Caldigit TS4 Dock

[joevt]

On my CHG90 monitor I’m getting a full 3840x1080 @ 144hz, However on the 55” Samsung TV I’m only getting 4K @ 30hz, 25hz, and 24hz. What am I missing here? Why is the refresh rate on the TV stuck at 30hz and lower when its capable of doing 50/60hz? I’ve tried lowering the refresh rate on the CHG90 to 60hz, but I still can’t get the 55” TV to go higher than 30hz.

1) Connect the CHG90 to an Intel Mac, and use AGDCDiagnose to check the DisplayPort link rate. If it's HBR3, then the TV will be limited to HBR link rate unless you connect the TV to the dock first.

2) Connect the TV to the dock first, set the TV to 60Hz. Then connect the CHG90. Do they now both work at 60Hz? The CHG90 should work at up to 144Hz but only at 8bpc (HDR requires 10bpc). For 10bpc, the CHG90 has to be under 125Hz. If this works, you may need to perform the connection steps after every boot or wake.

3) Check the DisplayPort version setting of the CHG90. 1.2↑ might be a weird HBR3 mode (since DisplayPort 1.2 should only go to HBR2)? Therefore setting the DisplayPort version to 1.2 may limit the display to HBR2 link rate so you won't have to perform the connection steps all the time.

 

[dansalvato]

I'm one of the people experiencing no Ethernet detection whatsoever on my M1 Max MBP. System Information simply lists that I have no Ethernet devices. I've tried using a different TB4 cable, plugging into different ports, restarting, etc., and I've never gotten it detected once.

To make matters worse, my Apple TB3 -> TB2 adapter is also not detected when plugged into any of the Thunderbolt ports. So in order to use Apple's Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter (which is TB2), I have to plug it directly into my Mac instead of into the dock.

I got this dock in part to escape from RTL8153 hell, and ironically it put me in a worse position than I started in. Now I have no idea if it's worth trying to get a replacement with a working Ethernet port, because who knows if it's faulty hardware, faulty firmware, a system compatibility issue, etc.

 

[samoska]

Hi everyone.

I'm a bit of a newbie with hubs but bought the Caldigit TS4 after my partner recommended the TS3. The TS3 works great for her with one XXXL display.

But I'm having issues with the TS4. I have a 2020 Macbook Pro (Quad Core i7) and two external DELL displays: a U2722D (27”) (QHD) and U2419HC (24”) (1080p). I use two USB-C to Displayport adaptors (purchased on amazon).

Without the TS4, everything works well. However when I use the TS4 the resolution (especially on the 27” screen) is significantly worse and something is a little off with the mouse movements. It seems like it cannot process the correct resolution.

Any have similar issues or ideas?

 

[joevt]

Hi everyone.

I'm a bit of a newbie with hubs but bought the Caldigit TS4 after my partner recommended the TS3. The TS3 works great for her with one XXXL display.

But I'm having issues with the TS4. I have a 2020 Macbook Pro (Quad Core i7) and two external DELL displays: a U2722D (27”) (QHD) and U2419HC (24”) (1080p). I use two USB-C to Displayport adaptors (purchased on amazon).

Without the TS4, everything works well. However when I use the TS4 the resolution (especially on the 27” screen) is significantly worse and something is a little off with the mouse movements. It seems like it cannot process the correct resolution.

Any have similar issues or ideas?

Check if the displays use HBR2 link rate or HBR3 link rate.

 

[alexqndr]

I am having the same Ethernet issues everyone is having here.

Weird thing is that Ethernet seems to work fine if Wi-Fi is connected as well. As soon as I disconnect Wi-Fi, the Ethernet bridge becomes completely unpredictable...

 

[samoska]

Hi Everyone,

Check if the displays use HBR2 link rate or HBR3 link rate.

Thanks for this tip. I couldn't work it out but trying to find out did tell me that my display is "DisplayPort 1.4" compatible. The caldigit TS4 also has a DP1.4 slot so I bought a DP to DP cable and that seems to have fixed the issue.

My ethernet works fine.

 

[joevt]

Thanks for this tip. I couldn't work it out but trying to find out did tell me that my display is "DisplayPort 1.4" compatible. The caldigit TS4 also has a DP1.4 slot so I bought a DP to DP cable and that seems to have fixed the issue.

The issue mentioned problems with two displays. Are both displays working correctly now? They should have worked just as well with USB-C to DisplayPort adapters if they are normal DisplayPort Alt Mode adapters and not something like DisplayLink - you didn't provide a link for the adapters.
To check for DisplayPort link rate and link width, use AGDCDiagnose on an Intel Mac. It may be that one of the displays uses HBR3 which would limit the other to HBR link rate. If the other was HBR2 and you connected it first, then the HBR3 display would also be limited to HBR2.

 

[jck1634]

I don't know if anyone has had a response from CalDigit, but I got one today. the problems I've been having are disk drives disconnecting and ethernet disconnecting and not reconnecting unless I unplug the dock and restart my MacBook Pro.

Hello Jai,

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, you're experiencing what a lot of customers are, with the latest M1 Pro and Max chipset along with the latest OS version of 12 and above, when using a Thunderbolt docking station. The unplug and re-plug is a very common issue that Apple need to address from the OS side as it doesn't save any settings when the laptop is either shut down or put to sleep. This results in the unplug and re-plug our customers are having to do and we experience it, daily, on our internal M1Max testing bench when using a Thunderbolt dock.

We’re unable to fix this issue, from our end, and Apple needs to address it from their end as it’s an OS related issue, not a dock related issue.We have tried, and tested, many different software and drivers for the sleep issues to no success.

Our engineers have finished a new firmware update, for the TS4, and it should be available soon. We’ve been advise to let all customers know, that have a TS4 and having issues, to try the firmware update once available and see if that fixes the issues any customers experience on the TS4. The firmware update WON’T fix the sleep issues, but any other issues related to disconnection of USBs devices and Ethernet stability issues are meant to be addressed by it (according to our engineers). The firmware update isn’t available to the public at the moment as it has only finished production and has been sent to Apple for verification. We’re waiting for Apple to verify it for use on their systems and what OS version it can be published on / used with. This can take, up to, 3 months based on Apples past track record with our firmware update. All of our firmware updates and worked on, in conjunction with Intel as our products are fully Intel certified.

We ask that you please be patient and try the firmware update once available.

Regards,
CalDigit EU Support

up to three months for a possible fix and there's no guarantee that it will fix it. I'm surprised there hasn't been more fuss made about how these docks don't fundamentally work, where others do. I personally think this is a hardware issue and therefore unfixable. I held out on returning as long as I could but this is honestly insane.

 

[dstyp]

I don't know if anyone has had a response from CalDigit, but I got one today. the problems I've been having are disk drives disconnecting and ethernet disconnecting and not reconnecting unless I unplug the dock and restart my MacBook Pro.

Hello Jai,

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, you're experiencing what a lot of customers are, with the latest M1 Pro and Max chipset along with the latest OS version of 12 and above, when using a Thunderbolt docking station. The unplug and re-plug is a very common issue that Apple need to address from the OS side as it doesn't save any settings when the laptop is either shut down or put to sleep. This results in the unplug and re-plug our customers are having to do and we experience it, daily, on our internal M1Max testing bench when using a Thunderbolt dock.

We’re unable to fix this issue, from our end, and Apple needs to address it from their end as it’s an OS related issue, not a dock related issue.We have tried, and tested, many different software and drivers for the sleep issues to no success.

Our engineers have finished a new firmware update, for the TS4, and it should be available soon. We’ve been advise to let all customers know, that have a TS4 and having issues, to try the firmware update once available and see if that fixes the issues any customers experience on the TS4. The firmware update WON’T fix the sleep issues, but any other issues related to disconnection of USBs devices and Ethernet stability issues are meant to be addressed by it (according to our engineers). The firmware update isn’t available to the public at the moment as it has only finished production and has been sent to Apple for verification. We’re waiting for Apple to verify it for use on their systems and what OS version it can be published on / used with. This can take, up to, 3 months based on Apples past track record with our firmware update. All of our firmware updates and worked on, in conjunction with Intel as our products are fully Intel certified.

We ask that you please be patient and try the firmware update once available.

Regards,
CalDigit EU Support

up to three months for a possible fix and there's no guarantee that it will fix it. I'm surprised there hasn't been more fuss made about how these docks don't fundamentally work, where others do. I personally think this is a hardware issue and therefore unfixable. I held out on returning as long as I could but this is honestly insane.

Thanks for sharing. Ridiculous indeed. I don't think anyone in their right mind will trust Caldigit (or Intel) more than Apple at this point. Weird that they have this approach.

 

[klky]

Thank you to everyone for contributing to this thread. I have been waiting for the TS4 ever since I got my M1 Max MBP last year. I recently got notification from CalDigit Asia that their stock will be replenished early July. After reading a bit more about everyone's experiences, I may hold off for a while. Sounds like it's more pain than it's worth. Hopefully those of you experiencing issues get them resolved soon.

 

[DrCC]

I was looking to buy the TS4 to replace an older model Kensington SD5200 Thunderbolt 3 dock, I needed more ports.

But it is very weird the TS4 is having all these issues and CalDigit is saying that Apple needs to fix it on the OS side.

I have an external USB drive + ethernet connected to my current dock and I've had zero issues with the Air M1. It set it up at the beginning and it just works with zero maintenance. So how come the TS4 is so finicky? Is it maybe related to the new chipset needed for TB4? Would the TS3+ with TB3 be better then?

 

[enricoclaudio]

Not my business but why purchasing a dock that is having so many issues when you can purchase a TB4 dock like the OWC or the Satechi that have ZERO glitches with M1 Macs? I have a Satechi TB4 Dock working with my Mac Studio and with my 14" MBP M1 Pro without a single issue driving a pair of ASDs at full 5K with a single TB4 cable. Ethernet works, the drives stay ON even when the Mac Studio goes to sleep, not waking up issues, so basically none of glitches present in the Caldigit.

 

[DrCC]

The TS4 has a lot of USB ports. I outgrew two Thunderbolt Docks so far and the TS4 looked the most future proof. Too bad it has so many issues.

 

[jck1634]

Not my business but why purchasing a dock that is having so many issues when you can purchase a TB4 dock like the OWC or the Satechi that have ZERO glitches with M1 Macs? I have a Satechi TB4 Dock working with my Mac Studio and with my 14" MBP M1 Pro without a single issue driving a pair of ASDs at full 5K with a single TB4 cable. Ethernet works, the drives stay ON even when the Mac Studio goes to sleep, not waking up issues, so basically none of glitches present in the Caldigit.

Honestly that's a good question. The answer for me was purely aesthetic. I had the Kensington thunderbolt 4 dock which worked absolutely fine. Except on those docks and the ones from owc and razor and a bunch of others, the Thunderbolt 4 input in is inexplicably on the front. on my desk I try and hide all the wires and the TS4 looked like a much cleaner option. Really regret that

 

[macphoto861]

Not my business but why purchasing a dock that is having so many issues when you can purchase a TB4 dock like the OWC or the Satechi that have ZERO glitches with M1 Macs?

One reason is that Ethernet does not run at full speed on most other docks. I had a basic USBC dock before this one, and it worked well but I noticed that the Ethernet speed was in the 600-700mbps range with the M1 MBP (had been full speed ~930mbps with the i9 MBP). Tried a TB dock, and it had the same problem. Turns out most of these docks use an Ethernet adapter that is connected internally to the dock via USB, and the M1 uses a non-optimized driver for this. The TS4 uses a Thunderbolt-connected USB adapter, and it runs at full speed.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Honestly that's a good question. The answer for me was purely aesthetic. I had the Kensington thunderbolt 4 dock which worked absolutely fine. Except on those docks and the ones from owc and razor and a bunch of others, the Thunderbolt 4 input in is inexplicably on the front. on my desk I try and hide all the wires and the TS4 looked like a much cleaner option. Really regret that

Yes, I get that the front upstream port looks totally out of place but there are always ways to kinda hide it and make it work in your setup. At least it's working for me "aesthetically" and pretty sure you can find a way as well for it to work in your setup.

 

[jck1634]

Yes, I get that the front upstream port looks totally out of place but there are always ways to kinda hide it and make it work in your setup. At least it's working for me "aesthetically" and pretty sure you can find a way as well for it to work in your setup.

View attachment 2021829

View attachment 2021831

That’s a lovely setup but way too busy for my taste

I did have a monitor shelf to try and hide it and then I stuck the dock under the desk so didn’t have access to the ports.


It wasn’t totally about aesthetics but it definitely was a reason I returned the Kensington dock and got the TS4.

 

[enricoclaudio]

That’s a lovely setup but way too busy for my taste

I did have a monitor shelf to try and hide it and then I stuck the dock under the desk so didn’t have access to the ports.


It wasn’t totally about aesthetics but it definitely was a reason I returned the Kensington dock and got the TS4.

Well, it's a production desk. All that equipment is what makes $$$ for me

 

[jck1634]

Well, it's a production desk. All that equipment is what makes $$$ for me

Just not the best example of what I would consider a nice place to work. The only reason you’re able successfully hide those cables a bit is because of all that wonderfully large equipment. You probably just wanted to show off your desk which I get. It’s a nice setup

 

[alexqndr]

Yes, I get that the front upstream port looks totally out of place but there are always ways to kinda hide it and make it work in your setup. At least it's working for me "aesthetically" and pretty sure you can find a way as well for it to work in your setup.

View attachment 2021829

View attachment 2021831

Impressive setup.

I appreciate your workaround for the front port but it’s a bit of a copout in my opinion.

What hub is that? And most importantly, link on that Satechi shelf? It’s neat!

 

[enricoclaudio]

Impressive setup.

I appreciate your workaround for the front port but it’s a bit of a copout in my opinion.

What hub is that? And most importantly, link on that Satechi shelf? It’s neat!

Satechi TB4 Dock:

Thunderbolt 4 Dock | Satechi - Apple and PC Accessories

satechi.net

Satechi Aluminum Stand:

Satechi Aluminum Universal Unibody Monitor Stand - Compatible with MacBook Pro, iMac Pro, Google Chromebook, Microsoft Surface Go, Dell, Asus and more (Space Gray)

The Satechi Universal Aluminum Monitor Stand is the perfect accessory for your monitor, laptop, or all-in-one computer. The Aluminum Monitor Stand simplifies and organizes your desk, while maintaining a clean, functional style. Designed to match Macs, iMacs, and MacBooks, its metallic finish styl...

www.amazon.com

 

[Even Longer]

Just received my TS4 today and it is going straight back! It emits same high pitched awful buzzing noises everybody was complaining about previously.

I hoped, Caldigit would fix those issues with the new batch, but unfortunately they didn't.
Here in Germany it costs 419 EUR on Amazon, which is way to expensive to be able to tolerate that.

 

[likegadgets]

I'm one of the people experiencing no Ethernet detection whatsoever on my M1 Max MBP. System Information simply lists that I have no Ethernet devices. I've tried using a different TB4 cable, plugging into different ports, restarting, etc., and I've never gotten it detected once.

To make matters worse, my Apple TB3 -> TB2 adapter is also not detected when plugged into any of the Thunderbolt ports. So in order to use Apple's Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter (which is TB2), I have to plug it directly into my Mac instead of into the dock.

I got this dock in part to escape from RTL8153 hell, and ironically it put me in a worse position than I started in. Now I have no idea if it's worth trying to get a replacement with a working Ethernet port, because who knows if it's faulty hardware, faulty firmware, a system compatibility issue, etc.

It is finicky and they should fix it. I assume you followed the steps at this link: https://www.caldigit.com/ethernet-port-on-the-ts4-or-ts3-plus-does-not-work-properly/

Careful - on the example they use 2500Base-T for the speed. Unless you have the speed - use 1000 or 100 based on the speed you actually have. Selecting 2500 as the example states when your speed is lower will not activate the ethernet port.

 

[RabidMacFan]

Got a TS4 yesterday and after resetting the network connections to get the Ethernet to work, I'm noticing high CPU activity from the process com.apple.DriverKit-AppleEthernetE1000. I didn't notice this when using my TS3.

I read that installing Realtek drivers can fix this for USB Hubs using Realtek Ethernet. But is the TS4 using Realtek?

 

[RabidMacFan]

Ok, third day with my TS4 observations.
1. Day 1 Initial setup required resetting network configuration (from previous TS3+) for it work. Required a manual configuration without Energy Efficient Ethernet, and I set it to 1000baseT. How an Ethernet controller built in 2022 does not support EEE, I'll never know. But some initial setup isn't an issue to me if it works good after that.

2. High CPU activity from com.apple.DriverKit-AppleEthernetE1000 process. Seeing 2-9% CPU usage in Activity Monitor for this process. As mentioned before, I did not notice this on my TS3. a nearly 10% cpu hit

3. After reading other comments about coil wine, put my ear up to my TS4's power adapter. You would probably only hear it in a quiet room, but it sounds like it's playing coil whine music. I'll attach a clip, but the tone is really high pitched so you may not hear it at lower volumes.

4. Arrived at my work desk this morning and woke it up (from sleep) to a computer without internet. I unplugged the ethernet and plugged it back in; I reset the thunderbolt cable (computer<->TS4); I restarted the computer. What worked was redoing the steps I took on day 1: Removing Thunderbolt Ethernet Slot 0 from network settings (answer "no" when it asks if you want to remember the connection) and adding it back. I got an IP address, but I wasn't done yet because internet didn't start working until I went back in the advanced settings and disabled EEE.


I was excited for the TS4, which would add DisplayPort 1.4 with Display Stream Compression, add full charging capability, more USB-C and micro-SD. Instead, I'm a bit disappointed. I had finally accepted that occasionally my TS3+ would have issues when waking my Mac from sleep. I had thought that all of the old issues would be resolved with the new hardware of a TS4. But it looks like it kept some of the old issues and came with some new ones.