I see that this question has been asked before, but they all seem to be a few years old. I would like to get some kind of docking station/USB hub so that I have more ports available.
I’ve got a Apple M4 Pro and would really love to have Thunderbolt 5 speeds, I’m mainly going to use it to connect to external storage and some other stuff where I transfer a fair amount of data each time.
I’ve seen several docks being announced, for example Sonnet Echo 13, CalDigit Elements 5, Asus Thunderbolt 5, Satachi Mac Mini M4 stand & hub. Some of these are quite expensive, others are cheap. Does anyone have recommendations for what to get?
What I’m mainly looking for it to add a number ports that operate at TB5 speeds (or at least 1-2, some additional ones at slower speeds are OK), mainly USB-C and perhaps a couple of USB-A (no need for any high speed connection for these).
I’m a huge fan of CalDigit. I’m a particularly big fan of the TS series. I have the TS4. The TS5 is Thunderbolt 5 Version. I believe the TS is the more robust version (and there is a TS5+, too); the Element is more basic version. I don’t say basic to denigrate the Element. I just don’t have another word. So, no criticism is intended. For my own port needs, the TS series seemed a better choice. I also have an OWC hub (also a Thunderbolt 4), and it has also worked admirably. One is at work, the other at home. I have a preference for the CalDigit. But that just may be in my head.
The TS5 plus seems to be the one to get if you can afford it and once it gets back in stock. I plan to order one the minute they are available. It’s nice to have all those ports and the speed seems to surpass anything that is currently available.
I’ve had some poor experiences with OWC Thunderbolt docks.
My next one will be a Caldigit for sure, probably the Plus for the additional ports. So many people recommend them, not sure of anyone who has had the TB5
The good news is that a TB5 dock purchased today, will serve you for at least 5-6 years, and likely longer.
Thanks to all, you have convinced me. I’ll be looking for a CalDigit dock, it seems like the TS5/TS5+ isn’t available in the EU yet. Patience is a virtue … I’ve heard.
@SteveMac yeah, I work I’ve hade some mixed experiences of OWC docks. Some have worked very well, while at least 1 was totally unreliable. However, these experiences are from quite some time ago 10-15 years (???) so I personally can’t say anything about current models. But based on you opinion I’ll stay clear of them.
Specifically, I have two OWC thunderbolt docks (TB3 14 Port), both often need to be restarted when re-connecting my MacBook.
Symptoms are connecting and just getting power, however no other ports work. I’ve had these for a few years with this issue. During this time I e used several cables, from the original OWC TB3 to the stupidly expensive Apple TB4 cable.
Multiple attempts to get support, one replacement dock, still has same issue.
I have a better touch tool that tests for power connected at a specific numbers of watts, my location and if a OWC thunderbolt device is connected. If the conditions fail, the script cycles the smart plug to restart the dock.
Can’t wait for stock of the new Caldigit TB5 so I can move beyond this issue.
As a one-time owner of two OWC docks (“breakout boxes”) and one basic CalDigit one, I can say this: CalDigit build like Apple does. OWC build like Dell does.
I think any future purchases I make will be CalDigit.
Of course, “fast” is relative, and at this point probably a diminishing returns issue for a pedestrian user such as myself, I would say. I got a Caldigit TS3+ (with its mere 40Gbps speeds) and have been quite happy with performance overall. Of course, I’m not regularly transferring massive loads of data so I wouldn’t see what I am missing out on with TB5. For the time being at least, it seems that if you need TB5 speeds, you’re going to pay.
I bought an Alogic docking station, which uses the same board as the OWC. The reason I chose Alogic was that it was the only one not selling for three times the price in my country (India). I’ve been using it for 15 months now with no issues at all.
I’ve been using the OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock for years. It has generally worked well (though, not perfectly).
I have a Stream Deck XL plugged into the OWC and a Stream Deck+ plugged directly into my M3 MacBook Pro. Each time I restart my Mac, I need to unplug the Stream Deck XL and plug it back in. The Stream Deck + doesn’t have this issue.
I’m thinking of upgrading to the CalDigit Thunderbolt 5 Dock. Does anyone know how well it (or other CalDigit docks) works with Stream Decks? Thanks for any advice you have to share.
Hopping onto this. I need LOTS of USB ports for my Mac Mini.
If I really wanted to run everything I have connected without various dongles I need 11 USB ports and 5 USB C ports. I currently have 1 10 port powered USB hub and it does cause issues on occasion with stuff suddenly not connecting or things running very slowly. I have to disconnect some things depending on what I need as I don’t have enough ports to leave everything connected.
I have my time machine backup drive, nightly backups of main machine and server partitions and varying combinations of EID readers, bar code readers, printers, android tablets for debugging, external camera, microphone, etc. I periodically also plug in another standard USB drive or 2 to do the monthly rotating backups.
Is there anything that provide LOTS of USB connections at a decent speed? E
Here is the Shortcut script, I decided to embed most of the capability here rather than in BTT, because shortcuts does have a nicer interface and more reliable capabilities:
Thunderbolt for as much of the connections tree as possible. I’m not sure whether it’s the extra bandwidth or better chips but it really does make a desk full of accessories work more reliably.
No, other than a single device, an older Android tablet that has a flaky hardware connenction everything runs just fine. The problem is that I need to have more things connected at the same time than I have ports for which leads to lots of plugging and un-plugging to get a set to do a bit of work then swap out more to do the next bit. I want to get them all plugged in at once and leave it. It would save me lot of time and hassle. Also, the tablets in particular have a lifetime of insertion cycles and as a developer the constant plugging in and out is an issue. It’s well known in Android.
