Original Post
Written by
Edited April 18, 2024
at 02:20 AM
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AnkerDirect via Amazon [amazon.com] has
Anker 552 9-in-1 USB Hub for
$29.99. Shipping is free with Prime or on orders $35+
AnkerDirect via Walmart [walmart.com] has
Anker 552 9-in-1 USB Hub for
$29.99. Shipping is free with Walmart+ (free trial available) or on orders $35+
Note: includes 2x 5 Gbps USB 3.0 data ports, 2x 480 Mbps USB-A ports, 4K@30Hz HDMI port, 100W PD-IN port, Ethernet port, SD card slot, microSD card slot
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The upper limit (in this case the HDMI 1.4 port, with a max ceiling of 5Gbps if the hub is fully utilized) is what limits it to 4k@30hz, so you should be able to mix & match whatever refresh rates/resolutions HDMI 1.4 can support below this threshold. The standard supported resolutions/refresh rates for HDMI 1.4 in my experience have been 4k@30, 2k@60hz (although it should theoretically go up to 75hz) and 1080p@144hz. Anyone who wants 4k@60hz will need to make sure the hub they buy is using an HDMI 2.0 port.
These limits apply to additional displays that are added through other "nonstandard" ports as well—e.g., you can plug in multiple monitors to this hub using various interfaces (USB-C, USB-A, etc.), but the resolution/refresh rate will always be limited by the bandwidth limitations of the interface itself.
There are also other considerations, like cable types and the port you're actually plugging the device into; I once made the mistake of buying a laptop with an early USB-C connection that was just a regular USB 3.0 port that didn't support Thunderbolt/DisplayPort. I was pretty pissed.
Turns out, they were secretly streaming a continuous feed of your cameras to their cloud, and it wasn't even encrypted. Anyone in the world could tune in with a stock install of VLC player and watch you in your own house, without your knowledge.
So, when the security researcher privately informed Eufy of this severe security flaw, they immediately fixed it and informed their customers of the issue.
Oh, wait, that's not it. They repeatedly flat out claimed that this secret unencrypted video stream going to their servers didn't exist, and it was impossible for anyone to view your camera stream.
"I can confirm that it is not possible to start a stream and watch live footage using a third-party player such as VLC"
Except this was trivially easy to do, just open the URL for the stream in VLC, and now you're looking at yourself(or any other Eufy camera customer) through your computer screen. So news publications tried this themselves, and found they could easily independently verify that Eufy was lying.
So, Eufy gave in to pressure and updated their camera software to stop streaming your video out to the Internet, unencrypted.
No, wait, actually they quietly scrubbed all of their most promising privacy promises from their "privacy commitment" page, and stonewalled the media for weeks.
https://www.theverge.co
This was willful malicious behavior, not a simple accidental oversight on an advertised feature.
And yes, they did eventually cave to public pressure and fix it, but really only because their customers and the media forced their hand.
This is not a company that deserves any degree of trust.
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Turns out, they were secretly streaming a continuous feed of your cameras to their cloud, and it wasn't even encrypted. Anyone in the world could tune in with a stock install of VLC player and watch you in your own house, without your knowledge.
So, when the security researcher privately informed Eufy of this severe security flaw, they immediately fixed it and informed their customers of the issue.
Oh, wait, that's not it. They repeatedly flat out claimed that this secret unencrypted video stream going to their servers didn't exist, and it was impossible for anyone to view your camera stream.
"I can confirm that it is not possible to start a stream and watch live footage using a third-party player such as VLC"
Except this was trivially easy to do, just open the URL for the stream in VLC, and now you're looking at yourself(or any other Eufy camera customer) through your computer screen. So news publications tried this themselves, and found they could easily independently verify that Eufy was lying.
So, Eufy gave in to pressure and updated their camera software to stop streaming your video out to the Internet, unencrypted.
No, wait, actually they quietly scrubbed all of their most promising privacy promises from their "privacy commitment" page, and stonewalled the media for weeks.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/...entication [theverge.com]
This was willful malicious behavior, not a simple accidental oversight on an advertised feature.
And yes, they did eventually cave to public pressure and fix it, but really only because their customers and the media forced their hand.
This is not a company that deserves any degree of trust.
For a USB dock, it's honestly not likely to cause privacy concerns, but maybe they skimped on some usb pd or other IC standards and just went yolo with the design. Hard to say, but for me their reputation is tarnished.
The upper limit (in this case the HDMI 1.4 port, with a max ceiling of 5Gbps if the hub is fully utilized) is what limits it to 4k@30hz, so you should be able to mix & match whatever refresh rates/resolutions HDMI 1.4 can support below this threshold. The standard supported resolutions/refresh rates for HDMI 1.4 in my experience have been 4k@30, 2k@60hz (although it should theoretically go up to 75hz) and 1080p@144hz. Anyone who wants 4k@60hz will need to make sure the hub they buy is using an HDMI 2.0 port.
These limits apply to additional displays that are added through other "nonstandard" ports as well—e.g., you can plug in multiple monitors to this hub using various interfaces (USB-C, USB-A, etc.), but the resolution/refresh rate will always be limited by the bandwidth limitations of the interface itself.
There are also other considerations, like cable types and the port you're actually plugging the device into; I once made the mistake of buying a laptop with an early USB-C connection that was just a regular USB 3.0 port that didn't support Thunderbolt/DisplayPort. I was pretty pissed.
I didn't mean to imply there is no connection between them whatsoever; I'm saying the connection is not relevant to whether this is a good deal or not. If you don't want to buy an Anker hub because you don't like what Eufy did, that's fine—it just doesn't have anything to do with the product, that's all.
Thank you
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This is great deal do not let elon fool you.
Stop shitting on ANKER, they're a fantastic product (company operations aside). Don't buy surveillance devices and you won't be surveilled.
It's not a case of worrying that they're going to steal or spy on me via the dock. It's about the concept of not supporting their company policies. At the end of the day, your money is the only thing they care about. People can speak about their disagreements with their policies all they want, but if folks are still buying their products, they won't care.
"That restaurant makes a fantastic omelette. Stop shitting on them just because the owner and the chef kick dogs together in their free time. "
Like yes, the Eufy debacle is not directly related to the performance of this dock, but it is still relevant to people monetarily supporting Anker and they should at minimum be educated so that they can make the decision themselves.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Deli...B0BMXR7B
Personally, most people I think are using a hub for keyboards and mice which are fine with USB 2.0, unless you've got a big ol pile of flash drives I think the 9-in-1 (552) is a better choice.
Few offbrand usb hubs on the other hand... nonstop connection stability issues
No doubt the charger and battery is good and durable. But believe me this is my own stat working at system administrator. 66 HP TB4 and TB3 mix dock still working from 2020. 10 Anker hub 8 dead in 8 to 12 month. Then the 1 hub and 1 dock i list.
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