I have no issue with the right hubs.
I think the problem people have with hubs is that they don't power it and use cheaper hubs from consumer electronics stores.
I use to have troubles with those hubs (multiple brands)
Now, I use (so called 'industrial') hubs from
StarTech,
Gearmo or the
Kendrick hub.
Ensure you give those hubs enough power (ie. cable should be thick and short enough so no voltage drop at the hub)
You also should use quality cables such as those from
L-com. Cables such as those flat USB3 cables supplied with ZWO cameras etc. should be avoided.
Go for cables up to 3 metres for faster speeds and not the 5 metre USB3 cables.
Also, don't exceed the max number of hubs in a run.
Keep in mind an "active" cable is just two normal cables with a hub to join them. That hub also needs to be able to draw power from it's source and laptops often can't supply enough current. Also, those 'active' cables often err for multiples of 5 metre sections which doesn't help the faster USB3 speeds
Also keep in mind a cheaper laptop might have an internal hub to give extra ports.
USBTREEVIEW (windows) is your friend for checking out your USB topology
I put together some info on serial links (ie. S in USB is serial) last year at the start of COVID lockdown
http://www.astrophotosite.com/tiki-index.php?page=Serial_interface