Adding a onther USB port to the Pi Zero W

[bkenobi]

Agreed.  Unless you want a smaller form factor, the RPi3B+ is currently the best option for price/performance IMO.  But, if the RPiZW gets what you need, it's definitely cheaper, smaller, and simpler.

[alzy]

Which usb to serial adapter have u found works with with the P1x10Hub?

[petera]

Which usb to serial adapter have u found works with with the P1x10Hub?

One with an FTDI chipset. A lot of knock offs doing the rounds so be careful.

[alzy]

Any particular brand known to work?

[petera]

Any particular brand known to work?

I do not recommend any brand but Startech are known to work.

[dhouston]

Which usb to serial adapter have u found works with with the P1x10Hub?

One with an FTDI chipset. A lot of knock offs doing the rounds so be careful.

Do you mean this FTDI?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/ftdi-admits-to-bricking-innocent-users-chips-in-silent-update/

[brobin]

Putting aside the ethical discussions, while 'protecting' their brand they now have the unintended consequence of potentially killing it.  Without any way for an end-user to determine if the chip inside is genuine one can't buy any FTDI chipped device with confidence.  Even a legit manufacturer may end up getting cloned chips. 

[alzy]

Well that doesn't sound like the way to go then.

[brobin]

Well, they did say they stopped doing it - hopefully realizing the error of their ways.  I haven't used one with a Pi but I've always had good luck with ones with the Prolific chipset.

[dhouston]

I've also found Prolific to be trouble free but, like brobin, have never tried one with a Pi.

[petera]

I'm loathe to give any advice on this forum re hardware or peripheral purchases. Let's put it this way. I have a serial to USB cable that contains a genuine FTDI chipset and guess what.....it works and the cable didn't explode. 

By all means try the Prolific cable if you feel more comfortable. I know if I'd recommended the Prolific in the first place the naysayers would have been lying in ambush anyway 

The article is a little dated at this stage 2014. Still it must be true  Either way good luck with your purchase 

[dhouston]

I'm not intimately familiar with the Pi Zero W features but have read that you have to disable Bluetooth in order to use the native UART. So, it would seem the advantage of the hubserialixed is that you can add USB ports and a serial port without losing Bluetooth. It would seem ideal for integrating the various HA technologies as well as peripherals like a keyboard and mouse.

Today's mail brought two packages from referencedesigner.com - one had the HubSerialixed but the other had two boards, each of which have only 3 USB ports. There was no explanation and no documentation. Upon closer inspection I found a HUBPIWI BLUE label and an RTL8723 chip which does WiFi and BT.

A web search using 'HUBPIWI BLUE'  brought me to...
http://referencedesigner.com/blog/get-hubpiwi-blue/6506/
which has lessened my confusion.

It appears that you can now use the HUBPIWI BLUE to add 3 USB ports plus WiFi & BT to a standard Pi Zero for $5. While it won't be as fast as the Rpi3B+, it will cost less - especially if you already have a Pi Zero.

I won't have time to play with these for awhile but they sure look interesting.

A bit more web sleuthing turned up the secret sauce used in both the Hubpixed and HUBPIWI BLUE...
http://terminus-usa.com/product/fe1-1s-usb-2-0-high-speed-4-port-hub-controller/

PS: I suspect (but don't know for certain) that the BT vs UART conflict is solved with the HUBPIWI BLUE.

[dhouston]

There is rather minimal (and somewhat hare-y  ) documentation for updating Raspbian to support the HubPiWi Blue at...
http://referencedesigner.com/blog/get-hubpiwi-blue/6506/
Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.
The itsy-bitsy screws are a bit of a problem for a geezer with only one semi-useful hand but I did manage to get the HubPiWi Blue wed to the Pi Zero.

[dhouston]

It has been a few years since I worked with Linux and I was never a fan of the command line.
That said, while the $5 Pi Zero + the $5 HubPiWi-Blue is the lowest cost, the $10 Pi Zero W + the $10 HubSerialixed seems the simpler solution unless the Raspbian kernel has been updated for the HubPiWi-Blue.

[brobin]

Unless the small form factor is important, it appears that the faster processor performance, dual band WiFi and additional ports on the 3B+ might well justify the additional $15.  The PiZeroW is great for running small stuff and learning but at such a small premium it seems that the 3B+ is a more useful choice.