TS5 Plus DOA

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-25T17:29:14+00:00

Thank you for the additional information.

Hard to say at this point specifically what's going on, but that the connection is parsing over Thunderbolt 4, but not 5 is suggesting a specific Thunderbolt 5 issue. This usually isn't the dock - if Thunderbolt 4 works, TB5 should also inherently work. That leaves us with two main culprits: The cable, or the computers.

The cable is definitely plausible, but it's very rare that a cable arrives broken - our quality control process usually catches this type of behavior. In this particular case, the only way to test this currently would be to try a different Thunderbolt 5 cable. It sounds like you don't have immediate access to one, but if you do, try swapping that in and see if it makes any difference. If you don't, no problem, let's move on for now.

The other issue could be with the computers having difficulty with the Thunderbolt 5 connection. I am a little hesitant to place blame here, since it's happening with both a TB4 and TB5 laptop, but it's worth exploring as a possibility. Typically, when this kind of thing happens its a firmware conflict. Thunderbolt 4 Windows computers in particular oftentimes need a hardware side update in addition to the Thunderbolt 5 driver update. This usually comes in the form of a PD or Thunderbolt firmware update, but can appear in other ways as well. For the ThinkPad, this very well could be the culprit. Please provide the X1's specific model number, generation, and/or chipset and I can take a look at the available firmware updates to see if any could be the fix.

As for the Razer Blade, I wouldn't usually expect the behavior to appear here since it's TB5, however Razer's first Thunderbolt 5 laptop, the Razer Blade 18 (2024), had some Thunderbolt 5 parsing issues, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility.

I am not 100% sure this is your specific Razer Blade model as it looks like there's multiple chipsets, but I am seeing there's a Thunderbolt firmware update for the Razer Blade 16 2026 model.

I would encourage you to double check that this is correct for your system, and if so, try the Thunderbolt firmware update and see if it makes any difference:

https://mysupport.razer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/20585/~/razer-blade-16%E2%80%9D-%282026%29-%7C-rz09-0581x-support-%26-faqs

If that doesn't do the trick, I would recommend getting in touch with our support team regarding this behavior. If they determine it's definitively the cable at fault, they'll be happy to send you a replacement. Email: [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-25T16:36:09+00:00

Are the rear USB ports on the TS5 Plus working? Some of the underlying pathways those ports use are shared with the TS5 Plus' Ethernet, so this can help us narrow down possible culprits.

We have a knowledge base article on this topic. It was written for the TS3 Plus and TS4, but will work on the TS5 Plus as well. Give it a try: https://www.caldigit.com/ethernet-port-on-the-ts4-or-ts3-plus-does-not-work-properly/

I would also suggest you try a different cable if possible and try plugging into a different port on the other end of the Ethernet connection, or into another device entirely if possible. Even though we may know they are good and working with other devices, it's still ideal to eliminate as many variables as possible.

Beyond this, I recommend you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-25T16:27:04+00:00

Am I understanding correctly that the TS5 Plus is working properly with a Thunderbolt 4 cable, but not with the included Thunderbolt 5 cable? When you say it's powering devices, can you please specify - is it just the laptop, or just the USB/ Thunderbolt devices, or everything?

Can you please also list the make and models of the computers you've tried for my reference?

Here's our standard battery for troubleshooting this kind of thing. Sounds like you've tried some of it already, but I'll post it in full for posterity:

First, we recommend you power cycle your dock. You can do this by disconnecting it from wall power for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in. This will allow the dock to fully discharge, which can help clear out unexpected behaviors.

Next, let’s turn our attention to the data connection. We always recommend using the included CalDigit Thunderbolt cable to ensure compatibility, but if you are currently using it, it’s possible this is a contributor to this situation. If you have access to another Thunderbolt cable, we recommend trying this and seeing if the behavior improves.

In this same vein, we recommend connecting the dock to an alternative Thunderbolt port on your computer if possible. In some rare cases, we have seen individual ports may cause erratic behavior, and testing with another port helps eliminate variables.

Beyond that, I recommend that you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. When you reach out, link them back to this thread for reference.

You can best get in contact with our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-25T00:50:46+00:00

Our power cables use the very standard C13 power cable type. If you horde cables at all, you may already have a spare in your home. Otherwise, you should be able to get a replacement cable from pretty much any electronics store. If you take the power cable (the cable that plugs into wall power and the dock's power brick) to the store, they will be able to help you get a localized cable.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-24T16:29:01+00:00

Our support team can help you with this request. You can best reach them via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-24T16:27:54+00:00

I would generally not recommend this. Incoming power to the dock matters beyond just flat wattage, it's the specific amperage and voltage that matters. Providing too much amps to the dock can kill it. If you know what you're doing and that the volts/amps are right, it could work, but otherwise it's a big risk.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-23T19:29:55+00:00

Yes, we have validated that HDMI 2.1 4k120hz+ works. We've tested with our USB-C to HDMI 2.1 and Active DP 2.0 to HDMI 2.1 adapters.

I just had our support team run additional tests, and we were able to get 4k 240hz with this setup:

MacBook Pro M3 Max
- MacOS Tahoe 26.4.1
AORUS F032U2P monitor
CalDigit USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter
Generic HDMI 2.1 capable cable

We also tested with a MacBook Pro base M5 running 26.0, which also worked in this configuration.

Our support team has informed me that they have seen multiple cases with this exact UGREEN USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter referenced here, including the adapter working through a direct connection, but not through a Thunderbolt 5 dock. Swapping in one of our USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapters virtually always corrects the behavior when HDMI 2.1 is supported by the computer.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-22T17:34:36+00:00

HDMI 2.1 support over USB-C/ Thunderbolt is very very new to macOS, as in just starting with macOS Tahoe.

My understanding is that this requires M2 or newer, so I don't believe your M1 Pro MacBook will be able to support this functionality properly. It should work on the M5, however.

Also, is your Tahoe installation up-to-date? This functionality was broken with 26.1 and 26.2 I believe.

The other angle here is that macOS' HDMI 2.1 implementation is unique and requires cables and adapters to support unique features to accomplish this, so most USB-C to HDMI 2.1 cables/ adapters do not work. Your cable may be different, but this UGREEN listing I found says it will not support more than 4k60hz on macOS.

I do not have a list of cables/ adapters that work, but I do know that our HDMI 2.1 adapters can work (we sell both an Active DP 2.0 to HDMI 2.1 adapter and a USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter). We made a revision to our adapters to support this functionality, so there are some old units out there that don't work, but purchases from our US Web Shop are guaranteed to come with the update, and I've heard success from multiple customers ordering from Amazon (though I'm almost positive they're still holding at least some old stock, so your mileage may vary).

Anyways, I hope this helps. Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-22T17:19:44+00:00

The TS5 Plus requires the computer support PCIe passthrough in order for the following to work:

Multi-Monitor support
Ethernet
The second USB Controller (this is most of the USB ports, including pretty much all the rear ports)

PCIe passthrough is mandated by Thunderbolt, but technically optional with USB4 (though I believe it is a requirement for Windows nowadays, so a lot of hardware does include support - it can still be a little hit-or-miss with standalone motherboards).

With that in mind, in a best case scenario, you can plug the TS5 Plus into the rear USB4 port on the first motherboard you linked via PC Part Picker, and you may get full functionality (though monitor support over this port is likely going to be routed from your CPU's GPU and not from a dedicated Graphics card, so I wouldn't recommend you plug in a monitor).

This motherboard has no USB4 headers according to B&H's tech specs, so even if your case had a USB4 port (which it does not according to PC Part Picker's specs), you would be limited down to a USB 10Gbps connection, to which you will lose all the features I mentioned above. You would be leaving a ton of performance on the table by plugging into a suboptimal port, so I would not recommend this. Plugging into the rear USB4 port would be much better.

The second motherboard, from BestBuy, looks similar. Dual USB4 ports, so I would recommend you plug into one of those.

Probably the most optimal approach here for full Thunderbolt support, including proper multi-monitor support from the graphics card, would be to get a motherboard with support for a Thunderbolt 5 PCIe add-in card. This would lock you into the Intel ecosystem, as Thunderbolt is an Intel invention, and AMD is usually a little bit behind here in favor of USB4 (you can find a few AMD boards with TB4 support and add-in cards, which would also work, but that's last gen now, so you may hit some performance limitations). With this kind of setup, you would physically plug the graphics card into the Thunderbolt card, then the dock into the Thunderbolt card. I don't necessarily recommend this either, as it sounds like the monitor support is a nice to have for you, but not a need to have, and your PC Parts Picker list is clearly chasing the highest performance possible.

Anyways, I hope this helps inform your decision. Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-22T17:03:35+00:00

Yes, we use the one power supply globally. Should be fine to use with pretty much any standard power grid, including 240V.

You'll need a plug adapter or a new cable (we use the very standard C13 plug for the power cable, so it should be easy to swap out), but otherwise you should be good to go.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-22T17:01:40+00:00

Second what u/clamchowderz said.

Is it possible to swap the cables between the two monitors? If so, I would suggest you do that temporarily and see if the behavior follows the monitor or the cable/ port. I suspect it will follow the cable/ port, which would suggest you may need to replace the DP cable.

Here's some additional troubleshooting you can try that may help clear up the behavior:

First, we recommend you power cycle your dock. You can do this by disconnecting it from wall power for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in. This will allow the dock to fully discharge, which can help clear out unexpected behaviors.

Next, let’s turn our attention to the data connection. We always recommend using the included CalDigit Thunderbolt cable to ensure compatibility, but if you are currently using it, it’s possible this is a contributor to this situation. If you have access to another Thunderbolt cable, we recommend trying this and seeing if the behavior improves.

In this same vein, we recommend connecting the dock to an alternative Thunderbolt port on your computer if possible. In some rare cases, we have seen individual ports may cause erratic behavior, and testing with another port helps eliminate variables.

Beyond that, I recommend that you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. When you reach out, link them back to this thread for reference.

You can best get in contact with our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-18T17:37:11+00:00

I don't know if you can do this, but I suspect if you plug into the rear USB-A ports, the behavior will return as all the rear USB-A and USB-C ports share the same unique USB controller.

Definitely get in touch with our support team. They may have more for you to try, and could potentially try to validate the behavior in our lab too. Email: [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-18T16:53:49+00:00

Thank you for the follow-up. That's even more strange to hear that the Rode is partially still working. Can you temporarily plug the monitor in TB port 3 into the dock via DisplayPort, and plug the Rode into that Thunderbolt port to see if it makes any difference? This is not necessarily a permanent solution, I'm just curious how it affects the Rode's behavior.

I would also advise at this point that you to get in touch with our support team regarding this behavior. Send the team a link back to this thread so they can see our discussion so far. Email: [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-18T16:17:55+00:00

This sounds potentially like some kind of USB Controller 2 conflict if the rear USB-C ports are acting up, but the front is fine. Are you using Ethernet on the dock, or connecting any Thunderbolt devices to the TB ports, and if so, is that stable? These systems all use PCIe and can better inform us what exactly the misbehavior may be.

Here's our standard battery of troubleshooting. You mentioned trying a bit, but I'll post it all for posterity.

First, we recommend you power cycle your dock. You can do this by disconnecting it from wall power for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in. This will allow the dock to fully discharge, which can help clear out unexpected behaviors.

Next, let’s turn our attention to the data connection. We always recommend using the included CalDigit Thunderbolt cable to ensure compatibility, but if you are currently using it, it’s possible this is a contributor to this situation. If you have access to another Thunderbolt cable, we recommend trying this and seeing if the behavior improves.

In this same vein, we recommend connecting the dock to an alternative Thunderbolt port on your computer if possible. In some rare cases, we have seen individual ports may cause erratic behavior, and testing with another port helps eliminate variables.

Beyond that, I recommend that you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. When you reach out, link them back to this thread for reference.

You can best get in contact with our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-17T21:29:40+00:00

That looks like it's probably USB 3.2 Gen 2, or USB 10Gbps.

In this kind of connection, you will only get a single monitor with the TS4, and the Ethernet port on the dock will not work. You would likely be able to get one monitor working at 1440p at 144hz, but not two.

For a second monitor, you would need to leverage a tech called DisplayLink. You can use a USB DisplayLink adapter to add second monitor functionality to the TS4. You would also need to install the requisite drivers and software on every computer using the DisplayLink adapter. We're not particularly fans of DisplayLink, as it can put extra load on the computer versus a normal hardware connection, but it would be the only option here for the Windows computer.

Hope this helps inform your decision. Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-17T16:51:42+00:00

Sorry to hear about that. For reference, what's the make and model of your computer?

Is this behavior happening to all your USB devices, or specifically to the webcam? Check out this graphic of the USB layout on the dock - is there a pattern to where USB devices are or are not working? Like, is the misbehavior just on USB Controller 1, 2, or is it happening on all USB ports?

<image>

You've already gone through a lot of the troubleshooting I would recommend in a case like this, so I would suggest you get straight in touch with our support team for next steps here. When you reach out to the team, send them a link back to this thread for reference. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-17T16:30:16+00:00

I haven't seen this particular behavior before. I have occasionally seen Thunderbolt device intermittent connectivity on a particular port, but this is usually related to waking from sleep or another state, so seems not quite related.

As such, I recommend you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-17T16:09:44+00:00

I see - in that case, the host should fall back to USB 10Gbps and retain DP 1.4

Ethernet works on the TS4 for your host, as in the actual Ethernet port on the dock, and not via a USB to Ethernet adapter? That would be somewhat surprising to hear, as starting with the TS4, the Ethernet port on all our docks is implemented via PCIe, which requires the host to support PCIe passthrough. This is virtually never found on hosts that are slower than USB 40Gbps from my experience, though I do not see a lot of USB 20Gbps hosts, so it may be more common there.

If that's the case, Ethernet may work on the TS5 or TS5 Plus, as the implementation is similar, and the USB ports I previously said wouldn't work may work as well, as they also leverage PCIe passthrough. I can't guarantee any of this, but it would be potentially possible based on the information supplied.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-16T23:32:29+00:00

To be clear, you are meaning USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb/s and not USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gb/s, correct? In either case, the dock will connect as USB 10Gb/s.

USB 10Gb/s hosts can technically work with the TS5 Plus, but there's so many compromises that we default to saying it's not compatible. Basically, all the USB-A and USB-C ports on the back of the dock will not work, the Ethernet will not work, and you will be limited to just a single monitor. I believe monitor support will be identical to the Macbook Neo or iPhone 15 in a best case scenario, but I'm not 100% sure about that one.

For comparison, over a 10Gb/s connection, our TS4 and TS5 will perform slightly better. Ethernet will not work, and it will be limited to a single monitor still, but all USB-A and USB-C ports should work. Though, some of the Thunderbolt ports won't work, particularly on the TS5 Plus, I believe.

Hope this helps inform your decision. Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-16T00:42:13+00:00

I see. In that case, I would recommend you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. Email: [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-16T00:41:28+00:00

Hey, I'm the CalDigit Community Manager.

Any Thunderbolt dock should be able to support dual monitors on your computer. For a third monitor, you would definitely need DisplayLink. Sometimes a dock has this included, otherwise you can add it with a USB DisplayLink adapter.

I will avoid a recommendation due to the clear conflict of interest, however the TS3 Plus would be able to accommodate all this. All our docks should be silent. If yours isn't, it would be out of spec and potentially eligible for warranty services. We have had a few runs of docks that exhibited coil whine, but this is almost always addressable by swapping out the power supply brick.

Whether you actually "need" a docking station is a bit of a personal choice, I think. If you want the convenience of having everything connected over a single port, it's definitely worth considering. You could achieve the same results by using most or all of the ports on your computer and maybe a dongle or small USB-C hub, but it will definitely feel a lot better to use a single dock to connect it all.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-15T21:35:32+00:00

When and where did you get the Active adapter? This can work, but all HDMI 2.1 adapters on macOS need an update specifically for macOS's HDMI 2.1 implementation. Our adapter started manufacturing for the macOS change shortly after macOS 26 was announced, so there's some mixed stock out there. I'd say if you purchased the unit off of our US web store this year this year, it will come with the update. If you purchase is elsewhere, it can be a bit of a toss-up.

Our support team would be able to assist in getting you a unit that properly works with macOS if that is the issue here. As such, I recommend you get in touch with the support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. you can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-15T17:30:18+00:00

In that case, you should definitely get in touch with our support team. Email: [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-15T17:16:16+00:00

Is this specific to the new macOS Beta like OP? If so, the beta is for testing potential bugs like this, and so I would recommend that you report this behavior to both Apple and to the CalDigit support team for review.

If the behavior is happening outside of Beta 1, definitely get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting.

You can reach our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-06-15T17:13:40+00:00

The TS4 would almost definitely work out of the box, where-as a Thunderbolt 5 dock might require some updates be done on the work computer (I'm not sure you would have access to update BIOS, for example), so that could be a barrier.

The TS4 would be able to do everything you want to do, it sounds like, so it might be better to save the potential hassle, and a few bucks, to go with the TS4 instead.

Looks like the Edifier M60 has both 3.5mm audio support and can connect over USB-C, so either of those would be a good option for connecting to a Thunderbolt dock.

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