Verge recently posted this (free) app for testing on Mac's: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/963759/whatcable-usb-c-cabl...
I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
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Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#12LTT has created true spec cables with the actual spec mentioned on the cables but they can not keep up with demand despite being expensive get sold out as soon as new stock comes in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfovjw7Ts_U&t=974s
By chance, has anyone tested Cable Matters' cables? I just bought a couple of their Thunderbolt™ 5 cables. They seem like a reputable company that would make their cables true-to-spec. Thanks in advance!
They are excellent.
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#13Verge recently posted this (free) app for testing on Mac's: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/963759/whatcable-usb-c-cabl...
They are just catching up with ShowHN:
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#14Just measuring the power info is limited use. I'm sure there's value for some people, but I only need to keep track of 0-2 high power cables. > Your no-brand 480Mbps USB 2.0 cable is indistinguishable from the super-fast USB 4 cable that can move 40 gigabits (around 5 gigabytes) of data every single second. One of those is way thicker than the other, at least. I would love for something to force a speed and power rat…
> I would love for something to force a speed and power rating on USB-C plugs.
This already exists. Cable makers can certify their cables and mark them with their data speed and wattage.
I buy only certified, marked cables. If I see an unmarked cable, I assume it’s slow and low-powered…which is good enough for some things.
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#15hmm, how about just being able to infer the features of a cable by it's physical form factor? oh wait...
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#16Isnt this what "USB-IF certified" is supposed to guarantee?
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#17If you want a super fast cable and high power thats where they get pricey. "Charge only" cables can often be fairly cheap and perform well even for laptops and high draw devices.
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#18As always, these testers (the affordable ones) are capable of testing continuity, and, I guess, the cable chip report.
If you want to test bandwidth, that's a five- or six-figure bit of gear.
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#19Isnt this what "USB-IF certified" is supposed to guarantee?
USB-IF certified is a certification that the cable follows the spec, but that spans usb 2.0-only cables up to USB4v2 cables. The tester shows you what the capabilities are.
Re: I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them
#20Interestingly, I have found a very mixed bag of USB-C cables I've collected over the years to generally just work for all my use cases. I can charge my various USB-C laptops at 65W with all the USB-C cables I have on hand. Maybe it's just my habit of just buying cables from known brands (Belkin is normally my go to) but I also have random cables that came with various devices of varying quality and all these also work just fine. I have a 6-port charging hub so I can see the charging wattage and I can easily get 65W to various laptops and a high capacity power bank, regardless of the cable being used. All cables also work fine for data transfer, although I confess I use USB-C for data transfer rarely so it is possible there is some variability there. YMMV but I wonder how much of this issue is just crappy low-end cables?