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Dongle thread for the new Macbook Pro's

FoxMcCloud said:
The Dell WD15 appears to be a winner!

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=que&cs=caque1&sku=450-AFGM

Powered, dual monitor ports, Ethernet, audio and USB-Ports, and a USB-C cable to connect to Mac. A one box solution!

Pricey direct at nearly £300 but can be had off eBay for around £100.

Two models, 130w and 180w.

Since Dell use these on their own laptops then at least we don't need to worry about them being fire prone or whatever the cheap Chinese ones are like. Dell are reputable in the business sector.
Click to expand...

The 130w one says you should use separate power if the laptop needs >130W, implying that 130W is the laptop power, not the overall dock power.

But... Does it work with Macs? Specifically, I know the caldigit says it needs drivers for its Ethernet port. Does the Dell dock's ethernet port work with OS X?

It does say it works with Linux, which is nice.

(Video ports appear to be displayport, HDMI, and VGA.)

EDIT:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dell-wd15-usb-c-dock-compatibility.1960563/

So video wasn't working for OP. Later post about things working is with respect to an OWC dock.

Oh, found another one:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/49zvzl/dell_dock_wd15_with_a_macbook/#bottom-comments

Video problems are reported (not being able to work at full resolution), and it's claimed that this is a dock firmware problem.

... and one more edit, because:

The Dell WD15 will only charge up to 60W with "non-Dell" devices, according to their page.

"Featuring a powerful DisplayPort over USB Type-CTM cable, with the Dell Dock you can quickly connect your laptop or tablet to a single data and power source up to 130W for Dell devices and 60W for non-Dell devices."

(http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=que&cs=caque1&sku=450-AEUO)

So nevermind, that won't do it either.
 
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So, the only thing that looks like it actually has all the ports and does 85W is the new Belkin one, and Belkin is a company that shipped a firewall designed so that visiting an external web site could change the firewall's configuration, so "no".

Next best is either a thunderbolt3 dock that only does 60W, and just not run the machine at full capacity very often, or have a separate charging port.

Shame it can't draw charge power from two 60W ports simultaneously, then at least you could get a bunch more ports for the hassle.
 
therealseebs said:
So, the only thing that looks like it actually has all the ports and does 85W is the new Belkin one, and Belkin is a company that shipped a firewall designed so that visiting an external web site could change the firewall's configuration, so "no".
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But it's a dock you're buying, not a firewall...

It seems like they worked with Apple on the dock - same announcement date and it conveniently supplies the perfect wattage for a 15" Pro. I expect it will be great.
 
Only bad thing is is that the belkin dock costs an arm and a leg. After spending the other arm and leg on the MacBook Pro, you would have no arms or legs left.

...

Does any one have any experience with this?
Microsoft made it for phones so I'm not sure if the videos ports are one or the other or if both can be used at the same time. If so it would be perfect...almost.

Microsoft HD-500 Docking Station for 950/950 XL https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018E5L53S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_clLgybGV37T4N
 
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therealseebs said:
Next best is either a thunderbolt3 dock that only does 60W, and just not run the machine at full capacity very often, or have a separate charging port.
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You can run it at full capacity as long as you have battery power left. With that same battery continually fetting a 60 W charge, it's going to take a lot of work to get that battery empty. Hours, at the very least, is my estimate.

Your colleagues will complain what the hell you're doing that's generating all that fan noise.
 
Brookzy said:
But it's a dock you're buying, not a firewall..
Click to expand...

http://xkcd.org/463/

A sufficiently bad decision can be a pretty big red flag. I haven't bought any Belkin hardware since that fiasco, and I have not generally regretted this choice.

It seems like they worked with Apple on the dock - same announcement date and it conveniently supplies the perfect wattage for a 15" Pro. I expect it will be great.
Click to expand...

Belkin has never been a company I thought made "great" hardware. They made okay hardware, except for the part where they sometimes make stunningly bad technical decisions. Also, the way they handled outcry over "this router/firewall periodically redirects http requests to an advertising page" was... Not something I could respect, pretty much.
[doublepost=1478122634][/doublepost]
cerberusss said:
You can run it at full capacity as long as you have battery power left. With that same battery continually fetting a 60 W charge, it's going to take a lot of work to get that battery empty. Hours, at the very least, is my estimate.

Your colleagues will complain what the hell you're doing that's generating all that fan noise.
Click to expand...

Has anyone actually tested and verified this? Because I'd want to know that it was actually tested and worked before assuming.

And don't worry, I'm remote, the coworkers are 1500 miles from here and that's too far to hear even a macbook pro fan.
 
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therealseebs said:
Has anyone actually tested and verified this? Because I'd want to know that it was actually tested and worked before assuming.
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I'm soon going to test it. When my 15" arrives, I'll hook it up to this 45W charger:
http://amzn.to/2eC6e5c

Lots of people used the MacBook Air 45W MagSafe charger on their 15" rMBP. It simply charges extremely slow.
 
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Simple(?) question -

If I get a 4k display that has "traditional" ports (e.g., DisplayPort), is all I need a USB-C to DisplayPort cable? No need for any kind of dongle?
 
Interesting read - Mr. Microsoft himself, Paul Thurrott, has come out swinging in favour of USB-C/Thunderbolt:
Of course, much has been made about the temporary compatibility problem we will all face in moving to USB-C. This isn’t the disaster many make it out to be, and this situation is no different than the move to PS2 in the late 1990s, or to the original USB in the late 1990s. It’s called progress. And if the result is dramatically better—which it is—then the temporary inconveniences are worth dealing with. Which they are.
Click to expand...
 
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Browsed through some pages, but couldn't really find a definite answer.
I will be needing some dongles and cables for my new MBP 15.

What's my best bet for a stylish hub that offers : 1 USB A (maybe 2) + HDMI out (with Audio) (+if possible an SD Card slot)

I like the Satechi that connects directly to the MB but no HDMI, and their model with a cable doesn't have the SD Card slot and isn't as integrated... (and costs more).
I see lots of people talking about max W ? Is that an issue that I should worry about? I don't really understand what is the issue.

Also I need a usb C to micro USB cable to charge and connect my devices, weirdly enough doesn't seem super popular as I can only find some boring black round ones... I like flat and colorful cables (worst case, braided is fine also), any brands that I can look into?

Thanks !
 
CookieFlow said:
I like the Satechi that connects directly to the MB but no HDMI, and their model with a cable doesn't have the SD Card slot and isn't as integrated... (and costs more).
I see lots of people talking about max W ? Is that an issue that I should worry about? I don't really understand what is the issue.
Click to expand...

I asked Satechi and while they said it supports the 2016 MBP, they also said passthrough power is limited to 49 watt.

So it should charge slower (or not at all?).
 
GoodOne said:
I asked Satechi and while they said it supports the 2016 MBP, they also said passthrough power is limited to 49 watt.

So it should charge slower (or not at all?).
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info, but since the 15" has 4 ports, this isn't a problem for me at least since I can use the other 3 for charging?
So the max watt is only because of charging, not the number of things plugged into the hubs ?
 
GoodOne said:
I asked Satechi and while they said it supports the 2016 MBP, they also said passthrough power is limited to 49 watt.

So it should charge slower (or not at all?).
Click to expand...
Realistically 49W of input power will still charge a MacBook Pro 13" during normal use because it's only 11W down from the recommended charger. If you're hammering the CPU the charge may begin to dwindle but 99% of the time I would expect 49W to be enough to increase the charge level during use.

However just because Satechi say it supports up to 49W doesn't necessarily mean that it will be exactly 49W. I'm trying to find an answer to this question in another thread, but I think it's possible that if a device in the chain does not support 60W charging, that the power adapter will default to a lower power state, which in the case of the MacBook Pro chargers is a measly 15W.
 
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CookieFlow said:
Thanks for the info, but since the 15" has 4 ports, this isn't a problem for me at least since I can use the other 3 for charging?
So the max watt is only because of charging, not the number of things plugged into the hubs ?
Click to expand...

Sure you can use the other ports.

For me I'd like to charge, use Ethernet and HDMI at the same time using the two ports in the left so it looks cleaner and I can use my mouse on the right side without any dongles or cables getting in the way.
 
Does the original Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter Support 87 Watts on the 15 Inch 2016 MBP yet? The Website says it's compatible but it doesn't explicitly say it Supports full charging power.
 
GoodOne said:
Does the original Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter Support 87 Watts on the 15 Inch 2016 MBP yet? The Website says it's compatible but it doesn't explicitly say it Supports full charging power.
Click to expand...
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207256
[doublepost=1478198618][/doublepost]I'm going to go with the new Belkin dock. I understand it'll probably run $249-299, but Belkin is usually in bed with Apple for QA and product development because much of their stuff is sold at Apple.com/Retail. I have their Valet Dock for the iPhone+Apple Watch and it might as well be an official Apple product.

For others, don't forget Best Buy is running a Buy 3/Get 20% Off sale on Apple dongles/cables.
Also, instead of dongles, consider actual USB cables, but be careful and make sure they are USB-IF certified. Here's a partial list floating around in the Nexus forums on Reddit for approved cables:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wJwqv3rTNmORXz-XJsQaXK1dl8I91V4-eP_sfNVNzbA/edit
 
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eroslws said:
I'm going to go with the new Belkin dock. I understand it'll probably run $249-299, but Belkin is usually in bed with Apple for QA and product development because much of their stuff is sold at Apple.com/Retail.
Click to expand...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...f4u095tt_thunderbolt_3_dock_w_0_5m_cable.html

It's more like $400 :(

eroslws said:
For others, don't forget Best Buy is running a Buy 3/Get 20% Off sale on Apple dongles/cables.
Also, instead of dongles, consider actual USB cables, but be careful and make sure they are USB-IF certified. Here's a partial list floating around in the Nexus forums on Reddit for approved cables:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wJwqv3rTNmORXz-XJsQaXK1dl8I91V4-eP_sfNVNzbA/edit
Click to expand...
So much this. People need to look past dongles and adapters and go with cables. It's the beauty of USB-C. No ugly dongles to worry about and it's not really anymore inconvenient to the end user than their current situation (we're all still needing to carry cables regardless of what laptop we use).
 
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xmonkey said:
So much this. People need to look past dongles and adapters and go with cables. It's the beauty of USB-C. No ugly dongles to worry about and it's not really anymore inconvenient to the end user than their current situation (we're all still needing to carry cables regardless of what laptop we use).
Click to expand...

I would still need dongles for the items which aren't specifically USB. And there's not that many ports, so I need a way to connect to some sort of docking thing.
 
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