Super Sticky Thread for USB-C Docks, Cables and Accessories [MERGED]

[madferret]

I just pulled the trigger on a 15" MBP. Of course, will have to learn to live without the ports, so I'm looking at a few different hubs but the choices are somewhat dizzying.

What do you like?

In addition to USB-A, I also need ethernet and SD/micro card reading also a plus.

Thanks!

 

[pallymore]

I have the satechi usb-c hub w/ hdmi + ethernet

https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Alum...TF8&qid=1510871578&sr=1-28&keywords=usb+c+hub

It has been working well for me - with some minor flaws:
1. It gets warm. (i think this is a common problem for this type of hub)
2. pass through charging only provides ~41W charging power - so you still want to connect the charger directly to your MBP
3. it makes an pretty audible noise (coil whine?) when charging high power devices through its usb ports (e.g. charging a power bank) - so don't use high power usb devices with it.

 

[jakontil]

I have the satechi usb-c hub w/ hdmi + ethernet

https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Alum...TF8&qid=1510871578&sr=1-28&keywords=usb+c+hub

It has been working well for me - with some minor flaws:
1. It gets warm. (i think this is a common problem for this type of hub)
2. pass through charging only provides ~41W charging power - so you still want to connect the charger directly to your MBP
3. it makes an pretty audible noise (coil whine?) when charging high power devices through its usb ports (e.g. charging a power bank) - so don't use high power usb devices with it.

Hi this looks a very good hub

I got the moshi, satechi’s very early hub and it really gets hot not just warm... i wonder if the heat is lowered down in your hub

 

[mroy16]

I recently got OWC's Thunderbolt 3 Dock. I have a 13" MBP with only two TB3 ports, so I really needed to get as much bang for my buck as I could. It delivers up to 60 W for charging while giving me full bandwidth for ethernet and USB 3.1. It has an SD card slot, as well as mini DP, one additional TB3, and a Firewire 800. It's expensive, but for a full TB3 dock, you have to shell out a fair amount to get anything good.

EDIT - I can no longer recommend OWC's product. After less than a month, I could no longer connect the dock to my computer. OWC support took days to respond to emails, so I just returned the dock and picked up the equivalent product from Pluggable. So far so good.

 

[madferret]

Thanks everyone. Please keep the recommendations coming if you have 'em.

pallymore - the Satechi you linked is what I had been leaning towards based on initial research - glad to hear the gripes are minor.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Well I haven't any myself but there are a lot of portable hubs on amazon with those specs.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...card&rh=n:560798,k:usb+c+hub+ethernet+sd+card

This one looks particularly good

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUKEY-Ethe...21&sr=1-1&keywords=usb+c+hub+ethernet+sd+card

And if you didn't need Ethernet I'd say this one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073WW6H9H/ref=sr_ob_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510914067&sr=8-2

 

[ZapNZs]

I have the Satechi USB-C hub with the HDMI, USB, SD reader, and passthrough charging. I dislike it, because it gets HOT with usage, does not appear to have USB-IF certification, has not always worked reliably with HDMI, and is inconsistent in how well its bus power works with anything other than flash drives. If I could go back in time, I would probably purchase the one with ethernet with the hope that the greater surface area would better dissipate heat, but I only use it short-term when I'm physically present, so it's not the end of the world.

 

[Fidel198]

Would you buy a dock with an intergrated e-gpu for gaming, better video editing, ... ?
If it would've of cost 250-300$ more for a GTX 1060/1050Ti?

 

[jetlagged]

I just have some questions. I currently own a MBA 13" 2012, but eventually plan to upgrade to a Macbook 12" in 1-2 years. I know it only has 1 port. I just have some questions and I wanna do research before i eventually upgrade.

1)How reliable are those multiport USB-C hub? Do they last a long time, is there any negatives/deficits with using one like it will affect my MacBook and destroy by drawing on too much power when charging. and this leads to my 2nd questions, will I be able to do the following with it.

2) I want to be able to charge, have an SD card connected to transfer photos/videos and have an external hard drive connected as well at the same time to access old videos and photos to edit on iMovie and lightroom respectively. is it my understanding that with a multiport USB-C hub, it can do that?

3)Any recommended reliable multiport usb-c hub? i know amazon has a lot of choices, and although there's a lot of good reviews, I sometimes think those reviews might be fake or paid, who knows.

 

[apiro]

There are two (I know of) exceptional "travel" docks that provide 4K@60Hz - one via miniDisplayPort and another via HDMI 2.0. As CalDigit described above they can only provide USB-A 2.0 ports sadly and no other ports besides some slow SD card.

TWIMC HyperDrive USB-C Hub with Mini DisplayPort (for 2016/2017 MacBook Pro & 12" MacBook) travel dock works as advertised: 4K@60Hz mDP, USB-C passthrough charging up to 49W, two USB-A 2.0 ports, quite solidly made although not very suitable for MBP 15" - it's thinner than the laptop and hangs diagonally on its USB-C port - will be better with Macbook 12".

 

[thisMRguy]

Tempted to purchased this wall charger, perfect for travel allowing me to charge my phone & power bank over night.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/87W-61W-US...292007?hash=item4d68d55067:g:y5QAAOSwqbxaI8H9

 

[Brookzy]

Apple silently introduced a new Thunderbolt 3 cable today, alongside the iMac Pro.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ4H2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb‑c-cable-08-m

I don't know how they have done it, but they have somehow made a cable that is:

• 0.8 metres long
• Supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
• 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3
• 100W

The only other cables on the market that can do this are 0.5 metres long, because usually to make a Thunderbolt 3 cable longer than 0.5 metres requires it to be an active cable, which then means it loses USB 3 support.

 

[scarab0]

What is the best Dock for the iMac? The reason I am asking is because I am using the Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard as well as the MX Ergo Trackball and the 3 Hubs I have tested so far are disturbing their connection :-(

 

[Nepherte]

So far pretty satisfied of my Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Attached are an ethernet cable, an LG Ultrafine Display 4K and once in a while a few usb devices. Only downside is that I had to jump through a few hoops to get it (not directly available in Singapore). Customer services first referred me to the Hong Kong dealer, which didn't respond at all. After contacting customer services a second time, they realized the dock was not certified for Singapore. Doesn't prevent Amazon from selling and shipping it to me though.

 

[bubsdaddy]

I picked up this https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Premium-Charger-PowerPort-Delivery/dp/B01D8C6ULO Anker charging dock . It has one USB-C and 4 USB-A ports. It's really a nice charging dock as it will charge my 2015 Macbook 12 at full speed. I don't have the newer Macbook pro but the reviews make me believe it would work well. It has charged my iPad Air 2, my iPhone 7, my Macbook, my Airpods and an Amazon Fire HD 8 all at the same time! It's the only charger I travel with now. It lightened my load quite a bit. It's a little pricey but Anker customer service is great if you ever have a problem.

 

[4RunnerHeaven]

I just pulled the trigger on a 15" MBP. Of course, will have to learn to live without the ports, so I'm looking at a few different hubs but the choices are somewhat dizzying.

What do you like?

In addition to USB-A, I also need ethernet and SD/micro card reading also a plus.

Thanks!

Caldigit TS3 is the best one I have found. I had the Elgato TB3 Dock before this and it had issues charging my laptop when under load. And their support was terrible. The TS3 has no issues under heavy load keeping it charged at 100%, and I got my 34" Ultrawide hooked up, with Ethernet, headphones, and all my USB devices with no issues. It is definitely worth the price.

 

[JimmyBanks6]

There seems to be next to no usb-c external harddrives on the market, or am I looking in the wrong location? Checked Best Buy, Canada Computers, etc. No luck except for the Lacie Porsche design where they tack on a $70 fee for the name Porsche.

 

[hfg]

If your USB 3.0 external hard drive case has a removable cable, you can replace it with a USB-C cable for a few dollars.

 

[Admiral]

A while ago I bought the OWC USB-C dock for my 2015 MacBook 12" (and now 2016 MacBook 12") and was disappointed to find that the dock, as well as Apple's own HDMI/USB-A dongle, only supports HDMI 1.4 — which can only refresh a 4K monitor at 30Hz. Ugh.

Since then I have searched for something that will support 4K at 60Hz. I considered the CalDigit USB-C dock — no joy — and other dongles.

Cruising eBay last week I saw, for US$33 all in (shipping included) a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort and two USB-A ports plus power dongle from Xiaomi. It showed up today. Works great — now enjoying my 4K monitor at 60Hz.

 

[carestudio]

A while ago I bought the OWC USB-C dock for my 2015 MacBook 12" (and now 2016 MacBook 12") and was disappointed to find that the dock, as well as Apple's own HDMI/USB-A dongle, only supports HDMI 1.4 — which can only refresh a 4K monitor at 30Hz. Ugh.

Since then I have searched for something that will support 4K at 60Hz. I considered the CalDigit USB-C dock — no joy — and other dongles.

Cruising eBay last week I saw, for US$33 all in (shipping included) a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort and two USB-A ports plus power dongle from Xiaomi. It showed up today. Works great — now enjoying my 4K monitor at 60Hz.

Caldigit's one can definitely do 4K at 60Hz with 2016 MacBook 12, but it requires special firmware support and will downgrade usb speed to USB 2.0. it's the limitation of MB 12 and all USB-C devices. The FAQ on caldigit's site does mention that too.

 

[Jeff_42]

There seems to be next to no usb-c external harddrives on the market, or am I looking in the wrong location? Checked Best Buy, Canada Computers, etc. No luck except for the Lacie Porsche design where they tack on a $70 fee for the name Porsche.

There's the Samsung T5, that's native USB-C (3.1 Gen. 2)
I have one. It works just fine w/ my 2017 MacBook Pro.
There is noticeably higher batter drain when accessing large files from it.

 

[scarab0]

So far pretty satisfied of my Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Attached are an ethernet cable, an LG Ultrafine Display 4K and once in a while a few usb devices. Only downside is that I had to jump through a few hoops to get it (not directly available in Singapore). Customer services first referred me to the Hong Kong dealer, which didn't respond at all. After contacting customer services a second time, they realized the dock was not certified for Singapore. Doesn't prevent Amazon from selling and shipping it to me though.

Looks like I missed your reply

Elgato is fairly expensive, roughly 300 EUR over here and then it doesn't even offer a slot for SD cards. Still looking for something appealing for the iMac which will not interrupt bluetooth connections.

I actually called Apple Support and they couldn't offer any solution but just said, whatever is compatible with apple products should be good. They also said, whatever is in their store

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...rt-hub-usb-c-cable?fnode=85&fs=fh=459d%2B3233

So something like that, but again, no slot for SD cards

 

[Nepherte]

Looks like I missed your reply

Elgato is fairly expensive, roughly 300 EUR over here and then it doesn't even offer a slot for SD cards. Still looking for something appealing for the iMac which will not interrupt bluetooth connections.

I actually called Apple Support and they couldn't offer any solution but just said, whatever is compatible with apple products should be good. They also said, whatever is in their store

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HL9B2VC/A/belkin-usb-30-4-port-hub-usb-c-cable?fnode=85&fs=fh=459d%2B3233

So something like that, but again, no slot for SD cards

I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. Many docks are in the 300EUR price range. I would not compare it against the linked Belkin for the simple reason that it is provides only usb, but not video, network, power, full tb3 transfer rates or anything else for that matter. But again, if that's what you're looking for...

 

[jdiamond]

> I've tried USB, Gigabit Ethernet, SD Card, and HDMI 1080p60 and it all works fine. Also, it will accept a USB-C charger, to charge the MacBook. (The USB-C port doesn't work for USB-C peripherals, just for power input.) I haven't tried 4K, but apparently it only supports 30 Hz, not 60 Hz, but that's OK at this CAD$75/79 price (depending upon the colour). It's a third party reseller but fulfilled by Amazon and with free shipping.

How good are your gigabit Ethernet speeds? The reason I ask is I typically only use the wired Ethernet for when I need speeds significantly higher than the 200 megabits/second or so I can get over WiFi, and I've found that not all "gigabit" Ethernet ports can really do that. (Though the good ones do achieve consistently over 900 megabits/second)

Also, wondering if you have color issues using the HDMI adapter to a monitor? There was an OS-X driver bug in which the only color signals output over HDMI (vs Displayport) were designed to display on televisions. As a result, you could not get any calibration to work with monitors. How was your experience?

Thanks so much.

 

[jscooper22]

I manage 60ish MBPs for an architecture firm. We have about a dozen touchbar MBPs in circulation. We need two external displays, ethernet, usb.

In one port I put a basic HTMI+USB; those are usually ok. In another I've been through several brands (OWC, Satachi, Lenton, Startech) and, so far, none are close to what I'd call "reliable." Some needed to go back immediately, some work for a while then stop, some work intermittently. Some worked for long enough that I can't send them back now and are sitting in a box under my desk. Colossal waste of money.

Currently testing something called "Choetech" on my own machine and for the past couple weeks have been fine. Of course, I tried for order more from Amazon and now they don't exist. I ordered direct form the company in China and still waiting for shipping (if they didn't somehow abscond with my PayPal account).

It infuriates me to have to spend $100 per $3k+ machine, plus hours of my time, just to try to make it functional in a real working environment.