Please stop using your monitor as a USB hub

Published 5 days ago

Ismar is a Senior Author at How-To Geek. He previously worked as a writer, editor, and general manager at a content agency before joining the How-To Geek team in 2023.

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Summary

USB ports on monitors share upstream bandwidth, so don’t expect full speed on multiple USB devices.
USB ports offer low power; use powered hubs or get a monitor rated for high USB power delivery for charging.
The signal is more susceptible to random dropouts when going through USB ports on monitors.

Having USB ports built directly into your monitor is awesome. They’re in a convenient spot, making it easier to plug in things near the monitor, like light bars or frequently used USB devices such as controllers and flash drives. However, most people aren’t aware of the limitations of monitor USB ports and think they can use them like any other USB port.

USB ports on monitors have to share bandwidth

The first and most important thing to be aware of if you own a monitor with USB ports is that this is many miles away from being aThunderbolt hub. Instead, you’re merely relocating the ports to a more convenient spot, which means you’re limited by the maximum power and bandwidth of the PC port you connect the upstream cable to, as well as the cable and the monitor ports themselves.

For example, myLG 27GR83Q-B has two USB 3.0 Type-A ports in the back, but with its single USB 3.0 upstream cable, the bandwidth is shared between the two. This means I can’t actually connect two USB 3.0 devices and use the maximum bandwidth on both simultaneously.

A USB flash drive plugged into a monitor.

If I want maximum speed, it’s better to plug one device into the monitor and the other into one of the USB ports on the front or back of my PC. The same principle applies to Thunderbolt ports as well. This is completely fine for most scenarios, and it’s actually true for most USB hubs, too, but it’s something you should be aware of nonetheless.

Monitor USB ports aren’t intended for power delivery

While bandwidth is important to keep in mind when plugging USB devices into your monitor's USB ports, the real problems arise when you're using them to power devices. I mostly use theUSB ports on my monitor for charging and powering devices, and until recently, I wasn't aware of just how low the maximum power output of USB actually is. USB 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0 only support a maximum power delivery of 4.5W (900mA), and USB 2.0 can only do 2.5W (500mA).

Popout USB ports on a Dell Ultrasharp 27 Thunderbolt Hub monitor.

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Rumor has it that USB ports can sometimes deliver slightly more power than the spec (which you might be able to test with aUSB Tester), but it's best to stick to the USB specification. Otherwise, you might risk the device not working properly, behaving erratically, or even causing potential damage to the device, port, or cable.

I learned this the hard way when I recently tried using a humidifier that requires 5W/1A to operate—half the time it wouldn't even turn on, but I found that disabling the built-in LEDs helped reduce the power draw enough for it to work from my USB port.

A sticker indicating the rated power of a USB humidifier.

However, remember that the power delivery is split on monitors that don't have powered USB ports. This means that turning onmy monitor light bar in one USB port and adding the humidifier into the mix could be problematic.

Now, compare that to a powered USB hub like theTP-Link ‎UH720. Powered USB hubs use a separate power source. In addition to transferring files to your PC, you can use them to power all of your desk gadgets, lamps, monitor lights, USB fans, humidifiers, coffee mug warmers, and more.

TP-Link UH720 Powered USB Hub 3.0

Brand: TP-Link
Connection: USB Type-C

The TP-Link UH720 Powered USB Hub 3.0 expands a single USB 3.0 port into seven data ports and adds two 5V/2.4A smart charging ports for fast device charging. It comes with a 12V/4A external power adapter to safely power multiple devices while providing overheat, overload, and short-circuit protection.

Power supply included: Yes

$35 at Amazon

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That said, it's worth noting that not all monitor USB ports are limited to the same maximum power delivery.

Some higher-end monitors, like theDell UltraSharp U2723QE, support 90W power delivery, effectively allowing you to connect most laptops for both the signal and charging simultaneously with a single cable.

However, true 240WUSB-C PD (Power Delivery) isn't available on any monitors that I'm aware of. Beyond the specialized high-power delivery USB ports, USB Type-C is also an excellent alternative, as it can provide 15W (3A), though USB-C upstream is generally reserved for more expensive monitors.

What is available on select monitors is another USB standard called USB Battery Charging (BC). It can do 7.5W (1.5A), which is the best port to use for trickle charging as well as powering devices that require 5W (1A).

They can cause annoying system behaviors

While bandwidth and power delivery limitations are somewhat comparable to USB hubs, there are still downsides to USB ports in monitors, which mostly stem from their nature of being built into a separate device. I've already mentioned power delivery issues, but there are a few others worth noting.

Since the signal runs through the monitor's internal circuitry, some monitors, like thePhilips 346E2CUAE, turn the USB ports off when the display is powered down or even in standby mode. Some OLED monitors also shut off after performing a pixel refresh, such as theAlienware AW3423DW. This doesn't happen on all monitors, but it's worth checking before you buy if it's a feature you care about.

Another similar issue involves random signal dropouts, particularly when turning the monitor off. This isn't a problem for something like a monitor light, but a dropout during file transfers could result in corrupted or lost data.

It's also worth noting that some monitors require installing drivers or bundled software to fully enable USB functionality, though most monitor USB hubs should be plug-and-play these days.

USB ports on monitors are a neat convenience feature, but they shouldn’t be your all-purpose solution for USB devices. A proper Thunderbolt dock or powered USB hub is a much better alternative, since it won’t limit your bandwidth and power delivery the way monitor USB ports often do.