My laptop only has two USB ports: one is usually occupied by my printer and the other by my mouse, since I prefer using a mouse instead of the touchpad. I also use a small USB humidifier while working, and occasionally need to connect a USB flash drive, so I'm constantly unplugging things. Would a USB hub let my laptop recognize and use several devices through one port at the same time? In particular, could I use a mouse and flash drive simultaneously without noticeable input lag? The humidifier only needs power, so it doesn't need to communicate with the laptop.
4 Answers
Since the humidifier only needs electricity, you could plug it into a USB wall charger or power brick instead of the laptop. That would free up the computer’s USB resources and let a small hub handle the mouse and flash drive.
What you want is a USB hub, not a splitter. The hub lets the laptop communicate with multiple connected devices independently, so a mouse and flash drive can be used at the same time. A basic hub should be fine for those devices, though a powered hub is useful if you’re also drawing significant power for the humidifier or other peripherals.
A powered USB hub is probably the most convenient setup: connect the hub to the laptop, plug its power adapter into an outlet, and connect the mouse, flash drive, and other accessories to the hub. For only a mouse and keyboard, external power usually isn’t necessary, but it can prevent power issues with additional devices.
A mouse should not lag just because it’s connected through a hub. Mice use very little USB bandwidth, and a flash drive generally won’t interfere with normal cursor movement. The main limitation is that all devices share the port’s available bandwidth and power.
Right—a powered hub isn’t required for low-power devices like a mouse and keyboard. It mainly helps when several devices, especially USB-powered gadgets, are connected at once.