StarTech ST43004UA 4-Port USB 3.2 Gen 1 Bus-Powered Hub

Overview

The StarTech ST43004UA is a compact, bus-powered USB 3.2 Gen 1 hub that expands a single USB Type-A host port into four USB Type-A device ports — all running at up to 5 Gbps. It draws power directly from the host connection, so there is no external power brick to manage or rack space to allocate. The aluminum and plastic housing keeps it light at 2.7 oz while providing enough rigidity for a permanent desk, rack shelf, or workstation installation. If you are adding USB peripherals to a security workstation, connecting multiple USB storage devices to a field NVR, or expanding connectivity on a surveillance server with limited port counts, this hub handles the job without introducing a separate power circuit.

Key Features

• USB 3.2 Gen 1 at 5 Gbps: The ST43004UA delivers up to 5 Gbps throughput across all four ports — roughly ten times the ceiling of USB 2.0. For USB-attached storage, high-speed card readers, or data offload from body-worn cameras, the bandwidth headroom keeps transfers fast without bottlenecking your workflow.
• Four USB Type-A Device Ports: Four downstream ports mean you can simultaneously connect a mouse, keyboard, USB storage drive, and a fourth peripheral without swapping cables. For workstation deployments where port count on the host machine is the limiting factor, this eliminates cable juggling entirely.
• Bus-Powered — No External Supply Required: Power is drawn through the single USB Type-A host cable, operating at 5V DC in and 5V DC out. There is no wall adapter, no additional circuit, and no extra cabling run to the outlet. Keep in mind that bus-powered hubs share the host port's power allocation, so power-hungry devices like bus-powered external hard drives may perform better on a dedicated port or with a separately powered hub.
• Attached 10.6-Inch Cable: The integrated 10.6-inch (approximately 27 cm) host cable gives enough reach to connect to a tower workstation on the floor or a server on a nearby shelf without straining the port. It is not removable — if your setup requires a longer run, plan a USB extension cable into the bill of materials.
• Aluminum and Plastic Hybrid Construction: The silver-and-white housing combines an aluminum shell with plastic elements. The aluminum dissipates heat from sustained transfers better than all-plastic alternatives, and the form factor — 4.4 in × 1.4 in × 0.7 in — sits flat on a desk or mounts unobtrusively on a shelf without dominating the workspace.
• 0°C to 40°C Operating Range: Rated for standard indoor environments from 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) with 10–90% RH non-condensing. This covers server rooms, control rooms, and office workstations. It is not rated for outdoor enclosures or unheated spaces — for those environments, keep the hub inside the climate-controlled portion of the installation.
• 2-Year Manufacturer Warranty: StarTech covers the ST43004UA with a 2-year manufacturer warranty, which is above average for a passive hub in this category and relevant if you are specifying equipment for a long-term managed deployment.

Integration and Compatibility

The ST43004UA connects to any host with a USB Type-A port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 Gen 1). It is backward-compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 hosts and devices — devices running at lower speeds will operate at their native speed without blocking other ports. On Windows, macOS, and Linux hosts, no driver installation is required; the hub enumerates as a standard USB hub. For security integrators, this makes it a practical add-on to VMS workstations, NVR consoles, or enrollment stations for access control credentials where additional USB peripherals need to be connected without modifying the host system. Storage throughput on each port will share the 5 Gbps upstream bandwidth, so avoid saturating all four ports with simultaneous high-bandwidth transfers if latency is a concern in your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the ST43004UA require an external power supply?

A: No. The ST43004UA is fully bus-powered — it draws 5V DC directly from the USB host port through the attached cable. No wall adapter or external supply is needed.

Q: What is the maximum data transfer speed supported?

A: The hub supports USB 3.2 Gen 1, which provides up to 5 Gbps of data throughput. This bandwidth is shared across all four downstream ports when multiple devices transfer simultaneously.

Q: What operating temperature range is the ST43004UA rated for?

A: The rated operating temperature range is 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F), suitable for standard indoor environments such as offices, control rooms, and server rooms.

Q: How long is the attached host cable?

A: The integrated host cable measures 10.6 inches. It is not removable; if a longer reach is required, add a compatible USB extension cable.

Q: What warranty does the ST43004UA carry?

A: StarTech provides a 2-year manufacturer warranty on the ST43004UA.

Q: Is the hub compatible with USB 2.0 devices?

A: Yes. The ST43004UA is backward-compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 devices. Those devices will operate at their native speed; USB 3.2 Gen 1 devices connected simultaneously continue to run at 5 Gbps.

Ted Perry

The ST43004UA earns a spot in my standard kit list for VMS workstation builds specifically because of its bus-powered design and the 5 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface — at that throughput, you are not bottlenecked when offloading footage from a USB 3.x drive while simultaneously running a USB-connected UPS management interface and a hardware dongle on the same hub.

Technical Highlights:

• 5 Gbps throughput: USB 3.2 Gen 1 provides ten times the raw bandwidth of USB 2.0 — meaningful when multiple peripherals are active at once on a security workstation handling simultaneous read/write operations.
• Bus-powered at 5V DC: No additional circuit or power supply required, which simplifies deployments inside equipment cabinets where outlet count is already constrained.
• Compact footprint (4.4 × 1.4 × 0.7 in, 2.7 oz): Fits flat on a desk shelf or adheres under a workstation without consuming rack space — relevant when you are adding peripheral access to an already-dense installation.

Deployment Considerations:

• The 10.6-inch attached cable is fixed — budget a USB extension cable into your bill of materials if the host port is more than roughly 25 cm away from where you need to position the hub.
• Bus-powered hubs share the host port's power budget. Avoid pairing this hub with bus-powered external hard drives on the same host port; those drives demand more current than a standard USB port reliably provides when shared.

For a security integrator deploying a compact VMS workstation — where the host machine has two or three USB-A ports and you need to add a USB dongle, a backup storage drive, a keyboard, and a mouse — the ST43004UA handles that scenario cleanly without adding a power supply to the installation.