I recently changed PCs, and now my four wireless peripherals using 2.4 GHz USB receivers are not working as reliably as they used to. I learned that USB 3.x ports and cables can create interference in the 2.4 GHz band, but my new computer only has two USB 2.0 ports. Would connecting the dongles through a USB hub introduce noticeable latency or other problems? I need the peripherals to remain responsive for both working from home and playing StarCraft II, so I want to know whether a USB hub is a sensible solution or if I should consider changing the motherboard.
3 Answers
A USB 2.0 hub should be fine and generally will not add noticeable latency. Avoid USB 3.x hubs if possible, and position the hub and wireless receivers away from USB 3.x devices, HDMI or DisplayPort cables, and other sources of interference.
If you are limited to USB 2.0, the hub itself is unlikely to be the problem. If the connection is still unreliable, you may be dealing with general 2.4 GHz congestion, since many wireless peripherals do not let you manually change channels. Wired devices are the most straightforward fallback.
There is no safety issue with using a hub. The concern is radio interference: USB 3.x can emit noise that affects devices operating around 2.4 GHz. A USB 2.0 hub placed a little away from the computer is a reasonable setup, and it should not create meaningful input delay.
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