Work From Home (WFH) is accepted and even expected. Hot-desking is more commonplace in the traditional workspace as businesses adapt and economise on facilities. Good ergonomics for personal work areas is desirable for wellness and efficiency.

Each person develops a workspace layout, be it at home or at the office, that gives them maximum satisfaction and the smoothest workflow - a functional fingerprint, if you will, of equipment choice, positioning and connectivity. Multiple screens, mobile accessibility or integration, connectivity to additional devices all form part of the technological backbone of our working spaces. In modern laptop systems, regardless of brand, USB connections are essential to tying all of our tech together and USB-C is the key to modern work connectivity. There are many challenges to overcome, however, to satisfy the requirements for creating a seamless and functional workspace - challenges not understood by end-users and which present installers with an opportunity to add value and income.

People expect that the single USB-C cable they plug in gives them complete control of all connected devices – from Video to Audio to high speed and low speed data and of course device charging. The reality, of course, can be very different. USB is one of the most popular computer interfaces of all time. Developed in the mid-1990s as an interface with good speeds and a compact connector, it quickly became the standard for connecting devices and storage media. In 2014, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) finalised the standard for the USB-C port, which was first used in smartphones. The figures for the steadily growing USB-C market are impressive: starting in 2022, an average annual growth of around 30% is expected, which will expand the total market to over $100 billion by 2030. The increasing adoption of consumer electronics, the rising trend of working from home, remote learning and rapid urbanisation are just some of the major factors driving this impressive growth. Today, most personal devices have this connection, and European legislation will also make USB-C a mandatory charging port for most small devices from 2024. This is not without reason, as USB-C is equipped with a number of user friendly and application specific functions that make it truly universal. Understanding this tech is key.

Data Transfer

Most current USB-C ports support USB 3.2 (Gen 1), which means data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps. If USB 3.2 (Gen 2) is supported, the performance increases to up to 10 Gbps. If a USB-C port is equipped with USB4 Gen 3 data transfer technology, which includes Thunderbolt 3 compatibility for the first time, a transfer speed of up to 40 Gbps can be achieved. However, all devices must be compatible to achieve this.

Power Delivery

USB Power Delivery (PD) is a specification closely associated with USB Type-C. While a simple USB 2.0 connection delivers only 4.5W of power, the USB PD specification supported by USB-C increases the power output to 100W, with 240W support appearing in products very soon. This means that laptops, for example, can be charged with 60W and several smaller mobile devices can be intelligently powered in parallel.

Video Transmission

USB-C‘s most impressive ability is to intelligently change how wires in the cable are used, this is known as Alternate Mode (Alt Mode). Video doesn’t need two-way communication, so using Alt Mode, the two lanes of TX/RX data are transformed into four lanes of TX only video. This, along with Display Screen Compression (DSC), a visually lossless compression, allows up to 8K video to be transmitted.

The Challenges

Even a standard as user-friendly as USB-C, however, has its limitations. USB-C to USB-C cables, which often have a similar appearance, can have very different capabilities. In addition, the labelling of USB cables is not always clear and can lead to confusion. USB-C is most effective when the connected devices are not too far apart. A cable length of more than 1.5 metres can lead to a loss of bandwidth and performance. A nest of messy cables does nothing to compliment the aesthetics and create a harmonious and productive workspace in your home or office.

Clunky Connection Panels

The market is awash with cheap cable caddies and connection boxes. They are often of poor workmanship and are the weak point in the AV system because they contain cheap cables. Products from leading vendors have better cables but their problem is that they stand out like a sore thumb – they are only practical; they are rarely aesthetically pleasing. Architects and CEO’s pay thousands to make a modern stylish home and work space and have to settle for a clunky 3rd rate cable management system that detracts from the overall appeal. There is a real market for super high quality interconnect cables, contained in a housing that is both elegant and practical – hence mediahub2 from German company, PureLink.

The PureLink mediahub2 is the next level in interconnection solutions. It combines intuitive practicality with a sleek harmonious form factor that adds an element of understated luxury to any environment. mediahub2 is the most flexible and user-oriented desk connection solution available on the market. Creating the ultimate connected workspace has never been easier.

The PureLink mediahub2 consists of a central housing that can be installed in five different ways: free standing, on-table, in-table, under desk, and wall mounted. The versatile, elegant aluminium housing allows for customization through the use of extensive plug-in modules, including docking modules, power modules, and an innovative cable selection with a variety of connector and connection types such as HDMI, DP, USB, and RJ45. This offers maximum flexibility for users.

The innovative “Individual Connection System” or ICS for short, is a tool-less cable-to-cover mating technique that does not ruin the line of the front panel with screw heads or bolts because it simply does not need them. ICS provides a secure fixing that can easily be assembled in seconds. mediahub2 also offers a range of active modules to further simplify any installation. Where the passive ICS cables provide connection to any 3rd party device, our active modules bring the active element directly to the user. This means fewer points of failure, fewer SKU’s and an intrinsically simpler and cleaner setup.

The mediahub2 range is designed for simple upgrades and enables scalable, high-quality multimedia integration. It is the perfect solution for workspaces, meeting spaces, classrooms and those looking to design their project to fit their specific needs, but also fit it in record time. mediahub2’s configuration can be easily replicated for a customer, giving them identical, attractive connectivity in all their workspaces, thereby enhancing their ability to move easily between these working environments with minimal disruption to their productivity or comfort.

OneAV UK

PureLink mediahub2 and active cables are available exclusively through OneAV (UK) in the UK. We understand that on-site time is precious and expensive in terms of money and reputation. With mediahub2 the client gets a first-class, bespoke connection system that is constructed in seconds but runs for years. The installer provides an impressive solution with an installation time that’s second to none.

Purelink product range is exclusively available in the UK at oneav.co.uk.