Anyone got a recommendation for a good USB-C dock / hub?
I'm looking for something which has *multiple* USB-C ports.
Found stuff like this for £40 on eBay - but no reviews anywhere to be found.
@Edent It really depends what you want to plug into it.
I ultimately got a Thunderbolt Dock (I know, you didn’t ask for those) as the stuff I was connecting needed the throughput.
@Edent I heard that the USB C standard didn't allow for it, hence they don't exist officially beyond a couple of ports.
Not that the chinese have ever card much about whether it's standard or not, so it''s surprising there aren't more.
I made my own by buying a USB A and a bunch of USB C->A dongles.
@Edent I bought one similar to that, and I've had big problems with input lag on the USB-A ports. I think you get what you pay for. I hindsight, I'd have paid more and got a well known brand.
@Edent there are so many pitfalls here, especially if you want Thunderbolt video...
I like Caldigit and their new one looks pretty nice https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-station-4/
@Edent I sprung for the CalDigit TS4 which is (a) probably overkill and (b) actually a Thunderbolt dock so I don’t know why I am continuing to type this out. Perhaps it doubles as USB-C dock too. Also stupidly expensive.
@Edent I tried a couple of cheap ones and they were slow and flaky. I ended up with this caldigit (https://www.amazon.co.uk/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock-Space-Grey/dp/B07CVMV8VC) and it's been solid. There's a newer model out now.
@Edent these folk have some.
@Edent what are you going to use it for?
Anything cheap will provide max of 1 USB-C that supports video via Alt-Mode from upstream USB-C and everything else a DisplayLink chip, using the host CPU and may have driver issues.
To support multiple USB-C connected monitors is expensive. Because of the tech reqs to provide it, it's very host dependent (CalDigit page says a little about it)
What I did was buy two USB-C monitors and having two cables to plug into the Mac and then use them as my hubs
@Edent Unless you’re willing to pay top price for Apple-blessed accesories, don’t let people scare you away from Chinese “no name” brands. As well, Aliexpress is just as reliable as Amazon.
“UGreen” and “UPERFECT” are both so-called “no-name chinese brands” but I have had good experiences with both of these brands.
@Edent I've bought *so many* cheap USB-C docks. The only one I've found which consistently works, and doesn't randomly drop out every now and again, is the Caldigit TS4 (although I here good things about the earlier models as well). Everything I've bought in the sub-£100 range was laughably bad.
@Edent generally yes, but I haven't done formal testing.
@Edent Definitely check that it explicitly says that it'll do your desired display resolution at 60Hz. 30Hz refresh rate is somehow extremely unpleasant.
