The new Satechi 4-in-1 USB-C Hub With 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet expands a Mac with a trio of high-speed USB-C ports and fast networking. It launched Thursday at an affordable price. Alternatively, there’s the Zagg 4-Port Hub, which offers a pair of USB-C ports, USB-A and HDMI.
Either of these hubs can make a MacBook into the center of an extensive office setup on the go.
Hubs bring more USB-C ports to your Mac
MacBooks emphasize portability over expandability. Especially the MacBook Air with a mere two USB-C ports.
Travelers who need more can turn to the Satechi 4-In-1 USB-C Hub With 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. Each of its three USB-C ports supports USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 for data transfers up to 10 Gbps. That’s fast enough to handle virtually any type of external accessory except a display.
And the Ethernet port lets the Mac forgo Wi-Fi, which can be slow, unreliable and insecure.
The Satechi 4-in-1 USB-C Hub With 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet costs $44.99.
Buy it from: Satechi
Zagg travel hub adds more types of ports
Photo: Zagg
Those who want to add access to an external display to their MacBook might turn to the recently launched Zagg 4-Port Hub. The four are USB-C PD, USB-C, USB-A and HDMI.
One of the USB-C ports can handle 100W pass-through charging. The other maxes out at 20W of power but supports USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 for 10 Gbps data transfers. And there’s a USB-A port for plugging in legacy accessories.
Use the HDMI port to connect to a 4K screen and extend your working area.
The Zagg 4-Port Hub costs $59.99.
Both the Satechi and the Zagg hubs have aluminum exteriors and built-in connecting cables. They are designed to be small enough for travel, which often isn’t true for hubs with more ports and support for ultrafast data transfers via Thunderbolt.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
