Power Delivery (PD) is a term that is thrown around when discussing USB-C hubs and chargers, but do you really know what it means and what it does? Continue reading to learn more about PD as well as the benefits.  

What is Power Deliver (PD) in USB-C hubs?

USB-C Power Delivery (PD) hubs can pass through power to charge the host device that is connected to, such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones while connected to multiple peripherals  such as external display, drives, SD, Micro SD, printer, mouse, keyboard. The last version of PD 3.0 was capable of 100W but the latest version of 3.1 can handle up to 240W.

How important is it to have PD ports on your USB-C hubs?

The PD port will free up one of your host device ports that was going to be used to power your device so you can pass the power through the USB-C hub. If you are looking for an affordable, high-quality hub with this spec, the EZQuest USB-C Multimedia 10-in-1 Gen 2 Hub is equipped with a 100W high speed PD port version 3.0 input with pass-through charging up to 88W output and FRS technology or 5GB data. 

How much power does a USB-C hub need to operate?

The amount of power that the USB-C hub needs is determined by the design, the number of ports and the specification of each port. It could range from 5W to 20W. 

Does your device provide enough power to run your USB-C hub without connecting the PD port?

What the EZQuest team has learned over the years is that each device such as laptops, tablets,  and cell phones provide different amounts of power through the USB-C port to the USB-C hubs. This is why we recommend, if your device allows, to power your device through the PD port so your hub gets sufficient power. 

Why is that when I connect my PD power adapter to the USB-C hub then connect the hub to my device, my device wont charge? 

If your hub needs 15W to operate and your device, for example, is an iPad Pro which uses 20W power, you will be short 15W. This is why it wont charge your iPad Pro. Apple provides a power adapter that is enough to run your iPad Pro not iPad Pro and USB-C hub. The solution is to add the amount of power your hub uses to your power adapter. In this case, 20W plus 15W makes it 45W. If you want you can even go higher than 45W and it won’t hurt your hub or device. This is the beauty about USB-C Power Delivery technology.