Combined power and ethernet brick for USB C MacBooks

[nsayer]

Like many, I was enthused by the combined power supply and Ethernet interface in the new M1 iMac. It has occurred to me recently that there's essentially no reason that this couldn't be done for the MacBook line using a USB-C cable. USB-C uses PD over the CCx lines to negotiate power, leaving the data lines (both the USB2 and USB3 pairs) free for other use. Already there exist single-connection docks that effectively do the same thing.

Is this already a product I have just missed? If not, why isn't there a 100W power/ethernet to USB-C brick already?

Unfortunately, this almost certainly wouldn't work correctly with the new MagSafe cable for the M1 Pro/Max MBPs, but they could still use USB-C for charging, so this would still be a reasonable product for them (I still charge my M1 Max MBP over USB-C from my USB-C dock).

 

[kid2010]

It comes down to where people use Ethernet with their laptop, and the market for such combo is too small I think.

If you plan to use this setup in a stable location, a USB-C/Thunderbolt dock is probably preferable as it provides a lot of different connectivity options. If you travel a lot, then having Ethernet port on a power brick is unlikely to be utilized a lot since most locations only offer WiFi these days...

 

[tsdevine]

Like this?

INVZI Docking Station and 100w GaN USB C Multiport Charger Combo, 9-IN-1 USB C Dock for Laptops, 30w Fast Charging for iPad iPhone 12 Pro, 100w PD, 4k@60hz HDMI, 1Gbps Ethernet, Audio, 2*USB-C Gen 2

INVZI Docking Station and 100w GaN USB C Multiport Charger Combo, 9-IN-1 USB C Dock for Laptops, 30w Fast Charging for iPad iPhone 12 Pro, 100w PD, 4k@60hz HDMI, 1Gbps Ethernet, Audio, 2*USB-C Gen 2

smile.amazon.com

 

[nsayer]

That's a very interesting gizmo. I might just pick one up for my travel bag to replace 3 separate things I have now.

It's not quite what I had in mind for my original post. The point of having Ethernet and power on the brick is that they can sit on the floor and you use a single long USB-C cable to the laptop - like the iMac. That works for Ethernet, and conceivably can work for HDMI, but makes no sense (in this use case) for SD cards.

 

[kmaisch]

Stumbled across this thread, and decided to take a punt on the INVZI docking station.

Seems to work fine... means I can leave adaptors at work and just have the single INVZI one left at home. Some thoughts below.

• It's charging my 16" M1-Max machine fine (tested running the laptop to 80% battery, then plugged it in – and was soon back up to 100% even when working off the machine - maybe not as fast as the 140w adaptor but fast enough).
• Nice to not have a giant power plug sticking out of the wall getting bumped - this was an issue with the Apple power supply.
• Ethernet works fine, nice to have just 1 cable plugged into the laptop for ethernet+power.
• Have tested a USB-C hard disk plugged into it at the same time, and still maintain 100% power after a while - so whatever power is being sent via USB-C is still plenty even with ethernet and data.
• It does get quite warm... but I find the laptop power supplies often do anyway. Not so warm that i'm concerned.