Released Oct 28, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT
Umair Khurshid is an innovation author and designer with a strong concentrate on Linux, FreeBSD, cloud facilities, and automation.
The Raspberry Pi is an enjoyable little computer system, however I have a routine of gathering devices that end up being better than the gadget they were created for. A few of them remain linked to the Pi, while others discover their method onto my desk and enter into my routine setup. The main Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub is one such device.
I purchased it about a year ago as an easy method to link more peripherals to a Raspberry Pi. The more I utilized it, the more I valued having a compact USB center that I might plug into almost any computer system with a USB-A port. It is a little device, however it fixes an issue I come across frequently, even when I am no place near my Raspberry Pi.
The main Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub works beyond the Pi
4 USB ports without the normal desk mess
The main Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub turns a single USB-A port into 4 USB 3.0 Type-A ports. It has a brief, captive cable television with a USB-A port on one end and 4 downstream ports on the center itself. The style is uncomplicated: a white enclosure with Raspberry Pi branding on top.
What I value about this design is how little area the center uses up. It can sit beside my laptop computer, remain tucked behind a screen, or live together with other devices without taking control of my desk. The brief cable television likewise keeps the center near the computer system, which is practical when I wish to link a flash drive or another peripheral briefly.
4 ports suffice for the majority of my daily USB devices. I can link a keyboard, a mouse, a USB flash drive, and another peripheral without consistently disconnecting something to make space. This is especially beneficial with laptop computers, where the offered USB ports can vanish rapidly as soon as you begin linking external storage and other devices.
The center supports USB 3 information transfer speeds of approximately 5Gbps, so it appropriates for moving files to and from suitable USB storage gadgets. Real speeds depend upon the linked gadget, the host computer system, and the work. It will not turn a sluggish flash drive into a quick SSD, however it supplies the needed bandwidth for gadgets that can benefit from USB 3.
The reality that it deals with routine computer systems is likewise worth highlighting. You do not require a Raspberry Pi to utilize it. Link it to any traditional system with a USB-A port, and the os can acknowledge the connected peripherals as though they were linked through the computer system’s USB user interface straight. That flexibility provides the center a longer helpful life than an accessory connected to one particular board. Even if I stop utilizing my Raspberry Pi for a while, the center still belongs on my desk.
Its power choices make it more useful
One factor I like this center is that it does not need a different power supply for common, low-power peripherals. When linked to a computer system, it can draw power through its upstream USB connection. That suffices for numerous keyboards, mice, flash drives, and comparable devices.
The center likewise has a USB-C power input for an optional external power supply. This works when linking peripherals that require more power than the host computer system can supply through the USB connection. Raspberry Pi defines a 5V, 3A input for this function, although the power adapter is offered independently
I would think about the extra power supply when utilizing a number of power-hungry gadgets or linking external storage that draws substantial existing. A center can broaden the variety of readily available ports, however the gadgets still require enough power to run dependably. Including external power can assist prevent issues triggered by an overloaded USB connection.
One restriction worth discussing, although it isn’t particular to this center, is shared bandwidth, a typical restriction with NVMe drives, Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi and other high-speed user interfaces. The center shares its readily available bandwidth throughout linked gadgets, and the marketed 5Gbps is the USB link’s optimum transfer rate instead of an ensured speed for each port concurrently. Linking a number of quick storage gadgets and moving big files in between them will not offer each gadget a devoted 5Gbps connection.
For my daily peripherals, nevertheless, this is seldom an issue. The center supplies a practical method to keep often utilized devices linked without filling my desk with adapters and cable televisions. When I require extra ports on another computer system, I can disconnect the center and move it instead of reorganizing my whole setup.
I keep grabbing the center even when the Raspberry Pi is turned off
The Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub is a relatively basic device, which is exactly why I continue to discover usages for it. I would not recommend purchasing it anticipating advanced docking-station functions, HDMI output, Ethernet, or a collection of USB-C ports. It is a USB center, and its task is to offer extra USB-A connection. If that is what you require, the main Raspberry Pi design covers the essentials without needing a complex setup.
For somebody who routinely changes in between computer systems, links to external storage, or requires more USB ports on a laptop computer, it is a useful device to keep close by. Its style for a Raspberry Pi is practically incidental once it enters into your daily workstation.
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