Thunderbolt dock or hub usb + adapter?

[bubulol]

Hey, i have a Macbook Air that misses a lack of connectivity
I recently bought couple usb and adapter stuffs
An 4 ports hub usb self powered + Ethernet to gigabit usb 3.0 + Thunderbolt to HDMI
I had issue with data transfer through Ethernet, big data transfers from my local NAS to my Macbook Air, continuously failed. As result, whole Ethernet connection eventually dropped.
I am wondering if a thunderbolt dock would be an overall better choice?
+ No more local data transfer issue
+ Less cables to handle
+ All In One vs 3 devices
- Very pricey!!!

Any advice would be appreciated
Thanks

 

[bubulol]

bump

 

[ColdCase]

I have two Startech TB docks that provide excellent ethernet support.

USB is more of cheap consumer grade stuff. Although there may be a couple good ones, any thunderbolt dock will out perform them by a wide margin for general purpose use.

 

[wuush]

Do you wanna spend that much money just because your Ethernet Connection doesn't work 100% ?
If its just because of that you should maybe think about purchasing the official Apple Ethernet Adapters (Thunderbolt or USB)
I use the Thunderbolt to Ethernet Adapter and it works flawlessly. There might be a problem with your USB-Hub or Ethernet-Adapter.
If i were in your position i wouldn't spend that much money (on a TB-DOck) just because the Ethernet doesn't work 100%.

1. Thunderbolt 2 is already outdated (Skylake will use TB3 and a new Connector)
2. A Thunderbolt2 Dock is really expensive compared to a USB-Solution.
3. A Macbook Air isn't meant for heavy workloads (What do you use it for?)
4. The Macbook Air is probably getting replaced by the Macbook Retina and USB-C/TB3 will be the new connector for everything that is still wired.

EDIT: http://de.ianker.com/product/A7514041 what do you think of this?

 

[bubulol]

Yes you re right, its too expensive for my use
The ethernet hub usb that you ve linked
I used similar one from Hootoo, i had many connection issues with it
I ordered, separate hub usb + ethernet usb 3.0 adapter + mini dp to hdmi/dvi adapter
For less than 50$ while a thunderbolt docking station would cost not less than 230$

 

[wuush]

You could try a powered USB-Hub. Im not an expert but thats what i would do.

How fast is your NAS does it need Gigabit Ethernet? (You could try the Apple USB-Ethernet Adapter)

Did you check your Ethernet Cables? (CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6?)

 

[bubulol]

Yes no probl with my ethernet cable, CAT6 i guess
Wifi: 200 mb (real speed)
Ethernet: 500 mb (real speed)
Wifi is fast enough but it doesnt mean i have no issues, speed transfer from NAS to Mac, seems to be a bit slow, HD movies have some lag while in ethernet it doesnt
I ordered an ethernet usb adapter + a self powered usb hub + bus powered usb hub

 

[wuush]

What happens when you plug the ethernet-usb adapter directly into your macbook?

 

[bubulol]

I had connecting issue with ethernet usb hub which is bus powered
Now i ordered self powered hub + another bus powered hub
+ separate usb ethernet adapter
My assumption is ethernet usb hub is unreliable if you need to transfer huge local folder (that contains many files)
If i connect ethernet adapter right directly into Macbook, i would bet i wont find any connecting or transferring issue

 

[zettabyte]

StarTech Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet with USB 3.0 Adapter Model #(TB2USB3GE), works excellent. I have both the Apple Ethernet -> Thunderbolt adapter and the StarTech, but I prefer the StarTech because you can use both the Ethernet and USB 3.0 at the same time, while working just as well than the Apple Adapter. It's very solid. + It won't cost you $200+ for a dock.

 

[bubulol]

I got ethernet adapter and self powered usb hub today
Ethernet adapter doesnt work on Windows lol although i have installed drivers
I use both OSX/Win
Dunno why it doesnt work anymore