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Satechi Launches New 9-in-1 On-the-Go Multiport USB-C Adapter

JasterMereel said:
Why is VGA included on these things? I see one person above mentioned that they need VGA still. Personally, I don't think I've had to touch a VGA connection in nearly a decade.

So, I'm definitely an n=1 situation, but in what cases do people still need to use VGA these days?
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Class and conference room projectors
 
looks like a piece of junk to me. Probably it is, being made in China. Wouldn't buy anything made there anymore.
 
I like it, but one small point. I would have thought the USB-C power & data could have been 1 port..
 
Is there any portable dock at any price that includes the following?

  • Thunderbolt 3 port(s)
  • 4K HDMI @ 60 Hz (ideally support for dual monitors at this resolution and speed - but I will settle for 1)
  • SD & Micro SD 4.0
  • 100W USB-C PD
  • Detachable Cables (1 short and 1 at least 1m)
  • GB Ethernet port
  • USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports
This is a mobile dock I would buy!
 
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ceriess said:
My experience with this company is that they sell junk. For instance, the keyboard I purchased that features a button above the numeric keypad whose sole function is to disconnect the keyboard from bluetooth if you touch it.
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My experience is the same. I own two of their usb-c dongle things, both were supposed to have gigabit ethernet, both have a hard time getting to even 250Mbit. One of them also advertised 60hz over HDMI, which it can't do. I've read many reports like this over here and on reddit. Their products look premium, are priced premium but often hit and miss.
 
alexjholland said:
Built-in cables is such a dumb 'feature'.

Sometimes I want a metre or more of cable length.

And it's an obvious point of failure.

Every dock with a built-in cable is dead to me.
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Yes, I especially like the process of trying to find a cable that works within the design specs of the output connector. Specs you and I don’t know. Built-in cables exist for a reason. Just like users like things that work for a reason.
 
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ericinboston said:
Another reason for VGA (my belief) is that VGA simply works. It always works. True plug and play. HDMI and other technologies are very often glitchy and cranky...gotta be the right cable certification...the digital technology is doing much more vetting of the handshake between the video card and the projector...checking for pirated (gasp!) content, etc. VGA is also extremely reliable for KVM switches...they just work. I've tried numerous non-VGA KVM switches at home and they're always flaky so I don't use them.
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This — exactly this. Guess what? Most server-rackable equipment still uses VGA too for exactly these reasons.

Really, HDMI is a consumer standard, and it's great for home theatre equipment and similar situations where you don't want end users to have to worry about futzing with resolutions, frame rates, and refresh rates, as it intelligently negotiates all of that itself. However, it's also one of the most annoyingly "chatty" connection methods out there.

Along the same lines, this is why serious studio environments use SDI rather than HDMI. Longer runs, no issues with HDCP getting in the way of stuff, and everything comes up lightning fast. Even HDMI-SDI adapters with SDI cable runs are better for equipment that's otherwise natively HDMI-based, as it still cuts out all of the stupid handshaking.
 
Just got mine. Cost me 37$ in duties on top of the price (from USA to Canada). The item itself is total junk. The hdmi port is intermittent (just touching the thing makes the display go black then back. Same cable works fine with other adapters). For some reason, my external spinning hard drive won't work with this. (even with ONLY the HD attached to it). Oh, and the SD card reader is hit and miss. I have to insert and remove 2-3 times to get it to read it (again, same works fine in other adapters/other macs).

Total piece of junk. I bought this ONLY because Macrumors recommended it and I was tired of chinese junk that don't work. Total sham. I've been fooled. I'll never trust a Macrumors recommendation again.
 
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ericinboston said:
1)The VGA cable has 2 screws to secure it in place. This is often critical for machines connected to projectors and/or rollaway carts.
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Yeah, and HDMI connectors somehow fall out more readily than anything else. The one thing I like about DisplayPort is it has a button to keep the connector in, which is much nicer than screws and achieves the same goal.
 
hot-gril said:
Yeah, and HDMI connectors somehow fall out more readily than anything else. The one thing I like about DisplayPort is it has a button to keep the connector in, which is much nicer than screws and achieves the same goal.
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I am getting this issue too in my school. I suspect all the tugging and jostling of the HDMI cable causes the port to loosen over time?
 
just got this hub today. One of the reasons I chose this one is the detachable cable, as I want to leave it hidden somewhere out of sight and connect a single cable to my MBP. The cable that comes with it is about 1 meter long, which is not long enough for my desired setup. So i tried using a 2 meter cable (the cable that comes with the macbook) but in this setup I get no video out of the HDMI port. I was wondering, would I need a thunderbolt rated cable for this to work?
 
I almost bought a Satechi hub/dock/adapter today, but when I tried to read the specs on their website I found their domain is expired. I might still buy the thing, but that's enough of a red flag to make me stop and think a minute.

Satechi® | Apple and PC Electronic Accessories | Free 2 Day Shipping on US Orders over $100

Satechi manufactures and delivers sleek accessories to people worldwide. Get the latest accessories for your iPhone, Mac, PC or Android device. Shop Now!
www.satechi.net www.satechi.net

Edit: satechi.net is valid but www.satechi.net is expired? How is that a thing?

ulysses
 
So has anyone got the advertised 4K@60Hz to work? Various reviews on Amazon and YouTube indicate it still only supports 4K@30Hz even on MacBook Pro M1.

I assumed this was doing a DP1.4 conversion to HDMI v2 based on limited spec info but given the inability to do 4K@60Hz, it’s probably just the same as the other older USB C hubs which are available from plenty of rebranded sellers on ebay/Amazon.
 
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jace88 said:
So has anyone got the advertised 4K@60Hz to work? Various reviews on Amazon and YouTube indicate it still only supports 4K@30Hz even on MacBook Pro M1.

I assumed this was doing a DP1.4 conversion to HDMI v2 based on limited spec info but given the inability to do 4K@60Hz, it’s probably just the same as the other older USB C hubs which are available from plenty of rebranded sellers on ebay/Amazon.
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The reason is a fundamental definition of USB-C:
If you want quick data transfer according to USB 3, then USB 3 already uses two of the four signal lines of the USB cable. The other two remain for the monitor signals, but that is only enough for 4k@30Hz.

In summary:
Those who want both fast data speeds and 4k@60 must:
- use a Thunderbolt dock
or
- connect the monitor directly via adapter cable (without a dock)
 
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Trying to decide between this and the Anker 8 in 1. Anyone have experience of the Anker? Which would you say is best?
 
JasterMereel said:
Why is VGA included on these things? I see one person above mentioned that they need VGA still. Personally, I don't think I've had to touch a VGA connection in nearly a decade.

So, I'm definitely an n=1 situation, but in what cases do people still need to use VGA these days?
Click to expand...

Well, I use my MacBook Air with a projector for presentations on a WXGA (1280x800 16:10) projector and screen, and for some reason 16:10 output is NOT compatible with HDMI - there's always letterboxing no matter which settings you play with, even though the MacBook Air display is also 16:10 aspect ratio. Only VGA works to fill the projector screen at the proper aspect ratio. I don't get it, but those are the facts on the ground.
 
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