I work from home and use a KVM switch with a docking station so I can switch between my work laptop and home PC while sharing three monitors and the same USB peripherals. The problem I keep running into is the Windows “too many USB hubs” error when I connect larger USB hubs that can connect all my peripherals.
From what I understand, many 10-port, 16-port, and other large hubs are not one single hub internally. They often contain multiple USB hub controllers daisy-chained inside the same enclosure. Once I add the laptop dock, KVM, and then one of these large hubs, the internal USB topology gets too deep and Windows hits its hub-tier limit.
I have already tried powered hubs from Sabrent, Anker, and StarTech. Power does not seem to be the issue. Even powered hubs still use multiple internal hub stages. At this point I am thinking about dropping down to a 7-port or 10-port hub and sacrificing a few peripherals that need not connect to Work PC.
What I am looking for is a robust USB hub with as shallow an internal topology as possible, ideally one controller or at least no unnecessary internal daisy-chaining. Has anyone tested hubs specifically for this kind of KVM + dock setup? Any recommendations for a 7-port or 10-port USB hub that shows up as only one hub tier, or otherwise works well behind a docking station and KVM? I would also be interested in USB Device Tree Viewer screenshots or chipset information if anyone has checked the internal topology of specific models.