Question 1

Does the ethernet interface require a driver in MacOS?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it does. Well, it's complicated.

UNI seems to have cheaped out and used the RTL8153 chipset, which many of these cheapo hub manufacturers use. Realtek (the chipset maker) hasn't released a Mac driver for this for years, and the latest one they did release is buggy and causes frequent crashes and kernel panics on the Mac.

Without this Realtek driver, the Mac supplies its own "emulated" driver which basically does all the network data processing on your Mac's CPU, slowing it down and using high CPU. With the driver, this processing is done on the chip inside the Ethernet port in the hub itself, offloading it from your computer's CPU onto the hardware itself (where it's meant to be processed).

So you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Use Realtek's buggy driver and have your computer crash every few hours/days, or don't use it and have the Mac emulate the chipset as a fallback, using up your Mac CPU for no reason AND putting a limit on your maximum speeds with this hub's Ethernet.

For more information, search up RTL8153 and Mac. If Uni released a new version of this hub with a better, well-supported, hardware-offloaded Ethernet chipset (and a USB-C port), I'd immediately buy that one to replace this one.

Question 2

Macbook pro 16‘’ charger is 96w. Does this hub support it or is it only for smaller chargers?

Accepted Answer

I have a 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro and when this is plugged into the Apple 96w power supply it charges the battery all the way up the battery, but System Information > Power says it's only supplying 60w, so the UNI hub is eating 36w and all that's plugged into it is an Ethernet cable,

AC Charger Information:
  Connected:	Yes
  ID:	0x0000
  Wattage (W):	60
  Family:	0xe000400a
  Charging:	No

Question 3

What are the dimensions of the 8-in-1 hub? The size listed in the Product Information seems too large to be accurate

Accepted Answer

I have the 6-port version with the same product dimensions as the 8-port version listed at 5.9 x 4 x 1.1 inches . Actual 6-port size is 3" x 1.75" x 0.75". Don't know how much wider 8-port would be, but the USB-A ports measure 7/8" apart on-center. So, 8-port version should be closer to 4" x 1.75" x 0.75"

Question 4

where can i find the replacement cable for this? what type of cable should i be looking for? the cable is startingto not work on me any info helps IA

Accepted Answer

contact the manufacturer. they are very proud of the quality of their product, and i suspect they would send you a replacement

ASIN	B07Q6YS7W2
Additional Features	Fast Charging
Best Sellers Rank	#98,440 in Computers ( See Top 100 in Computers ) #1,701 in USB Hubs
Brand	uni
Color	silver" or "gray
Compatible Devices	MacBook Pro 2023, Air, iPad Galaxy S24/S23, laptops, smartphones, tablets, desktops, monitors, projectors, cameras, card readers, USB flash drives, hard disk and other USB-C Thunderbolt 3 devices
Customer Reviews	4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (344)
Data Transfer Rate	5 Gigabits Per Second
Enclosure Material	Aluminum
Hardware Interface	Ethernet, HDMI, MicroSD, USB 3.0, USB Type C
Item Dimensions L x W x H	10.8L x 5.7W x 2.2H centimeters
Manufacturer	uni
Mfr Part Number	unic8in1ks
Model Number	27-23
Number of Ports	8
Operating System	Linux, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8
Total Usb Ports	3
UPC	787446459455
Unit Count	1 Count

USB C 8-In-1 Hub with Connector, 4K HDMI, Ethernet, SD/MicroSD Card Reader, 100W, for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Galaxy S10/S9

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