USB-C hub which supports 2 USB-C outputs to USB-C monitors

[fmatthew5876]

Hi everyone,

I have a surface go laptop with one usb-c port. I purchased 2 Asus portable monitors which connect power+display using USB-C.

This setup is for work travel, so being light and nimble is paramount. The problem I have is that my surface go only has one USB-C port. What I'd really like is to have a small hub which splits my USB-C port into 2 ports, and allows me to connect both screens.

I don't need the device to provide power, and as I can use the standard power adapter with surface connect port for that.

The problem is I've tried a few hubs and they don't even work with 1 screen. Every time I try to search for such a device, I find devices with hdmi or display port. All I really need is 1 USB-C in and 2 USB-C out which supports displays.

I do have the surface dock 2 which has 2 USB-C ports, and it works, but it's big and super heavy. I would love to not have to pack the extra weight (it's like 3x as heavy as a normal dock!) and space

Does any such device exist?

 

[AgentQ]

Depends on the source. I think certain Surface models support DisplayPort daisy chaining with compatible monitors.

You can also look into Multi-Stream Transport (MST), but again you need to confirm if your source supports it.

 

[Dreamerbydesign]

I’d look into daisy chaining. As this was the intended purpose of being able to do that in the first place.

 

[fmatthew5876]

Daisy chaining display-port would be ideal, but my Asus screens don't support it. I'm not even sure if you can do Daisy Chain MST with USB-C screens? If so I would need to buy all new travel screens which would suck, but maybe worth it.

I really want to stick with USB-C monitors if I can, they are super lightweight and I don't have to pack power cables.

 

[arnbju]

I think the Asus portable monitors has a built in Displaylink chip, which means that you don't need any display support from the hub.

 

[fmatthew5876]

I tried the microsoft travel adapter hub. Didn't work, not even with one screen. Really unfortunate given how small it is it would have been perfect.

My whole travel setup with my laptop, 2 screens, keyboard, mouse and cables is only 11 lbs. 4 lbs of that is from the surface dock 2! Not to mention it sucks to pack with all the thick cables which can't be detached. It has a huge heavy power brick too, which is totally unnecessary for my little surface go 2.. I wish I could find anything else to replace it.

It looks pretty rare to find a hub that has even one USB-C port with alt displayport mode enabled. I suppose I'm lucky microsoft even put alt enabled USB-C ports on their dock instead of display port ports.

 

[fmatthew5876]

So arnbju is right about display link. It works if you install a driver from Asus website.

So I tried this device: Amazon.com: StarTech.com 4 Port USB C Hub w/ 2X USB A & 2X USB C - SuperSpeed 10Gbps USB Type-C 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 Hub - USB Bus Powered - Portable USB-C to USB Adapter Hub - Aluminum - 9.8" (25cm) Cable (HB31C2A2CB): Computers & Accessories

It seemed perfect. One screen worked. When I tried 2 screens, unfortunately I got a USB BUS power error. So it looks like USB itself can't provide enough power for both screen, at least not with this hub.

So I guess it has to be a docking station with power, or I need a new laptop with 2 usb ports.

 

[pendragon1]

So arnbju is right about display link. It works if you install a driver from Asus website.

So I tried this device: Amazon.com: StarTech.com 4 Port USB C Hub w/ 2X USB A & 2X USB C - SuperSpeed 10Gbps USB Type-C 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 Hub - USB Bus Powered - Portable USB-C to USB Adapter Hub - Aluminum - 9.8" (25cm) Cable (HB31C2A2CB): Computers & Accessories

It seemed perfect. One screen worked. When I tried 2 screens, unfortunately I got a USB BUS power error. So it looks like USB itself can't provide enough power for both screen, at least not with this hub.

So I guess it has to be a docking station with power, or I need a new laptop with 2 usb ports.

get a powered hub so you dont overload the laptop usb.

 

[fmatthew5876]

get a powered hub so you dont overload the laptop usb.

That would probably work, but the goal is to also minimize the number of cables and things that need to be plugged in, hence the USB-C screens in the first place. A small docking station that doesn't weight almost 4 lbs is probably the way to go to power the laptop and everything else.

I've been considering upgrading to a surface pro 8 (once it comes out) anyway, and that has 2 USB ports. So maybe it'll just work then.