If you’ve ever encountered the Power Surge at USB port error named “Unknown USB device needs more power than the Port can Supply” error, you know how frustrating it can be. This error message typically appears when you connect a USB device that requires more power than the USB port can provide.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to fix this error and get your USB device working properly. In this article, we’ll explore some common solutions to this error message, so you can quickly and easily get your USB device up and running again.
Solution I:
Follow these Steps:
The “Unknown USB device needs more power than the Port can Supply” error message typically appears when you connect a USB device that requires more power than the USB port can provide. Here are some steps you can take to fix this error:
- Check the USB device: Firstly, ensure that the USB device is not damaged or faulty. You can try connecting the same device to another computer to see if it works properly.
- Connect the USB device to a different port: Try connecting the USB device to a different USB port on your computer, preferably one that has higher power output.
- Use a powered USB hub: If you have multiple USB devices that need power, consider using a powered USB hub to connect them to your computer. This will ensure that all your devices receive sufficient power.
- Check your computer’s power settings: Ensure that your computer’s power settings are not set to conserve power, which can cause USB ports to provide lower power output.
- Update USB drivers: If the above steps do not work, try updating your USB drivers. You can do this by going to your computer manufacturer’s website and downloading the latest USB drivers for your computer.
- Update BIOS: In rare cases, updating the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) on your computer can resolve USB power issues. However, this should only be attempted if you are confident in your technical skills and have experience with updating BIOS.
If none of the above steps work, see the second solution below,
Solution II:
This error message is commonly seen when using a bus-powered USB hub, which draws power for all its ports from a single upstream cable from the host. The USB system recognizes this type of hub and limits the amount of power that can be allocated to downstream ports to prevent overloading the hub upstream port (host downstream). This means that bus-powered hubs are only allowed to allocate a fraction of the power available from normal ports or self-powered hubs.
To address this issue, the USB system has a two-step mechanism in place. First, USB devices are only allowed to draw 100/150 mA from VBUS to respond with device descriptors, which provide information on how much current the device is expected to use under full-functional mode, including its maximum power usage. If the system determines that the port cannot supply the required power, it will display a warning message and reject the device.
This can be inconvenient for users as even if other ports on the hub are not in use, a high-power device may not be admitted. To avoid this, some manufacturers have created “semi-self-powered” hubs that can be bus-powered but do not report this in their descriptors, tricking the host system into thinking that it is a normal self-powered hub.
To prevent this error message, users can either use a self-powered hub or opt for these bootleg hubs, but there is a risk of losing the VBUS voltage level if the host port cannot supply enough power to drive the devices.
Read also: USB Surge Protection