LON:Ltd TB4 Dock

[macuser_777]

Hi Everyone - I recently purchased a Thunderbolt 4 hub from LON:Ltd. and am ahving issues getting it to work with my Pro Display XDR. I've reached out to their tech support, but afraid they aren't familiar with the Pro DIsplay XDR based on their response.



Link to item:

Lon:HUB Pro | Lon: First-Ever Connectivity Powerhouse

Lon:HUB Pro is our most advanced product yet. Featuring Thunderbolt 4 and multiple ports it can drive an 8K or up to 4x4K Displays. Save another 15% with Lon:Refurbished

lon.ltd

My initial message to them:

Had two questions upon receiving my shipment.
Are these some sort of pre-production units? I am seeing where ports are not aligning with silver bezel and quality issues.
I am attempting to use this with my Pro Display XDR monitor, but not getting any video.
Look forward to hearing from you.

LON's response:

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out.

These units are part of our Founder’s Edition, an early batch designed for our first supporters. As a growing startup, we prioritize innovation and rapid iteration, which sometimes means minor cosmetic variances in early units. However, we stand by their functionality and performance, and your feedback is incredibly helpful as we refine future versions.

As for the display issue, I’m assuming you are trying to connect your display through USB-C on the bottom side. This USB-C is not the optimal way to connect displays as it may lack the bandwidth, but HDMI’s or DisplayPorts would work without any problems. Can you please try using those and see if that helps.

My reply:

Hi –

Yes, your assumption would be correct. I am trying to connect via USB-C port. Pro Display XDR does not have the ports that you have mentioned.

LON's response:

Hi

Unfortunately, in this case you would have to use a USB-C to DisplayPort cable.

Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with

Thank you

Based on this, I feel that they may not be familiar with Pro Display XDR. I am using the Apple Thunderbolt 4/USB-C cable and am unable to get this working. Any suggestions? Anyone else owns one of these?

 

[PaulD-UK]

That dock doesn’t seem to have a TB3/4 output port, so it won’t work with Apple’s XDR Pro Display.

It’s not really the right dock for use with any Apple monitor but could be used for PC-type equipment, like 4K monitors or SSDs.

The Pro XDR uses a considerable amount of the available bandwidth from TB3/4 (especially if you plug USB 3 devices into the back of the XDR), so it works best when directly connected to the Mac’s TB port.

 

[seggy]

In looking at the website, I'd say it's looking like some sort of failed Kickstarter when most of your product shots are immediately obvious renders. Is it a Kickstarter?

EDIT: Oh wait, from their reply it is. It wouldn't surprise me if since the XDR displays in the product pictures are again just renders, it isn't a clear case of misrepresentation since there is no way the XDR will work with this dock as is.

On the flipside, all the ports are clearly labelled so it would be apparent to anyone who knows what they're buying that would be the case...

Perhaps try your luck with a DP-C cable as they say. In theory a HBR3/DSC compatible cable should work.
I'm assuming you're in UK, Amazon turns this up: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-DisplayPort-32-4Gbps-Backwards-Compatible-Black/dp/B0BJTRC3MC

 

[PaulD-UK]

That cable is the wrong way.
It’s USB-C at the computer end to DP at the monitor.

You need the other way.

 

[joevt]

The product page implies that the downstream USB-C port is data only. It does not support Thunderbolt or USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode.

There's only one Thunderbolt port and that is for upstream connection to the Mac.

Therefore, to connect a display, you must use one of the HDMI or DisplayPort ports.

The best option for the dock is to use a DisplayPort + USB 2.0 to USB-C cable to support all the USB features including brightness control, etc. (except the display's USB ports will be limited to USB 2.0).
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/alternative-to-the-belkin-vr-cable.2378619/
The XDR will use HBR2 with DSC to achieve 6K60.

The best option would be to connect the display directly to the Mac or get a Thunderbolt dock with a downstream Thunderbolt port.