First MBP with Thunderbolt 3

[Melodeath]

I have a 16" MBP arriving on Thursday. It's my first Apple laptop with Thunderbolt 3 connections, so I'm diving into the dongle world for the first time. Ultimately, I'm trying to get as prepared as possible with all the dongles, docks, cables, and accessories I'll need in advance.

Things I often connect to my current desktop:

• iPhone X with Lightning to USB-A cable
• An old firewire audio interface that goes through a Thunderbolt 2 adapter, so I know I will need to run that through a Thunderbolt 3 adapter
• DisplayPort cable to connect to an external 27" monitor
• A few different USB 2 and 3.0 dongles (iLok and flash drives)

What's your favorite solution? A dock sounds great, but having to plug it into a wall isn't very mobile. Single adapters for each connection are convenient, but maybe not as cost effective as a dock, and you can end up using all your ports pretty quick? Are cables with the connections I need better than adapters?

Just trying to think through this as efficiently as possible. Thanks for any insights!

 

[chabig]

First off, don't confuse the name of the port with the data transfer protocols. Your machine has USB-C ports. That's the name of the physical connector. Now, that particular connector can carry many types of signals--Firewire, ethernet, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt, power, and probably others. Dongles are simply what you use to adapt the connector on your devices to the USB-C ports on your Mac, like so:

• iPhone: There is no need to connect an iPhone to a Mac, but to do so you can use a USB-C to USB-A adapter, or connect directly with a USB-C to Lightning cable.
• For your Firewire interface, you'll probably need to daisychain adapters--USB-C to Thunderbolt 2, and Thunderbolt 2 to Firewire.
• For the monitor, look for a USB-C to DisplayPort cable.
• For the other USB devices, probably just a USB-C to USB-A adapter or two.

Whether you buy multiple adapters or try to find a dock is up to you. Here is some more help:

Charge and connect with the USB-C port on your iPad - Apple Support

Use the versatile USB-C port on your iPad to charge, connect to accessories like external storage devices, cameras, and displays, and power other devices.

support.apple.com

How to connect your existing accessories to USB-C on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

The MacBook lineup only has Thunderbolt 3 ports, meaning you'll need USB-C connectors in order to plug anything into your MacBook Pro.

www.imore.com

 

[Melodeath]

First off, don't confuse the name of the port with the data transfer protocols. Your machine has USB-C ports. That's the name of the physical connector. Now, that particular connector can carry many types of signals--Firewire, ethernet, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt, power, and probably others. Dongles are simply what you use to adapt the connector on your devices to the USB-C ports on your Mac, like so:

• iPhone: There is no need to connect an iPhone to a Mac, but to do so you can use a USB-C to USB-A adapter, or connect directly with a USB-C to Lightning cable.
• For your Firewire interface, you'll probably need to daisychain adapters--USB-C to Thunderbolt 2, and Thunderbolt 2 to Firewire.
• For the monitor, look for a USB-C to DisplayPort cable.
• For the other USB devices, probably just a USB-C to USB-A adapter or two.

Whether you buy multiple adapters or try to find a dock is up to you. Here is some more help:

Charge and connect with the USB-C port on your iPad - Apple Support

Use the versatile USB-C port on your iPad to charge, connect to accessories like external storage devices, cameras, and displays, and power other devices.

support.apple.com

How to connect your existing accessories to USB-C on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

The MacBook lineup only has Thunderbolt 3 ports, meaning you'll need USB-C connectors in order to plug anything into your MacBook Pro.

www.imore.com

Thank you! I'm getting the sense that I need a dock like the CalDigit TS3 for my work desk, and then something more portable when I'm out that has several USB.

 

[chabig]

CalDigit makes excellent products. I have a TS2 and it's fantastic. If the TS3 has the ports you want, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that to you.

 

[KPOM]

I have a 16" MBP arriving on Thursday. It's my first Apple laptop with Thunderbolt 3 connections, so I'm diving into the dongle world for the first time. Ultimately, I'm trying to get as prepared as possible with all the dongles, docks, cables, and accessories I'll need in advance.

Things I often connect to my current desktop:

• iPhone X with Lightning to USB-A cable
• An old firewire audio interface that goes through a Thunderbolt 2 adapter, so I know I will need to run that through a Thunderbolt 3 adapter
• DisplayPort cable to connect to an external 27" monitor
• A few different USB 2 and 3.0 dongles (iLok and flash drives)

What's your favorite solution? A dock sounds great, but having to plug it into a wall isn't very mobile. Single adapters for each connection are convenient, but maybe not as cost effective as a dock, and you can end up using all your ports pretty quick? Are cables with the connections I need better than adapters?

Just trying to think through this as efficiently as possible. Thanks for any insights!

Check out Amazon. There are plenty of USB-C hubs out there. I have one that has 3 USB-A ports, Ethernet, SD, Micro SD, and HDMI. It was $60. Just get one and that solves 95% of any connectivity issues you might have. And explore wireless connections to monitors.

 

[Melodeath]

CalDigit makes excellent products. I have a TS2 and it's fantastic. If the TS3 has the ports you want, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that to you.

TS Plus looked great to me, but does have more than I need. I'll look into the TS2, but I dont think I saw it on their site. They also have a USB-C Pro Dock, which seemed pretty good. I'm not sure how it really differs from the Plus. It seems newer yet has fewer ports.

Check out Amazon. There are plenty of USB-C hubs out there. I have one that has 3 USB-A ports, Ethernet, SD, Micro SD, and HDMI. It was $60. Just get one and that solves 95% of any connectivity issues you might have. And explore wireless connections to monitors.

I found a few that looked great, but I'm wondering if single adapters are somehow less annoying. Do you find the hub cumbersome at all when traveling?