Your USB-C cables might need a firmware update. I’m serious

Released Oct 18, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT

Monica J. White is a reporter with over a years of experience in covering innovation. She developed her very first PC almost 20 years earlier, and she has actually because constructed and evaluated lots of PCs.

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USB-C cable televisions, while incredibly complicated, are likewise absolutely forgettable. I actually do not believe you invest hours contemplating the fate of your USB-C cable televisions, and neither do I.

A minimum of not up until something breaks. Often, that something can be stupidly fixable and stunning in equivalent procedure: your USB-C cable televisions may simply require a firmware upgrade. No, I’m not joking.

Your USB-C cable television may have a small computer system inside

Yes, there’s more to some cable televisions than copper and plastic

I’ve been talking a lot about things like router firmware for ages here at How-To Geek and somewhere else, and I’m not alone. At this moment, the majority of us have actually heard the old “update your drivers, update your firmware” spiel a thousand times over.

USB cable televisions? Firmware? That’s a brand-new one.

As I found when I checked every USB-C cable television in my drawer, 2 identical-looking USB-C cable televisions can have extremely various abilities. That makes cable television management stacks of enjoyable, however there’s more to it than simply plain efficiency or power shipment. A few of those abilities boil down to what’s concealing inside the cable television’s ports.

Real software application inside the cable television

For beginners, lots of high-powered and quicker USB-C cable televisions include a small chip. It’s called an e-marker.

This e-marker informs linked gadgets what the cable television can deal with, eliminating a minimum of a few of that confusion all of us handle when gazing at a USB-C cable television and not understanding what it’s for. A few of the information consists of the cable television’s supported power and information abilities.

Things get spicier with active USB-C and USB4 cable televisions. These can include extra electronic devices, such as redrivers or retimers, which assist them keep signal quality over longer ranges. More than that, some USB-C to HDMI cable televisions even have chips that actively transform the video signal. It’s more than simply plain cable television tech.

A few of these more modern cable televisions have controllers running firmware. It does make good sense, provided what they’re accountable for … so they get real software application, all inside the cable television. And much like the firmware for your SSD or router, these cable televisions might require a periodic upgrade, too.

A firmware upgrade can even open functions your cable television didn’t have

Your display may gain from upgrading a cable television

Upgrading a real cable television appears odd enough, however it gets weirder: it’s not practically repairing bugs. Often, these updates can really open functions you could not utilize previously.

Take Cable Matters’ USB-C to HDMI firmware updater. The business provides an upgrade for its USB-C to 8K HDMI cable television that can allow 4K at 120Hz, or perhaps 240Hz, on supported Macs. That might be a significant action up in refresh rates, all from a fast firmware upgrade. Typically, I ‘d simply be opening up Amazon to purchase a much better cable television that might do all that things to start with.

Bug repairs are likewise a thing, obviously. Business launch them to deal with things like compatibility issues, random disconnections, and so on.

Upgrading a cable television is precisely as strange as it sounds

Some cable televisions even have 2 chips to upgrade

Let’s presume your USB-C cable televisions require a firmware upgrade. Where do you even get that?

It depends upon the design, however the procedure is basically the like if you were upgrading any other hardware. Recognize the precise cable television. This is sort of why I stated it just uses to more expensive, brand-name cable televisions, as it requires to be recognizable as a particular design of cable television and not simply a generic one.

As soon as you understand what you’re dealing with, browse up the cable television design and the producer, then examine the producer’s site for firmware updates. If such updates exist, you’ll most likely need to download a devoted energy, then link your cable television to the PC, and let the software application scan its present firmware.

Required an upgrade? It’s easy from that point, simply go through the actions.

Here’s the outrageous bit. Some cable televisions in fact have 2 firmware chips. Once again, I’m not joking.

In those scenarios, those chips might require to be upgraded individually. A minimum of it’s still simply the one cable television …

No, you most likely do not require to upgrade every USB-C cable television you own

A lot of cable televisions can be left alone

If you’re like me, you’re most likely on your method to your cable television drawer, ready to evaluate each and every single USB cable television you own. Hang on, though, due to the fact that it’s not like all these cable televisions even require the additional attention.

Normal USB-C cable televisions do not have firmware you can upgrade yourself, and even the fancier ones with the e-marker chips aren’t always updateable. This is something you’ll primarily discover in high-end active cable televisions with more advanced electronic devices inside.

Even then, makers do not constantly offer firmware updates, and typically, if your cable television works fine, there’s frequently no factor to tinker it.

Do not toss your cable televisions away too rapidly

Ends up that a cable television that isn’t doing its task isn’t always broken, and you might conserve yours before letting it go.

The issue is that lots of people will simply toss a cable television away if it stops working to provide what’s anticipated of it, however in some cases, there is a great deal of benefit in searching for firmware updates. Just like you ‘d repurpose an old router, do not quit on cable televisions even if they’re old: possibly they simply require a little push (and a fast upgrade).

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