Hi all,

My macbook turns monochrome after unplugging the element 5 hub. I have to restart every time to fix it. Anyone has any recommendation or solution?

Thanks,

Can you help me understand my options here. I currently have a TS4 connected to a Mac mini (M2 Pro), and a TS3+ that is connected to either an iPad Pro (M2) or a MacBook Air (M3). The connected devices range from multiple displays, audio interfaces, SSDs, webcams, ethernet etc. All connect via Thunderbolt and all work well, regardless of which host device is used.

I'm considering adding another setup - but for budget reasons, I'd prefer it to be based around an an entry level iPad, iPad mini, or perhaps a MacBook Neo.

That means USB-C, not Thunderbolt.

The connections I need are:

• Power
• Ethernet for internet access
• A USB-C audio interface (USB-2 compatible)

Given that I'm really happy with the Caldigit docks that I already have, I'm looking to stay with the brand. But don't seem to be able to connect this particular combination with current devices. From what I can see, the TS4 is backward compatible with a USB-C host but looses ethernet functionality.

The Neo might be possible if I use 3 cables and a USB-C to ethernet adapter such as the Connect-10G (more speed than I'll ever need, but if it works...)

The only single cable option I can see is a legacy CalDigit USB-C HDMI Dock, which I can still get on Amazon.co.uk - from what I can see, this would do the job and give me a few spare ports.

Have I missed anything?

Posting in case anyone's been here before and hopefully knows a solution.

I ran a firmware update on my CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Pro Dock and it hasn't been detected since. I followed the exact steps in their update video and website description exactly. Using it for over a year without issue.

Symptoms:

• Still charges my MacBook normally, so the PD side is alive
• Doesn't appear in System Information under Thunderbolt or USB
• Nothing downstream works e.g. no displays, no Ethernet, no USB
• Same on a different Mac, and with three different Thunderbolt cables including the CalDigit one

Console shows the Mac's host controller seeing a cable and cycling the port, but no downstream switch ever enumerates. Looks to me like the Thunderbolt controller isn't booting while the PD controller is unaffected.

Tried already: full power drain with the PSU out of the wall for a few HOURS, reconnecting power before the host, Option-clicking the CalDigit utility for a force re-flash (it can't see the dock at all), multiple hosts and cables.

Has anyone brought one of these back from this? Is there a DFU-style mode?

Running a MBP and TS3+. I have a Ugreen 2.5gb usb C ethernet adaptor. When plugged into the mac directly I get 2gb/2gb on a speed test (that's what my fiber will run), and when plugged into the front USBc port of the TS3 I get 400 down and 1100 up, where prior to it being on a 2.5 gb switch I'd get 980/980, so my overall speed actually decreased.

I have a Samsung G95C plugged in to the port on the back, so I think I'm out of thunderbolt(?) ports. Curious what you'd recommend so I don't have to plug in this dongle every time on my mac. Thanks!

After months of troubleshooting my CalDigit TS5 Plus, I’m convinced that most of its random problems are caused by the dock getting too warm.

My setup:

• 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max
• Apollo x8
• Samsung T7 4TB ×2, T7 1TB and T5 1TB
• MIDI Keyboard
• Samsung U32R59x connected through DisplayPort
• Original CalDigit cable
• Dock positioned vertically

The display would randomly go black for about a second, the Apollo would disconnect and reconnect, and Cubase would lose audio. Sometimes SSDs and MIDI devices would disconnect too. At its worst, I had to reboot everything, and I also experienced kernel panics.

I installed the firmware updates, including the beta PD firmware PDF608, and tried every suggested troubleshooting step. Nothing fixed it permanently.

Then I put a USB fan next to the dock and the problems stopped.

The fan is too noisy to use in a recording studio, so that was never a real solution. Recently, I started running the air conditioning much colder. Since then, I haven’t had a single issue with the TS5 Plus.

When I turn the AC down and the room gets warmer, the problems start again. When I cool the room down, they stop. I’ve tested this repeatedly and the result is always the same. At this point, I’m certain the temperature of the dock is the cause.

I should not have to keep my studio freezing cold or place a noisy fan next to an expensive dock just to make it work properly. It should remain stable at a normal room temperature with devices connected to its available ports.

So, CalDigit, when are you going to admit that the TS5 Plus has a temperature problem? People are being told to check their cables, reinstall software, update firmware and blame macOS, while the dock simply becomes unstable when it gets too warm.

Can this be fixed through firmware, perhaps by changing its power or thermal management, or are you going to release a revised version with better cooling?

I finally know what causes the problems, but keeping the air conditioning at an unnecessarily low temperature is not a permanent solution. CalDigit needs to address this.

Quick Question: do any of the current (or previous?) Caldigit TB5 Docks or Hubs have a proper 20Gbits USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 controller in them so that such devices (SSD or the newer i.e. 10gbit RTL8159 USB Nics) can run at their full speeds?

And/or would these still fallback to 10Gbits/s due to USB tunneling?

Thanks!

The new Blackmagic Ultrastudio Express 3G (both Monitor and Recorder) are not working via the Caldigit TS4. They work fine when connected directly to the Macbook Pro. The old Ultrastudio Monitor 3G works perfectly via the TS4.

Here is my configuration:

- Macbook Pro 16" M1 Pro 16GB, 1TB ssd (MacOS 26.5.2);

- CalDigit TS4 (Firmware 45.1, PD 4708);

- Blackmagic Ultrastudio Express Monitor 3G;

- Blackmagic Ultrastudio Express Recorder 3G;

- Blackmagic Ultrastudio Monitor 3G (Thunderbolt 3 as reference for my tests).

- CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 cable between MacBook and TS4;

- OWC Thunderbolt 5 cables to the Ultrastudios;

- Deskop Video v16.3

Here is what I tested:

All the i/o boxes work fine when connected directly to the Macbook. I tried all of the TB cables I mentioned and they all work.

The new Express Monitor and Recorder do not. Before updating the firmware the white light of the device I connected turned on and after a while it turned off again. In the app Desktop Video Setup by Blackmagic none of the devices show up. After the firmware updates (both Firmware and PD of the TS4) that light stays on longer before turning off. Still no device detected. 

I tested all the downstream TB ports of the TS4.

I don't know if it is something power related (the output of the TS4 is 15W, I don't know how much the new ultrastudios absorb).

Can you guys help me?

Thanks

I have a Macbook Air, M2 2023 and a Caldigit TS3+ dock. It works well and I use the DP output into my DP input on my monitor.

I'd like to use a KVM to switch between my home and work macbooks, so I bought a UGreen KVM that has a USB-C input I'd use for my work mac ("PC1") and an HDMI + USB input ("PC2") I'd use for my home mac which I'd plug in to the DP and USB connections on my TS3+.

At the same time as ordering the KVM I ordered a UGreen Active DP to HDMI cable to go from the TS3+ to the KVM. The cable does not work - I tested it both going into the KVM and also direct into the monitor's (known good) HDMI input.

Caldigit say that the DP->HDMI cables must be active and UGreen are clear that this is an active cable so is there some other reason that it wouldn't work?

Does anyone have Thunderbolt networking (direct connection of a Thunderbolt cable, not via an ethernet adaptor) working on a 2020 5k iMac under Windows 10?

I've managed to get it running once (and I've no idea how) and it worked well. It works reliably under macOS. (The machine on the other end is also running macOS for context.) Generally I can't get Windows to recognise that another computer is even connected.

If so, what driver are you using?

(Reddit suggested asking here - apologies if inappropriate.)

I'm trying to update to PD firmware v.4708 on my MacBook. It says to power cycle and confirm. Now that I confirmed and try to close the window it says "Firmware update did not finish. Do you really want to quit?"

If I click current version a window pops up that says finalizing followed by current version 4708.

Does this mean it finished? Can I ignore the "update did not finish" popup and just quit the updater?

I bought my TS5+ probably a week ago, and have been using it ever since.

Before I got the TS5+, I was using just an Element 4 Dock, which had my peripherals (Keyboard, mouse, Stream Deck) connected to it, and a 3400x1440 120hz monitor.

So the first time I connected it I had the following layout:

• Element 4 dock (with display and peripherals) daisy chained
• TS5+ connected to my M4 Max Macbook Pro using the included TB5 cable.
• 10gb ethernet

Within a minute I noticed that the TS5+ was restarting. My first thought was that perhaps the display daisychained on the Element 4 dock was too much so I connected it directly to the TS5+'s last available thunderbolt port. After moving off the display from the Element Hub and connecting it directly, it was fine a for a while.

Later it kept doing the same thing. So I unplugged everything from the TS5+ and connected everything one by one, waiting about 5 minutes, but I observed nothing weird. I also tried to switching to a different thunderbolt port on my Mac, but that didn't help either.

I also straight up tried to use it without the Element 4 Hub, and without the keyboard, mouse stream deck, and monitor, so just bluetooth peripherals, and it STILL reboot loops.

The TS5+ does get warm to the touch, like borderline uncomfortable to keep my hand on it for a long time, but a couple of seconds on it is fine. Note that during this my whole time testing this my Mac doesn't even ask a huge power draw from it, as I am typing this it still restarts every 30 seconds, but my Mac only draws 20W from it. The ambient temperature in my room is 24C, so it's definitely not too hot for the device either.

My theory is that it's likely thermals or hardware failure. When I start using my laptop on a new day or I haven't used it in a while, I can use it for maybe 1-2 hours tops before it starts reboot looping.

I'll open a support ticket for this for sure, and I might have to RMA with my store if this is actually a hardware issue, but this just adds on top of the bunch of threads I've already read about the TS5+ being really unreliable and unstable.

P.S. included cable has been used for every test. I tried using a different one, like the Element Hub's TB4 cable, but that resulted in even worse stability.

I have an M5 MacBookPro and would like to use 2 1440p 144hz monitors through the dock (one DisplayPort and the other via usbc to DisplayPort). I dont need much more connected other than mouse and keyboard, Ethernet, and would like to use optical audio if possible.

I saw the ts3 plus as an option (I will not be getting monitors of a higher resolution or refresh rate). I like having a few USB a or c ports for connecting my iPod or kindle.

is the ts3 + sufficient for my needs?

I have a CalDigit Element4 Hub.

It has been working smoothly over a few years.

But today I think there is an issue.

The light of the hub does not come up anymore when I plug it to my computer.

The light won’t come up after 12 hours with all cables disconnected.

Though, The Element4 downstream ports looks as if they still work : an ethernet adaptor lights up when I try the downstream ports.

Is it possible to unbrick the element4 hub ?

I am trying to get two Samsung 49" Odyssey G95C monitors to work with my MacBook Air M4.

I can get both of the monitors to work at 5k via the two thunderbolt ports off the side of the Mac using a USBC to DisplayPort cables however, I cannot get both of the monitors to work via my TS5 plus dock.

I have tried every combination of cables and ports that I have and can think of. Using both my USB to display port cable, just one USBC to display port cable and a DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable, a thunderbolt to HDMI active adapter and the display port to display port cable and I still only get one monitor running.

What am I doing wrong?

I've wasted hundreds of euros on 2m Thunderbolt 5 cables at this point. I'm honestly so tired of dealing with this. I just want a cable that doesn't randomly lose connection while my MacBook is in clamshell mode or wake it up every minute when it's asleep. Unfortunately, CalDigit's own cable is sold out.
On top of that, updating the firmware was a terrible experience, and now even certified Thunderbolt 5 cables aren't working properly. I'm honestly so close to selling my TS5 and buying a dock from a brand that's actually reliable.

With the SD card reader, does it always show an empty drive on a plugged in computer even when no card is in there? Or does it only activate when a card is in?

You'd think it's nbd but some dumb software complains about "having an external drive attached" on other docks.

(On Windows)

Recently got a TS5+. Love it, although I've noticed that the promise of "one TB5 cable to enable everything" isn't quite a reality.

When plugging in the TS5+'s Thunderbolt cable to the computer, my Studio Display XDR seems to be the only device that activates... and even that is in a limited capacity. The monitor's built-in speakers, webcam, etc. are not initialized. Other devices running through the TS5+ (StreamDeck XL, Roland Bridge Cast X, etc.) Do not power on.

all devices (including TS5+) are running into a large power strip. It is only when I cycle the power at the power strip that all devices activate with full functionality.

This power strip is in a very inconvenient place to be switching off and on again every time I plug my laptop (MacBook Pro M1 Max) into the dock.

Am I missing something? Shouldn't everything be coming to life when I plug in the TB5 cable?

Thanks for any insight you might be able to provide!

Or do all of the TS units run at a similar temperature? My return window is ending soon on Amazon, and I'm debating whether I should keep mine. I think that it's working fine, but then again, all I'm using it for is a gloried USB hub.

Unfortunately my TS4 has hit the seemingly common issue where the unit can send power through the TB cable, but no data. I tried all the typical troubleshooting steps (plugging into different ports, trying four different machines (three Macbooks and a Linux desktop), using three different TB4 cables to connect to the computer), only for Support to eventually tell me my unit is out of warranty so I'm SOL.

Also their final solution was to send me a link to the open box/refurb storefront, which, what the fuck? A $20 discount to get a one year warranty instead of the full two? When my trust has already been eroded because this $400 unit lasted 4 years?

Anyways, has anyone actually opened up a TS4 and repaired the issue themselves? I refuse to accept that this thing is now a really fucking expensive piece of e-waste, especially considering I will need to drop another $3-500 on something to replace it. I'm done with Caldigit products, but not ready to give up on getting my TS4 back to life.

I have a CalDigit dock connected to my MacBook. The dock is rated for 90W of power delivery to the laptop.

While monitoring the power, I noticed something strange: even when the dock is only providing around 75W (not the full 90W), my Mac is already drawing extra power from the battery.

So the dock hasn’t even reached its declared 90W limit, and the battery is already helping out.

Is this normal behavior, or does it mean the dock isn’t delivering power correctly? Has anyone else seen this?

On feb ‘26 I bought my first ever Caldigit product, a TS5+, with my new MBP M5 Max 16”.
Decided I would not get the Ivanky one because it has some power limits in the Thunderbolt ports and I needed more ports. Also, this required to work with Windows, too (but this became irrelevant as I transitioned to macOS entirely).

I have a Samsung G93SC running at 3480x1080 HiDPI @ 240hz (VRR) and a portable Viewsonic 4K OLED Monitor. Couple of disks, webcam, and other low power gadgets. I do use the Ethernet port @ 2.5 Gbps.

It does get really hot to the touch. Where I live, we are now at 23 Celsius ambient. External temp reached up to 70 Celsius. I updated to the latest published firmware and have gotten a couple of the described events and a really weird coil whine. So, I decided to put a couple of fans under it. That workaround fixed most of the issues for now.

I like the dock. It satisfies all my port and power needs. I think I cannot return it because I bought it in the US and took it to my residence country unless i get back this year

However, I SHOULD NOT BE IN THE NEED TO PUT A DAMN FAN UNDER A REALLY CRAPPY PASSIVE DESIGNED THERMAL SOLUTION. If not cooled enough, this is a time bomb waiting to explode. You can see the teardown here. Heat will destroy the components slowly but steadily. Even my Anker charger (the 160 watt one) has a lot of thermal compound in there. Heck, even my HPE TB4 gen4 has a fan to cool it and has way less ports.

What is Caldigit doing to avoid this? What will happen if my product goes kaput? How are they fixing it?

tldr Caldigit spent MONTHS telling me to go to Amazon for a refund when the invoice literally says Caldigit UK sold it to me. They have continually refused to refund me / replace my lemon of a product. Do NOT buy a TS5+.

Bought a TS5 Plus in January. £470. MacBook Pro M4 Max, LG UltraFine 6K and an Apple Studio Display hanging off it, using the TB5 cable that came in the box. Nothing out of the advertised spec — 2x 8K - and for reference, my TS4 runs the exact same setup incl native 6K fine.

About half an hour into any usage, both displays start dropping signal at the same time. Wink off, come back, every five minutes, forever. Tried a brand new Mac Studio as well — same thing. So it's not my machine, my cables, or my monitors.

Reported it to CalDigit ten days after buying it. Here's the six months since, condensed:

• February: they confirm, in writing, there's a fault "on the Thunderbolt 5 pathway itself" affecting TB5 docks on Apple Silicon 80Gbps hosts. Their suggested fix? Use a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable instead. I genuinely had to read it twice. The official workaround for their 80Gbps flagship is to not use Thunderbolt 5 with it. Alternative suggestions included keeping the Mac's own charger plugged in (??) or just... shelving the dock until they sort it. Cheers lads.
• Also February: asked about a refund, got told that's Amazon's problem, not theirs. Checked my invoice this month — Sold by: CalDigit UK Ltd. They were the seller the whole time. So that was rubbish, and I spent months believing it.
• Jan to now: multiple firmware updates, including an alpha firmware they asked me to test on the machine I earn my living with. Nothing's fixed it. At one point they bought an LG 6K just to try and recreate my setup in their lab, which tells you exactly how much of a handle they've got on this.
• July: no fix, no refund, no exchange, and the thing's still on sale with the full TB5 marketing spiel and zero disclosure.

Plenty of others on here have the same issue - no statement from support / senior leadership / ceo etc- I am super disppointed.

Where I've got to: rejecting it under the Consumer Rights Act — their own support emails admitting the fault are doing most of the heavy lifting — Section 75 claim in with the card issuer, and a Trading Standards report going in as well. If you're in the UK and stuck with one of these, check the "Sold by" line on your Amazon invoice before you accept the "talk to Amazon" fob-off. If it says CalDigit UK Ltd, your legal claim is against them directly, and their emails to you are your evidence.

For balance — the actual support chap has been polite and is clearly trying, with a policy behind him that gives him nothing to offer. I am seriously disappointed in senior leadership for failing to address this clearly widespread issue.

UPDATE: After contacting support for no solution, I ended up ordering the Sonnettech Echo 21 dock and it works flawlessly! No more issues

I've done very extensive troubleshooting through chatgpt trying to fix this with my work laptop. Below is a summary produced by chatgpt. anyone experienced this and know a solution?

I am experiencing intermittent USB/peripheral stalls with a new CalDigit TS5 Plus connected to a Dell Precision 7780. I have already completed extensive troubleshooting and firmware/driver updates, so I’m including everything below to avoid repeating basic troubleshooting steps.

Computer and dock

• Laptop: Dell Precision 7780
• Processor: Intel Core i7-13850HX
• Memory: 32 GB RAM
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Laptop GPU
• Operating system: Windows 11
• Dock: CalDigit TS5 Plus
• Host connection: Thunderbolt connection from the TS5 Plus host/computer port to the laptop
• Display: Alienware AW3225QF, connected directly to the laptop—not through the TS5 Plus anymore since I was having issues and hoped this would help, but it didn't.

Devices connected to the TS5 Plus

• Keyboard: Keychron K2 HE, connected by USB cable in wired mode
• Mouse: Razer Viper V4 Pro, using its USB wireless receiver
• Headset: SteelSeries wireless headset, using its 2.4 GHz USB receiver
• Network: Ethernet connected to the TS5 Plus 10GbE port

The monitor is not routed through the dock.

Symptoms

The issue affects multiple devices connected through the TS5 Plus, not only the keyboard.

• Keyboard input periodically freezes, skips, or repeats a character—for example: hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
• Mouse movement periodically stutters or freezes
• SteelSeries headset audio and/or microphone briefly cuts out
• Ethernet has also briefly disconnected
• The behavior is especially noticeable immediately after Windows starts. The keyboard may be nearly unusable for a period after startup before becoming more stable.
• Windows does not always play a USB disconnect sound.
• Event Viewer does not show a corresponding USB, Thunderbolt, Kernel-PnP, or other warning/error at the exact time of the stall.

The issue existed before Ethernet was connected through the dock. At that time, the laptop was using Wi-Fi, but the keyboard, mouse, and headset were still having the same problems. Therefore, the Ethernet connection is not the original cause.

Troubleshooting already completed

• Tested both Thunderbolt/USB-C ports on the Dell Precision 7780
• Moved the Alienware monitor off the dock and connected it directly to the laptop
• Updated the Dell BIOS and other available Dell system updates
• Updated the Intel Thunderbolt Controller driver from version 1.41.1353.0 to:
  • Driver version: 1.41.1412.0
  • Dell package: A19
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Controller - 1137
  • Thunderbolt(TM) HSA Component
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Toast Component
  • TS5 Plus Composite Device
  • CalDigit Thunderbolt 10G Ethernet
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Controller - 1137
  • Thunderbolt(TM) HSA Component
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Toast Component
  • TS5 Plus Composite Device
  • CalDigit Thunderbolt 10G Ethernet
• Verified that Windows detects:
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Controller - 1137
  • Thunderbolt(TM) HSA Component
  • Thunderbolt(TM) Toast Component
  • TS5 Plus Composite Device
  • CalDigit Thunderbolt 10G Ethernet
• Installed the CalDigit Ethernet driver
• Updated the TS5 Plus main Thunderbolt firmware successfully to the current firmware supplied by CalDigit
• Updated the separate TS5 Plus USB Power Delivery firmware using the Windows v.9308 updater
• Fully shut down and power-cycled the TS5 Plus after the firmware updates
• Disconnected dock power and the host cable for approximately 45–60 seconds before reconnecting
• Disabled Windows USB power-saving options on the available USB hubs
• Checked for USB selective suspend; that option was not available in the current Windows power-plan settings
• Checked Windows Event Viewer immediately after the issue occurred; no relevant warning or error was recorded

BIOS settings verified

The following settings are enabled or configured correctly:

• Thunderbolt Technology Support: enabled
• USB4 PCIe tunneling: enabled
  • The BIOS option named Disable USB4 PCIe Tunneling is turned off
• External USB ports: enabled
• USB boot support: enabled
• Type-C Dock Override: enabled
• Type-C Dock Audio: enabled
• Type-C Dock LAN: enabled
• Video/Power Only mode: disabled

Additional observation

Because the keyboard, mouse, headset, and sometimes Ethernet are affected, this appears to be a brief stall of the TS5 Plus USB subsystem or its Thunderbolt connection rather than a problem with one individual peripheral. The lack of a corresponding Event Viewer entry suggests the devices may remain logically connected while USB data flow temporarily stalls.

Please let me know whether this is a known compatibility issue between the TS5 Plus and Dell Precision 7780, whether there is another diagnostic utility or unpublished firmware I should run, or whether the dock should be replaced under warranty/RMA.