Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

dark_dar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 18, 2023
1
0
I have a question regarding the set up for my M1 Air. I am looking to expand the number of USB ports I have and I occasionally carry my laptop with me, so ideally I want to be able to just connect 1 usb cable to my M1 and get everything working, so ideally the hub/adapter should be capable of power delivery to the laptop as well. I have spent hours researching and reading reviews and it's getting to a point where I'm just exhausted of it.

It seems that have of the hubs I find have so many negative reviews on Amazon, with how their ports are breaking all the time.

I do know that M1 Air doesn't support 2 monitors natively, and while at the moment I'm using a single monitor in my set up and I don't feel the need for more, there is a chance that I will upgrade my laptop to something more capable in a couple of years. Ideally I'm looking for an adapter that will be more or less future-proof, meaning that dual 4k 60Hz is a very nice to have option.

I was almost ready to give and just get a Caldigit hub, but they are much more expensive in Europe than in the USA. One I liked seems to cost about 400 EUR instead of 220 bucks.

So would anyone here with a similar set up be willing to share their experience and offer some advice?
My requirements are: at least 2 USB-C ports, power delivery. I don't really need a card reader slot or an ethernet connection. I have external camera and a microphone, which require power.

Would a simple adapter like this one do the job? https://www.amazon.com/MultiPort-Adapter-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B0CJBJRC3F
It feels weird that USB hubs cost so much more, do I pay for the 4k monitors support mostly?
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,160
25,263
In general, the cheap hubs will work initially. After a few months, they overheat and disconnect frequently. This especially true if you load up the hub with multiple displays and Ethernet connected.

The docks and hubs that cost a couple dollars are designed for reliability. They receive firmware updates as needed.

If you want two external monitors on M1, you're limited to docks that use the DisplayLink chip.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.