Systems and methods of operating root hub host controllers provide for determining, at a protocol engine having a dedicated port, a speed of a device in response to a coupling of the device to the dedicated port. Data transfer can occur at a second speed between software interface logic of the host controller and the protocol engine, and at the first speed between the protocol engine and the device via the dedicated port, wherein the second speed is greater than the first speed. In addition, data may be transferred in unicast transactions in which no split tokens are exchanged.