The Belkin Thunderbolt is a great one cable solution for Macs that have the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports (Note: Apple has some Macs on the market that have a USB-C port without Thunderbolt 3 speeds, so be sure you are pairing this with a compatible Mac). My tests are with a 2016, 15 inch MBP with Touchbar that has four USB-C/TB3 ports.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
The Ports
The Belkin Dock has 2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports, 3 USB-A 3.0 Ports (1.5 a charging Each), 1 DisplayPort, 1 Audio in/out port, 1 Audio out port and 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. First off, I have also tested Dell'sTB3 Dock and I am still curious why these docks don't have a standard HDMI port. Personally, I would happily give up both of the analog audio ports for one HDMI port. Also, unlike the Dell TB16, the Belkin is a good looking sleek, silver design, as apposed to an ugly black plastic box, and has a standard, longer (Dell includes a non-standard much shorter cable) thunderbolt cable.
Some typical tests
Outside of my minor complaints about the lack of HDMI, this dock works great for my needs. It powers the MBP and adds ethernet to it. The Display port is hooked up to a HP Spectre 4k monitor and it is sending it a 3840x2160 - 60Hz signal. For the second monitor, I have tested an Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter and it worked with my second monitor. (As a side note, I feed an Onkyo receiver the signal and it sends HDMI out to a Vizio display). Unfortunately, my Vizio monitor only shows 2160p as the resolution, so I am not sure if it is 60Hz or not.
I plugged in a Samsung T3 SSD external drive into one of the USB 3 ports of the dock and ran a Black Magic speed test. It is a bit slower than plugging the drive directly into the MBP, but it is still getting write speeds at about 285 MB/s and read speeds of around 340 MB/s, so it still works for my needs. My understanding is that if you use multiple ports (i.e. ethernet and USB) to transfer data simultaneously, you will lose speed on each port. I am using this for my home office, so I don't need super-speedy professional processes like transferring video over one port and moving large files on another via the dock. However, if you are in that situation, you may want to research the issue.
I plugged in a Samsung T3 SSD external drive into one of the USB 3 ports of the dock and ran a Black Magic speed test. It is a bit slower than plugging the drive directly into the MBP, but it is still getting write speeds at about 285 MB/s and read speeds of around 340 MB/s, so it still works for my needs. My understanding is that if you use multiple ports (i.e. ethernet and USB) to transfer data simultaneously, you will lose speed on each port. I am using this for my home office, so I don't need super-speedy professional processes like transferring video over one port and moving large files on another via the dock. However, if you are in that situation, you may want to research the issue.
My setup and use cases
Typically, I will be running the second thunderbolt port to my older Elgato Thunderbolt 2 dock (that I have reviewed here) rather than using the Anker adapter I mentioned above. It worked flawlessly* with the Belkin. My Elgato has numerous Seagate Thunderbolt docks attached and has an HDMI output and they all worked great with the Belkin. Also, my USB keyboard and mouse were already attached to the Elgato and I was able to use them, as well, through the Belkin, with this setup.
I did test the analog output on the front with some headphones, though I will never use that port since I have a headphone setup and the Onkyo that I already have setup in the room. However, it shows up as "USB Audio CODEC" on my MBP and I tested it and everything was loud and clear. I am not sure what DACs they are using in the dock, but it should satisfy most non-audiophiles.
I did test the analog output on the front with some headphones, though I will never use that port since I have a headphone setup and the Onkyo that I already have setup in the room. However, it shows up as "USB Audio CODEC" on my MBP and I tested it and everything was loud and clear. I am not sure what DACs they are using in the dock, but it should satisfy most non-audiophiles.
Target Display Mode with 2011 iMac
As I mentioned, the Belkin and Elgato Docks get along great. However, there may still be one reason to just plug the Elgato Dock into the MBP directly and connect the Belkin to another USB-C port rather than just daisy chaining them. First off, you free up that extra thunderbolt 3 port on the Belkin that can be used for faster peripherals.
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Secondly, I ran into an issue when I used the two docks together with Target Display mode (Note: This allows the iMac to be used as a display) on my 2011 iMac. Quite often, I don't need to use the iMac as display for the MBP because I have a nice 4k monitor. However, I still like having the iMac in the office for casual use and because it is front and center on my desk it makes it an ideal location for being a display that I might want to occasionally use with the MBP.
With the Belkin Dock, I couldn't get target display mode to work. However, if I unplugged the Elgato from the dock and plugged it directly into the MBP, I was able to use the feature. For my needs, it is pretty easy just to plug in one more cable, so I am going to keep the two docks separated.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Secondly, I ran into an issue when I used the two docks together with Target Display mode (Note: This allows the iMac to be used as a display) on my 2011 iMac. Quite often, I don't need to use the iMac as display for the MBP because I have a nice 4k monitor. However, I still like having the iMac in the office for casual use and because it is front and center on my desk it makes it an ideal location for being a display that I might want to occasionally use with the MBP.
With the Belkin Dock, I couldn't get target display mode to work. However, if I unplugged the Elgato from the dock and plugged it directly into the MBP, I was able to use the feature. For my needs, it is pretty easy just to plug in one more cable, so I am going to keep the two docks separated.
The Wrap Up
At the end of the day, I would have preferred at least one more thunderbolt port or HDMI port on this dock. However, I am guessing a USB 3 to HDMI adapter may do the trick for those that want to use dual displays without giving up the second thunderbolt port. As I mentioned, for the few people out there with older iMacs that you want to use as a display, you will need to connect the MBP directly or if you have an older dock that works with Target Display, you can connect it directly to the MBP with an adapter.
Other than that, the Belkin works great and I have a one cable solution for powering the 2016, 15 inch MBP (Touchbar) and for connecting all of my USB 3 drives, ethernet, and feeding two 4k displays. That being said, I will probably plug both docks directly into the MBP to get the option of adding the iMac to my array of displays and to leave open the option of connecting a thunderbolt 3 device into the freed up port on the Belkin.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Other than that, the Belkin works great and I have a one cable solution for powering the 2016, 15 inch MBP (Touchbar) and for connecting all of my USB 3 drives, ethernet, and feeding two 4k displays. That being said, I will probably plug both docks directly into the MBP to get the option of adding the iMac to my array of displays and to leave open the option of connecting a thunderbolt 3 device into the freed up port on the Belkin.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
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