn890 7y ago
  Not really. I mean, it's conceivable that portable devices have gotten smaller and more streamlined since they get replaced sooner, while the outside world has largely remained the same (from a connectivity standpoint).
jlengrand 7y ago
I just want to tell you how much I appreciate how you allow to turn the affiliate link on and off. And also that you basically made it so that it's the first thing I see when I join. I don't see that much honesty and openness out in the open that often. So thanks!
peter_d_sherman 7y ago
It looks really nice! I was wondering if you could add power output per port, and total, in Amps... Reason that I ask is because someone might want to power a whole bunch of Raspberry Pi's off of a single USB hub, and if it doesn't have the requisite amps (~3.0 Amps per socket), it will probably burn out, or power will probably sag, and that wouldn't be fun! But, other than that minor "would-be-nice" -- great site, all in all!
urda 7y ago
This really didn't make things any less confusing. If anything else, I'm more confused by just a massive spam of product tiles as the first thing I see. It feels like I misclicked an ad in my Google search and ended up at a knock-off product website from abroad. What you really need to be doing is making recommendations, product breakdown, and even label things as your "choice" and why. Right now, it just looks like a glorified affiliate link farm and that feels dirty. Spamming users with a wall of product is not the solution.
fortran77 7y ago
Nice job. (But how did we get into this mess in the first case, I ask rhetorically.)
gre 7y ago
Great start, I end up with 49 products that meet my basic filters. I'd really like some more feature differentiation to decide. Release dates might help too, as I'd rather buy a newer product.
jungletime 7y ago
Which of these would work best for connecting two external drives to move files around. I have a 2013 macbook pro with 2 lightning ports, and 2 usb 2 ports. Very often I need to connect two external drives at the same time, leaving me without a port to connect my wireless logitech mouse and keyboard. I tried to find a lightning to usb adapter, but these don't seem to exist.
crooked-v 7y ago
I want a USB-C hub that's just one USB-C in to multiple USB-C out. Why is that so impossible to find?
- frosted-flakes 7y ago
  Yes, I don't care if they're just plain USB, no Thunderbolt or fast charging. Every "hub" I've seen has maaaybe twl USB-C ports and two or three USB-A ports—which makes me think that USB-A will never die and we'll be stuck with both of them forever.
- baybal2 7y ago
  Type-C says that there can't be type-c hubs. Just wait for some Chinese OEM to work that around
  - hinkley 7y ago
    USB 4 spec claims to solve this problem. I'm pumping the brakes on USB 3.1 purchases, but I dunno if the stars will align for my next laptop to have it.
  - ShamelessC 7y ago
    Why do they restrict this in the spec? Doesn't that just encourage people to use USB Type C to USB-A hubs, making adoption to Type C slower?
  - Dylan16807 7y ago
    > Type-C says that there can't be type-c hubs. Where does it say that? I've seen a lot of posts claiming just the opposite. You can't just take a setup designed for type-A ports and mechanically convert them to type-C, because that would allow you to make an A-to-A connection. But that's not a blocker for a properly-designed hub.
    - baybal2 7y ago
      It's buried somewhere in the spec, using evasive wording. I bet this is fully artificial limitation sneaked into the spec by people not wanting "stuff working without PCs"
lennydizzy 7y ago
The new 16 inch Macbook Pro has a 96W charger, any adapter supports that yet?
abalone 7y ago
Nice idea. I’m curious, how much affiliate revenue are you generating?
nfriedly 7y ago
First up, nice job. This is awesome! Here's a few filters off the top of my head that you might consider adding: * Price * DisplayPort ports * Maximum power pass-through * Is the ethernet port gigabit or just 100mbit ( e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5N3YCD/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5N3YCD/ - You generally can't get 4k60 + gigabit without thunderbolt 3.) You might also want to consider adding docks, or perhaps create a second website for those. (In my mind, the main distinction between the two is weather or not it has a built-in power supply - it looks like none of yours do.)
fwipsy 7y ago
Needs an option for total USB ports (including USB3 + USB2). Say someone has 3 hard drives, a keyboard and a mouse. Probably they would want at least 3 USB3 ports for the hard drives and at least 5 total, but would be just as happy with 5 USB3 as 3 USB3 and 2 USB2.
usbcconfused 7y ago
Related question: a lot of these hubs have very short cords. Apparently usb c extension cords are not allowed by the usb c spec, but some users report generic female-male cables from amazon can do the job fine. Anyone have experience with this or know of caveats?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
grizzles 7y ago
Feature request: USB-PD 3.0 feature option. The protocol changed pretty massively between PD 2.0 and 3.0
gumby 7y ago
The key factor esp for video is “does it support thunderbolt” (to which the answer today for these price points is “no”). For a laptop you want TB 3 for high frame rate video and fast drives. For an iPad Pro, it’s not necessary (and I carry one of these listed devices in my bag with me)
arnaudsm 7y ago
I love these kind of websites, it's much better than a 20-page guide on CNET or Wirecutter. I've been working for two years on a similar website for Phones/VR/Cameras/Drones, check it out here : https://picked.cc https://picked.cc
m0zg 7y ago
Of all these there are probably half a dozen devices that are free of defects. This site does nothing to help me filter out the rest. For me, the way I approach this is I just find an Anker-made thing that most closely matches what I need and buy it. It might cost a few bucks more, but it works.
hackerposter77 7y ago
Any as an option?
indymike 7y ago
Suggestion: add a field for HDMI or Thunderbolt video. I have devices that will only work with HDMI like ChromeBooks and Samsung Galaxy phones (you can plug them into a screen and use them like a computer). I also have devices that will work with thunderbolt like my Mac and Dell laptops.
bonestamp2 7y ago
Nice! Unless I'm not seeing it, the only thing it really needs is sorting (by price, by rating, etc).
vxa_victor 7y ago
Not bad. Functionality aside, one thing it can improve is UI responsiveness - the UI alignment isn’t displayed nicely in iPhone SE Safari.
haddr 7y ago
Actually all those hubs are almost all equal: they support usb 3.0 and differ very little. Just buy Anker (upgraded) and you will be fine. Different story for usb 3.1 gen 2. There’s only one hub currently and it’s Sony UHS-II. (And even this one can support 4K only in 30 FPS)
adriansky 7y ago
Very nice! How do you crawl the data and how often?
lbotos 7y ago
One of the things that blew my mind was that in the USB-C spec, you can't have a male to female cord, but I was only able to find two hubs on amazon with a detatchable cable. Why you ask? I have a mac and a PC on my desk, and i plug my kb,mouse, and headset (usb sound card) into the hub) and just swap one cable instead of three to game. If you have a better solution that has hub/kvm -> usb-c for the mac, i'm all ears.
tantalor 7y ago
There are other storefronts than Amazon.
- jbay808 7y ago
  I agree. Amazon is probably the worst choice for this, since you never know if the product you buy will still be the same one that was reviewed.
  - Finnucane 7y ago
    Bur who else rewards you with sweet referral dollars? Or pennies, anyway.
martin_ 7y ago
Nice work, looks like a solid tool - have a suggestion for my recent debacle. I had to buy a dock to use my Apple Thunderbolt Display with a new USB-C MBP. There were few that could do it whilst also offering power delivery. I went with this dock which I notice isn't on your list, nor is the ability to filter for Thunderbolt 2 support. https://www.amazon.com/OWC-14-Port-Thunderbolt-Compatible-OWCTB3DK14PSG/dp/B07JMH6BSY https://www.amazon.com/OWC-14-Port-Thunderbolt-Compatible-OW...
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
brandonmenc 7y ago
I'm still baffled as to why no one offers more than four USB-A ports - and very few offer four. The Anker four-port hub [0] is great (I own like four, just in case), but I would kill for one with five or six ports. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-Adapter-MacBook-Chromebook/dp/B07DFYQXY7/ref=sr_1_19?tag=usbhubs0b-20 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-Adapter-MacBook-Chrome...
- wlesieutre 7y ago
  Could be power reasons? There are plenty of many-port USB hubs for desktop use, but they tend to have external power bricks. For example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ZQ07NE/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ZQ07NE/ (7 ports) With a cable like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UXKTJE0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UXKTJE0
dvcrn 7y ago
Cool that you have an option to turn off affiliate links but since you are providing value and product recommendations with this site I'd personally say it's fine to remove that option.
brandon272 7y ago
I am extremely frustrated at the lack of options for USB-C multiport adapters. The majority of the models seem to be manufactured by brands I have never heard of. Any that seem to be decent quality and have decent port selection are also extremely expensive. Apple decided to eliminate all data ports except USB-C on its notebooks several years ago, yet they don't offer a robust multiport adapter? (I guess you can spend $70 if you want the privilege of being able to plug in a conference room HDMI adapter, but not much else.) I am also completely confused on how many of these multiport adapters work. One I purchased in the past required that I install drivers on my Mac. Others seem to not require that. Can I plug USB-C adapters into USB-C adapters, if say, I wanted to plug a USB-C to Ethernet adapter into my main USB-C multiport adapter? Does it depend on the adapters? Does any USB-C multiport adapter that has a female USB-C port allow me to charge the device the adapter is plugged into? I seem to have had mixed results with that in the past.
- whywhywhywhy 7y ago
  >yet they don't offer a robust multiport adapter? After struggling with countless hubs now, having drives disconnect and displays freak out I'm now convinced the reason Apple only offers adapters like single USB-C to USB-A and no hub solution is because deep down they know that the hub technology just isn't reliable or feasible at all and only 1 to 1 port conversions are actually reliable in this spec. Happy to be proven completely wrong, but honestly I've yet to see a hub that can reliably keep drives connected and only the Apple single C to A cable manages to do it reliably enough across 5+ hours and the fact Apple doesn't even ship a $100-$300 hub speaks volumes to me.
shmoogy 7y ago
So this means there are no hubs that can do 4k60 for an iPad Pro because it's not TB3?
toastal 7y ago
How far away is USB4?
sonar_un 7y ago
I would like to see a filter for UHS-II SD cards as well. I think Sony is the only brand making a hub with one included at the moment.
aladine 7y ago
I wish there is a website to compare power bank on Amazon.
Legogris 7y ago
Would be cool if this could link to not only amazon USA bUt also those in other countries.
bonestamp2 7y ago
Just a word of caution, I believe it is against the affiliate agreement that you show prices. I mean, two of the first four now have the wrong price -- the price probably changed on amazon's side. I believe that's why Amazon doesn't want affiliates to show prices.
- intpbro 7y ago
  Yes this is true. Can confirm
huxflux 7y ago
Dude, you should really Github this one, would be huge Kudos!
pkamb 7y ago
Are any of these products actual one-to-many USB-C hubs? You know, a hub. Which seemingly do not exist for USB-C / USB 3. https://superuser.com/q/1381139/122042 https://superuser.com/q/1381139/122042 https://mjtsai.com/blog/2017/10/14/the-impossible-dream-of-usb-c/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2017/10/14/the-impossible-dream-of-u...
6841iam 7y ago
Very nice project! Can you tell us a little about your tech? How did you crawl Amazon's USB listings, did you use their API? And then how did you figure out if an item has the feature you are looking for: What was your parsing and extraction logic like? Finally, how often are you refreshing your index? I'm always interested in projects that have a clear path to monetization.
- cocochanel 7y ago
  Also, I was pleased to see Erlang :)
voltagex_ 7y ago
Quite a few of these use the exact same board internally, I wish there was a way to work it out, and I wish manufacturers were more open about this.
snvzz 7y ago
No tickbox for powered vs not, no data on psu if powered, no chipset information either. So it ends up being not very helpful, sorry.
jp1016 7y ago
thanks for this, i made a mistake of buying a normal hdmi cable for 4k monitor, it provided 4k@30hz only, i was not aware of this spec until i experience the lag.
moonbug 7y ago
missing display port..
guaka 7y ago
Can you add a switch for Amazon UK DE FR ES?
all-out-of-hope 7y ago
That lack of consistent height across cards is killing me.
btutal 7y ago
This is really good work! I have been trying to find a hub that I can use between Macbook Pro and LG 27UK850-W USB Type C display but so far didn't have a chance MacbookPro <-> USB-C Hub <-> Display Currently, the display can provide enough power to RMP, I would like to have hub in between so that I still have only one cable but it seems impossible to find
junkern 7y ago
Thanks so much people, I really appreciate all your feedback. I read all comments, already answered to some them. I will try to respond to every one, but can't promise that. I noted down all the feedback and ideas for improvement and will tackle those points: * better filters (video resolution, displayPort, card readers, power delivery) and sorting by price, "no-feature" search * Better and cleaner design * Moar data: definitely Thunderbolt 3 hubs and usb-c hubs of higher quality (anker?) * implement reviewmeta to check the reviews of each product * better quality of product data/prices and so on
- japhyr 7y ago
  > * Moar data: definitely Thunderbolt 3 hubs and usb-c hubs of higher quality (anker?) Are you talking about adding hubs that aren't available on Amazon? When I started to use my 13" mbp as a desktop station I was surprised how hard it was to find a decent hub, and I couldn't find anything on Amazon that worked. I tried several hubs that seemed to work, but they interfered with wifi. I ended up with a CalDigit TS3 Plus, and it's been really good so far. I would not have found that on a site that only reviews Amazon products, but I would have really appreciated an actual recommendation rather than just a large set of products to compare.
whywhywhywhy 7y ago
No option for DisplayPort? Currently trying to find a way to run two screens from my 2 port MacBook Pro (Macs don't support display daisy chaining for some reason) and the HDMI dongles I've used before have been so incredibly janky and unreliable. The two ports on this laptop are an absolute nightmare, this wasn't my choice because it's a work machine but please no one else buy this thing because it's pure suffering, hubs never work reliably only cables that work are the single C to display port cable and the single official Apple C to A cable. Every hub I try has drives disconnecting on their own, HDMI displays freaking out and so on. This isn't pro level computing if my data and displays don't work reliably.
Vordimous 7y ago
What is the app stack? i see vue in there.
jitendrac 7y ago
Do not forget to use Amazon Product api to fetch price and mention the last price update in product disclaimer, otherwise you may be violating affiliate program terms, and may get your account suspended.
DrJaws 7y ago
It doesn't show some of the most important brands and sellers like the anker 7+3 usb 3 hub. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerIQ-Charging-MacBook-Surface/dp/B00VDVCQ84 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerIQ-Charging-MacBook-Surfac...
wraithm112 7y ago
Adding a number of DisplayPort ports would be nice too.
eutropia 7y ago
Consider running fakespot against the reviews of them as well, because I straight up never buy commodity electronics on amazon without first checking to see how astroturfed the reviews are.

560 points by junkern 7y ago

I’d personally like to be able to filter by DisplayPort ports.

This is great. I always wonder why amazon itself is so useless in this space. The only thing you can go is price and reviews there, without any good comparisons between products.

kylehotchkiss 7y ago
I like wirecutter for this. Their picks are rarely the most expensive and they try to recommend things that last long. I am happy they can make a dollar or two of my referral link pick for the research work they do.
- atombender 7y ago
  I like them, but they're really inconsistent. I bought a bedding set they recommended (from Brooklinen), and it felt so cheap and thin, I couldn't believe this was their top choice. Brooklinen is a new brand, so I suspect some back room shenanigans; they have since been passed over in newer reviews.
- dawnerd 7y ago
  I feel like they’ve been slipping recently in order to maximize referral income. There’s been a number of things they’ve suggested that are simply no where near the best. I’d use them as a guide but not a definitive answer - that should go for any site with affiliate links.
  - jjeaff 7y ago
    I agree. A lot of the highest quality products are not sold on Amazon any longer due to the myriad of issues and I have noticed that unless the site has a referral program or is a member of one, I rarely see a recommendation for their product. Or even a mention of their product. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure they have any recommendations for products that aren't sold with an affiliate program.
  - victor106 7y ago
    I agree with this. I was a big fan of wirecutter reviews. But in recent times they don’t include products in a review of a category that have significant market share. I find the comments section of wirecutter where people mention the products they didn’t review to be interesting.
- etrautmann 7y ago
  I've had very bad experiences trusting reviews of the wirecutter for some products that were obviously inferior to alternatives after returning and purchasing alternatives.
  - chihuahua 7y ago
    I started getting suspicious of The Wirecutter when they reviewed bike racks and concluded that the best kind is the type that attaches to the trunk lid with hooks and straps. To anyone who has carried a bike on a car more than once, it's obvious that these are the worst kind, by far. But they are also the cheapest, by far. It's like saying that the best computer to buy is a $300 Chromebook, and it makes me question their judgement on all products.
- jfim 7y ago
  As a heads-up, this means that if the best product isn't available on Amazon and the other site isn't willing to pay a commission to them, then you won't hear about it. An example of that is nextdesk: https://www.reddit.com/r/StandingDesk/comments/69npx4/drama_between_thewirecutter_and_nextdesk/ https://www.reddit.com/r/StandingDesk/comments/69npx4/drama_...
delfinom 7y ago
Yep, Amazon is utter garbage at category filtering. They have some different filters depending on category but ultimately just stop short by a few miles. It's silly too because other online vendors have no problem implementing it.

thrwaway69 7y ago

Nice! It looks pretty clean and I appreciate the affiliate toggle button. What's the story behind this? (Very specific product ;)) I would suggest adding more margin vertically on cards and making them smaller for mobile.

junkern 7y ago
Yeah, the design was/is more of a quick and dirty to get it up and running, will definitely improve it! The Story: I was actually looking to buy a USB-C hub myself but was annoyed by the amazon website: no filtering, no clear marking of features... Talked to some tech friends, they had encountered the same thing, so I quickly acted and created that website^^

tgdn 7y ago

It looks very cool :) Is it open source? I'd love to contribute!

mmastrac 7y ago

Awesome work. Having just gone through this for my company, I'd recommend a few valuable bits of information: - Thunderbolt 3 support filter - Power delivery capability (usually 60W-100W if at all) Both of those are valuable for mac shoppers.

loopbit 7y ago
Not only for macs... I have 4 raspberry pi4 powered through an USB hub and spent quite a bit of time looking for one that had at least 4 ports and that every port could deliver a minimum of 5V-3A. The US amazon had a few, but trying to find them (or similar) in several european Amazons was quite difficult.
- sitkack 7y ago
  You have some model numbers handy? Which one are you currently using?
  - loopbit 7y ago
    For amazon.com, there were a few from Anker (one was mentioned in another comment) that looked interesting... As I said, no luck finding them in europe. I ended up going with this one: https://thepihut.com/products/anidees-6-port-smart-ic-usb-charger-50-watt https://thepihut.com/products/anidees-6-port-smart-ic-usb-ch...
    - hinkley 7y ago
      One of Anker's raisons d'être is high current USB ports, so I'd be shocked if they couldn't do 3A. I did not realize they were not available in the EU though. It looks like they list on Amazon UK, not sure how helpful that is.
- alias_neo 7y ago
  Any chance of a link? I'm looking good something to power a Pi4 cluster. Thanks

berbec 7y ago

Seems very nice. Is there a way to search for hubs that don't have a feature? I want a hub that has ethernet, but not hdmi, for example.

junkern 7y ago
Is already on my todo list. It was easier to implement the simple "has feature", instead of doing a full blown search interface :D

Eric_WVGG 7y ago

oh goodness… yes, fine work, but this site rubs my hugest tech pet peeve today There is not a single USB-C hub on this site. A USB-C hub would take one USB-C port and turn it into several USB-C ports. These are what are called port replicators. There are no USB-C hubs in existence, which is a huge reason why the standard is still struggling. Thank you for putting a selector for "how many USB-C ports" front and center, that at least illustrates the problem…

Eric_WVGG 7y ago
(why are there no “real” USB-C hubs? some say that it is due to the lack of the existence of a chip that Intel is going to release "any time now" for like a year now… others say that the power delivery requirements of USB-C make this really tricky)
- nrp 7y ago
  USB-C hubs are on their way. A couple of IC makers now have parts supporting that, so products using them are in the development pipeline: http://www.genesyslogic.com/en/product_view.php?show=69 http://www.genesyslogic.com/en/product_view.php?show=69 I'm actually currently developing one as well that has a unique twist to it.
  - Ididntdothis 7y ago
    Cool. It’s about time. After getting a MacBook Pro 2019 I was pretty surprised to find out there are no real USB hubs out there.
  - Eric_WVGG 7y ago
    Can't wait to see it! I'd love to be on your announcement list.
  - pzb 7y ago
    http://www.simulatechnology.com/Product/Detail/uid/5de9347e-1741-11ea-ad99-0050568966ec?typeName=Industries&type=Type-C_Accessory http://www.simulatechnology.com/Product/Detail/uid/5de9347e-... exists, at least to some extent. It uses the aforementioned chip.

Trias11 7y ago

I was thinking about adding few things to make it paid service: - allow people to enter keywords describing product - allow people to enter their own affiliate id - allow people to generate short url to dynamically generated page showing above All above would allow people to quickly generate and share chunks of specific amazon products to their following and monetize it. You could either produce sidebar with your own ads or just charge for such service so it would be win-win for all

elwell 7y ago
Like a 'roll your own affiliate marketing site'? You could call it 'affilterate marketing'.
thrwaway69 7y ago
I was thinking about the same. If there are any affiliate marketing people in here, can you tell us more about your workload, RoI, setup and problems? :D
- tomschwiha 7y ago
  Depends on the niche. Some work easily out (especially if its about products with an EAN), for others it works too, but you need manually processing, if you care to not only offer a comparing of Amazon products. The Amazon API is howevery very detailed and useful for product data. You look at the data provided and either try to "not care and add everything" or to form it to fit your scheme (imo the better way). Issues are with marketing (SEO, useful text), malformed or wrong informations and normally there is no global valid usable database available to get all the data. Sometimes I depend on crawling, so websites changing break normally price-updating. By using an API its not such much a hassle, but also using the API sometimes product ids change and you have to keep it updated to not end up with a broken website. I created Keyfuchs[1], a german / english price comparing website for game key prices and we mostly manually write the texts, half-automatically crawl the different stores and try to set it up nicely for our users. [1]https://www.keyfuchs.de https://www.keyfuchs.de / https://www.thegamefox.net https://www.thegamefox.net
chapium 7y ago

rubatuga 7y ago

There's only one USB-C hub listed with a detachable cable, the uni Hub. Any USB-C cable that supports full speed USB 3.2 Gen 2 works. I reviewed it on my blog here: https://www.naut.ca/blog/2019/09/11/uni-usb-c-hub/ https://www.naut.ca/blog/2019/09/11/uni-usb-c-hub/

ydj 7y ago
I’ve bought a uni USB-c to DisplayPort cable before. Support was helpful: had some trouble getting it to work with my laptop in Linux and they sent me another cable to make sure it wasn’t a cable issue.

atombender 7y ago

Nice work. I miss the ability to filter by video support. I got this one [1] without reading the fine print, and it only supports 4K at 30Hz, not 60Hz. I'm actually still looking for a hub that will do 4K/60Hz HDMI/DP and power delivery (and preferably 1-2 extra USB-C ports), so that I can power my MacBook Pro with it, and have it deliver video to my external display, all while only having one cable going into the MacBook. Not dual monitors, just a single display while the lid is closed. From what I can tell, that's only possible with an expensive Thunderbolt dock. [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G

withinrafael 7y ago
To work around macOS' awful monitor restrictions (i.e. lack of general MST support), we bit the bullet and got a Dell WB19TB [1] (Thunderbolt dock). It sucks from a wiring perspective but it works. [1] https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-wd19tb/apd/210-arik/pc-accessories https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-w... (To those that go down this route, be aware: you cannot use both DP ports on this dock as-is -- again, macOS lacks MST support. One monitor must be connected to the Thunderbolt add-on module.)
- paulcarroty 7y ago
  > $259.99 It sucks from a price perspective too.
- fpgaminer 7y ago
  I wouldn't trust Dell with this. I have a Dell monitor that I bought because it has a USB-C port that supported both PD and video. But it turns out it doesn't work well with MacBooks (constantly loses connection, and messes with the MacBook's sleep). Dell acknowledged the issue and released a patch that fixed it ... for Windows machines. They refuse to fix it for MacBooks because they don't want to support a competitor's product. So I would be highly skeptical of a Thunderbolt dock from Dell working well with MacBooks. Addendum: That monitor is also a dud in many other ways, notably that the PIP and PBP feature sucks and it has horrific ghosting. All a real shame as Dell used to have high standards for their monitors.

hrgiger 7y ago

Nice site! Would be nice to add cable length as well, finding hub for desktop PCs very hard.

blazespin 7y ago

Need to find a way to detect fraudulent reviews and you're set.

intpbro 7y ago
Fake spot api? ;)
- junkern 7y ago
  haven't heard of them, yet. will check it out :) maybe a combination of fakespot and reviewmeta?
junkern 7y ago
Definitely! It is on my todo list to include https://reviewmeta.com/ https://reviewmeta.com/ information for every product :)
- mthoms 7y ago
  Just out of curiosity, do you have any statistics on how many people disable the affiliate links? That's really clever by the way, placing that button so prominently. It both instills trust and serves as a gentle reminder of the amount of work that went into this (at least in my mind).
  - junkern 7y ago
    I do not track that information, yet. But it is a cool idea and I think would make for some interesting insights: Will implement!
- ReviewMeta 7y ago
  Please do! https://reviewmeta.com/blog/implement-data-reviewmeta-com-api/ https://reviewmeta.com/blog/implement-data-reviewmeta-com-ap...

nachteilig 7y ago

Would also be great to know if it supports 4K!

larrywright 7y ago
And if 4K, whether it’s 4k@60hz or 4k@30hz. Almost none of the affordable hubs support 60hz.
- sgarman 7y ago
  I still don't have a dock for my MPB at my home because none of them support 144hz+. Just have to shuffle cables around every time.
junkern 7y ago
Good idea! Will add that feature:)

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

falcolas 7y ago

Personal opinion: I have had the best value-for-quality out of the "J5 Create" brand. Adding them to this list (it's a useful tool) would be great. https://smile.amazon.com/stores/node/9123406011 https://smile.amazon.com/stores/node/9123406011

junkern 7y ago
Thanks for the hint! Will add them:)

dep_b 7y ago

Why not Thunderbolt 3 hubs? Also card readers are interesting, pass through power might be as well.

_1tan 7y ago
Thumbs up of for Thunderbolt 3 hubs!
kylehotchkiss 7y ago
Card readers are interesting but they need more UHS-II support on these hubs to get decent read times for modern SD card workflows
junkern 7y ago
My plan is to add more usb hubs (usb-3, thunderbolt), so stay tuned ;) Card reader filter will also be implemented very soon:) I am no expert on usb hubs, but filtering for pass through power is actually possible: You have to specify at least 1 for usb-c port, then you can select the "Power Delivery" checkbox. Is power delivery the same as pass through power? and it is it possible to have that without having a usb-c port?

tgv 7y ago

Useful, but one thing: a USB-3 port can be compatible with a USB-2 port, so one might expect that 2 USB-2 ports can also be covered by a device with two USB-3 ports (as long as they have the same connector), but I don't think the search works like that.

larrywright 7y ago

This is really cool. One more bit of data that would be helpful: cord length. Almost all of these have short cords that are great for portable use cases, but not ideal for use at a desk.

junkern 7y ago
Interesting thought. Not sure if I can gather cord lengths of all the hubs.. Will note it down for later:)
- larrywright 7y ago
  I think it would be sufficient to just indicate if it has a long cable or not. You can tell from the pictures generally.
koala_man 7y ago
I was going to suggest just getting a longer cable, but I see now that almost all of them have non-removable USB-C cables sticking out. Why is this? Is it because only one port can be upstream, so they try to avoid the confusion? Or just cost?
- wmf 7y ago
  Probably both. A good USB-C cable isn't cheap and using the wrong cable would cause the hub not to work.
pkamb 7y ago
+1 for a filter for units with a removable cord to the computer. I want all this junk mounted out of the way, not 3 inches from the computer.

guidedlight 7y ago

Here’s a bug/feature request: The website doesn’t support the Amazon links in Australia. When I click a link on my iPhone it opens the Amazon app, then tries to switch my app to the US listing which doesn’t work. My suggestion is to provide multiple Amazon links for various countries.

Roritharr 7y ago

I would prefer if it had less products but actually reviewed them, there is so much crap on Amazon you really need to try something out, disassemble it, sometimes even measure it to figure out if it's crap or not. SEO Spam really ruined product search / reviews. Just last week I tried hard but couldn't find a good review of USB-C Power Adaptors, just page after page of SEO optimized spam without actual content.

mdolon 7y ago
I actually wrote about this just last week: http://mdolon.com/essays/amazon-has-ruined-search-and-google-is-in-on-it http://mdolon.com/essays/amazon-has-ruined-search-and-google...
- MaxBarraclough 7y ago
  Interesting post, thanks.

kyriakos 7y ago

An important filter is not just if it has hdmi but how many screens it can support. Just a suggestion.

junkern 7y ago
Is already on my todo list:)

whatsmyusername 7y ago

When it comes to peripherals you should seriously consider all the options, discard everything, and just buy Anker because it's the best.

bubersson 7y ago
I did exactly that. And I'm really positively surprised about the build quality of Anker hub. I bought some of the wireless chargers from Anker before and those feel quite plastic-y, so this was nice.
- whatsmyusername 7y ago
  They tend to drop product lines immediately when they're no longer profitable (like their bang'n external drive docks) so we buy their stuff in bulk when it fits our purpose. edit: Oh hey, it's run by a former googler. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anker_(mobile_chargers) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anker_(mobile_chargers) neat.
reiichiroh 7y ago
Blind faith in Anker by itself isn’t enough. It has North American customer service presence but there are a few times where its products aren’t much more than rebrands of the many, many other weird Shenzhen brands like TaoTronics, TronSmart etc. Used to think Aukey, Satechi were in the same league as Anker but they’ve been shown to falsely show standards compliance as well as a being USB power non-compliant with some. Satechi has/had a lot of fake reviews powering its growth as well.
Marsymars 7y ago
Anker is good for their main product lines (chargers, cables and power banks), but the rest of their peripherals (mice, keyboards, speakers, data hubs, etc.) feel like afterthoughts that don't compete past the low-end of the market.

bitL 7y ago

Tangentially related, does anyone know if there is a DisplayPort-to-USB-C/Thunderbolt cable one could use to connect a GPU (DisplayPort) to a monitor (USB-C/Thunderbolt)? I'd like to connnect Titan RTX (DisplayPort) to LG's 31" 5k2k (USB-C) but all I see are cables for the opposite direction, i.e. USB-C/Thunderbolt to DisplayPort, for MacBooks. Other DisplayPort on LG is already used by another computer (gaming PC with 2080Ti) and HDMI can't do 5120x2160@60Hz.

chx 7y ago
The Delock 63928 https://www.delock.de/produkte/G_63928/merkmale.html?setLanguage=en https://www.delock.de/produkte/G_63928/merkmale.html?setLang... is in the direction you want but I am not 100% it can do DisplayPort 1.4. AmazonGlobal ships it globally from https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLOCK-Displayport-Adaptor-type-Monitor/dp/B07FYLCG3S https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLOCK-Displayport-Adaptor-type-Mon... please test and report back either at https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/co23kd/i_have_found_the_mythical_displayport_to_usbc/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/co23kd/i_have... and mention /u/chx_ so I see your report or just email me at chx1975 gmail . While reddit has unsavory parts, we keep our little corner focused on USB C knowledge. Alternatively, you can power the Gigabyte GC Titan Ridge from a mining riser, no PCIe is necessary, feed it DisplayPort signals, get Thunderbolt signals. Titan Ridge is DP 1.4 capable.
- bitL 7y ago
  Thanks, ordering that DeLOCK now! Will get back to you when I test it! Titan Ridge is an option as well though I want to use it in an x399 Zenith Extreme board (DeepLearning rig) and that might be challenging (in theory it should work but the board is super buggy).
JoshuaJB 7y ago
> Tangentially related, does anyone know if there is a DisplayPort-to-USB-C/Thunderbolt cable one could use to connect a GPU (DisplayPort) to a monitor (USB-C/Thunderbolt)? Edit: See other comment. Looks like someone actually did manage to create a cheap adapter, and was able to power it from DisplayPort as well. I'd love to hear if anyone knows how well this works. I think this would be quite hard to do inexpensively, as USB-C hosts have to be configured by the client to send Display Port signals on the SuperSpeed lanes. [1] If the monitor (client) doesn't detect a host, it's probably not going to try to interpret the SuperSpeed signals as DP. It seems to me that an adapter would likely have to emulate a USB-C host supporting DP alt mode. This would at least require external power (unless your monitor's USB-C port is powered), and would more likely require the adapter to use one of your USB 3 ports so that it can also support devices on any monitor USB hubs. [1] https://www.totalphase.com/blog/2019/11/how-displayport-alt-mode-is-enabled-over-a-usb-type-c-cable/ https://www.totalphase.com/blog/2019/11/how-displayport-alt-...

az656 7y ago

From what I can see, none of these support multiple 4K monitors - how do people dock in situations like this? I’ve been using a USB-C eGPU with my multiple screens and Ethernet attached to that. Is there a cheaper way to do this?

applecrazy 7y ago
Is it possible to buy two adapters and plug one monitor into each? Tedious, yes, but cheaper than eGPUs.
- Terretta 7y ago
  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/
bluedino 7y ago
You really can't without lots of compromises - 4K @ 60Hz uses most of the bandwidth that USB-C 3 can really provide.

ebg13 7y ago

Unfortunately this doesn't fix any of the confusing bullshit around USB versions and specs and port shapes. And it muddies the issue by mixing "3" and "2" with "C", which describe entirely different things. My first search looking for 3 USB-C ports brought up this behemoth: https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Adapter-VEOOVE-Samsung-Universal-Compatible/dp/B07VNKR495/ https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Adapter-VEOOVE-Samsung-Unive... 2 of the USB-C ports are USB 2.0? WTF is that. Nobody wants that.

soneil 7y ago
And the third is just PD, no data. Searching for 2 ports is no better - they’re all one data plus one PD (with the exception of one that’s macbook-specific, so it can pass-thru two ports because it’s using 2 on the host). It seems like it’d be more realistic to have a tick-box for “a usb-c port” and a tick-box for “a PD port”.

macawfish 7y ago

This is so necessary! However, it still doesn't answer a burning question that I have: are there any USB-C hubs that can draw power from an upstream power delivery source and supply it to downstream USB-A devices? Just to be clear, I don't expect you to have this answer. From what I can tell, the answer is "no that doesn't exist".

zamadatix 7y ago
USB hubs did this even prior to PD. Is there a particular non-standard wattage you're looking for?
- macawfish 7y ago
  The USB spec limits the amount of power a single device can draw from its host. For a USB hub, this means that the downstream devices will have to split a single device's worth of power allowance between them. So to support multiple power hungry devices, many existing USB hubs offer additional external power supplies. In my case, I have two midi controllers and an external audio interface that all want their full share of power. The audio interface refuses to run without it. So I'm wondering if there's a hub that is "externally powered" via the host's PD power supply. There are plenty of USB C hubs that can draw additional power from a downstream PD source. But I want something that can draw additional power from the host even if it's a laptop running on battery. (Power Delivery is an additional spec that can run over USB C, but its existence is independent of and doesn't change the USB spec's power limitations for a single device)

Terretta 7y ago

Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. Also filter whether it’s one USB-C connects to computer or two USB-C connects to computer. With two USB-C connected to computer, can pass through more types of USB to accessories. Finally, it doesn’t show matches that I know are matches. // I buy these to test, but don’t want to waste time testing duds, so spend time trying to figure out if/when the claimed stats are possible. 101 Intro: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/ https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-i... 301 Deep dive: https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-video-through-usb-c-hub/ https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-...

maxsilver 7y ago
> Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. I don't think they'd bother, because none of these docks can do it. USB-C 3.1 inherently can't support a 4k@60hz display, due to bandwidth limitations. And it certainly can't run two of them. You'd have to jump up to a Thunderbolt 3 dock for that sort of thing.
- wmf 7y ago
  USB-C 2.0 can support 4K60 (see deep dive above) so you can drive one good monitor if you don't need fast network or storage.
  - 867-5309 7y ago
    did you mean USB-C at USB 2.0 speeds? there is no standard by that name and Rev 2.0 does not mention video
- Terretta 7y ago
  The Thunderbolt capable docks on Amazon are still listed as USB-C because consumers seem to think it’s all about cable shape. That said, there are plenty of dual USB-C connector, dual HDMI 4K@60hz port, dongles designed for Mac on Amazon. I think this is the most recent addition: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ ”Satechi Aluminum Type-C Dual HDMI Adapter 4K 60Hz with USB-C PD Charging — Stunning dual HDMI display with a convenient USB-C PD port to keep your setup up and running - all in 4K 60Hz resolution. ENGINEERED FOR 4K DUAL DISPLAY - features dual HDMI ports to connect two monitors for stunning, extended 4K 60Hz display. Requires a direct HDMI connection, will not work with VGA, DVI or Thunderbolt displays...” By contrast, this is one HDMI 4K@60Hz and one HDMI 4K@30Hz: https://smile.amazon.com/Satechi-Multimedia-Adapter-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B07RH8L9GV/ https://smile.amazon.com/Satechi-Multimedia-Adapter-Gigabit-... Includes the two 4K HDMI ports of differing refresh rates, USB-C PD 3.0 charging, Gigabit Ethernet, micro/SD card readers, and USB 3.0 ports, and also will not work with Thunderbolt.

thierryzoller 7y ago

Sell it to Amazon, their GUI needs an overhaul, it's an unstructured mess.

reiichiroh 7y ago

Have you posted this to the folks at /r/usbchardware ?

chx 7y ago
Oh hi! /r/usbchardware mod here. I will talk to the other mods whether we want to endorse these. I personally would never encourage anyone to buy a non-certified device made by a noname company but the others might have a different opinion.

alagu 7y ago

It is quite nice of you to give option to disable affiliate links - though I guess no sane person would want to disable them.

tn890 7y ago

I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(

joshmgross 7y ago
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.PFlEbR25HGF5 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.P... Is pretty close at 87W
- tn890 7y ago
  I would've compromised for this dock if it were cheaper. A lot cheaper. I'd pay $300 for a dock with 100W PD, 4k60 and gigabit. But this ain't it.
- jdbernard 7y ago
  The power brick for the newest MacBook Pro delivers 96Ws and it will use all of it at high workloads. I've seen mine drain the battery (slowly) when plugged into the 87W power brick from the last-generation MBPs.
nfriedly 7y ago
4k60 + gigabit is not possible without going up to Thunderbolt 3 - there isn't enough bandwidth otherwise. The best you can do is 4k60 + USB 2.0 (so a gigabit Ethernet connection would cap out at ~300mbps in practice.) See https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-video-through-usb-c-hub/ https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-... DisplayPort 1.4 changes this, but everything seems to be stuck on 1.2 100W is, of course, possible. I use a CalDigit USB-C Pro Dock with my MBP: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VL675DT https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VL675DT - it's TB3, but it can fall back to USC-C (with reduced capabilities, of course). It uses Intel's newer Titan Ridge chipset. The older and more common Alpine Ridge chipset is TB3 only.

calaphos 7y ago

For choosing the right product based on a list of spec requirements I can highly recommend the price comparison website Geizhals [1]. They offer an insane amount of filter options over a wide category of products. Want USB C hub with Power Delivery, Gigabit LAN, a card reader and at least 2 display options? Here are your options: [2]. Also works for Mainboards, TVs and a whole lot of other stuff [1] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock [2] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock&xf=5206_2%7E5207_DisplayPort%7E5208_Gb+LAN%7E5211_Cardreader%7E5211_USB-C+Power+Delivery%7E5860_USB-C+3.0 https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock&xf=5206_2%7E5207_DisplayPort...

TekMol 7y ago
This one is my favorite site of this type: https://www.productchart.com https://www.productchart.com It has an awesome interface and covers the US and the UK.
- arnaudsm 7y ago
  I've been working for 2 years on a successor for productchart! Modern UI and KISS, check it out here : https://picked.cc https://picked.cc
  - ghostpepper 7y ago
    How can you reduce phones to a single checkbox that says whether they're "intuitive" or not?
    - anoncareer0212 7y ago
      it lets people say 'i want an iphone' while still feeling reasonable
      - jshevek 7y ago
        OnePlus, LG, and Xiaomi are all included under 'intuitive'. (Though Samsung appears to not be?)

h4kor 7y ago

Anyone else thinks its weird that we created an entire industry/product section just because notebook builders don't include common ports anymore?

tn890 7y ago
Not really. I mean, it's conceivable that portable devices have gotten smaller and more streamlined since they get replaced sooner, while the outside world has largely remained the same (from a connectivity standpoint).

jlengrand 7y ago

I just want to tell you how much I appreciate how you allow to turn the affiliate link on and off. And also that you basically made it so that it's the first thing I see when I join. I don't see that much honesty and openness out in the open that often. So thanks!

peter_d_sherman 7y ago

It looks really nice! I was wondering if you could add power output per port, and total, in Amps... Reason that I ask is because someone might want to power a whole bunch of Raspberry Pi's off of a single USB hub, and if it doesn't have the requisite amps (~3.0 Amps per socket), it will probably burn out, or power will probably sag, and that wouldn't be fun! But, other than that minor "would-be-nice" -- great site, all in all!

urda 7y ago

This really didn't make things any less confusing. If anything else, I'm more confused by just a massive spam of product tiles as the first thing I see. It feels like I misclicked an ad in my Google search and ended up at a knock-off product website from abroad. What you really need to be doing is making recommendations, product breakdown, and even label things as your "choice" and why. Right now, it just looks like a glorified affiliate link farm and that feels dirty. Spamming users with a wall of product is not the solution.

fortran77 7y ago

Nice job. (But how did we get into this mess in the first case, I ask rhetorically.)

gre 7y ago

Great start, I end up with 49 products that meet my basic filters. I'd really like some more feature differentiation to decide. Release dates might help too, as I'd rather buy a newer product.

jungletime 7y ago

Which of these would work best for connecting two external drives to move files around. I have a 2013 macbook pro with 2 lightning ports, and 2 usb 2 ports. Very often I need to connect two external drives at the same time, leaving me without a port to connect my wireless logitech mouse and keyboard. I tried to find a lightning to usb adapter, but these don't seem to exist.

crooked-v 7y ago

I want a USB-C hub that's just one USB-C in to multiple USB-C out. Why is that so impossible to find?

frosted-flakes 7y ago
Yes, I don't care if they're just plain USB, no Thunderbolt or fast charging. Every "hub" I've seen has maaaybe twl USB-C ports and two or three USB-A ports—which makes me think that USB-A will never die and we'll be stuck with both of them forever.
baybal2 7y ago
Type-C says that there can't be type-c hubs. Just wait for some Chinese OEM to work that around
- hinkley 7y ago
  USB 4 spec claims to solve this problem. I'm pumping the brakes on USB 3.1 purchases, but I dunno if the stars will align for my next laptop to have it.
- ShamelessC 7y ago
  Why do they restrict this in the spec? Doesn't that just encourage people to use USB Type C to USB-A hubs, making adoption to Type C slower?
- Dylan16807 7y ago
  > Type-C says that there can't be type-c hubs. Where does it say that? I've seen a lot of posts claiming just the opposite. You can't just take a setup designed for type-A ports and mechanically convert them to type-C, because that would allow you to make an A-to-A connection. But that's not a blocker for a properly-designed hub.
  - baybal2 7y ago
    It's buried somewhere in the spec, using evasive wording. I bet this is fully artificial limitation sneaked into the spec by people not wanting "stuff working without PCs"

lennydizzy 7y ago

The new 16 inch Macbook Pro has a 96W charger, any adapter supports that yet?

abalone 7y ago

Nice idea. I’m curious, how much affiliate revenue are you generating?

nfriedly 7y ago

First up, nice job. This is awesome! Here's a few filters off the top of my head that you might consider adding: * Price * DisplayPort ports * Maximum power pass-through * Is the ethernet port gigabit or just 100mbit ( e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5N3YCD/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5N3YCD/ - You generally can't get 4k60 + gigabit without thunderbolt 3.) You might also want to consider adding docks, or perhaps create a second website for those. (In my mind, the main distinction between the two is weather or not it has a built-in power supply - it looks like none of yours do.)

fwipsy 7y ago

Needs an option for total USB ports (including USB3 + USB2). Say someone has 3 hard drives, a keyboard and a mouse. Probably they would want at least 3 USB3 ports for the hard drives and at least 5 total, but would be just as happy with 5 USB3 as 3 USB3 and 2 USB2.

usbcconfused 7y ago

Related question: a lot of these hubs have very short cords. Apparently usb c extension cords are not allowed by the usb c spec, but some users report generic female-male cables from amazon can do the job fine. Anyone have experience with this or know of caveats?

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

grizzles 7y ago

Feature request: USB-PD 3.0 feature option. The protocol changed pretty massively between PD 2.0 and 3.0

gumby 7y ago

The key factor esp for video is “does it support thunderbolt” (to which the answer today for these price points is “no”). For a laptop you want TB 3 for high frame rate video and fast drives. For an iPad Pro, it’s not necessary (and I carry one of these listed devices in my bag with me)

arnaudsm 7y ago

I love these kind of websites, it's much better than a 20-page guide on CNET or Wirecutter. I've been working for two years on a similar website for Phones/VR/Cameras/Drones, check it out here : https://picked.cc https://picked.cc

m0zg 7y ago

Of all these there are probably half a dozen devices that are free of defects. This site does nothing to help me filter out the rest. For me, the way I approach this is I just find an Anker-made thing that most closely matches what I need and buy it. It might cost a few bucks more, but it works.

hackerposter77 7y ago

Any as an option?

indymike 7y ago

Suggestion: add a field for HDMI or Thunderbolt video. I have devices that will only work with HDMI like ChromeBooks and Samsung Galaxy phones (you can plug them into a screen and use them like a computer). I also have devices that will work with thunderbolt like my Mac and Dell laptops.

bonestamp2 7y ago

Nice! Unless I'm not seeing it, the only thing it really needs is sorting (by price, by rating, etc).

vxa_victor 7y ago

Not bad. Functionality aside, one thing it can improve is UI responsiveness - the UI alignment isn’t displayed nicely in iPhone SE Safari.

haddr 7y ago

Actually all those hubs are almost all equal: they support usb 3.0 and differ very little. Just buy Anker (upgraded) and you will be fine. Different story for usb 3.1 gen 2. There’s only one hub currently and it’s Sony UHS-II. (And even this one can support 4K only in 30 FPS)

adriansky 7y ago

Very nice! How do you crawl the data and how often?

lbotos 7y ago

One of the things that blew my mind was that in the USB-C spec, you can't have a male to female cord, but I was only able to find two hubs on amazon with a detatchable cable. Why you ask? I have a mac and a PC on my desk, and i plug my kb,mouse, and headset (usb sound card) into the hub) and just swap one cable instead of three to game. If you have a better solution that has hub/kvm -> usb-c for the mac, i'm all ears.

tantalor 7y ago

There are other storefronts than Amazon.

jbay808 7y ago
I agree. Amazon is probably the worst choice for this, since you never know if the product you buy will still be the same one that was reviewed.
- Finnucane 7y ago
  Bur who else rewards you with sweet referral dollars? Or pennies, anyway.

martin_ 7y ago

Nice work, looks like a solid tool - have a suggestion for my recent debacle. I had to buy a dock to use my Apple Thunderbolt Display with a new USB-C MBP. There were few that could do it whilst also offering power delivery. I went with this dock which I notice isn't on your list, nor is the ability to filter for Thunderbolt 2 support. https://www.amazon.com/OWC-14-Port-Thunderbolt-Compatible-OWCTB3DK14PSG/dp/B07JMH6BSY https://www.amazon.com/OWC-14-Port-Thunderbolt-Compatible-OW...

deleted 7y ago

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brandonmenc 7y ago

I'm still baffled as to why no one offers more than four USB-A ports - and very few offer four. The Anker four-port hub [0] is great (I own like four, just in case), but I would kill for one with five or six ports. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-Adapter-MacBook-Chromebook/dp/B07DFYQXY7/ref=sr_1_19?tag=usbhubs0b-20 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-Adapter-MacBook-Chrome...

wlesieutre 7y ago
Could be power reasons? There are plenty of many-port USB hubs for desktop use, but they tend to have external power bricks. For example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ZQ07NE/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ZQ07NE/ (7 ports) With a cable like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UXKTJE0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UXKTJE0

dvcrn 7y ago

Cool that you have an option to turn off affiliate links but since you are providing value and product recommendations with this site I'd personally say it's fine to remove that option.

brandon272 7y ago

I am extremely frustrated at the lack of options for USB-C multiport adapters. The majority of the models seem to be manufactured by brands I have never heard of. Any that seem to be decent quality and have decent port selection are also extremely expensive. Apple decided to eliminate all data ports except USB-C on its notebooks several years ago, yet they don't offer a robust multiport adapter? (I guess you can spend $70 if you want the privilege of being able to plug in a conference room HDMI adapter, but not much else.) I am also completely confused on how many of these multiport adapters work. One I purchased in the past required that I install drivers on my Mac. Others seem to not require that. Can I plug USB-C adapters into USB-C adapters, if say, I wanted to plug a USB-C to Ethernet adapter into my main USB-C multiport adapter? Does it depend on the adapters? Does any USB-C multiport adapter that has a female USB-C port allow me to charge the device the adapter is plugged into? I seem to have had mixed results with that in the past.

whywhywhywhy 7y ago
>yet they don't offer a robust multiport adapter? After struggling with countless hubs now, having drives disconnect and displays freak out I'm now convinced the reason Apple only offers adapters like single USB-C to USB-A and no hub solution is because deep down they know that the hub technology just isn't reliable or feasible at all and only 1 to 1 port conversions are actually reliable in this spec. Happy to be proven completely wrong, but honestly I've yet to see a hub that can reliably keep drives connected and only the Apple single C to A cable manages to do it reliably enough across 5+ hours and the fact Apple doesn't even ship a $100-$300 hub speaks volumes to me.

shmoogy 7y ago

So this means there are no hubs that can do 4k60 for an iPad Pro because it's not TB3?

toastal 7y ago

How far away is USB4?

sonar_un 7y ago

I would like to see a filter for UHS-II SD cards as well. I think Sony is the only brand making a hub with one included at the moment.

aladine 7y ago

I wish there is a website to compare power bank on Amazon.

Legogris 7y ago

Would be cool if this could link to not only amazon USA bUt also those in other countries.

bonestamp2 7y ago

Just a word of caution, I believe it is against the affiliate agreement that you show prices. I mean, two of the first four now have the wrong price -- the price probably changed on amazon's side. I believe that's why Amazon doesn't want affiliates to show prices.

intpbro 7y ago
Yes this is true. Can confirm

huxflux 7y ago

Dude, you should really Github this one, would be huge Kudos!

pkamb 7y ago

Are any of these products actual one-to-many USB-C hubs? You know, a hub. Which seemingly do not exist for USB-C / USB 3. https://superuser.com/q/1381139/122042 https://superuser.com/q/1381139/122042 https://mjtsai.com/blog/2017/10/14/the-impossible-dream-of-usb-c/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2017/10/14/the-impossible-dream-of-u...

6841iam 7y ago

Very nice project! Can you tell us a little about your tech? How did you crawl Amazon's USB listings, did you use their API? And then how did you figure out if an item has the feature you are looking for: What was your parsing and extraction logic like? Finally, how often are you refreshing your index? I'm always interested in projects that have a clear path to monetization.

cocochanel 7y ago
Also, I was pleased to see Erlang :)

voltagex_ 7y ago

Quite a few of these use the exact same board internally, I wish there was a way to work it out, and I wish manufacturers were more open about this.

snvzz 7y ago

No tickbox for powered vs not, no data on psu if powered, no chipset information either. So it ends up being not very helpful, sorry.

jp1016 7y ago

thanks for this, i made a mistake of buying a normal hdmi cable for 4k monitor, it provided 4k@30hz only, i was not aware of this spec until i experience the lag.

moonbug 7y ago

missing display port..

guaka 7y ago

Can you add a switch for Amazon UK DE FR ES?

all-out-of-hope 7y ago

That lack of consistent height across cards is killing me.

btutal 7y ago

This is really good work! I have been trying to find a hub that I can use between Macbook Pro and LG 27UK850-W USB Type C display but so far didn't have a chance MacbookPro <-> USB-C Hub <-> Display Currently, the display can provide enough power to RMP, I would like to have hub in between so that I still have only one cable but it seems impossible to find

junkern 7y ago

Thanks so much people, I really appreciate all your feedback. I read all comments, already answered to some them. I will try to respond to every one, but can't promise that. I noted down all the feedback and ideas for improvement and will tackle those points: * better filters (video resolution, displayPort, card readers, power delivery) and sorting by price, "no-feature" search * Better and cleaner design * Moar data: definitely Thunderbolt 3 hubs and usb-c hubs of higher quality (anker?) * implement reviewmeta to check the reviews of each product * better quality of product data/prices and so on

japhyr 7y ago
> * Moar data: definitely Thunderbolt 3 hubs and usb-c hubs of higher quality (anker?) Are you talking about adding hubs that aren't available on Amazon? When I started to use my 13" mbp as a desktop station I was surprised how hard it was to find a decent hub, and I couldn't find anything on Amazon that worked. I tried several hubs that seemed to work, but they interfered with wifi. I ended up with a CalDigit TS3 Plus, and it's been really good so far. I would not have found that on a site that only reviews Amazon products, but I would have really appreciated an actual recommendation rather than just a large set of products to compare.

whywhywhywhy 7y ago

No option for DisplayPort? Currently trying to find a way to run two screens from my 2 port MacBook Pro (Macs don't support display daisy chaining for some reason) and the HDMI dongles I've used before have been so incredibly janky and unreliable. The two ports on this laptop are an absolute nightmare, this wasn't my choice because it's a work machine but please no one else buy this thing because it's pure suffering, hubs never work reliably only cables that work are the single C to display port cable and the single official Apple C to A cable. Every hub I try has drives disconnecting on their own, HDMI displays freaking out and so on. This isn't pro level computing if my data and displays don't work reliably.

Vordimous 7y ago

What is the app stack? i see vue in there.

jitendrac 7y ago

Do not forget to use Amazon Product api to fetch price and mention the last price update in product disclaimer, otherwise you may be violating affiliate program terms, and may get your account suspended.

DrJaws 7y ago

It doesn't show some of the most important brands and sellers like the anker 7+3 usb 3 hub. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerIQ-Charging-MacBook-Surface/dp/B00VDVCQ84 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerIQ-Charging-MacBook-Surfac...

wraithm112 7y ago

Adding a number of DisplayPort ports would be nice too.

eutropia 7y ago

Consider running fakespot against the reviews of them as well, because I straight up never buy commodity electronics on amazon without first checking to see how astroturfed the reviews are.