Sonnet Technologies is launching the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub, the latest offering in the company's popular Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion products. The Echo 5 hub features four Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type A charging port. Sonnet's hub delivers up to 85 watts of charging power and is compatible with all computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports; all M1 Max, M1 Pro, and M1 Mac computers; all Mac computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports; and iPad Pro tablets with a Thunderbolt port.
Thunderbolt hubs provide users with a central place to connect their computer peripherals--such as storage devices, input devices, displays, etc.--instead of directly to a computer that often has fewer ports than desired. Sonnet's Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub enables notebook and laptop computer users--and iPad Pro users--to connect to all their peripheral devices at once through a single Thunderbolt cable. Through the same cable, the Echo hub can also charge compatible computers with up to 85 watts of power. Depending on the computer or iPad Pro to which it's connected, the Echo hub also supports connecting one (always 4K, up to 5K, 6K, or 8K) or up to two displays (4K + 4K, 5K + 5K, or up to 6K + 6K).
Many current notebook and laptop computers offer fewer peripheral ports than the models of the past, limiting the number of devices that can be plugged in directly. Also, one computer port is often used for charging, further reducing peripheral connectivity. Sonnet's Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub overcomes these limitations by enabling the connection of up to nine devices at once (including up to two displays) and charging the computer, all through a single cable. With its three 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) peripheral ports and one 10Gbps USB Type A charging port, the Echo hub connects the vast array of devices available from the past, now, and in the future, and easily supports high-performance peripherals.
Featuring four Thunderbolt 4 ports (three for peripheral device connection, one for connecting and charging the computer), the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub provides users with the capability to connect three bus-powered Thunderbolt end devices at once, instead of limiting them to connecting multiple separately powered devices in a daisy chain. In all, the hub's Thunderbolt ports support up to five Thunderbolt peripherals. For users with more USB than Thunderbolt peripherals, the Thunderbolt 4 ports do double duty--they support USB4 and USB 3 devices (including displays) when connected with the correct cable or adapter, even at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain. Sonnet designed its hub to provide up to 85 watts of power through its computer connection and charging port, enabling it to charge and power a much wider variety of computers at or near full power.
The Echo hub's 10Gbps USB Type A charging port supports most USB peripherals, including superfast USB NVMe SSDs, at full speed. Unlike some other hubs, the USB Type A port on the Echo 5 provides up to 7.5 watts of power to ensure bus-powered devices will operate without fail and can be used to charge a phone or tablet.
