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Best Thunderbolt 4 USB-C Docking Station Solution?

uBetchya

uBetchya

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 16, 2016
26
8
I've used a variety of USB-C docking station solutions for my M1 MacBook Pro, and unfortunately, I have been having constant issues with them. The OWC Thunderbolt 3 docking station was one that I've had the fewest issues with, but they ultimately breakdown after a couple months of usage. One of main issues I get with docking stations is that they don't consistently stay connected to the internet via their ethernet port. The Mac will ultimately lose ethernet connection after going to sleep. The only solution seems to be restarting the MacBook while it is docked. Recently, I thought upgrading to a thunderbolt 4 dock like the ECHO 11 would resolve my issues and be the end all docking solutions. But it wasn't, and it seems to cause more issues than most docks I've used. Not only does it lose internet access, but sometimes the USB ports on the back will completely shut off and I have to power cycle the device.

So I'm asking the community here. What docks are you using now that works consistently? In this case, I needed a dock made for creatives; that would be able to support Hi-res video output and have an SD card reader port.
 
Hi! I’ve been using this since I purchased my M1 MBP 16GB/2TB:

www.belkin.com

Thunderbolt™ 3 Dock Pro for Mac & PC | Belkin

The Thunderbolt™ 3 Dock Pro offers compatibility for Mac & PC laptops. Supports up to 40Gbps data rates, 60W charging, & dual 4K 60Hz displays. Learn more.
www.belkin.com www.belkin.com

It’s replaced my 2015 MBP, also using an OWC dock. I do have another off brand hub hooked up, mainly just for more storage. I think I’ve got 8 drives plugged in? I use mine as a Channels DVR server and run some VM’s while I’m at home. I’ve got a Dell monitor connected to the dock. It’s coming up on a year for me now, and I’m pretty happy with this dock. I’d buy it again if I had to.

My only issue has been the number of drives & connections, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way the M1’s are built. I think there’s only a certain number of “lanes” or throughput options? Per USB-C port, too? I’m not too hip on the exact technicalities of it all. Bandwidth goes down the more I connect. And I demand a lot from mine. And so far everything’s working well!

I’d like a USB-C port hub w/ like 8 USB 3.0 ports on it. That, along with this Belkin hub, and I’m great.
 
I have been thinking of buying a docking station to go with my soon-to-arrive 16” M1 MacBook Pro. The specs say it uses a 140W USB-C Power Adapter. None of the current docks that I have found have that kind of power. Should I wait for new ones to be released?
 
gank41 said:
Hi! I’ve been using this since I purchased my M1 MBP 16GB/2TB:

www.belkin.com

Thunderbolt™ 3 Dock Pro for Mac & PC | Belkin

The Thunderbolt™ 3 Dock Pro offers compatibility for Mac & PC laptops. Supports up to 40Gbps data rates, 60W charging, & dual 4K 60Hz displays. Learn more.
www.belkin.com www.belkin.com

It’s replaced my 2015 MBP, also using an OWC dock. I do have another off brand hub hooked up, mainly just for more storage. I think I’ve got 8 drives plugged in? I use mine as a Channels DVR server and run some VM’s while I’m at home. I’ve got a Dell monitor connected to the dock. It’s coming up on a year for me now, and I’m pretty happy with this dock. I’d buy it again if I had to.

My only issue has been the number of drives & connections, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way the M1’s are built. I think there’s only a certain number of “lanes” or throughput options? Per USB-C port, too? I’m not too hip on the exact technicalities of it all. Bandwidth goes down the more I connect. And I demand a lot from mine. And so far everything’s working well!

I’d like a USB-C port hub w/ like 8 USB 3.0 ports on it. That, along with this Belkin hub, and I’m great.
Click to expand...
I've used one of those, unfortunately, it did not last too long either. Maybe the one I got was a dud? Hopefully Belkin releases a new updated model.
 
fogrover said:
I have been thinking of buying a docking station to go with my soon-to-arrive 16” M1 MacBook Pro. The specs say it uses a 140W USB-C Power Adapter. None of the current docks that I have found have that kind of power. Should I wait for new ones to be released?
Click to expand...
That's a great point. Maybe it would be best to wait in that case. Hopefully someone comes around with a decent dock.
 
I've read that the USB-C ports can't accept 140W of power, so you won't be able to fast charge the 16" MBP through a dock. I believe it will still charge, but not as fast as with the 140W charger.
 
thesheep said:
I've read that the USB-C ports can't accept 140W of power, so you won't be able to fast charge the 16" MBP through a dock. I believe it will still charge, but not as fast as with the 140W charger.
Click to expand...
So, a dock with a 100w charging capability would do just fine (except if you wanted to power other devices and in those cases you would want more wattage). I think my plan is to keep the charger that comes with the computer available for travel and have a docking station charging the computer at my desk. But I'm in no rush buying a docking station. I will wait to see what comes on the market in the next 3-6 months.
 
This OWC Thunderbolt Dock is the only TB4 dock currently available.

TB4 is important because minimum PCIe data requirements have increased from 16Gbps to 32Gbps. This means that high-speed external storage will see better transfer rates and performance (if they are fast enough to take advantage of the increased bandwidth). It also ensures compatibility with USB4 and enables you to run two 4K monitors from a single port.

The new 140 Watt Apple charger is currently the only charger that supports USB PD 3.1 and fast charge.
 
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Pressure said:
This OWC Thunderbolt Dock is the only TB4 dock currently available.

TB4 is important because minimum PCIe data requirements have increased from 16Gbps to 32Gbps. This means that high-speed external storage will see better transfer rates and performance (if they are fast enough to take advantage of the increased bandwidth). It also ensures compatibility with USB4 and enables you to run two 4K monitors from a single port.

The new 140 Watt Apple charger is currently the only charger that supports USB PD 3.1 and fast charge.
Click to expand...
So, it's not only wattage but the version of TB on the unit (TB4). This is very good information.
 
satcomer said:
Why hasn't anyone talk about the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub ?
Click to expand...
In some reviews where they compare the OWS, the Caldigit, and the Anker, the devices are so close in features and function that they speculate that they are really the same unit packaged into different cases. The only real difference seems be that the Caldigit includes 4 USB-A ports and the others only 1. Supplies are tight for both of them right now.
 
I'm also considering changing my CalDigit TS3+ with a Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4, but I'm worried as I've had unstable docks in the past. What made mine run stable was NOT running the display through the dock, but instead cabling both the dock and the display directly to my Mac. I would love for the display to be connected to the dock, so I just have to plug in one thing - Sonnet claims that you can run the XDR display through the Echo 11.

Did anyone have experience with the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 dock yet?

Also, regarding the Ethernet problems, it seems like this has been acknowledge as a problem in at least Monterey: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/29/monterey-usb-hub-issues-reported/

I did notice the ethernet problems after Monterey update on my Intel Macbook Pro, but I haven't experience it with my new Macbook Pro 14 with M1 Max.
 
Pressure said:
This OWC Thunderbolt Dock is the only TB4 dock currently available.
Click to expand...

I got the OWC and it works perfectly - keeps my 14'' M1 Max at 100% during a 45min BluRay encode. I am sure I can stress the system harder if try to but so far I am very happy. You have to factor in a TB to (dual) DisplayPort and/or HDMI adapter and whatever your needs for USB ports are but the tree setup isn't too bad and things are running smooth.
 
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Just today I started using the Lenovo Thunderbolt 4 Dock which I had hoped would work with both the ThinkPad and the new MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro (unbinned). I‘m still experiencing some issues. I have two external Monitors (Dell S2721DGFA) connected to the Docking Station via HDMI and the other over Display Port. However, the Mac only shows one external monitor in display settings (experienced flickering with only one monitor when I started but had to manually set the refresh rate to 60 Hz instead of the default 165 Hz). Unfortunately it just mirrors both screens and I cannot use two externals seperately. Any ideas anyone?
 
I just got the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 hub and so far its working OK.

My intention is to use the MBP in clamshell mode most of the time when I'm at the desk. I think the biggest hang up there is you have to set the MBP not to sleep. If you let it go to sleep, it won't wake up properly without you opening the lid.

I tried the OWC Thunderbolt hub first since it was cheaper, but it barely worked. Peripherals were not recognized most of the time when connecting to the MBP. I would constantly have to shuffle cables to get something working, which defeated the purpose of a hub.
 
thesheep said:
I've read that the USB-C ports can't accept 140W of power, so you won't be able to fast charge the 16" MBP through a dock. I believe it will still charge, but not as fast as with the 140W charger.
Click to expand...
With my Caldigit TB 4 hub it charges the MBP at 60W I believe. Which is fine, it doesn't make any difference. I'm not plugging it into the hub for the purposes of fast charging. It gets plugged into the hub when being set down to work at the desk for hours or days at a time.

I put the MagSafe charger in my bag for use when away from the desk, makes more sense to use it then.
 
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PeterFitch said:
Just today I started using the Lenovo Thunderbolt 4 Dock which I had hoped would work with both the ThinkPad and the new MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro (unbinned). I‘m still experiencing some issues. I have two external Monitors (Dell S2721DGFA) connected to the Docking Station via HDMI and the other over Display Port. However, the Mac only shows one external monitor in display settings (experienced flickering with only one monitor when I started but had to manually set the refresh rate to 60 Hz instead of the default 165 Hz). Unfortunately it just mirrors both screens and I cannot use two externals seperately. Any ideas anyone?
Click to expand...
If anyone is interested, using the second monitor over Thunderbolt (I am using the USB-C dongle from Apple and an HDMI cable) and setting both screens to 60Hz works just fine. I have now two independent external screens when working with the MBP 14 M1 Pro.
 
Pressure said:
This OWC Thunderbolt Dock is the only TB4 dock currently available.

TB4 is important because minimum PCIe data requirements have increased from 16Gbps to 32Gbps. This means that high-speed external storage will see better transfer rates and performance (if they are fast enough to take advantage of the increased bandwidth). It also ensures compatibility with USB4 and enables you to run two 4K monitors from a single port.

The new 140 Watt Apple charger is currently the only charger that supports USB PD 3.1 and fast charge.
Click to expand...
Wow. USB 2.0 on the front port? It's 2021 folks.
Get the CalDigit 3 folks.
 
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