Cable technology can sometimes be hard to understand – actually much harder than it should be – and it’s complicated enough to weigh the pros and cons of a new gadget without knowing the difference between HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.2, or why some USB-C ports are also Thunderbolt ports.
However, help is at hand: whatcable Does a good job of analyzing the cables connected to your Mac – not only giving you a list of specifications but also explaining what those specifications mean.
One way the app can be useful is in explaining why your MacBook isn’t charging as quickly as it could. This could be down to the charger and the cables you have connected, and WhatCable will break it all down for you without any jargon. You’ll see the rate at which your laptop is charging and the reasons why.
Why do your cables matter?
It would take an article several times the length of this one to fully explain the modern cable landscape, but it is possible to understand the basics relatively quickly. Every connection has three elements that you need to consider together: the port of the device you’re connecting to (like a monitor or charger), the cable in between, and the port of the device you’re using (like a phone or laptop).
For best results (for example the fastest charging or smoothest display performance), all those elements should support the same standards. If they aren’t, you may not get optimal results, or the setup won’t work at all.
Unfortunately for us consumers, finding a cable that fits a port isn’t enough to guarantee that everything will work, or work the way you want. Both cables and ports come with supported standards that you’ll have to weigh, like different flavors of USB (for reference we’re now up to USB 4.0 version 2).
Always double-check the specifications when purchasing a new cable.
Credit: Lifehacker
The most common port you’ll see on laptops and phones today is USB-C, but that’s only the beginning of the story. USB-C ports can also support Thunderbolt and DisplayPort protocols, as well as a variety of USB speeds – you need to check the device specification for details. Even identical-sized ports on the same device may be configured differently.
Once you’ve determined what the ports on your computer or phone are capable of doing, you’ll need to find a cable that supports the same standard to get the best possible results. Be careful when reviewing cable listings before buying, both in terms of specification and length – cables over one meter (a little over three feet) usually require additional technology to support the highest data speeds, and so will usually be more expensive.
To further add to the confusion, these standards are changing regularly, with manufacturers sometimes adopting changes immediately and sometimes waiting some time to implement them. The short version is don’t rush into purchasing a cable, or think that all cables and ports are the same. Spend a few extra minutes analyzing the relevant specifications in detail, and it will pay off.
What do you think so far?
How WhatCable can help you locate your cables
You can download WhatCable for free its website Or GitHub pageWhich will direct you to a zip archive. Launch the app, and Whatsable will appear on the menu bar; Click on the icon of the connected USB cable to view its details. You can launch Whatsable with macOS via the cog icon (top right), and run it as a regular app instead of in the menu bar. As soon as you connect a cable, you’ll see information about the charging speed and data transfer rate (where applicable), and a description of what the cable can do.
If you have connected a charger, you will be told whether it is suitable for your MacBook or not. Look for the “Charging well” message along with the charging rate for confirmation. If a cable is not charging your MacBook at maximum speed, or the MacBook itself is limiting charging (because the battery is almost full), you will be told about this as well.
WhatCable presents its data in a simple, understandable way.
Credit: Lifehacker
If you have connected a phone or any other peripheral, its identity will be reported inside WhatCable, and this is where data transfer speeds may be more relevant. If an external storage device is connected, you will see the transfer speed negotiated with the Apple operating system.
Whatsable also looks at the E-marker inside the cable, which is basically its digital ID, advertising its capabilities to the computer it’s plugged into. If there are discrepancies between this e-marker and commonly adopted technology standards, you will see an orange flag. This is not necessarily saying that the cable is fake, but rather it is alerting you to something that doesn’t seem quite right.
In short, any details that the cable is reporting to macOS will be shown by WhatCable, and you should see a significant difference between cheap and limited cables and more expensive and powerful cables – which would be a reassurance if you paid extra.
