Plugable USB-C Mini Docking Station attaches to VESA, provides 85W power, Ethernet, USB-A ...

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2018
A new USB-C dock from Plugable returns legacy ports to users including Ethernet and USB type A, in an enclosure that can be easily attached to the VESA mount on the back of a display.




The new UD-CAM USB-C dock from Plugable provides a single HDMI 1.4 port for 4K resolution at 30Hz, or lower resolutions at 60Hz. Additionally, it has one USB 3.0 type A port on the front, and three on the back, plus Gigabit Ethernet on the back, and a headphone jack on the front.

Connectivity from the host system is provided by a full 10 Gbps connection from the host system when available. The dock is incompatible with Apple's USB Superdrive, as are most docks, but third-party optical drives function fine.

Included in the package are the dock, the VESA mount to attach the dock to a display, a 100W power supply, and a 1 meter USB-C to USB-C cable.




The Plugable UD-CAM dock is compatible with the 12-inch MacBook, and the 2016 and newer 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro running macOS 10.12.6 or newer. It retails for $119, and is available now.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    I don’t get it. And not very Mac-like either.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    lkrupp said:
    I don’t get it. And not very Mac-like either.
    It's about as Mac-like as any other Thunderbolt dock. You either need one, or you don't, I guess.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    It doesn't have to be too Mac like as it's meant to be mounted on the back of a monitor (aka, you'd never see it)

    So clarification... can I mount this on the monitor and then mount the monitor on a VESA stand through the dock? That would be better if possible.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    jkichline said:
    It doesn't have to be too Mac like as it's meant to be mounted on the back of a monitor (aka, you'd never see it)

    So clarification... can I mount this on the monitor and then mount the monitor on a VESA stand through the dock? That would be better if possible.
    Not certain. I've asked -- but it doesn't look like a pass-through VESA is possible at first glance.

    The Kensington TB3 dock has a plate to attach to a VESA mount, and still be able to use it. The Sonnet mini eGPU solution has a mount that works in conjunction with some VESA mounts, but I can't get it to work with mine.
    edited January 2018
  • Reply 5 of 15
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,464member
    jkichline said:
    It doesn't have to be too Mac like as it's meant to be mounted on the back of a monitor (aka, you'd never see it)

    So clarification... can I mount this on the monitor and then mount the monitor on a VESA stand through the dock? That would be better if possible.
    Oh so we're now saying that Apple did not have to keep a thin profile for the iMac Pro and instead could've made it thicker to allow for better airflow and replaceable memory because no one gets to the back?
  • Reply 6 of 15
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    bloggerblog said:
    jkichline said:
    It doesn't have to be too Mac like as it's meant to be mounted on the back of a monitor (aka, you'd never see it)

    So clarification... can I mount this on the monitor and then mount the monitor on a VESA stand through the dock? That would be better if possible.
    Oh so we're now saying that Apple did not have to keep a thin profile for the iMac Pro and instead could've made it thicker to allow for better airflow and replaceable memory because no one gets to the back?
    I really have no idea what you're going for with this. While I'm sure that this dock can be used with an iMac, there's no compelling reason for it to be so.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Call me anal (or worse)...
    But I never thought of things like this as a docking station.   I always thought them as a simple hub (although they're getting a bit fancier.)

    To me a docking station is more like the setup with the iPad Pro and Smart Connector -- with a direct connector.  And, in my experience, where you simply drop the computer into the dock and never have to open it for any reason -- even to power it on -- because everything is controlled by and through the docking station...
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 968member
    I think the idea is that the presence of ethernet and HDMI (and VESA, for that matter) makes it a sort of permanent fixture of the workplace, whereas a hub has a notion of portability? I agree with you, though, to me this is a dock: https://hengedocks.com/pages/vertical-macbook-pro-2016
  • Reply 9 of 15
    stenarstenar Posts: 21member
    They're calling this a "mini dock"? It looks line one of the largest docks I've seen.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    bloggerblog said:
    jkichline said:
    It doesn't have to be too Mac like as it's meant to be mounted on the back of a monitor (aka, you'd never see it)

    So clarification... can I mount this on the monitor and then mount the monitor on a VESA stand through the dock? That would be better if possible.
    Oh so we're now saying that Apple did not have to keep a thin profile for the iMac Pro and instead could've made it thicker to allow for better airflow and replaceable memory because no one gets to the back?
    Why on earth would you need this thing with an iMac Pro (or non-Pro for that matter)? They already have all of these ports.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    PickUrPoisonPickUrPoison Posts: 302member
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    lkrupp said:
    I don’t get it. And not very Mac-like either.
    It's about as Mac-like as any other Thunderbolt dock. You either need one, or you don't, I guess.
    It seems like it’s a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) dock, not a Thunderbolt dock (although they both use the USB-C connector). The $119 price point is consistent with it being a USB 3.1 dock, as is the 10 Gbps host bandwidth spec. 
  • Reply 12 of 15
    the_understudythe_understudy Posts: 5member
    lkrupp said:
    I don’t get it. And not very Mac-like either.
    You can single cable attach your usb-c MacBook/Pro to any monitor, like you can with the dedicated LG screens. I get it and can see the benefit. It’s hardly ‘Ive-like’, but pretty innofensive. I don’t get the VESA mount though.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,360member
    I may be nit-picking or have unreasonable expectations but I want 4K@60Hz. I'll need all new gear to get that though.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    PickUrPoison said:
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    lkrupp said:
    I don’t get it. And not very Mac-like either.
    It's about as Mac-like as any other Thunderbolt dock. You either need one, or you don't, I guess.
    It seems like it’s a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) dock, not a Thunderbolt dock (although they both use the USB-C connector). The $119 price point is consistent with it being a USB 3.1 dock, as is the 10 Gbps host bandwidth spec. 
    It is, yes. The point was, the TB3 docks aren't any more or less Mac-like than this one is.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    PickUrPoisonPickUrPoison Posts: 302member
    Thanks for the correction, it can be confusing when people talk about thunderbolt or TB3 docks when referencing these non-thunderbolt docks. 
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