CalDigitTS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock - 18 Ports, 98W Charging, 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 4, USB-A/C, 2.5GbE, 8K/6K Displays, Mac/PC/Chrome Compatible

Long story. I recently switched from a 2015 iMac 27" with an extra LG 27" monitor. The new setup is MacBook Pro M1 14" and added a second LG 27" monitor. Both the LG monitors are Thunderbolt 3 connections only.While I can connect the monitors to the laptop direct, I wanted something more unplug and go. The plan was to connect the two monitors via a dock. Then the laptop to the dock via a single cable, and things all work together. I had a dream.Tried one combo dock and a vertical stand. But it only supported HDMI inputs. I thought I would be able to connect the Thunderbolt connections from the monitors to the dock HDMI ports using some connectors. No go. I returned that dock. Then found another brand. It looked promising. I was about to hit the purchase button but then noticed at the bottom of the page a video link to the CalDigit TS4. Watching the video and reading other reviews, this was the one I really wanted.Now the only problem was at the time, Amazon showed it unavailable and no expected date. Checked the CalDigit site and other suppliers. All out of stock. This was either a phantom product or really popular.After a few weeks, I went to purchase something else, and just by chance, I returned to the TS4 product page. It showed as available. Faster than fast, I clicked that purchase button to lock it in. It arrived a few days later (this week). The setup was dead simple. Just unplug the monitor cables connected to my laptop over to the new dock. More the network cable. Then boom, everything works. Dual monitor working. The laptop is off to the side and still have plenty of deskspace for other stuff. And just a single cable to unplug the laptop if I'm going remote.The only a few negative comments. There are two. First, the dock seems to run very warm. Well warmer than I expected. Not hot, like melt your desk, or anything. Just warmer than expected to the touch. The second is the network awake. With the RJ-45 cable connected, when I go in the office in the morning, it doesn't seem to reconnect on wake. I like to have a hard-wire connect over using home WiFi. I know there are some fixes on the CalDigit support site. For me it was easier just to connect the home network direct to the laptop.My only other comment is to CallDigit to maybe drop the memory slots and replace them with another pair of high-speed USB ports. I personally have not had a need to use a card reader in over five years. Seems if someone had that need, there are USB products they could use instead. However, the same can be said of Apple on the latest laptops.Overall 9.5/10.0 Very well-made product. Solid material.

With the latest Macs having so few ports for peripherals, docks and hubs have become a necessity for many users. When recently adding an external monitor to use with my M1 MacBook Air I decided to finally replace all the dongles and hubs I was using until now. With one cable to the laptop, I can power or charge it and connect to the monitor (Display Port), two SSDs (USB) , a Time Machine hard drive (USB) , an audio interface and MIDI keyboard (USB) and still have an unused Thunderbolt port, three unused USB ports and a 2.5G Ethernet port available for future expansion.All the cabling connects to the rear of the box, keeping my desktop neat. The front ports allow me to read SD and micro SD cards and I can make temporary connections, like phones, cameras, thumb drives, etc. over three 10Gbps USB3 ports (two Type A, two Type C) for both data transfer and charging.In addition to charging my laptop (up to 98W), even when the laptop is disconnected it will charge over 5 of the USB ports (three USB-A, two USB-C) at 7.5W plus a third USB-C for 20W quick charging. Many hubs will only charge peripherals if the computer is connected, so this is a huge plus. I can hook up my phones and cameras and not have charging interrupted. The hefty power brick delivers full rated wattage to all ports at the same time for any connected peripherals, even while charging the laptop…over 150W in all.I don't use the stereo audio connections or the 2.5G Ethernet port but some users will find these welcome. There is no HDMI port. If you need one, you will need a USB3 or Thunderbolt adapter. It works perfectly with monitors with USB-C or Thunderbolt inputs. I tried this first with my monitor, but chose to go with DP instead to free up a USB-C port.The TS4 replaced a Thunderbolt powered hub and two passive USB3 hubs so I have freed up desk space and get higher USB data rates (USB3.2 10Gbps on all 8 USB ports) to boot.Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. For what this box can do, the price actually is reasonable.

I've gone through a number of docks for my 14" M1 Pro MacBook pro in the 18 months I've had my Mac. The Caldigit TS4 is BY FAR the best dock (and most expensive) that I've used. For me, it has the perfect combination of ports given the number of peripherals that I need to connect. Of course everyone's requirements are different. There are also a few specific features that really stand out:-Beefy 230W power supply. Why is this important? The 230W allows it fully power your laptop, even while driving a number of USB/TB devices also at full power. Other docks significantly reduce the laptop power as you connect more and more devices.-Spring loaded SD and microSD slots. A minor feature, but very welcomed. My prior Plugable TS4 dock slots were NOT spring loaded, and trying to get the microSD card out almost took pliers.-Host TB4 port is in the rear. Why dock manufacturers insist on putting the host upstream port on the front boggles the mind. I like a clean aesthetic, so the TS4's rear TB4 host port is perfect.-Mac specific software and firmware updater utilities. These mac specific packages and system extensions get the most out of the dock and enhance features like iPhone/iPad charging, allow ejecting all removable media at once, and increase monitor PD compatibility. No Windows PC needed for updates.-Physically the dock is built like a tank. The all aluminum body is very thick and premium feeling.-The DisplayPort 1.4 port can drive my 40" Dell Ultrawide 5K2K monitor at a full 60Hz.In short, the TS4 is amazing. I've had zero issues, and compatibility my M1 Pro MacBook and Ventura has been flawless. Yes, it is pricey, but it should be the last dock you need for your Mac. Make the investment and skip all of the other inferior docks out there.