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My Caldigit Element 4 Hub seems to be dead
- Thread starter hajime
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Wrong forum.
Anyhow, I have read elsewhere that these can overheat and die if supplying a lot of power, such as running multiple bus powered peripherals and charging a MacBook Pro at the same time.
BTW, I also saw a review of the TS4 dock where the LED alone died, but the rest of the dock was still working.
Anyhow, I have read elsewhere that these can overheat and die if supplying a lot of power, such as running multiple bus powered peripherals and charging a MacBook Pro at the same time.
BTW, I also saw a review of the TS4 dock where the LED alone died, but the rest of the dock was still working.
Well, that isn't encouraging.
I had previously thought that CalDigit docks and hubs were well-respected. In fact, Apple even sells them. However, judging by various reviews and posts out there, some of the models like the Element Hub may have a habit of dying prematurely, probably due to excessive heat. See this review at 7'21" for example:
I have had my Element hub for years. I ordered one when they were first announced, paid $140. Haven't had any issues using it with my 2016 MBP. I assume you did the usual troubleshooting: used an alternate Thunderbolt 4 cable, plugged it into another computer/port, checked power, etc. My understanding about the blue light is that it is NOT a power indicator. It glows when a connection is established with the computer. If it is not coming on then it could indicate a lack of connection with your computer.
If nothing else, contact Caldigit and see about a replacement/repair.
If nothing else, contact Caldigit and see about a replacement/repair.
Nice price. I guess it went from US$139.99 to US$179.99 to US$199.99 to now US$249.99. Ouch.
Depending upon what Mac I'll get, I'll may get a USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 hub, but something cheaper like the Plugable 5-in-1 hub (US$169 with free USB-C to HDMI dongle) or Club 3D 5-in-1 hub (US$189 in USA with no dongle, but priced cheaper here in Canada).
They use to be. I have their TS3+ still had a TS4 and returned it after they kept blaming Apple for their issues. Ethernet stops working, screens not waking, and so on. Turned out it was their issue months later and many many users were having it. But they kept blaming Apple for it. Windows machines had it too. LOL. I don't trust them any more myself after that.Well, that isn't encouraging.
I had previously thought that CalDigit docks and hubs were well-respected. In fact, Apple even sells them. However, judging by various reviews and posts out there, some of the models like the Element Hub may have a habit of dying prematurely, probably due to excessive heat. See this review at 7'21" for example:
So they told me that for RMA, "Each party will be responsible for the cost of sending the unit in their possession to the other party in accordance with our limited warranty."
So even their product die within warranty, I have to pay for the shipping cost to send the defective product to them?
If that is the case, never buy anything from them again.
Anybody has experience RMAing their product?
So even their product die within warranty, I have to pay for the shipping cost to send the defective product to them?
If that is the case, never buy anything from them again.
Anybody has experience RMAing their product?
Given that their product dies so quickly even with good care, I don't have confident on their products. Not sure if it is worth to spend the shipping cost to get a replacement which may also fail quickly.
Actually, yes it is. Even if most larger companies will cover shipping in both directions, many companies will not. It would seem that CalDigit falls into the latter category. What I've sometimes encountered is that you're responsible for shipping to them, but they'll cover shipping back to you after repair/replacement. I'm not sure if that is what CalDigit does, but I would hope they would at least do that.
The shipping policies vary with each company. And even within the same company, the warranty may be different in different countries.
On this Thanksgiving Day morning, I awoke to a dead CalDigit hub. Really annoyed. Will contact the company tomorrow but would not buy their units again.
Which hub, and how long have you had it for? What kind of devices are attached? Just curious.Anyhow, it looks like I may be buying another brand. I'm not sure if it will last longer or not, but other brands have the same chipset as the Element Hub for less money. However, while the ones I've seen for lower cost have the same number of USB-C ports, they have fewer USB-A ports. I'm fine with that.
I have the Caldigit TS3+ since launch and have never run into any problems with it although the blue indicator light died after a year or so. I considered upgrading, but I’m glad I haven’t taken the plunge on that yet. Currently, the TS3+ is working perfectly in use with my 16” MBP M1 Pro and 2 external 27” monitors along with a few external drives, etc. I also swap the MPB with my work issued Dell laptop as needed on the TS3+ when I’m WFH. It does get hot, but again, no issues so far.
Since I work in IT and have for 30 years I’ve only had a handful of times had to pay to ship a product off to get fixed. 90% of the time they pay for it. Like I said, I’ve got a lot of tech experience and it’s what I’ve seen. Caldigit was the first in a while I had to pay for it.