Is a single cable setup for 2021 Macbook Pro really not possible?

[eddjedi]

What I am trying to achieve sounds fairly simple - a hub for my 2021 14" M1 Pro MBP that can provide a reasonable amount of power delivery, drive a single 4K/60hz monitor, and have at least three USB-A inputs for 2 x external (powered) hard drives (one for extra storage, one for Time Machine) plus my Arturia audio interface. I want all of this over a single Thunderbolt cable, because I have to frequently switch between my work (PC) and personal (Mac) laptops. Too much to ask for? Apparently so.

I have tried four different solutions so far:

Caldigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt dock
Dodocool USB C hub
Ugreen USB C hub
And my Huawei Mateview monitors built in USB C hub.

None of these solutions work reliably. They either fail to power the laptop sufficiently (USB C hubs), cause crackling/interference through my speakers/audio interface (Mateview hub) which disappears as soon as the MagSafe power cable is connected, or work together sometimes but almost every time I unplug the Thunderbolt cable, the monitor isn't recognised (TS3 hub.)

Is there REALLY nothing on the market that can do this simple task, which all of the above claim they can do, but fail to?! There must be SOMETHING out there at any price that can provide both reliable 60w+ power delivery AND some basic connectivity over Thunderbolt 4. Having just returned the Caldigit hub because of the above issues, I am reluctant to try their new TB4 Elements hub as it is even more expensive.

Does anybody manage to have a single cable setup for their MBP that works?

 

[appleArticulate]

I use the Caldigit Element Hub with my M1 Pro, with a single TB 4 cable. It powers the machine, and is driving two 4K/60hz displays. Plus a handful of USB accessories. There are no issues.

Has it not occurred to you that you are doing something to cause your own issues?

 

[eddjedi]

Has it not occurred to you that you are doing something to cause your own issues?

Such as?

 

[eddjedi]

I'll elaborate on the above - I'm using a 2021 MBP with TB4. The Mateview monitor works perfectly connected via Thunderbolt on its own, as do all the other peripherals via USB A or C. The Caldigit TS3 is supposed to provide 87w power delivery and 10GBPs data transfer, including 4K 60Hz video (two monitors apparently, I only need one.) I am using the supplied Caldigit TB3 cable to connect the hub to my Mac, and a Caldigit TB4 cable (Intel certified apparently) to connect the monitor to the hub's Thunderbolt 3 port (NOT the USB C port.)

I watched Caldigit's setup videos to ensure I had everything connected to the correct ports. I also checked the hubs firmware was up to date, it was. I also tried switching both Caldigit cables to the one supplied with the monitor to rule those out.

There are no flaws in my setup, if that's what you were implying. I can kind of understand the USB C hubs not being up to the job, but the TB3 hub should have worked. So either the hub is faulty, hence sending it back, or my Mac is. However as it drives everything fine on their own, that seems unlikely.

Any suggestions other than throwing money and hoping that their TB4 hub isn't also over-priced rubbish?

 

[appleArticulate]

Your issues are just too wide ranging.

1. USB-C hubs are not going to power your MacBook Pro. That isn't a flaw of USB-C hubs. Stick with Thunderbolt 4 hubs for a Thunderbolt 4 machine, especially ones that are, you know, made for it, and advertise the ability to charge it (like The Caldigit Element Hub, that advertises 60W for my MacBook Pro, and delivers it).

2. Interference through your audio interface isn't all that surprising. No audio professional in the world will tell you it's a good idea for your audio interface to be sharing bandwidth and power with other devices through a hub. Always directly connect external audio interfaces for the fewest issues.

3. Monterey still has a lot of issues with recognizing USB/Thunderbolt hubs. This is entirely a Monterey issue and has no bearing on what specific hub you buy. Monterey crashes and reboots probably 1 out of every 5 times I connect my hub. Thankfully I'm not doing that very often as it mostly remains connected.

 

[eddjedi]

I use the Caldigit Element Hub with my M1 Pro, with a single TB 4 cable. It powers the machine, and is driving two 4K/60hz displays. Plus a handful of USB accessories. There are no issues.

Monterey crashes and reboots probably 1 out of every 5 times I connect my hub. Thankfully I'm not doing that very often as it mostly remains connected.

So what you're saying is, yours has issues too ?

Thanks though, at least it's not just me. Unfortunately never unplugging anything is not an option for me as I have to switch between work and personal laptops, and I don't fancy buying another desk and 4K monitor just because Thunderbolt doesn't work properly. I guess I'll have to stick to my current solution of having the Magsafe cable connected, which isn't such a big deal, I would just prefer a single cable.

FYI most audio interfaces are only USB 2.0 so draw very little power or data relative to other devices, that is not the issue here.

 

[-griffy-]

I've been successfully using two CalDigit TS3+'s at work and home. I have a single ThunderBolt cable going to my M1 Max system at both locations. Just eject my drives using the docking utility, unplug the one cable and pack up the laptop, arrive at the other location and plug in the one cable there.

At the office it's driving an LG Ultrafine 4k and the laptop on a stand, and at home it's driving two Dell monitors (one 1440p at 144hz and the other 1080p at 60hz) with the laptop in clamshell mode.

There's been minor hiccups, but for the most part it's been working fine. When I got the first one set up at home the audio from my speakers was full of interference and staticy, but rerouting cables so the power from the dock wasn't next to the audio cable fixed that.

 

[pshifrin]

I have the LG Ultrafine 24 inch 4k display connected to my 14 inch M1 Max. Works perfectly and provides 1 extra TB3 port and 3 USB-C and 85w of power all via 1 cable.

 

[zhenya]

I have my 14" MBP connected to a 5k/2k monitor at 60hz, drives, and a bunch of other peripherals through a TS3+ dock with no issues.

 

[appleArticulate]

So what you're saying is, yours has issues too ?

Thanks though, at least it's not just me. Unfortunately never unplugging anything is not an option for me as I have to switch between work and personal laptops, and I don't fancy buying another desk and 4K monitor just because Thunderbolt doesn't work properly. I guess I'll have to stick to my current solution of having the Magsafe cable connected, which isn't such a big deal, I would just prefer a single cable.

FYI most audio interfaces are only USB 2.0 so draw very little power or data relative to other devices, that is not the issue here.

Ok you didn't read a word I said. I'm done now.

 

[TracerAnalog]

What I am trying to achieve sounds fairly simple - a hub for my 2021 14" M1 Pro MBP that can provide a reasonable amount of power delivery, drive a single 4K/60hz monitor, and have at least three USB-A inputs for 2 x external (powered) hard drives (one for extra storage, one for Time Machine) plus my Arturia audio interface. I want all of this over a single Thunderbolt cable, because I have to frequently switch between my work (PC) and personal (Mac) laptops. Too much to ask for? Apparently so.

I have tried four different solutions so far:

Caldigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt dock
Dodocool USB C hub
Ugreen USB C hub
And my Huawei Mateview monitors built in USB C hub.

None of these solutions work reliably. They either fail to power the laptop sufficiently (USB C hubs), cause crackling/interference through my speakers/audio interface (Mateview hub) which disappears as soon as the MagSafe power cable is connected, or work together sometimes but almost every time I unplug the Thunderbolt cable, the monitor isn't recognised (TS3 hub.)

Is there REALLY nothing on the market that can do this simple task, which all of the above claim they can do, but fail to?! There must be SOMETHING out there at any price that can provide both reliable 60w+ power delivery AND some basic connectivity over Thunderbolt 4. Having just returned the Caldigit hub because of the above issues, I am reluctant to try their new TB4 Elements hub as it is even more expensive.

Does anybody manage to have a single cable setup for their MBP that works?

I have the OWC Thunderbolt hub. Works for me?

 

[nepalisherpa]

I have a basic usb-c hub that I bought from Amazon. With a single cable, I'm driving a 34" ultra-wide monitor, have a couple of usb hard-drives connected, have power delivery back to the macbook pro without any issue.

 

[kevcube]

sounds like a grounding issue if you're getting audio crackling. the one-cable dream is not a dream, plenty of people are successful with it. I use the caldigit usb-c pro dock for display(4k 60hz), m+kb, additional USB ports, 85W charging, and connection to time machine drive with no issues over a single TB3 cable.
edit: also ethernet ?

 

[eddjedi]

Ok you didn't read a word I said. I'm done now.

Perhaps next time don't make condescending comments if you can't take them back at you.

 

[eddjedi]

Yep, I tried all the audio gounding tricks - making sure they were all connected to the same power sources, balanced cables, rerouting them away from power etc, made no difference. The only thing that solves it is connecting my Magsafe (or another secondary power supply.) No idea why, I can only guess that the ~60w power delivery that the USB-C hubs and monitor kick out is not enough (@appleArticulate plenty of USB-C hubs offer power delivery, see nepalisherpa's post above.)

Perhaps it's my monitor that is the issue. The Mateview has a slightly higher than 4k resolution as it's a 3:2 aspect ratio, maybe it's just too juicy to run off a hub without causing other side effects like the crackling audio or unreliable connections?

I should proably also have mentiond earlier that one of the main reasons I chose the Mateview monitor is because it has Bluetooth so I can connect my keyboard and mouse to it and use them on both the Mac and PC without having to pair each time or have separate devices (a Godsend when I'm switching multiple times a day.) That does mean I have to use the USB-C output rather than HDMI or DP though as the Bluetooth accessories will obviously only work over USB.

I mean I could try another dock or hub, but having tried four already you can understand my reluctance. Glad to hear some people are managing it with their setups though.

 

[JtheLemur]

CalDigit one is crap honestly. $300 for 1 TB port? Get out. Not everything can be daisy chained.

I have the new Satechi TB4 dock: https://satechi.net/products/thunderbolt-4-dock?variant=39673083035736 (It's $250 at BestBuy though.)

I have a single cable going to my MBPro 14". Connected to the dock is:

- Samsung G9 49" screen (via USB-C to DP1.4 cable)
- Shure USB microphone (USB)
- Logitech Streamcam (USB-C)
- Vizio sound bar (standard audio minijack)
- Backup drive (USB)
… I think that's it.

I don't see why the Satechi would not work for you. My MBPro is juiced up and powered perfectly fine, everything works like clockwork when I hook up to the dock, etc.

 

[anshuvorty]

The following docks work perfectly with my 14-inch base config M1 Pro MacBook Pro:

• Lenovo Thinkpad USB-C dock
• Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Express Dock HD

 

[Nbd1790]

I use a 14 inch MBP and re did my entire setup (coming from a 2015 MBP) to basically get that one cable solution. Finding a TB4 (or TB3) hub with that many USB A ports will be rare and extremely expensive. I went with an Anker TB4 hub that cost about 200 bucks give or a take a few. Gives me a single TB4 cable to connect to my laptop along with 3 other TB ports and one USB 3.0 type A.

Works like a charm as a single cable setup. Have my audio interface (USB-C Focusrite) plugged into one, an hdmi adapter into the other and then the 3rd I use a cheaper Anker USB-C adapter that provides an additional 3 USB 3.0 A ports, another HDMI and an SD card slot (although not necessary). There's obviously a lot of setups you can configure this device with by simply repurposing the Thunderbolt slots and adding dongles to each to serve whatever purpose you need being that the ports are so versatile.

Have been using it since I got the laptop a few months back (during launch week) and it hasn't failed me once. Charges everything, no issues with my audio interface and has been a seamless experience. I would highly recommend it. As far using a PC goes though, im not sure.

Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock, Max 85W Charging for Laptop, Max 15W Charging for Phone, Single 8K@30Hz or Dual 4K@60Hz Display, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Port, for MacBook Pro/Air, and More

Model Number:A8398

www.amazon.com

 

[pshufd]

My Dell U2720Q monitor does this.

One USB-C cable provides 90 watts to the MacBook, sends the video signal to the monitor and connects to the monitor's port hub. The port hub has 1 USB-C port and 3 USB-A ports. You can add a USB-A porthub off the monitor's port hub if that isn't enough ports.

 

[likegadgets]

I have a cal digit TS3+ connected to my M1 MAX 2021. I have 3 drives, a USB A Hub (which in turn has a label printer, a scanner, a DVD writer another 2 drives, external Bose speakers, ethernet) a 5K Ultrafine monitor all connected to the MAC with one T3 cable and all function perfectly. It charges my MAC (and it is a 16" that came with a 140W magsafe). I also have on the other side an Apple XDR monitor (as I am not aware of a hub that can drive a 5K+6K on a single cable. When taking the laptop - I eject form the TS3+ utility, and unplug the cables - good to go. When returning, just plug the cable from, the TX3+ and the XDR cable. If I only had 1 monitor (or two that were 4K) it would be a one cable solution

 

[Big Jobs]

we use an OWC thunderbolt 4 dock with 4k monitor powering M1 14" MacBook Pro setup with UA Apollo TB with Line 6 HX Stomp aggregate tb4/usb device/soundcard & it all works PERFECT powerful and portable...

 

[Basic75]

1. USB-C hubs are not going to power your MacBook Pro. That isn't a flaw of USB-C hubs. Stick with Thunderbolt 4 hubs for a Thunderbolt 4 machine, especially ones that are, you know, made for it, and advertise the ability to charge it (like The Caldigit Element Hub, that advertises 60W for my MacBook Pro, and delivers it).

That is not correct, I have used a decent USB-C (not Thunderbolt) hub with my Intel 16" and, while it does take away 10W from the 96W passed through from the original MBP charger, what remains is sufficient to power the MBP unless you subject it to sustained heavy loads.

Of course a good Thunderbolt dock can provide the full 100W, but they cost a lot more for a marginal benefit. In other words, there are small compromises to be made when using a USB hub over a Thunderbolt one, but, given the price difference, the trade-off can be acceptable and there is no reason to exclude all USB hubs.

Unfortunately USB-C hubs are one of the many product categories where the market is flooded with cheap garbage which can make it hard to find a quality product that will work well and be stable.

 

[zhenya]

Perhaps it's my monitor that is the issue. The Mateview has a slightly higher than 4k resolution as it's a 3:2 aspect ratio, maybe it's just too juicy to run off a hub without causing other side effects like the crackling audio or unreliable connections?

It's not the resolution - plenty of us are doing this with 5k or 5k/2k monitors. I think that it is, probably, your monitor though. Thunderbolt docks have just been somewhat unreliable forever - both on Windows and Mac - they are much, much better today than a few years ago - but that is mostly on the laptop side - I've been using the same TS3+ dock across 4 different laptops over the past 3-4 years.

How are you connecting the monitor to the dock? If you are using DisplayPort, have you tried Thunderbolt, or vice-versa?

 

[appleArticulate]

Perhaps next time don't make condescending comments if you can't take them back at you.

Perhaps don't make obnoxious posts asking for help when all you want is someone to tell you you're right, the entire industry of hubs doesn't work.

 

[kevcube]

Yep, I tried all the audio gounding tricks - making sure they were all connected to the same power sources, balanced cables, rerouting them away from power etc, made no difference. The only thing that solves it is connecting my Magsafe (or another secondary power supply.) No idea why, I can only guess that the ~60w power delivery that the USB-C hubs and monitor kick out is not enough (@appleArticulate plenty of USB-C hubs offer power delivery, see nepalisherpa's post above.)

Perhaps it's my monitor that is the issue. The Mateview has a slightly higher than 4k resolution as it's a 3:2 aspect ratio, maybe it's just too juicy to run off a hub without causing other side effects like the crackling audio or unreliable connections?

I should proably also have mentiond earlier that one of the main reasons I chose the Mateview monitor is because it has Bluetooth so I can connect my keyboard and mouse to it and use them on both the Mac and PC without having to pair each time or have separate devices (a Godsend when I'm switching multiple times a day.) That does mean I have to use the USB-C output rather than HDMI or DP though as the Bluetooth accessories will obviously only work over USB.

I mean I could try another dock or hub, but having tried four already you can understand my reluctance. Glad to hear some people are managing it with their setups though.

Sadly usb over DisplayPort IS possible but not enough manufacturers integrate it.