Another thunderbolt hub question.

[Sledneck52]

I purchased the M1 MacBook Air.
Since it only has two ports I want to use one port to plug directly into my LG 27” 4K monitor. (Waiting for delivery)
The other port I want to plug in a hub. One that will power the MacBook and be able to provide more external ports for an external hard drive, SD card slot, ethernet.
I see plenty of options out there for connecting monitors using the HDMI on the hubs but you only get 4K @ 30hz. That’s why I want to use one thunderbolt from the MacBook directly to the monitor.
Maybe another option would be to utilize one of the USB ports on the back of the monitor and install a usb3 hub to that?
Any suggestions?

 

[Sarpanch]

I was able to purchase this 7-in-2 USB Hub at a steep discount last month for 20$.

MacBook Pro USB Adapter with Dual Charging [Upgraded], USB Type C Hub Adapter Dock for MacBook Air Pro M1 2021/2020-2018, with 4K@60Hz HDMI, TB3, USB C, USB 3.0 and SD/Micro Card Reader (Space Grey)

MacBook Pro USB Adapter with Dual Charging [Upgraded], USB Type C Hub Adapter Dock for MacBook Air Pro M1 2021/2020-2018, with 4K@60Hz HDMI, TB3, USB C, USB 3.0 and SD/Micro Card Reader (Space Grey)

www.amazon.com

While I haven’t tested it with a 4k display but it works well with a 2k monitor. It has a USB-C port which can be used for charging and a TB-3 pass through port.

There are other options by CalDigit, OWC, Anker as well.

 

[Quackers]

There's the Caldigit TS3 plus hub that will do all you want. It's not cheap though

 

[Sledneck52]

I was able to purchase this 7-in-2 USB Hub at a steep discount last month for 20$.

MacBook Pro USB Adapter with Dual Charging [Upgraded], USB Type C Hub Adapter Dock for MacBook Air Pro M1 2021/2020-2018, with 4K@60Hz HDMI, TB3, USB C, USB 3.0 and SD/Micro Card Reader (Space Grey)

MacBook Pro USB Adapter with Dual Charging [Upgraded], USB Type C Hub Adapter Dock for MacBook Air Pro M1 2021/2020-2018, with 4K@60Hz HDMI, TB3, USB C, USB 3.0 and SD/Micro Card Reader (Space Grey)

www.amazon.com

While I haven’t tested it with a 4k display but it works well with a 2k monitor. It has a USB-C port which can be used for charging and a TB-3 pass through port.

There are other options by CalDigit, OWC, Anker as well.

I have something similar to this one using a 2K monitor via HDMI and I can’t get the text crisp. It hurts my eyes. It only has one usb c for pass through charging. It “says” it can do 4K @ 60hz but in the reviews people are saying only 4K @ 30hz using the HDMI. Gonna try it before purchasing something else. Yes, a quality HUB can be expensive. Makes me consider returning the MacBook Air and get a Mac mini because of the ports. ??‍♂️

 

[Sledneck52]

I received my LG 27UK850 4K monitor yesterday. A huge picture quality difference over the 2K scepter monitor! I have it connected to my M1 MacBook Air using the USB-C. I didn’t realize that connecting it this way would also charge my MacBook ????
Now I have a free USB-C port to connect a Hub. The USB A ports on the back of the monitor aren’t suitable for any external storage. When the monitor sleeps it disconnects the drives.
I am gonna get the Mac mini style hub that connects via USB-C so I can add an additional SSD drive to expand storage.
There is two versions of this style hub. One with and one without the HDD spot.
Then I’ll just connect my Time Machine drive to that using USB-A for backups.