uhubctl is a utility designed for per-port power control on 'smart' USB hubs, meaning those capable of switching power to individual ports. The project was inspired by hub-ctrl.c by Niibe Yutaka. Finding compatible hubs can be challenging, as many are no longer manufactured. The project maintains a list of known compatible devices, including various models from manufacturers like Acer, Amazon Basics, Anker, Apple, Asus, and others.

Some modern motherboards also feature built-in root hubs that support this functionality, potentially negating the need for an external hub. For USB 3.0 hubs connected to a USB3 upstream port, uhubctl detects them as two virtual hubs (USB2 and USB3). Effective power control requires managing both virtual hubs, which uhubctl attempts to automate unless disabled.

The project encourages users to report working hubs not yet listed by opening an issue on GitHub, providing the product model and output from uhubctl. This helps expand the compatibility list for the benefit of the community.