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2011 MacBook Pro USB Port Problems
USB ports on Apple laptops are connected to an internal USB hub that also feeds the
keyboard, trackpad, iSight camera, Bluetooth, and IR receiver. Some 2011 MacBook Pro
models (and potentially others) shipped with an internal USB hub that exhibits connectivity
issues when a device that draws a lot of power is plugged in. This results in the port
completely shutting down, and you will not be able to use any USB device in that port until
it is reset.
The internal USB hub in question is Vendor ID: SMSC, Product ID: 0x2513. To find out if you
have this hub installed in your computer, go to the apple menu at the top-left of the screen
and select "About This Mac". In the window that appears, click the "More Info..." button —
this will open System Profiler (alternatively you can open System Profiler directly from
Applications ---> Utilites ---> System Profiler). In the "Contents" column on the left, under
"Hardware", click on "USB". Click on one of the "USB High-Speed Bus" options in the "USB
Device Tree" area and some information will show up in the area below. Under the "Hub:"
section, check to see what the "Product ID" and "Vendor ID" are. The hub we have noticed
problems with is Product ID: 0x2513 from Vendor ID 0x0424 (SMSC).
If your USB port is no longer working, there is a fix. You should first try completely shutting
down your computer and starting it back up again (simply restarting may not work). If it is
still exhibiting the same problem, then you will need to reset your SMC (System
Management Controller).
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