USB-C docking station not detected (Icy Box IB-DK2408-C)

[AdditionalPylons]

Hi all,
I got an Icy Box IB-DK2408-C docking station, which is USB-C based (i.e. not Thunderbolt).
Specs are available here: https://icybox.de/en/product.php?id=530
It specifically says "The ICY BOX IB-DK2408-C is compatible with Windows 10 (and higher) and macOS 10.11.x (and higher)".
I connect this to a MacBook Pro 16" 2019 with Mac OS Ventura 13.5.1 using a USB-C to USB-C cable (10 Gbps transfer capable, i.e. not just a power cable).
The computer is charging, but the problem is that I cannot get any other functionality. No USB devices, no network, no audio output etc.
No device is shown in System Report (About This Mac -> More info -> System Report -> Hardware -> USB).
For my other USB-C multiport adaptor (I-tec C31NANODOCKLANPD) everything shows up in System Report when I connect it.
Is there anything I have missed to check? Do I need to enable something somewhere?
I don't have a USB-C capable Windows PC to test with, but otherwise that would be the obvious thing to check.
I just got this dock for used free from someone no longer using it for the home office, so I haven't lost any money on it and in the worst case I'll just use it as an extra charger to avoid having to carry one with me, but if some of the ports could be used that would be great!

 

[PaulD-UK]

Since the dock has video HDMI/DP ports, is the Usb-c cable you are using DP-Alt mode compatible?

 

[AdditionalPylons]

Since the dock has video HDMI/DP ports, is the Usb-c cable you are using DP-Alt mode compatible?

Thanks, but I'm not able to find proper documentation about my cables. I don't have any other DP-alt-mode enabled devices, but went ahead with testing what I can, which is charging with two chargers as well as the dock, and data transfer using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test from a Samsung T7 SSD (rated 10 Gbps). The results for the three cables that I have are:

a) Prokord Cirafon USB-C to USB-C cable (1 meter, black).
- Specs: It has the 10 Gbps SuperSpeed USB logo on it and the page in the store says it is rated for 100W charging.
- Charging test: Works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- Data transfer test: It works for data transfer with my Samsung T7 SSD and has around 890.5 MB/s read speed in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, which is above USB 3.0 5 Gbps but limited by the disk performance, which means the cable should be rated at 10 Gbps.

b) Apple USB-C to USB-C original cable that came with the computer.
- Specs: Apple's product pages do not say anything about the data transfer speeds on this one, but it is mentioned briefly on the support page for another cable (the Thunderbolt 3 cable) that the charging cable is only USB 2.0.
- This one works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- It also works for data transfer with my Samsung T7 SSD, but gives only ~37 MB/s in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, so the cable is indeed limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

c) USB-C to USB-C cable that came with the Samsung T7 SSD.
- Specs: It came with an SSD that is advertised as up to 10 Gbps, so that's what I'd expect.
- This one works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- It shows around 890.5 MB/s read speed in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, which again means the cable should be rated at 10 Gbps (actual speed compared to the first cable is within the error margin of the small number of tests).

None of the three cables enable me to get anything but charging from the dock. It could of course still be that they should support something in addition, but if so what, and how is it possible to find cables that do?

Now here is the strangest thing:
I found a USB-A to USB-C cable, so I connected it to an old Windows laptop (USB-A port on the computer to USB-C port on the "computer" port of the Icy Box dock. Now the dock works, but of course only with limited functionality, since USB-A does not support alt-mode and thus no display output and also no charging. Therefore it is not an option for the Macbook, but confirm that the data part of the dock works.

I then connected my older I-tec C31NANODOCKLANPD USB-C dock in the following way:
Macbook Pro -> I-tec dock -> USB-A to USB-C cable -> computer port on Icy Box dock
(No this is not pretty.)
Then the following showed up:

This shows the gigabit ethernet and the audio device from the Icy Box dock (below the selected line, while the ones above are from the I-tec dock). There is also an EFM8 HID ISP which after some searching online seems to be an 8-bit microcontroller, but how it is used in the dock is beyond me.
This means the dock works with Mac OS, just not using the three USB-C cables that I have.
Maybe it is indeed worth looking for a new cable, but again, can the cable specifications actually be confirmed before buying it? It is not often shown in specs, and some may even be mislabeled, in particular cheaper ones from less well-known brands.
(On a final note I believe that the fact that all the devices from the dock are listed as USB 2.0 devices (max 480 Mbps) is because my USB-A to USB-C cable is most likely limited to USB 2.0 speeds.)

 

[mkallis]

Thanks, but I'm not able to find proper documentation about my cables. I don't have any other DP-alt-mode enabled devices, but went ahead with testing what I can, which is charging with two chargers as well as the dock, and data transfer using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test from a Samsung T7 SSD (rated 10 Gbps). The results for the three cables that I have are:

a) Prokord Cirafon USB-C to USB-C cable (1 meter, black).
- Specs: It has the 10 Gbps SuperSpeed USB logo on it and the page in the store says it is rated for 100W charging.
- Charging test: Works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- Data transfer test: It works for data transfer with my Samsung T7 SSD and has around 890.5 MB/s read speed in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, which is above USB 3.0 5 Gbps but limited by the disk performance, which means the cable should be rated at 10 Gbps.

b) Apple USB-C to USB-C original cable that came with the computer.
- Specs: Apple's product pages do not say anything about the data transfer speeds on this one, but it is mentioned briefly on the support page for another cable (the Thunderbolt 3 cable) that the charging cable is only USB 2.0.
- This one works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- It also works for data transfer with my Samsung T7 SSD, but gives only ~37 MB/s in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, so the cable is indeed limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

c) USB-C to USB-C cable that came with the Samsung T7 SSD.
- Specs: It came with an SSD that is advertised as up to 10 Gbps, so that's what I'd expect.
- This one works for charging the computer (both from this dock as well as from the original and 3rd party chargers)
- It shows around 890.5 MB/s read speed in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, which again means the cable should be rated at 10 Gbps (actual speed compared to the first cable is within the error margin of the small number of tests).

None of the three cables enable me to get anything but charging from the dock. It could of course still be that they should support something in addition, but if so what, and how is it possible to find cables that do?

Now here is the strangest thing:
I found a USB-A to USB-C cable, so I connected it to an old Windows laptop (USB-A port on the computer to USB-C port on the "computer" port of the Icy Box dock. Now the dock works, but of course only with limited functionality, since USB-A does not support alt-mode and thus no display output and also no charging. Therefore it is not an option for the Macbook, but confirm that the data part of the dock works.

I then connected my older I-tec C31NANODOCKLANPD USB-C dock in the following way:
Macbook Pro -> I-tec dock -> USB-A to USB-C cable -> computer port on Icy Box dock
(No this is not pretty.)
Then the following showed up:
View attachment 2251784
This shows the gigabit ethernet and the audio device from the Icy Box dock (below the selected line, while the ones above are from the I-tec dock). There is also an EFM8 HID ISP which after some searching online seems to be an 8-bit microcontroller, but how it is used in the dock is beyond me.
This means the dock works with Mac OS, just not using the three USB-C cables that I have.
Maybe it is indeed worth looking for a new cable, but again, can the cable specifications actually be confirmed before buying it? It is not often shown in specs, and some may even be mislabeled, in particular cheaper ones from less well-known brands.
(On a final note I believe that the fact that all the devices from the dock are listed as USB 2.0 devices (max 480 Mbps) is because my USB-A to USB-C cable is most likely limited to USB 2.0 speeds.)

Hi, I know this thread is a couple years old but I'm curious if the issue was ever resolved, as I'm having the same problem connecting the same dock to my MacBook Pro M1