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I started a new job working remote recently. I've been provided a Macbook Pro 2017 (EDIT: model is 13", non-touch, with 2 Thunderbolt ports) and two non-Thunderbolt monitors (Dell P2217H). I have bought two docks/hubs so far, and before I buy a third that still doesn't work how I want, I think I need to ask for help.

I want to be able to run my two external monitors, with three USB-A peripherals, all with the laptop charging as well. The second hub I bought (this model from Satechi: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRVX3XM) seemed like it should allow this. It uses both the Macbook's Thunderbolt ports and provides HDMI, Thunderbolt, and USB-C out, along with two USB-A. The monitors have two USB-A ports as well which I thought would work if connected by Thunderbolt.

However, the monitor connected by Thunderbolt doesn't seem to be sending USB-A signals. More significantly, the USB-C port on the hub doesn't work for charging OR for display. Am I doing something wrong? Is a Thunderbolt port needed just to CHARGE the damn thing?

I found a hub for $500 that passes through both Thunderbolt ports, but that seems like overkill. Is that really what's required to get something like this working? I feel like I have to be missing something because this doesn't seem like an unusual use case at all. Thanks in advance.

rotanimod
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  • Which 2017 MBP do you have? The non-touch 13" has 2 TB ports while the touch 13" has 4. The 13" have the integrated video while the 15's may have the discrete GPU. – Allan Mar 15 '20 at 21:25
  • Sorry - great question. Non-touch 13" with 2 TB ports. – rotanimod Mar 15 '20 at 22:17
  • [edit] your question so it includes the details all i one place, for the benefit of future readers. – Peter Cordes Mar 16 '20 at 11:56

2 Answers2

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Regarding your Satechi hub and the monitors:

"the monitor connected by Thunderbolt doesn't seem to be sending USB-A signals"

This is correct. You're not actually connecting the monitor by Thunderbolt, as the monitor does not support Thunderbolt at all. The monitor supports VGA, DisplayPort and HDMI, so you probably have a USB-C to DisplayPort cable or similar connecting the hub and the monitor. That cable will transfer a picture to the display, but it won't get the USB-A ports on the monitor working. To get the USB-A ports on the monitor working, you need to connect the upstream USB-B port on the monitor to one of the USB ports on your hub.

"More significantly, the USB-C port on the hub doesn't work for charging OR for display."

The USB-C port on the hub is not supposed to work for transferring a display signal. Only the HDMI video output port and the Thunderbolt 3 port on the hub have a display signal in them. This is also visible in the graphics in the link you have provided.

The USB-C port on the hub is also not supposed to work for charging. This is listed in the product description on your link: "Please note the second USB-C port is for data transfer use only." - i.e. no power delivery.

Alternatives

Instead of the Satechi hub product, you could look a other products that fit your requirements better:

For example the OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock takes up a single Thunderbolt 3 port on your laptop - leaving the other one free. It does so while providing a display signal for both monitors, charging your laptop and providing an addition 5 x USB-A ports, 1 x USB-C port, SD-card reader and Ethernet. It is priced at approx. 295$.

Another example is the CalDigit Pro Dock that similarly takes up a single Thunderbolt 3 port on your computer while allowing you to connect two displays, charge the laptop and have access to 3 x USB-A ports, 1 x USB-C, Ethernet and SD card reader. It is priced at approx. 200$.

Multiple similar Thunderbolt 3 docks exists at various price points from various manufacturers.

jksoegaard
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  • Thanks for the info! I'm a little surprised I overlooked some of those product notes, but this is all pretty new to me and I guess I just got overwhelmed. It does feel a little crazy that a $300 hub seems like the low end for a quality model that will do what I need. C'est la vie. – rotanimod Mar 15 '20 at 22:25
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    Well, a 300$ is not the low-end... I also included a 200$ model - and there's various versions cheaper than that also. It doesn't mean it is lower quality - these typically have fewer ports, less wattage, etc. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 22:40
  • Wow, and I'm still misreading things, jeez. OK, I've calmed down. Anyway that model does look nice! I really appreciate your help. Do you happen to know if either of those models will work in clamshell mode? – rotanimod Mar 15 '20 at 22:42
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    As far as I know they all work in clamshell mode. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 23:07
  • I went with the CalDigit Pro Dock, and it works perfectly. Thanks for helping me through this. – rotanimod Mar 20 '20 at 18:19
  • Glad you got it working – jksoegaard Mar 20 '20 at 19:46
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The Satechi product you referenced of just a port expander, it’s not really a dock.

Prerequisites

  • macOS doesn’t support daisy chaining of displays so you’ll need a Thunderbolt port for each display (the Mac hardware supports it as it works in Windows via Bootcamp)
  • One Thunderbolt port must be used for charging.
  • The Dell monitors don’t support charging

See the following for more info:

Solution

To meet your goals of hooking up two monitors and charging simultaneously while navigating the above limitations you will need the following:

  • Charging dock with display like the Caldigit TS3 Plus
  • USB-C to DisplayPort cable (the One that came with the monitor is sufficient)
Allan
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  • I think you're nitpicking now... a port expander and a dock is the same thing nowadays. It is very common across both Mac and PC to sell docking stations where you do not physically place the laptop on or inside the dock. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 23:09
  • In regards to the second part, macOS does actually support daisy chaining of displays - but only for Thunderbolt displays. It doesn't support MST daisy chaining however, which is probably what you meant. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 23:10
  • Not nitpicking @jksoegaard. Docks have actual logic for display, USB, etc., that device is just a pass through and yes, I’m referring to MST daisy chaining as it relates to DisplayPort. – Allan Mar 15 '20 at 23:16
  • Ah - then you're just using the wrong terminology. You're actually talking about the difference between active and passive equipment. A port expander does not mean that it doesn't contain "logic". In any case, it is incorrect that it doesn't contain logic. It does. It is not just a "pass through" passive device. It contains ICs for stuff like USB hub, an SD card reader that is on the USB bus, etc. - on some models they've also got Ethernet added on, etc. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 23:30
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    In regards to MST daisy chaining - your answer is very vague. You describe that daisy chaining is not supported on macOS, so you'll need to use a Thunderbolt port for each display... I'm not sure if you have missed that the Satechi device actually DOES use both Thunderbolt ports. It takes up 2 ports. So there's no need for daisy chaining. – jksoegaard Mar 15 '20 at 23:34
  • @jksoegaard - Perhaps you missed the meaning of the section title Prerequisites? I'm enumerating a limitation; it's not the answer. The the OPs question is how to have both monitors *and* charge at the same time. Daisy chaining, as you've already agreed with, is not possible so I don't understand the relevance of the comment "there's no need for daisy chaining;" I never said there was a need. – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 12:17
  • As far as that Satech device goes - it is, in fact, a pass through device. On each of the TB3 ports is PCIe, DisplayPort, USB, and Power. It's not a device that extends the PCIe and adds USB ports or DisplayPort; all it does is break out the signals. Having an IC ≠ "logic" (industry term for "processing function: - I was a product manager for a h/w mfg.) That's the difference between a dock and a hub and you can see it in the the massive price difference. – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 12:27
  • I know what logic means - but you're still not incorrect. It does not simply break out signals. As I stated before it adds a USB hub, an SD-card reader and in some models ethernet, etc. It is not simply breaking out signals, as there are not signals for having 3 seperate USB ports (in addition to the USB "ports" taken up by the SD-card reader and ethernet) in a Thunderbolt 3 connection. The Satechi product does contain a USB hub, which is an active piece of equipment. So not pass through. Anyways, I don't see how it matters for this question really. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 12:45
  • The reason I was asking these questions is that I don't see what your answer added to my existing answer. I recommend buying a dock like the Caldigit dock - and you recommend the exact same thing - but you added the bits about daisy chaining etc. which do not really come into play. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 12:47
  • Your understanding about the functions of the Satechi product is completely incorrect; you're making an assumption based on observation. My answer comes from a place called "I used to build this crap for a living." It doesn't "add" a hub, it IS a hub, nothing more. Like I already said, it's not taking the PCIe signal and creating a USB hub device, it's passing the existing USB signal through to another port. It's just a slightly fancier version of this product: https://www.anker.com/products/variant/usb-c-hub,-7in1-usb-c-adapter/A83460A1 – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 12:57
  • My reference to daisy chaining is because I asked which MBP he had specifically - the 13" non-touch model with only 2 TB ports. Meaning to do what he wanted to do with the product he purchased, the only way way to get two displays and charging, you'd have to daisy chain; which is possible in Windows, but not in macOS. You are assuming vagueness and refuting an answer and arguments I never made or wrote. – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 13:02
  • Well, I build such damn things myself too :-) You should know that you cannot just “split” a USB signal into 5 ports - you need active circuitry to make a hub. That you suddenly redefine the whole thing to say that it “is” a hub instead of it “adding” a hub is meaningless. The sum is that it is not a passive thing that just splits a signal and passes it through a number of ports. You know this. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 13:10
  • I didn't say that either, I said it "breaks out" the signals from the TB port and it is a hub. I'm not sure why you're of the understanding that I seem to think there's no USB controller chips built into this thing. I never said it wasn't active, I said it doesn't extend the PCIe bus which means you'll need a PCIe to USB bridge and that vastly different from what you're describing and that's exactly the "logic" that's in a dock and not that device. – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 13:15
  • Ah so the point of your answer was simply to add that the reason a Thunderbolt dock is suggested instead of an USB-C hub device is that MST is not supported on macOS. My answer already took this into account by suggesting such a dock, but I didn’t write it explicitly. That’s good to have it explicitly - I was confused as to why adding a separate answer suggesting the same product was a good thing. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 13:16
  • Actually, I didn't see you answer at first (saw the Q in review queue), left a comment and wrote an answer on my iPad. Didn't see your answer until I got on my iMac with the "bigger" browser. – Allan Mar 16 '20 at 13:18
  • Well now you’re just twisting words. You never wrote anything about Using the PCIe bus instead of the USB bus was the necessary condition for something to be called a “dock” instead of a “port expander”. I think that’s a quite silly distinction of words. Anyways sure that’s exactly why the Thunderbolt 3 docks are more expensive, but better suited here. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 13:18
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    Please respect that English is a second language for me, so my comments might sound a bit harsh - but it is really not intended to be that way. – jksoegaard Mar 16 '20 at 13:19
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    I appreciate your answer and recommendations too, but the product I went with was also included in the other answer and that one came first. But thank you for taking the time and the discussion! – rotanimod Mar 20 '20 at 18:21