Other features
| Interface |
USB 2.0 |
| Mac compatibility |
Y |
Performance
| Data transfer rate |
480 Mbit/s |
T3Hub USB 2.0 Hub, Silver
T3Hub was the first USB hub to pick up the design of the now legendary PowerBook Titanium from Apple, expanding a single USB port on the computer to 3 ports for additional USB devices.
T3Hub 2.0 continues the tradition - while remaining as small and as useful and as compatible to the USB 2.0 standard. Of course the new model still works perfectly without a power supply, even when used with power-hungry USB devices like USB floppy drives or USB flash drives.
Typically T3Hub will be used when the internal USB connections of the computer no longer satisfy the needs of a growing array of USB peripherals.
T3Hub is currently available in the colours White (MacBook / iBook), and Aluminum (MacBook Pro / PowerBook G4 Aluminum).
In either setup T3Hub plugs directly into the USB connector on the computer. A short USB extension pigtail is provided to reduce strain on the built-in port.
Like all mobile USB hubs T3Hub cannot be connected to another non-powered hub such as the hub that is integrated into every USB keyboard for the Mac. As a result T3Hub is always connected directly to one of the computer's built-in USB ports.
USB 2.0 without a power supply - how does that work?
Many USB devices receive the power they require to operate from the USB bus. The devices indicate their nominally required power when they are connected to a USB hub or a USB port on the computer.
A USB hub without power supply will typically refuse to provide power to any device that requires more than 100mA current. USB floppy, SuperDisk, ZIP drive, some USB flash drives and most USB ISDN adapters fit into this category. Typically, these devices do not function when connected to the USB keyboard, which contains a non-powered USB hub.
By contrast, T3Hub will report itself as a self-powered hub, so that it can accept devices that have a nominal power requirement of 500 mA. As nominal power is rarely used in full, it usually is no problem to drive additional devices (mice, keyboards etc.) alongside one power-hungry USB device. If this ever should result in too much power consumption, the T3Hub will shut down automatically and the computer reports an error.
The special thing about T3Hub is its capability to host two normal low-power USB devices and one high-power USB device - all without requiring a power supply itself.
In daily use T3Hub will enable you to connect any USB device to your computer and it will extend the number of available ports - all in a thumb-sized device that weighs less than one ounce (21 g).
