According to scattered reports online, some Mac users are having trouble getting USB hubs or other USB-based devices working with macOS Monterey.
Reddit, Apple Developer Forums, as well as Apple Support Communities, have received numerous reports about these issues. Some users claim that the USB 3.0 ports no longer work after upgrading to Monterey. However, HDMI, USB-C and other hub ports work as they were expected.
User reports online show that the USB hubs do not work. Many of these problems can even be attributed to Apple-certified hubs. Reddit user Flyersny81 shares their experience:
This update has caused problems with my USB-C hub. My second screen has an HDMI port that works on the hub, but the USB3 ports don't work at all. I tried various C ports on my MacMini and other hubs (4). After updating to Monterey, I had the same issue with my M1 MacBook Air. Here's the hub I use. These hubs worked flawlessly in Big Sur. I called Apple support to request an Apple certified hub. This one was a spare I had in my bag. Both the HDMI and USB3 ports worked well on it. I tried to daisy-chain the Amazon hub to my Apple hub, but it didn't work. Support informed me that this problem has been reported by many users and will be addressed in the next patch.
Other cases, however, the USB hubs function except for the power supply port. Some believe that the extra connectivity provided by external displays is what causes the problem. The power delivery port is particularly affected. Apple Developer Forums:
After updating to Monterey (12.0.1), PD (Power Delivery over USB-C) also stopped working on my 2018 MBP. I use a Philips 346P1CRH. Everything worked flawlessly with Big Sur. TommyWi I am experiencing the same problem with my MBP M1 2020, connected to an external Monitor HP S340c. Video-Connection and Power Delivery (PD), not working. However, the Mouse and Keyboard are still supported/working. Tiggar - Same problem as everyone else, purchased a 34" Philips 346P1CRH/00, and everything worked perfectly on BigSur... After updating from Monterey, video and ethernet work but the power supply is cut off. I am using an M1 Macbook Air. Basically, Monterey has removed support for a wide range of USB Hubs. Some USB Hubs work, but some ports on the hub don't work. Other Hubs may not work at all. USB-C and HDMI work for me on the hub. However, my USB 3.0 port won't power any devices, and there seems to be no data transfer. This is a Monterey bug. The devices worked fine before I upgraded. I was able to reproduce the problem and narrow it down using a different device that doesn't have Monterey installed. - macmjs1996
Most of these reports come from M1-powered Mac owners, but not all. Some users reported similar problems on Intel Macs. User discussions suggest that USB issues were reported in early Beta versions of Monterey. This could indicate that Apple still has not fixed a legacy bug.
The problems are evident in all Monterey versions, even the 12.0.1. It is recommended that anyone who relies on a USB device to update to Monterey wait until Apple fixes the problem.
