I want one that sends a pseudorandom data stream and tells me the bit error rate.
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A nearly perfect USB cable tester
41–50 of 181 posts
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#42I wasn't surprised to learn that when Linus Tech Tips released those new usb-c cables, that they all sold out almost instantly. They put their entire reputation on the line to claim (and label) the exact capabilities of their usb cables. Isn't that all we really want?
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LTT are fine. I would strongly consider their products if they had any warehousing in Europe to make shipping here cheaper.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#43As someone who really doesn't care about learning the details, and just want one USB-C cable that does it ALL to put in my backpack what should I buy ?
A thunderbolt cable
And to be precise, a nice, high quality thunderbolt cable from a reputable manufacturer like Apple or OWC. Protect the cable as it will have been expensive, but it will work very well.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In theory we could have a popup box that tells you that both your computer and other device support higher speeds/more power, but your cable is limiting it. I'm pretty sure my old Dell XPS laptop with Windows 10 had pop-ups just like this. "This device can run faster" or something.
Even Apple now has one of those, when you plug something into the USB 2 port on the MacBook Neo.
There’s still nothing when you plug a usb3 device in using a usb2 cable.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#45As someone who really doesn't care about learning the details, and just want one USB-C cable that does it ALL to put in my backpack what should I buy ?
A thunderbolt cable
This is the solution, but it is 1) expensive and 2) Thunderbolt cables are quite short compared to regular USB-C.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect most users do not even realise things are slow.
Oh, they very much do. But like with everything in technology, they can do fuck all about it, so they resign and maybe complain to you occasionally if you're the designated (in)voluntary tech support person for your family and friends. Regular people hate technology, both for how magical and how badly broken it is, but they've long learned they're powerless to change it - nobody listens to their complaints, and the w…
This is true of basically everything. Even trivial home maintenance people will just put up with things being broken most of the time over learning how to fix them.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect most users do not even realise things are slow.
Oh, they very much do. But like with everything in technology, they can do fuck all about it, so they resign and maybe complain to you occasionally if you're the designated (in)voluntary tech support person for your family and friends. Regular people hate technology, both for how magical and how badly broken it is, but they've long learned they're powerless to change it - nobody listens to their complaints, and the w…
I think you are right, but I think what I said is also true.
People will notice some things. For example, with USB if they are using it for local backup they might notice, but with a lot of devices they will not. When they do notice, they will feel powerless.
Even if we had a wider choice, they are not well placed to pick products. There is no way they will know about details of things such as USB issues (a cable is slow, the device will not tell you if it is) at the time of purchase.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In theory we could have a popup box that tells you that both your computer and other device support higher speeds/more power, but your cable is limiting it. I'm pretty sure my old Dell XPS laptop with Windows 10 had pop-ups just like this. "This device can run faster" or something.
I wonder if it's possible for a regular machine with two high speed ports to do a cable test by itself. Maybe it can't test all the attributes but could it at least verify speed claims in software?
There would be too many factors involved for a proper test. Many laptop USB controllers would probably not even have the capacity to run two ports at full speed simultaneously.
Re: A nearly perfect USB cable tester
#49As someone who really doesn't care about learning the details, and just want one USB-C cable that does it ALL to put in my backpack what should I buy ?
You don’t really want that. A thunderbolt cable is both stiff and expensive. They only really make sense to leave attached to the back of a monitor or dock.
What would work better is a flexible 100w+ usb3 cable. You can’t do thunderbolt on it but it’s a tiny fraction of the cost and does everything you’d actually need on the go.
If you actually do want it, this is the do everything cable https://www.apple.com/au/xc/product/MW5H3ZA/A