MBP 13 2020 won't recognize USB devices from CalDigitTS3+ dock after sleeping and connecting to the dock, and after unplugging the dock it crashes

[Broko Fankone]

I'm not sure if this problem is exclusive to Catalina 10.15.6, but I can't say since my dock arrived after the latest update got shipped and I haven't tried if it works on 10.15.5.

Basically, I unplug the dock at night and put the MBP to sleep. The dock has in it a USB audio interface, a Logitech wireless dongle (for G604 mouse), a DP monitor and the power supply for the dock. When I plug the dock after the mac has been in sleep for hours, the mac won't recognize the audio card and the mouse (just like the USB issue we had in previous Catalina versions with all kinds of USB hubs and USB devices), but the monitor works and everything has power supplied to it, including the USB devices. Re-plugging USB devices to the dock doesn't fix it.

If I then unplug the dock and replug it, often the mac straight-up crashes completely and shuts down, powering on with an error that it recovered from a problem (I think it also does an SMC reset when this happens because it deletes my AlDente settings). Today this happened after plugging the dock in, and then unplugging it (so no re-plug). The mac crashed after just that.

The error report upon rebooting states: "Intel CrashLog recorded due to unexpected reset".

This reddit thread speaks of the exact same issue with a different monitor and some people with different docks:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/i0m9si

Basically, what I'm saying is that the original USB issue is not fixed yet and now it's much worse because:

1. You can't fix the USB problem unless you restart the mac - re-plugging the devices into the dock won't solve it
2. The macbook straight-up crashes and does an SMC reset, wiping your unsaved data and crashing anything else you might have open at the time, if you unplug the dock after plugging it and the USB devices have lost connection

I guess here we go waiting months for another potential fix, IF this even gets enough attention for Apple to even try fixing it. Please share if you have experienced this in any other way with other docks and devices. There needs to be a new fix issued for it ASAP.

 

[gahabana]

hi,
i have EXACTLY the same issue. With Caldigit TS Plus and 13" Macbook Pro 2020.
I bought another Thunderbolt 3 dock (i-tec I-TEC Thunderbolt 3 Dock... does not have USB-C 10gbit nor s/pdif and audio, and has HDMI instead of Displayport and also one free Thunderbolt 3 port (I use it for 10GbE card)).... long story short - similar behaviour. Sometimes after sleeping i do get picture on the monitor but all other USB devices are missing. If i try plug/unplug it usually results in a crash.

Therefore issue MUST be with Macos Catalina 10.15.6 OR MBP 2020 design.

Don't know which one is the root cause , but net is ALL Thunderbolt 3 docks are pretty much not working properly with Macbook Pro 2020 running Macos Catalina.

Have no clue what to do. Tried SMC reset, NVRAM/PRAM resets, Macos reinstallation , etc

 

[Broko Fankone]

Nothing will fix this other than a new fix issued by Apple.

If it can be fixed at all.

 

[Supra Mac]

Dang Broko, you can't catch a break on peripherals. Sorry I can't help. I had similar behavior that turned out to be the cable (USB-C) but you all are messing with TB3 cables and docks not easy to just get another one to test.

 

[gahabana]

hi @Supra Mac , i tried 2 different Thunderbolt docks and 4 different TB3 cables (o/w 3 came with these 2 docks). So it's for sure not the cable issue.
My monitor which is 2 years old via USB-C cable (which is also powering Macbook pro ) works just fine w/o any of the docks and all these TB3 cables work fine with 10GbE Q-Nap Network adapter.

 

[Broko Fankone]

Dang Broko, you can't catch a break on peripherals. Sorry I can't help. I had similar behavior that turned out to be the cable (USB-C) but you all are messing with TB3 cables and docks not easy to just get another one to test.

I wish it was just me but I am pretty sure the previous USB hub problem was widespread to a pretty significant extend - but not everyone uses usb 2.0 devices with macbooks so it wasn't a "loud" problem. Now the problem is even less visible because it remains unfixed particularly with TB3 docks and 2020 models, I imagine because of the new Intel chipsets (the error after the crash is about Intel as well).

I did hear from someone else about the same issue and it got fixed by using the cable that comes with the TS3+ box. But I am already using the same cable that it came with :/ Even if it is really down to just a cable, I don't have other TB3<>TB3 cables to experiment with at the moment, sadly.

There is little chance this problem is related to the cable since the USB losing connection happens after I unplug the mac and it sleeps. It seems to be a thing that happens while the mac sleeps on its own and then the good old USB issue happens at some point and now comes with a bonus system reset crash when you plug/unplug the dock afterwards.

If I keep the dock plugged in all night, then on the next day everything seems to work. It's a strange problem.

Now I just shut down the mac when I go to sleep and power it on the morning and connect the dock. Then everything seems to work, but it's still an annoying problem since I don't want to have to shut it down or keep the dock connected 24/7.

EDIT: I also got a response from CalDigit who seem to have done everything they can to fix it but say it is only fixable by Apple:

""Our engineers have been investigating into the brand new 2020 MacBooks as we’ve had detailed reports from several of our customers who have tried many different brands of docks, from OWC, Kensington, Elgato and ours and none of them have been able to function correctly via the latest chipsets in these Macs.""

 

[gahabana]

I wish it was just me but I am pretty sure the previous USB hub problem was widespread to a pretty significant extend - but not everyone uses usb 2.0 devices with macbooks so it wasn't a "loud" problem. Now the problem is even less visible because it remains unfixed particularly with TB3 docks and 2020 models, I imagine because of the new Intel chipsets (the error after the crash is about Intel as well).

I did hear from someone else about the same issue and it got fixed by using the cable that comes with the TS3+ box. But I am already using the same cable that it came with :/ Even if it is really down to just a cable, I don't have other TB3<>TB3 cables to experiment with at the moment, sadly.

There is little chance this problem is related to the cable since the USB losing connection happens after I unplug the mac and it sleeps. It seems to be a thing that happens while the mac sleeps on its own and then the good old USB issue happens at some point and now comes with a bonus system reset crash when you plug/unplug the dock afterwards.

If I keep the dock plugged in all night, then on the next day everything seems to work. It's a strange problem.

Now I just shut down the mac when I go to sleep and power it on the morning and connect the dock. Then everything seems to work, but it's still an annoying problem since I don't want to have to shut it down or keep the dock connected 24/7.

EDIT: I also got a response from CalDigit who seem to have done everything they can to fix it but say it is only fixable by Apple:

""Our engineers have been investigating into the brand new 2020 MacBooks as we’ve had detailed reports from several of our customers who have tried many different brands of docks, from OWC, Kensington, Elgato and ours and none of them have been able to function correctly via the latest chipsets in these Macs.""

spot on and 100% correct. i tried several (otherwise perfectly functioning TB3 cables).
issue is not the cable , nor the docks. either macos (SW) or macbooks (HW) ... my opinion is apple should fix it in sw, but as i am learning they are really slow and lousy at it.

 

[TechiEmmanuel]

hi,
i have EXACTLY the same issue. With Caldigit TS Plus and 13" Macbook Pro 2020.
I bought another Thunderbolt 3 dock (i-tec I-TEC Thunderbolt 3 Dock... does not have USB-C 10gbit nor s/pdif and audio, and has HDMI instead of Displayport and also one free Thunderbolt 3 port (I use it for 10GbE card)).... long story short - similar behaviour. Sometimes after sleeping i do get picture on the monitor but all other USB devices are missing. If i try plug/unplug it usually results in a crash.

Therefore issue MUST be with Macos Catalina 10.15.6 OR MBP 2020 design.

Don't know which one is the root cause , but net is ALL Thunderbolt 3 docks are pretty much not working properly with Macbook Pro 2020 running Macos Catalina.

Have no clue what to do. Tried SMC reset, NVRAM/PRAM resets, Macos reinstallation , etc

I'm experiencing this same issue. None of my USB devices show up after my MacBook wakes from an extended period of sleep. I initially thought it might be a compatibility issue with my unofficially-supported HP dock (which works perfectly otherwise), but I'm glad to know that's not the case.

 

[gatorb8]

Hey, I just made an account to reply here. I'm having the same issue. I feel like I just got ripped off because I just bought a 2020 Macbook pro to use the USB-C cable to have a seamless one cable experience. I have a beautiful dual monitor floating setup and extensive cable management done. However, this Caldigit TS3+ dock is total GARBAGE.

For one, every time I plug and unplug my mac, the left and right monitor will switch randomly and make me rearrange the orientation. Second, it seems like putting the mac to sleep while plugged in will crash it. Sometimes, unplugging it also crashes it. Also, none of the USB ports work - I thought my peripherals (wired keyboard, mouse with USB dongle) were broken. upgraded to bluetooth peripherals to avoid a headache.

The aux-in on the thing never works.

So currently, I'm using the dock as a glorified HDMI splitter. This thing is such crap for $250. Anyone have any solutions? I upgraded the firmware on caldigit's website and my Mac OS is up to date Catalina .6

 

[gahabana]

Hey, I just made an account to reply here. I'm having the same issue. I feel like I just got ripped off because I just bought a 2020 Macbook pro to use the USB-C cable to have a seamless one cable experience. I have a beautiful dual monitor floating setup and extensive cable management done. However, this Caldigit TS3+ dock is total GARBAGE.

For one, every time I plug and unplug my mac, the left and right monitor will switch randomly and make me rearrange the orientation. Second, it seems like putting the mac to sleep while plugged in will crash it. Sometimes, unplugging it also crashes it. Also, none of the USB ports work - I thought my peripherals (wired keyboard, mouse with USB dongle) were broken. upgraded to bluetooth peripherals to avoid a headache.

The aux-in on the thing never works.

So currently, I'm using the dock as a glorified HDMI splitter. This thing is such crap for $250. Anyone have any solutions? I upgraded the firmware on caldigit's website and my Mac OS is up to date Catalina .6

hi @gatorb8 ,
I thought the same what you did - "Caldigit TS3 Plus is the culrpit" .
I bought another 250$ ThunderBolt 3 dock (see my post above). And crashes of Macbook Pro 2020 13" still happen due to sleep, USB is not recognised (nor other ports) on it as well in a same way. I-Tec device is simpler device (less ports), but it crashes in the same way ... I only use one monitor - displayport from Caldigit and HDMI from I-Tec hub .... my monitor works fine (when laptop is not crashing) on both but the other things do not.
Hence, I think we got ripped off by Apple not by dock manufacturers. and not by 300$ but by 3000$+.
I hope and believe Apple can fix it from SW perspective but whether they even acknowledge the problem or decide to fix - I have no idea.

 

[Broko Fankone]

Hey, I just made an account to reply here. I'm having the same issue. I feel like I just got ripped off because I just bought a 2020 Macbook pro to use the USB-C cable to have a seamless one cable experience. I have a beautiful dual monitor floating setup and extensive cable management done. However, this Caldigit TS3+ dock is total GARBAGE.

For one, every time I plug and unplug my mac, the left and right monitor will switch randomly and make me rearrange the orientation. Second, it seems like putting the mac to sleep while plugged in will crash it. Sometimes, unplugging it also crashes it. Also, none of the USB ports work - I thought my peripherals (wired keyboard, mouse with USB dongle) were broken. upgraded to bluetooth peripherals to avoid a headache.

The aux-in on the thing never works.

So currently, I'm using the dock as a glorified HDMI splitter. This thing is such crap for $250. Anyone have any solutions? I upgraded the firmware on caldigit's website and my Mac OS is up to date Catalina .6

It's not the CalDigit TS3+ that is "total GARBAGE". I suggest you look at Apple and your Macbook first. It is no secret that only Apple users are experiencing such dramatic issues with peripherals and docks to the extend where elementary technology such as display port and USB is not working properly on a daily basis and the system crashes and does a self-reset of SMC every single time it goes to deep sleep and the dock cable is re-connected. The dock is pretty great, actually, and widely recommended by users of previous mac generations. It's just that 2020 Macs are highly defective when it comes to their ports and usb/TB/DP connectivity and Apple still hasn't fixed them completely, if they will ever fix them at all. Your problem with the monitors not waking up properly is a problem that macbooks have had from 2016 onwards. I've never had such problems on windows laptops and PCs. My gf has a 2016 MBP 13" and has had these problems for 3 years with dual monitors that rarely wake up at the same time. She has had to reconnect them countless times. You think the monitors are defective? Or is it hard to understand the facts, that modern macs are not actually reliable when it comes to peripherals?

For example, today I woke up the mac and plugged my DP monitor and it had went back to 60hz. Where is my 180hz option? It's gone. I re-connect the monitor and then I start seeing 180hz again. Do you think this has EVER happened on my GTX1080 laptop in the span of 2 years with the same monitor? A monitor that was connected to the laptop for months with not ever getting disconnected, with the laptop going to sleep or being shut down daily? Do you think I lost USB connection of the exact same usb devices for 2 years on the windows laptop? Answer is no, no I have not. Not a single time, actually.

P.S.

About the issue discussed in the opening post, the only reliable solution I have found so far is to do the following whenever I will not be using the mac for a long time:

1. Unplug the dock from the mac
2. Shut down the mac
3. Power the mac when I am about to start using it again
4. Plug in the dock

If I will be sleeping the mac for a few hours I just don't unplug the dock at all, then sleep the mac, and this has been reliable as well, so far, even overnight. When I go to sleep at night I unplug and shut down so that it doesn't trickle charge the battery constantly.

 

[Jochheim]

I noticed that I have exact the same problem as you with the exact same error message. I use a HP G2 thunderbolt dockingstation. When it works it is really great but the problem with not registering any usb devices and the crash makes a poor experience.... now we have to decide if we believe that Apple will someday fix this or if they just don’t care and we should return our MBP (if you can).

 

[gatorb8]

why are you so angry? You added nothing to the conversation. I know it’s a flaw with MacOS. You want me to build a new one by myself?

It's not the CalDigit TS3+ that is "total GARBAGE". I suggest you look at Apple and your Macbook first. It is no secret that only Apple users are experiencing such dramatic issues with peripherals and docks to the extend where elementary technology such as display port and USB is not working properly on a daily basis and the system crashes and does a self-reset of SMC every single time it goes to deep sleep and the dock cable is re-connected. The dock is pretty great, actually, and widely recommended by users of previous mac generations. It's just that 2020 Macs are highly defective when it comes to their ports and usb/TB/DP connectivity and Apple still hasn't fixed them completely, if they will ever fix them at all. Your problem with the monitors not waking up properly is a problem that macbooks have had from 2016 onwards. I've never had such problems on windows laptops and PCs. My gf has a 2016 MBP 13" and has had these problems for 3 years with dual monitors that rarely wake up at the same time. She has had to reconnect them countless times. You think the monitors are defective? Or is it hard to understand the facts, that modern macs are not actually reliable when it comes to peripherals?

For example, today I woke up the mac and plugged my DP monitor and it had went back to 60hz. Where is my 180hz option? It's gone. I re-connect the monitor and then I start seeing 180hz again. Do you think this has EVER happened on my GTX1080 laptop in the span of 2 years with the same monitor? A monitor that was connected to the laptop for months with not ever getting disconnected, with the laptop going to sleep or being shut down daily? Do you think I lost USB connection of the exact same usb devices for 2 years on the windows laptop? Answer is no, no I have not. Not a single time, actually.

P.S.

About the issue discussed in the opening post, the only reliable solution I have found so far is to do the following whenever I will not be using the mac for a long time:

1. Unplug the dock from the mac
2. Shut down the mac
3. Power the mac when I am about to start using it again
4. Plug in the dock

If I will be sleeping the mac for a few hours I just don't unplug the dock at all, then sleep the mac, and this has been reliable as well, so far, even overnight. When I go to sleep at night I unplug and shut down so that it doesn't trickle charge the battery constantly.

 

[Maverick3000]

Are you all experiencing these issues on 10.15.6?

I have a 2020 13” MBP and a CalDigit TS3+ with hdmi monitor (via DisplayPort to hdmi adapter), USB keyboard and mouse, hdd docking station (usb3) and audio and I haven’t had any issue in the couple of months I had this combo.
But I’m still on 10.15.5 and I have no intention of upgrading...

 

[Broko Fankone]

Are you all experiencing these issues on 10.15.6?

I have a 2020 13” MBP and a CalDigit TS3+ with hdmi monitor (via DisplayPort to hdmi adapter), USB keyboard and mouse, hdd docking station (usb3) and audio and I haven’t had any issue in the couple of months I had this combo.
But I’m still on 10.15.5 and I have no intention of upgrading...

Yes, I am pretty sure the issue is with 10.15.6 since everyone so far has reported it on that version and a few users wrote they didn't have such problems on 10.15.5. (.5 had a different issue with USB 2.0 losing connection over all kinds of USB-C hubs and usb adapters, except OTG adapters that were a workaround but required you use multiple ports).

 

[gahabana]

I have installed in separate partition latest Big Sur public beta - macOS Big Sur 11 beta 4 (20A5343i).

None of the 2 Thunderbolt 3 docks are working (any) better. Problem is evident both with Caldigit as well as with I-Tec .
Put laptop to sleep and disconnect from dock, once the laptop is sleeping for 5 mins connect it back to dock - all ports are gone, and when i try to re-plug it again it crashes with "Intel CrashLog recorded due to unexpected reset".

So issue is there both in Catalina 10.15.6 as well as Big Sur beta 4. I hope it is something that Apple would acknowledge and fix. Unless it's HW design flaw ...

 

[Broko Fankone]

I have installed in separate partition latest Big Sur public beta - macOS Big Sur 11 beta 4 (20A5343i).

None of the 2 Thunderbolt 3 docks are working (any) better. Problem is evident both with Caldigit as well as with I-Tec .
Put laptop to sleep and disconnect from dock, once the laptop is sleeping for 5 mins connect it back to dock - all ports are gone, and when i try to re-plug it again it crashes with "Intel CrashLog recorded due to unexpected reset".

So issue is there both in Catalina 10.15.6 as well as Big Sur beta 4. I hope it is something that Apple would acknowledge and fix. Unless it's HW design flaw ...

As far I know the original USB problem is not yet fixed on Big Sur (beta 4). The original problem is described in full detail here.

I would hope for Catalina to sort this problem out completely first, and then Big Sur should have the fix by the time it gets released - it's still in public beta after all.

There is no indication if it's a HW problem since the issue from that thread actually got fixed. I have tried it with USB-C docks (apple's own multiport dock) and a USB-A to USB-C connector (again from apple) and the problem was gone on 10.15.6. Ironically, at that time my dock arrived and I found out there were issues with docks.

The dock is so convenient that I plan to keep using it and hoping the issue is fixed. The steps I described above in a previous post are working fine for now with 0 crashes (to unplug the dock and shut down the mac, then power on the mac and plug the dock).

There should be no problems with USB losing connection or a crash with these steps.

Option two is simply never disconnect the dock and just put the mac to sleep when you stop using it. I have tested this overnight a couple of times and when I when I wake up the mac everything worked.

It seems the problem happens when the mac sleeps and the dock is disconnected, then gets reconnected after you wake up the mac - at least in my case, based on the testing I have done. Try the steps and let me know if you can work around the problem in this way with your own docks.

 

[Mattemt294]

I’m having the same issue. Ironically I didn’t have the old USB issue but since the latest update no mouse will work with my Kensington thunderbolt dock with my MBP 2020 i5. I tried three mice none work and it doesn’t even appear to be providing power but I’ve tried it on my Windows machine and plugged directly into the Mac with no issue. So annoying. Nothing I do gets it to work

 

[gahabana]

hi all, i did naked install on one of the partitions of Macos 10.15.5.
Issues seem not to exist and I can put macbook to sleep, disconnect, wait 5-10 mins, reconnect and i do not get a crash and all ports are visible (both Thunderbolt docks).
Therefore it is a SW bug i dont know if Apple will give it any attention as it was introdcued in Catalina 10.15.6 as well as Big Sure Beta 4.
I underestand 10.15.6 did fix some other USB related issues so maybe 10.15.5 helps noone but if you are on 10.15.5 do NOT upgrade !

fyi: i did log this on apple forum (for what it's worth): https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251654275?answerId=253224562022#253224562022

 

[posguy99]

Don't know which one is the root cause , but net is ALL Thunderbolt 3 docks are pretty much not working properly with Macbook Pro 2020 running Macos Catalina.

So the one I use every day is therefore my imagination? You did say "all"? https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-pro-dock/

 

[Broko Fankone]

So the one I use every day is therefore my imagination? You did say "all"? https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-pro-dock/

There is a difference between the USB-C pro dock and the TB3+ dock. When the original USB problem was apparent in 10.15.5, it was the dock TS3+ which solved it for some reason due to the way it handles USB signal (being a terminating proxy), while the USB-C dock in particular still had issues with dropping connection to USB 2.0 devices just as every single usb-c dongle (if you didn't have this issue on 10.15.5 then you either got extremely and unlikely lucky, or you didn't use usb 2.0 devices).

After the 10.15.6 patch the USB problems were solved, essentially fixing USB-C pro and normal USB-C dongles, but at the same time creating a new problem for most thunderbolt 3 docks. It is unclear if it's for "all" of them, but it is clear that pretty much all of the top brands have suffered the issue and multiple users have confirmed this. (for example, check this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251654275)

Again, I will quote what CalDigit themselves wrote to me:

"Our engineers have been investigating into the brand new 2020 MacBooks as we’ve had detailed reports from several of our customers who have tried many different brands of docks, from OWC, Kensington, Elgato and ours and none of them have been able to function correctly via the latest chipsets in these Macs."

That's from the brand that makes your USB-C Pro dock, maybe you will trust them if not us.

Additional dock models mentioned by users the apple thread:

i-tec Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Docking Station
Caldigit TB mini-dock
HP G2 Thunderbolt Dockingstation
Kensington SD5550T

There are also reports of this crash happening with just a monitor connected over a TB3 cable. But through a dock the problem includes USB devices also connected to the dock losing connection, and the same crash can happen.

 

[gahabana]

So the one I use every day is therefore my imagination? You did say "all"? https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-pro-dock/

hi @posguy99 ,
valid point. However your dock is USB-C not thunderbolt 3 ... i should've said 'most Thunderbolt 3 Docks' ... USB-C docks and those that are compatible with thunderbolt 3 like yours i think only use it for display (to drive 4k) rather then leveraging 40Gb bandwidth available to Thunderbolt 3.
But, really good to know which docks work well. If i did not need Thunderbolt port on a dock, I would've gone with one like yours. I do have both TB3 NVME drive as well as 10GbEthernet adapter so having extra TB3 port was valuable to me.

 

[whynotminot]

Chiming in to say I am having this same problem, but I don't lay the blame at the feet of the Cal Digit. Why? Because my 2017 MacBook Pro worked just fine with my setup.

I upgraded to the 2020 and now it's a damn mess. USB peripherals failing to work, webcam on my LG Ultrafine 5K choppy and unusable, and fairly frequent restarts. Not to mention my bluetooth peripherals failing to connect / needing to restart bluetooth on the regular.

I love the raw power of this new MacBook, but the software experience has been far below what we should expect from Apple. Somewhat of a disaster and months in still not fix.

 

[posguy99]

hi @posguy99 ,
valid point. However your dock is USB-C not thunderbolt 3 ... i should've said 'most Thunderbolt 3 Docks' ... USB-C docks and those that are compatible with thunderbolt 3 like yours i think only use it for display (to drive 4k) rather then leveraging 40Gb bandwidth available to Thunderbolt 3.

Except it *is* TB3, of course. Yes, I can (A) read product briefs, (B) own one and can easily see what the hardware is.

 

[Broko Fankone]

Except it *is* TB3, of course. Yes, I can (A) read product briefs, (B) own one and can easily see what the hardware is.

Refer to my post again. All I can say is that Caldigit themselves have confirmed USB-C Pro is not a terminating proxy and TS3+ is a terminating proxy - and they did so in this forum. This difference alone was enough to have users completely solve the previous USB problems with TS3+ while USB-c pro users still had the problem. There is a difference between the docks and it's not about TB3. I can't say if this difference is the reason you don't have the issue now, but am I saying there is a big difference in how they treat USB signal.