Displaylink hub recommendation

[flopticalcube]

My son has purchased a MBP 13" and would like to hook it up to his gaming PC monitors when at home. Solution is to use a displaylink hub. He needs 2 X 1080p60 HDMI/DP and eventually, possibly, 1 X 4k60 HDMI/DP. Displays will be for text primarily (coding). Ethernet would be nice.

I have seen:
- Lenovo Hybrid
- HP G2
- Targus DOCK190
- USB-C hub with individual displaylink HDMI adapters
- Dell D6000 (thanks @prwnr)
- Dell D3100 doesn't charge MBP

Any recommendations?

 

[prwnr]

My son has purchased a MBP 13" and would like to hook it up to his gaming PC monitors when at home. Solution is to use a displaylink hub. He needs 2 X 1080p60 HDMI/DP and eventually, possibly, 1 X 4k60 HDMI/DP. Displays will be for text primarily (coding). Ethernet would be nice.

I have seen:
- Lenovo Hybrid
- HP G2
- Targus DOCK190
- USB-C hub with individual displaylink HDMI adapters
- Dell D6000 doesn't appear to be working
- Dell D3100 doesn't charge MBP

Any recommendations?

what isn't working for you exactly with Dell D6000? I am using it for one additional monitor and it works fine for me (WQHD@75Hz). the only problem I have is that I need to re-plug it on system restart cause MacBook is not seeing anything connected to it (tho PD work), but this is acceptable for me.
cannot say anything about the ethernet there, but all USB ports works fine and the display ones.

 

[flopticalcube]

Thanks for the reply. Is the D6000 using Alternate Mode or DisplayLink? I read that the D6000 had issues with DisplayLink on the Arm Macs and that is why I discounted it.

 

[svanstrom]

My son has purchased a MBP 13" and would like to hook it up to his gaming PC monitors when at home. Solution is to use a displaylink hub. He needs 2 X 1080p60 HDMI/DP and eventually, possibly, 1 X 4k60 HDMI/DP. Displays will be for text primarily (coding). Ethernet would be nice.

I have seen:
- Lenovo Hybrid
- HP G2
- Targus DOCK190
- USB-C hub with individual displaylink HDMI adapters
- Dell D6000 doesn't appear to be working
- Dell D3100 doesn't charge MBP

Any recommendations?

Are you aware about the potential limitations here?

MacBook Pro - Tech Specs

See all the technical specifications for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips.

www.apple.com

 

[prwnr]

Thanks for the reply. Is the D6000 using Alternate Mode or DisplayLink? I read that the D6000 had issues with DisplayLink on the Arm Macs and that is why I discounted it.

I am using this D6000 for my secondary monitor with DisplayLink on and it's flawless. my main one is connected directly to Mac.

the DisplayLink software got updated for M1 on December, so maybe you found some info pre-patch

 

[flopticalcube]

@svanstrom Thank you, yes I am which is why I suggested he use DisplayLink rather than Alternate Mode.

 

[flopticalcube]

@prwnr Thanks! That increases my options greatly!

 

[prwnr]

@prwnr Thanks! That increases my options greatly!

np, ask if you still have questions about it and I will try to answer as I was in similar places searching through Google to figure out what will work for me and till the end I wasn't sure if it will work

 

[flopticalcube]

Thanks again, I don't want him (ahem... me ) to spend a $100 or $200 on a dock that is not fully functional. Did you have to upgrade the firmware in the D6000?

 

[prwnr]

Thanks again, I don't want him (ahem... me ) to spend a $100 or $200 on a dock that is not fully functional. Did you have to upgrade the firmware in the D6000?

I didn't have to, but I verified that mine has latest (A03) as I read somewhere that it's advised to have it at this version for M1

 

[flopticalcube]

Super!

 

[prwnr]

so, just to emphasize, the only problem I'm facing is that I need to re-plug after restart once I log in, becaise nothing from the dock gets recognized, but I'm anyway kinda afraid to leave the MacBook connected to diffrent PD than Apples one when it's off, to don't break it as some people claim they did with 3rd party hubs (tho never saw something about this D6000, probably docks are in better spot as they are having better power management).

 

[flopticalcube]

Yeah, I was not going to go with a hub/dock that wasn't a recognized good brand because of the PD issues. Don't want to destroy a $2k laptop in order to save $50. The need to replug doesn't sound like a huge issue to me. Just to clarify, you are repluging the dock into the wall socket or via the power input (rebooting the dock as it were) once the Mac is connected.

 

[Baudec]

so, just to emphasize, the only problem I'm facing is that I need to re-plug after restart once I log in, becaise nothing from the dock gets recognized, but I'm anyway kinda afraid to leave the MacBook connected to diffrent PD than Apples one when it's off, to don't break it as some people claim they did with 3rd party hubs (tho never saw something about this D6000, probably docks are in better spot as they are having better power management).

Hi @prwnr ,

I was thinking of doing the same setup as you:

• One monitor via usb c to hdmi directly connected to the laptop
• One monitor via displaylink connected to the D6000

Is that your setup, I'll be using the displaylink setup for text reading nothing too intensive, how is your overall experience ?

What about the CPU load ? Is it fine ?

 

[prwnr]

Hi,

I was thinking of doing the same setup as you:

• One monitor via usb c to hdmi directly connected to the laptop
• One monitor via displaylink connected to the D6000

Is that your setup, I'll be using the displaylink setup for text reading nothing too intensive, how is your overall experience ?

What about the CPU load ? Is it fine ?

yeah, exactly that.

- one monitor connected to Apple adapter (HDMI)
- second monitor (my "off" monitor) connected via DisplayLink with D6000 (DisplayPort cable)

as the DisplayLink monitor is my secondary one, I am using only "text-like" things on it, like Slack/Discord/debugging or web browser stuff, so overall experience is that I dont actually notice that it goes via DisplayLink. not seeing any lags or latency problems. all fine

CPU load of DisplayLink manager is almost all the time below 1% (in Activity Monitor). Im not really looking at that as I dont see any impact on performance, so why would I bother?

 

[Baudec]

Yeah I would have the same use case as you, multiple terminal for logs on my "off" monitor or api documentation.
What is the resolution of your "off" monitor ?

 

[prwnr]

Yeah I would have the same use case as you, multiple terminal for logs on my "off" monitor or api documentation.
What is the resolution of your "off" monitor ?

both monitors are with the so-called "WQHD" (2560x1440) and 75Hz refresh rate. Im not seeing any problems with the secondary one resolution/refresh rate and I have good comparison having the main one as exactly same model.

 

[camotron]

I have an M1 Macbook on its way and I have gotten myself stupidly confused over what hub to get. The D6000 looks great however I am concerned about Displaylink. Does the first (primary) monitor out from the D6000 work natively and then the others use Displaylink? Whilst I would ultimately like to use multiple monitors I want my main external monitor output to be as good as it can be.

Really appreciate everyone's input on the forum. Thanks

 

[Baudec]

No I don't think so (haven't tested it myself), I think it's called the alt mode and it's only usable on the hdmi port (which is capped at 4K@30hz when using alt mode)

Furthermore the alt mode is only usable in REALLY particular condition:

The DisplayPort Alt-Mode is ONLY invoked/usable for:

1. The 3rd display, AND
2. The HDMI output only, AND
3. Using the Type-C connector only, AND
4. On platforms which support DisplayPort Alternate-Mode (over Type-C). This is a hardware requirement on the laptop/desktop

(https://www.displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65335)

If you need to have one display natively you need to use the other usb c port of the macbook.

Feel free to correct myself

 

[camotron]

No I don't think so (haven't tested it myself), I think it's called the alt mode and it's only usable on the hdmi port (which is capped at 4K@30hz when using alt mode)

Furthermore the alt mode is only usable in REALLY particular condition:

The DisplayPort Alt-Mode is ONLY invoked/usable for:

1. The 3rd display, AND
2. The HDMI output only, AND
3. Using the Type-C connector only, AND
4. On platforms which support DisplayPort Alternate-Mode (over Type-C). This is a hardware requirement on the laptop/desktop

(https://www.displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65335)

If you need to have one display natively you need to use the other usb c port of the macbook.

Feel free to correct myself

Thanks so much for this Baudec. I've decided to buy the Apple Multiport for my main monitor and buying the D6000 or D3100 as a hub (usb, ethernet) with the bonus of the Displaylink extra monitor outs. Not sure if the 6000 is worth it over the 3100 for this use.

 

[petterihiisila]

I'll drop a vote for Lenovo Hybrid USB-C dock. It's been flawless for the whole 2020 so far. Clamshell, reboots, sleep/wake, connect/disconnect, all work as expected. I never need to play with the cables. I don't use the Ethernet feature of it, so can't verify that part.

Buy from a place that has a no-fuss return policy, that's probably the safest way to try out any of the alternatives.

For those that don't know, Night Shift won't work on DisplayLink'ed monitors. Also, Unlock with Apple Watch doesn't work, because Apple's API thinks that something is recording the screen, even though according to DisplayLink engineers, no such activity is required for it to work. It just triggers an API that triggers this behavior.

 

[camotron]

I'll drop a vote for Lenovo Hybrid USB-C dock. It's been flawless for the whole 2020 so far. Clamshell, reboots, sleep/wake, connect/disconnect, all work as expected. I never need to play with the cables. I don't use the Ethernet feature of it, so can't verify that part.

Buy from a place that has a no-fuss return policy, that's probably the safest way to try out any of the alternatives.

For those that don't know, Night Shift won't work on DisplayLink'ed monitors. Also, Unlock with Apple Watch doesn't work, because Apple's API thinks that something is recording the screen, even though according to DisplayLink engineers, no such activity is required for it to work. It just triggers an API that triggers this behavior.

Hey thanks for that recommend. I wasn't aware of the Lenovo however it seems to outspec the Dell D6000 (and other hubs worth much more) with it's 10gpbs ports. Plus it's cheaper (can pick it up for $210 here in Australia). Anyone else using one of these?

Thanks again, this looks like the one!

 

[camotron]

I'll drop a vote for Lenovo Hybrid USB-C dock. It's been flawless for the whole 2020 so far. Clamshell, reboots, sleep/wake, connect/disconnect, all work as expected. I never need to play with the cables. I don't use the Ethernet feature of it, so can't verify that part.

Buy from a place that has a no-fuss return policy, that's probably the safest way to try out any of the alternatives.

For those that don't know, Night Shift won't work on DisplayLink'ed monitors. Also, Unlock with Apple Watch doesn't work, because Apple's API thinks that something is recording the screen, even though according to DisplayLink engineers, no such activity is required for it to work. It just triggers an API that triggers this behavior.

Sorry just to confirm, it's this dock right?

Docks & Port Replicators | Laptop & Notebook Docking Stations

Find the right docking station or port replicator for you. With the extra USB ports (including 3.0 and Thunderbolt™ 3), you can transform your laptop or notebook into a powerful desktop.

www.lenovo.com

There seems to be a few variations.

 

[camotron]

I'll drop a vote for Lenovo Hybrid USB-C dock. It's been flawless for the whole 2020 so far. Clamshell, reboots, sleep/wake, connect/disconnect, all work as expected. I never need to play with the cables. I don't use the Ethernet feature of it, so can't verify that part.

Buy from a place that has a no-fuss return policy, that's probably the safest way to try out any of the alternatives.

For those that don't know, Night Shift won't work on DisplayLink'ed monitors. Also, Unlock with Apple Watch doesn't work, because Apple's API thinks that something is recording the screen, even though according to DisplayLink engineers, no such activity is required for it to work. It just triggers an API that triggers this behavior.

Apologies for one more question. Have you had any ethernet issues with that dock? I saw a post from another owner who reported some ethernet issues where the displays would blank out with heavy traffic. Thanks so much!

 

[petterihiisila]

Apologies for one more question. Have you had any ethernet issues with that dock? I saw a post from another owner who reported some ethernet issues where the displays would blank out with heavy traffic. Thanks so much!

I don't use the Ethernet feature. What they say could be true. I wouldn't add a lot of extra traffic behind the dock. USB-C saturation could become an issue with any USB-C dock, they all use the same limited bandwidth. I don't see how one would be radically different than another. It may be best to keep expectations low, and just try to optimize for display connectivity with these solutions. If Ethernet and SSDs work behind it too, that'd be extra. If it causes issues, I wouldn't be surprised.

Anyway, other than that it's been stable for me. I've connected it behind another monitor (TB3), but I have not used any other ports of the dock, just two HDMI ports. I've got a dedicated TB3 dock for most peripherals and Ethernet.

This is the dock I'm referring to. Model number 40AF.