USB 3.0 3.1 3.2 - Exceeding the passive cable 3 meter limit experiences

The maximum recommended length of a USB 3.0 cable is 3 meters.

But I found no explanation of what happens if this limit is exceeded. So I found out with a 5 meter USB 3.0 cable.

The answer

It depends on what is connected at each end.

One laptop managed read a full 64 GB flash drive without issues, on another I got Input/Output error after just a few GB. Putting a Lemorele USB 3.2 hub between the cable and the laptop made it read the flash drive without errors - the hub acted as a signal extender or a repeater, like an active cable. External power to the hub was not needed.

Laptop -> USB 3.2 hub -> 5 m USB 3.0 cable -> USB 3.2 flash drive

However, putting the same hub on the same end as the flash drive did not work on any computer. It refused to start. Tried it on 3 laptops, none did work with this setup. Adding external power to the hub did not help.

Laptop -> 5 m USB 3.0 cable -> USB 3.2 hub

This is a bit strange as this is what is recommended online, if you need to strengthen the signal just slap a hub in between.

Maybe I misunderstood the location of the boosting hub at the end instead of at the beginning, or maybe it was just this hub I could try with that was not strong enough.

The position of the booster in the beginning is similar to terrestrial TV antenna signal boosters, these should be as close as possible to the source antenna. However in the USB 3.0 case there is already a booster, that is the computer itself, the hub should just repeat the signal.