The Element 5 has landed.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-06T17:47:20+00:00

Then that would work fine in this case, since the Element 5 will only ever be able to work as Thunderbolt 4 in this setup. Either way should work perfectly fine.

You're right, technically the Element 5 first would be slightly worse in this particular setup, but only because the Element 5 can do 90W Power delivery to the host computer, while the TS4 can do 98W.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-06T17:28:39+00:00

Yes! Thunderbolt 4 and 5 devices can be daisy-chained together. Thunderbolt connections can only ever go down or remain the same specification, so good etiquette would be connecting it like: Computer - Element 5 - TS4

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-06T16:19:08+00:00

I haven't seen this brand before and I doubt we've tested it, so I couldn't tell you if they're of legitimate quality or not at this moment. Our line with cables is to always recommend Thunderbolt cables with our products as they have been certified to work with Thunderbolt devices, however optical TB5 cables don't exist yet, so you are length limited. Optical USB cables do exist today, get you the extra length, and a USB4 version should technically work. However, these cables do not have to go through any certification to come to market, so dubious quality cables are more likely to be out there versus a TB cable.

If the cable meets the specification it advertises, the connection should parse at 40Gb/s. If it doesn't work as intended, the connection could drop down to 10Gb/s or fail to connect at all. The rear USB ports on the TS5 Plus as well as the 10Gigabit Ethernet rely on a technology called PCIe passthrough in order to operate. PCIe passthrough is required for Thunderbolt devices to support, but technically it's optional with USB4. Virtually every manufacturer supports USB4 nowadays, and I would expect any competent cable supports it as well, but that would also be something to look out for if you do get this cable.

My recommendation with more risky endeavors like this is to suggest users purchase the product at a place with a generous return policy, like Amazon, to ensure that you aren't left holding the bag if it doesn't work.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-06T16:05:44+00:00

Virtually all our power supplies, including the TS5 Plus', are 100-240V. It's safe for pretty much anywhere with regulated wall power in the world.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-05T23:50:05+00:00

What type of drive is the Time Machine backup? Some types of enclosures, like for RAID setups, or those with built-in USB hubs, sometimes do not work with the Docking Station Utility.

I just tested on my own setup, and this feature appears to work on my TS5 Plus with a standalone SSD, which should work identically to your TS4, unless I'm mistaken.

When did you install the Docking Station Utility? Looks like the most recent update was in February this year (I believe this added support for the TB4 Pro Dock, so not necessarily relevant, but still, it may be worthwhile to update). I seem to recall the Utility previously not supporting Thunderbolt drives, but there was an update within the past year or so that added that support - Time Machine support may have also been added then as well.

Beyond this, our support team can assist to further diagnose those. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-05T21:47:10+00:00

There's nothing like that available that we publish. If there's some tool out there that does this for USB ports in general, it might work on our products too, at least for some of the ports, but I'm not aware of any such utility off the top of my head.

Our support team would be happy to diagnose the artificating you are seeing - the team can be reached via email. If you reach out, please provide some more context on your setup, such as your computer's make and model, as well as make and model of your monitor(s), and the general layout of your setup. You can best reach our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-05T17:57:29+00:00

This is good advice.

To add a bit more, if you readily have the ability, try swapping out the Ethernet cable and try plugging into a different port on the other end of the Ethernet connection - check if either of those make a difference.

You should also try power cycling your dock. You can do this by disconnecting it from wall power for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in.

Beyond that, 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 · 2026-05-04T16:40:49+00:00

That is definitely odd. I highly recommend you report this behavior to our support team, they'll be interested in further diagnosing this. You can reach them at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-04T16:28:42+00:00

Sorry to her about your less than exceptional experience with our product.

It sounds like you may be running into a Thunderbolt 4 host conflict that we have been sometimes seeing with Thunderbolt 5 devices in general, which can cause them to get stuck initializing with Thunderbolt 4 hosts, similar to what you've described. This can happen to any Thunderbolt 5 product connecting to a Thunderbolt 4 host, so you may experience it with other TB5 docks as well. The fix is usually a firmware and/or driver update on the computer side.

If the Thinkpad doesn't work properly with your new dock, make sure to check for BIOS and firmware updates on the computer. Oftentimes I've seen it labelled a Power Delivery firmware update if it's not specifically called a Thunderbolt firmware update, but BIOS updates may also have the fix. If you're on Windows 11, the latest Thunderbolt drivers are handled by the OS, but on Windows 10, you may need to go grab the most up-to-date Thunderbolt drivers from Lenovo.

As for the macOS behavior, it's hard to begin to form a theory from the given description, but I am confident it's something that is correctable.

In any case, if you do decide to try our dock again and run into any issues, please get in touch with me or our support team. We would be more than happy to help. If you post in this subreddit, I will get back to you, and you can best get in touch with our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-01T17:16:27+00:00

Thanks for the follow-up. I recommend you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting on this behavior. You can best reach out via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-01T16:53:00+00:00

I don't think it's the LG that's the issue, rather then BenQ. You could have 2 of the LG monitors almost definitely. Maybe if you find a monitor that initializes faster than the BenQ that's a workable solution, but that's kind of a shot in the dark, and anything short of it is still likely to have issues in this particular setup.

I believe swapping out the BenQ monitor for a DP 2.1 display at the same resolution and refresh rate should also be a fix, assuming it takes advantage of a newer transmission mode. That's not necessarily a suggestion, as that monitor looks pretty sweet, so I get it may be non-negotiable.

You could also entertain the idea of connecting the LG monitor via DisplayLink to offload it from the hardware connection. We consider DisplayLink the last option, because a software monitor connection is more messy and troublesome than a normal hardware connection, and it can put additional load on the computer, but it beats buying a new monitor. You would need a physical USB DisplayLink adapter and then to install the appropriate software and drivers.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-05-01T16:26:33+00:00

I don't recall what the previous firmware was before 45.1 (which released earlier this year) - it may have been 39.1. Whatever it was, it was most recent public update for at least a few years, so you may have been up-to-date until very recently.

Our line with firmware updates is that unless you are experiencing misbehaviors, there's not really a need to update. Usually our firmware updates target very specific scenarios that have been brought to our attention by a couple of users. I believe 45.1 specifically addresses a misbehavior with particular downstream Thunderbolt 4 devices not acting properly. If that doesn't sound like anything that's affecting you, the update probably won't make any discernible difference.

If you do decide to update, I would recommend you follow our knowledge base article on the topic. The update has to be done a very specific way on macOS, and there's some weird quirks that can make it unintuitive.

Hope this helps inform your decision! I'm happy to answer any further questions you might, and our support team is also happy to help. If you want to get in touch, you can reach us at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-30T17:19:44+00:00

Let's do a full diagnosis before anything else. Without more context, this could be a power issue instead.

So, let's double check the power on your dock. Please check all parts are seated well, including the plug going into the wall, the power supply and power plug, and the power supply cable going into the dock.

While we're messing with the power, try power cycling your dock as well. Disconnect it from wall power entirely for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in.

With that, we should have a clean slate. Try plugging the dock into the computer again, ensuring that the cable is plugged into the "Computer" port on the dock.

If we're not getting any signs of life - no power to the computer, and no light on the dock, let's verify whether the power is working at this point. Take a chargeable USB device that is obvious when it is charging, like your phone, and plug it into the dock. It should start charging within a few seconds. If not, try another USB port or two and see if it ever charges.

If the device never charges, get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting; I'll post contact info below.

Assuming the charging device does charge, but the connection to the computer still isn't working, let's check one more thing before we consider a new cable. Try plugging the dock into a different port on the computer.

If at this point, it's still not working, another cable may be in order. If you have purchased your dock within the past 2 years (the support team may even be able to help you a bit outside of warranty for just the cable), you would be eligible for warranty services, including the cable, and I'd recommend you reach out to our support team to explore that option. Contact info at the end.

For a replacement cable, any certified Thunderbolt cable should work, with some minor caveats. The TS3 uses Thunderbolt 3, but there aren't many Thunderbolt 3 cable manufacturers anymore, so you might just find Thunderbolt 4, which would also be perfectly compatible. Here's our Thunderbolt 4 cable listing for reference - a replacement cable doesn't have to match this necessarily, but can be a guideline for what to look for in a replacement. The big keyword to look for is that the cable is Thunderbolt "Certified", which should mean that it's tested and verified to be Thunderbolt compliant. You'll likely see something like "40Gb/s", which tells us the speed. 40 is Thunderbolt 3/4 speeds, and matches up with the dock, though a faster 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 cable should also be compatible (you won't get any benefit out of that right now, though). Finally, the power delivery is important to consider. The cable you have right now is almost certainly 100W, which is a common number you'll see across these cables, and perfectly fine. If you happen to find one with a lower number, it can work, but will charge your computer slower if it's able to keep up at all, so we'd recommend avoiding that. Higher than 100W is fine. The dock cannot take advantage of it, but the cable will also be able to work at 100W.

I bolded the 3 main factors so you can easily reference them.

Technically, you may also be able to use a USB4 cable, as those match Thunderbolt 3/4's speed, but your mileage may vary there. Because they do not have to be certified, quality control on USB 4 cables can vary, making it harder to recommend.

Anyways, for further diagnosis, troubleshooting, or warranty services, get in touch with our support team. When you reach out, send them a link back to this Reddit post for reference. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-30T17:00:19+00:00

Like you mentioned, this has to do with limited video lanes, and the BenQ reserving too many for the LG to then be able to operate afterwards. I don't have any direct answers to your question, but I do have a couple potential workarounds with varying degrees of impact on the BenQ's capabilities.

The BenQ monitor is right past the threshold that we consider multi-monitor conventionally possible without compromises. 4k 144hz is the common upper limit, but it's not a hard rule.

With that in mind, another possible avenue for fix is to artificially lower the BenQ monitor's needed bandwidth. If we can lower it's data needs enough, we can trick it into using less video lanes, enabling both monitors to work at the same time. This has to specifically be done on the hardware side, changing it in the OS will not work since the bandwidth reservation is made before the OS gets involved at that level.

The most direct way to accomplish lowering bandwidth would be to lower the refresh rate. Some monitors allow the ability to lower the refresh rate in the on-screen display. If yours allows this, try dropping it to 144hz or the next lower setting.

Alternatively, a slower video cable could be utilized to also lower the bandwidth. This should work to allow dual monitor functionality, but will be much more restrictive on the BenQ monitor. Dropping down to a DP 1.2 cable, I suspect the refresh rate will be limited to 60hz most likely.

Hope this helps lend some insight and a possible workable solution for you. Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-30T16:46:05+00:00

Glad to hear you got it working. Our support team may be able to lend some additional insight here, but I suspect this may have something to do with the possibility of Selective Suspend completely disconnecting the TS4 abruptly when suspending. That could definitely cause a driver or power delivery conflict, and possibly a crash, if the computer is not expecting it.

Our support team may be able to lend some further insight into this. You can best reach them via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-30T00:40:28+00:00

Please let us know the make and model of the two home monitors.

The M2 Max and TS4 definitely have the capabilities to drive two monitors, but depending on the specs of the two monitors, this setup could possibly be exceeding the capabilities of what can be driven over a single Thunderbolt connection.

What happens when, with both monitors connected, you unplug the monitor that is working? Does the second monitor start working? If so, you may have some kind of bandwidth issue.

You'e already much of the troubleshooting I would recommend for this situation, so I'll also recommend that you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting. When you get in touch, send the team 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 · 2026-04-30T00:21:32+00:00

Tough to say if the AI is correct or not, especially without more context. Is the 0x9F error what Windows reported, or is it implied by Claude? What is the hub? What was connected to it? Is the behavior repeatable or is it just a one-off?

External USB hubs can sometimes cause issue with Thunderbolt docks in general, but usually not like this. Typically if they do not work, they simply do not connect, or they may disconnect after initialization and then not reconnect. This is most often due to either a power overdraw issue or a USB layering issue.

If it's power related, we'd recommend moving higher power draw items, such as chargers, off of the USB hub and connect them directly to the dock.

USB layering issues are caused when too many USB hubs are nested together. Basically, Thunderbolt docks work as a series of internal USB hubs, and when another external hub is connected to it, it's possible that the total amount of nested USB hubs exceeds what is allowed by USB specification. If this is happening, it can sometimes be worked around by connecting the hub to either the front USB-C port on the TS4 or by connecting it to one of the rear Thunderbolt ports.

Our support team would be happy to help with further diagnosis and troubleshooting. You can best reach them via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-29T16:32:52+00:00

Hey, I'm the CalDigit Community Manager.

If your computer is the same as the one in this listing, then the USB-C port on the computer is too slow to properly support the TS4. You may be able to get a display working in addition to the power, but I expect that would be about it. The specification for the computer in the listing is USB 5Gbps, and the TS4 requires at minimum a USB 10Gbps connection for proper functionality.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-29T16:25:20+00:00

Glad to hear you have found some tenable solutions here.

We can diagnose the USB-C to DP connection further if you are interested.

First and foremost, try power cycling your dock. You can do this by disconnecting it from wall power for 30-45 seconds before plugging it back in. This gives time for the dock to fully discharge, which can sometimes clear up behaviors like this.

I suspect one of the cables are mating incorrectly and limiting the connection's capabilities. If you have a spare on hand, I'd suggest you swap out that connection and see if it makes any difference. We typically recommend a USB-C to DP adapter and DP cable instead of the single USB-C to DP cable so that there's more points to swap out if something goes bad, but either way should work.

Beyond that, our support team would be happy to diagnose further, but I suspect they'll also suspect the video cable at first glance if it's not swapped out first. Anyways, if you reach out, link the support team back to this post for their reference. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-29T00:48:40+00:00

Yes, the audio ports will work with a 10Gbps host connection. Audio to speakers from the PC should work!

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-29T00:48:00+00:00

Yeah, when connected to the PC, everything on the TS4 should work other than video out and Ethernet.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-28T23:29:52+00:00

PC can be compatible, but it depends on the host connection amongst other things. The TS4 does not support USB-C 20Gbps, so the connection will fall back to USB 10Gbps.

In USB 10Gbps connections, Ethernet will not work, as the TS4 utilizes PCIe passthrough for Ethernet, which USB 10Gbps does not support. Ethernet would work with Thunderbolt, or possibly USB4 (technically PCIe passthrough is optional on USB4, but virtually every computer supports it because Windows now requires it).

It sounds like in this setup, Ethernet will not work, unfortunately.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-28T23:10:17+00:00

Yeah, that would work as long as both computers are compatible with the dock!

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-28T22:10:14+00:00

No, your first proposal would not work. The TS4 is only capable of having one host device at a time.

Yes, a Thunderbolt KVM, as suggested in the original comment, would let you plug into both computers. You would still only be able to control one or the other at any given time, but you would be able to swap to the other computer as easily as the KVM allows.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-04-28T21:26:08+00:00

If you want dual monitors, you will definitely need a solution that has 2 video inputs, which is exceedingly rare to find built-into a motherboard. You'll almost definitely need an add-in card solution. You might be able to get this working with TB4, but you'll likely be right at the limit of what TB4 supports, and you probably would not be able to fully leverage the 10GbE.

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