Received my 16gb/1TB 13" Air earlier this year, and I've been trying to set something up to meet my needs.
I would love to make use of the three screens I have available, and realize the M1 Macs only officially support one extra screen. I'm aware of workarounds/hacks that involve the use of DisplayLink, but that's back-burner for me right now.
My first attempt was <a href="https://www.hootoo.com/p/b07yb2znrn">this HooToo 8-in-one</a> that had worked so well with my previous employer's ThinkBook. It didn't work so well with the Mac though -- the screen connection kept flashing in and out, and the dongle got very very hot, which had me concerned.
Then, based on the multi-screen hack video I watched, I went with the <a href="https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-pro-dock/">CalDigit USB-C pro dock</a> (yes, I know it was the HDMI and not the DL version, but my current monitors are HDMI, etc). This had the screen working better and provided good power, but the laptop refused to find the ethernet connection, which is part of what I wanted it for, and the frustration finally got the better of me.
Currently I'm using this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/USB-Hub-Multiport-Adapter-Compatible/dp/B07RL5L8ZL/">FlePow USB C hub</a>, although I seem to have a version of it with only six ports. I'm using an Ethernet-to-USB-A dongle to make the connection there. It's pulling in the HDMI fine and the laptop finds the Internet connection no problem, but since it's not a powered hub, I have to use both USB-C ports on the machine and I'll have to get an additional power plug once we're all back in the office. Plus all three USB-A ports are now taken with the Ethernet, my headphones, and the dongle to charge/sync the iPhone.
Does anyone have a dock they would recommend? I don't think I'm going to invest in DisplayLink monitors just yet, but I could be talked into it if there was a setup that worked.
I would love to make use of the three screens I have available, and realize the M1 Macs only officially support one extra screen. I'm aware of workarounds/hacks that involve the use of DisplayLink, but that's back-burner for me right now.
My first attempt was <a href="https://www.hootoo.com/p/b07yb2znrn">this HooToo 8-in-one</a> that had worked so well with my previous employer's ThinkBook. It didn't work so well with the Mac though -- the screen connection kept flashing in and out, and the dongle got very very hot, which had me concerned.
Then, based on the multi-screen hack video I watched, I went with the <a href="https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-pro-dock/">CalDigit USB-C pro dock</a> (yes, I know it was the HDMI and not the DL version, but my current monitors are HDMI, etc). This had the screen working better and provided good power, but the laptop refused to find the ethernet connection, which is part of what I wanted it for, and the frustration finally got the better of me.
Currently I'm using this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/USB-Hub-Multiport-Adapter-Compatible/dp/B07RL5L8ZL/">FlePow USB C hub</a>, although I seem to have a version of it with only six ports. I'm using an Ethernet-to-USB-A dongle to make the connection there. It's pulling in the HDMI fine and the laptop finds the Internet connection no problem, but since it's not a powered hub, I have to use both USB-C ports on the machine and I'll have to get an additional power plug once we're all back in the office. Plus all three USB-A ports are now taken with the Ethernet, my headphones, and the dongle to charge/sync the iPhone.
Does anyone have a dock they would recommend? I don't think I'm going to invest in DisplayLink monitors just yet, but I could be talked into it if there was a setup that worked.
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