6 ms·

I tried using a power-only USB cable for data once, then tossed it back in the bin. Later, tried it again, back in the bin. I think on the 5th try, months later

I tried using a power-only USB cable for data once, then tossed it back in the bin. Later, tried it again, back in the bin. I think on the 5th try, months later, I finally threw it away. Also, Dial-Up/Ethernet pairs seem to be too complex? Each house I bring my Ethernet/wire Tester+Detector to, somewhere I find a rat's nest of copper cable. Just today I found an Ethernet cable that connects 4/8 to nearby the router, and the other 2 Pairs of wire terminate in a Dial Up cable in another room!?

scarface74 4y ago
I threw all of my random USB C cables and Lightning cables away and standardized on these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB? - USB A and USB C on one end - USB C, micro USB and Lightning on the other end - 100W PD - 20GB data - video over USB C for my portable second display (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095GG31KX https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095GG31KX) I never have to worry about the “right” cord. I did keep my MagSafe cord for my Mac.
- icelancer 4y ago
  Wow nice! I use multi-adapter cables for charging, but always thought the data rates on the enabled connectors would be shit. Happy to hear a review on a product like this that might help; gonna grab a pair.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    Cue the mad rush of a hundred thousand counterfeit cables within the week.
    - icelancer 4y ago
      Would not be surprised if there was an automated bot on HN and reddit et al that looked for comments like mine with reviews and did exactly that. Damn. Good point.
- lostlogin 4y ago
  Does that standardisation have 6 cables (including the MagSafe)?
  - scarface74 4y ago
    MagSafe is just a nice to have. The MacBook can charge at 100W over the standard USB cable.
- jlokier 4y ago
  Thanks for the product tip! I bought a couple of multi-connector cables similar to the ones you have, but from a different manufacturer and no real specs on the packaging a couple of years ago. They both charge whatever is connected extremely slowly, no matter what power supply or device. They can barely charge a phone overnight, and charging is so weak that if my phone is used while plugged in, battery net-drains instead of charging. Would've been better to buy cheap, separate charging cables and more power supplies to keep the different device-end connectors powered. But to be fair, there were no specs when I bought them in a store, just claims that they can be used to charge different devices from USB, which they do, just surprisingly badly.
baq 4y ago
Fast Ethernet (the 100Mbps kind) doesn’t use those pairs and works just fine with low frequency noise of a landline phone. Any cable ran in the previous decade should be dedicated to Ethernet, though…
brewdad 4y ago
Those cables have one decent use. Charging while out and about with only an unknown USB outlet available. Perhaps something like the USB port on your airplane entertainment system. No data means no virus risk.
- kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
  USB-C supports data transfer over the CC pins so there's still a potential backdoor.

scarface74 4y ago

I threw all of my random USB C cables and Lightning cables away and standardized on these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB? - USB A and USB C on one end - USB C, micro USB and Lightning on the other end - 100W PD - 20GB data - video over USB C for my portable second display (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095GG31KX https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095GG31KX) I never have to worry about the “right” cord. I did keep my MagSafe cord for my Mac.

icelancer 4y ago
Wow nice! I use multi-adapter cables for charging, but always thought the data rates on the enabled connectors would be shit. Happy to hear a review on a product like this that might help; gonna grab a pair.
- brewdad 4y ago
  Cue the mad rush of a hundred thousand counterfeit cables within the week.
  - icelancer 4y ago
    Would not be surprised if there was an automated bot on HN and reddit et al that looked for comments like mine with reviews and did exactly that. Damn. Good point.
lostlogin 4y ago
Does that standardisation have 6 cables (including the MagSafe)?
- scarface74 4y ago
  MagSafe is just a nice to have. The MacBook can charge at 100W over the standard USB cable.
jlokier 4y ago
Thanks for the product tip! I bought a couple of multi-connector cables similar to the ones you have, but from a different manufacturer and no real specs on the packaging a couple of years ago. They both charge whatever is connected extremely slowly, no matter what power supply or device. They can barely charge a phone overnight, and charging is so weak that if my phone is used while plugged in, battery net-drains instead of charging. Would've been better to buy cheap, separate charging cables and more power supplies to keep the different device-end connectors powered. But to be fair, there were no specs when I bought them in a store, just claims that they can be used to charge different devices from USB, which they do, just surprisingly badly.

baq 4y ago

Fast Ethernet (the 100Mbps kind) doesn’t use those pairs and works just fine with low frequency noise of a landline phone. Any cable ran in the previous decade should be dedicated to Ethernet, though…

brewdad 4y ago

Those cables have one decent use. Charging while out and about with only an unknown USB outlet available. Perhaps something like the USB port on your airplane entertainment system. No data means no virus risk.

kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
USB-C supports data transfer over the CC pins so there's still a potential backdoor.