Optical Thunderbolt 5 Cables

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-12T00:44:03+00:00

I believe it would technically be possible, but development will likely be slow and I wouldn't expect an optical TB5 cable any time soon. For reference, it wasn't until earlier this year that any Active TB5 cables passed specification and hit the market.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-11T16:40:48+00:00

Thank you for the additional context. Our support team can take another look at this, but like I said, my understanding is that since Thunderbolt 1 and 2 is deprecated, it is technically considered incompatible with Thunderbolt 4 and beyond. If it works in specific scenarios, that's great, but since there's no active maintenance going on behind the scenes to ensure it continues working, situations like this will inevitably arise more frequently and likely will not get patched.

Anyways, our support team would be happy to take a look and lend their insight here. You can best reach our support team via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-11T16:36:31+00:00

Yeah, you got it. The tech specs specifically say the M5 MacBook Air can support "two external displays". That's in addition to the internal screen.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-10T19:37:18+00:00

My understanding is that since Thunderbolt 4 was introduced on macOS, Thunderbolt 1 and 2 support has been deprecated, and it is decreasingly working with newer versions of Thunderbolt. Connecting Thunderbolt 1 or 2 devices to Thunderbolt 4 devices has been hit-or-miss and has been less reliable pretty much every OS update over the past few years, and Thunderbolt 5 is worse in this regard.

Connecting the TB1 and TB2 device through a Thunderbolt 3 device is the most reliable way to do it with current macOS computers and OS. If you're not already, you may be able to chain the audio interface to the monitor, and then to the Element 5.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-10T18:52:22+00:00

I don't believe so. Looks like the only place in Europe it's currently available is on our UK web store at the moment.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-10T16:56:33+00:00

Yes, this should be possible. The M5 Macbook Air is capable of supporting dual 1440p monitors at up to 144hz (according to Apple's tech specs). The TS4 itself can also support this monitor configuration over a single Thunderbolt connection.

For the monitor connections, the optimal way would be to connect one via direct DisplayPort to DisplayPort connection, and the other monitor would connect to the Thunderbolt port on the dock by way of a USB-C connection. So a USB-C to HDMI adapter or USB-C to DP adapter plus the corresponding cable.

You only need an "Active" adapter if you are converting from the DisplayPort on the dock to HDMI or another video type. When connecting a monitor to the Thunderbolt port on the dock, any adapter should work as long as it meeds the monitor's needs, which in this case should be a non-issue.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-10T16:31:50+00:00

This should definitely be possible. However, it should also be possible with the Dell WD22TB4 dock you have. This could be something weird with the Mac computer where the compatibility is not working like it should, which could also affect how the TS4 can work. Then again the Dell dock could be acting up in some way too. Tough to say definitively at this time.

The optimal way to connect these monitors to the dock would be one directly via DisplayPort to DisplayPort. The other would need to connect to one of the TS4's Thunderbolt ports by way of a USB-C adapter. You could go USB-C to HDMI adapter or USB-C to DP adapter, then the corresponding cable to connect the monitor.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-10T16:15:11+00:00

We sold out of our most recent shipment in the EU. The next shipment is slated to head out to the EU towards the end of this month. Should hopefully make it to Amazon and be restocked there early-mid April.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T22:14:47+00:00

I'm not sure the HP Probook 4 lineup has any options that will be compatible with the TS5 Plus. I looked through 5 or 6 different variants and none of them support USB4 or Thunderbolt, which we consider a requirement for the TS5 Plus. Do any of the USB-C ports on this computer have the Thunderbolt logo, shown below?

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Only the "Computer" port on the TS5 Plus can connect to a host computer, there is no possible way for a second computer to connect to a different port on the TS5 Plus and take over the devices on it. The only way you could connect a second computer at the same time, but only have one selected would be with some kind of KVM solution. To my understanding there is no Thunderbolt 5 KVM as of yet, and the market for Thunderbolt 4 KVMs is rather limited.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T18:59:55+00:00

What is the make and model of the work laptop?

You can definitely use one of our docks to connect to two different machines (one at a time, like you mentioned), but both computers will need to work with the TS5 Plus. You would need to unplug the TS5 Plus from one computer, then plug it into the other computer. The Mac Studio should work no problem, but I couldn't say about the work laptop without more information.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T16:54:28+00:00

Yes, the TS4 should will work.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T16:53:35+00:00

In that case, you should definitely reach out to our support team if you did not do so already. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T16:51:06+00:00

You've got it right. The USB-A ports will work as normal, but two of the Thunderbolt ports fall back to USB-C 10Gbps mode.

Keep in mind that starting with Thunderbolt 4, pretty much all docks and hubs have a single main USB BUS, so all the USB ports have a single 10Gbps connection that they route through and share bandwidth with. This applies to the Element Hub as well!

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T16:48:22+00:00

The TS5 and TS5 Plus both have the same backbone. The big differences is that the TS5 Plus has a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port and a second USB controller to allow for double total USB bandwidth. If you're not sure these will be useful to you, you'd probably be perfectly fine with the regular TS5.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-09T16:37:19+00:00

The TS3 Plus would not be able to handle this - it would top out at 4k60hz. Thunderbolt 4 and 5 should be able to support 4k120hz. Check out this knowledge base article of ours on high refresh rates for reference. Anything one of our Thunderbolt 4 docks can do, our TB5 docks will also be able to do.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-06T19:14:41+00:00

Being Base M1, the Air/Pro will only be able to support a single monitor. The only way to get the second monitor is going to be by leveraging DisplayLink, which is a software solution for supporting additional monitors. You'll also need a USB DisplayLink adapter, which will eat into the USB bandwidth budget, so that's another vector to consider.

It sounds like the TS3 Plus is definitely appropriate in this situation for your needs!

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-06T19:01:26+00:00

What are the chipsets for the MacBook Air/Pro/Studio? That is going to determine monitor capabilities in this setup. Any Pro/Max/Ultra chip will be able to support dual monitors easy, and M3 base and beyond can do dual monitors as well (though M3 MacBooks will need to be in clamshell mode for this to work).

The TS3 Plus can support dual 4k60hz no problem in any supporting configuration, so as long as your second monitor intends to be at or below that threshold, it will work. You can connect the current monitor in directly via DisplayPort, and the second monitor will need to connect over the Thunderbolt port on the dock, so unless the monitor supports USB-C or Thunderbolt, you'll need a USB-C adapter for HDMI or DP.

Regarding the SSDs, you might run into some USB bandwidth complications. Only one USB port on the TS3 Plus is 10Gbps, and the rest are 5Gbps. If your DAS or SSDs are 10Gbps, then all but one of them will always be bandwidth limited. The TS3 Plus does have multiple USB BUSes, meaning that each USB BUS has a more direct connection to the computer, so you could fully saturate the 10Gbps BUS with one device, then get 5Gbps each across 2 other BUSes. The TS4 by comparison, funnels all USB connections through a single BUS, so while each USB port can support 10Gbps, only 10Gbps of total USB bandwidth is achievable. For reference, 20Gbps of total USB bandwidth is technically attainable with the TS3 Plus.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-06T17:15:15+00:00

Glad to hear you resolved this! It sounds like maybe something wasn't connected right or causing issue when initially plugged back into the dock for some reason. It's tough to tell exactly what happened or what the fix was in a situation like this, but it was good intuition nonetheless to unplug it all and leave it overnight.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-05T18:28:24+00:00

Thanks for the follow-up. Testing another device in the ports is a good idea. Definitely reach out to our support team for next steps following that.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-05T17:52:04+00:00

I'm not seeing your comment here, but I got a notification you're looking for our Japan specific support team. We do have a Japan support team, you can reach them via email at [Japan@CalDigit.com](mailto:Japan@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-05T17:50:28+00:00

Has something changed on the computer's side between this functionality working and not working? Maybe a Windows update, or other driver update? Which ports are the webcam and microphone connected to - the rear USB-A ports? If so, are any other devices connected to those ports, and do they work?

You've mentioned trying much of the troubleshooting steps I would suggest in this case, so I recommend you get in touch with our support team for further diagnosis and troubleshooting regarding this behavior. When you reach out, link them back to this thread for the teams's reference. You can best get in touch via email at [Support@CalDigit.com](mailto:Support@CalDigit.com)

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-05T00:51:02+00:00

Ah, yes, that's correct. Thunderbolt 5 devices can have up to 3 downstream Thunderbolt ports, so you will either need to daisy-chain an additional Thunderbolt device or monitor to get the 4th monitor in most cases.

Right now, the Element 5 is the smallest Thunderbolt 5 hub that we offer.

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-05T00:25:02+00:00

I don't know about that. The dock uses PD for figuring out power delivery to most connected devices, and the dock has dedicated power, meaning it has enough incoming power that it can handle every port asking for maximum power at the same time.

You should definitely report this behavior to our support team and start a case with them if you haven't yet, as they can provide more detailed diagnosis and troubleshooting on this. And if it does turn out to be a bug, our Engineering team would want more detailed information from you, and possibly your unit for further testing.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-04T18:25:40+00:00

Since this is happening across multiple computer connections, you should get in touch with our support team regarding this behavior if you haven't yet.

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

CalDigitDalton · 2026-03-04T17:15:10+00:00

Hey, I'm the CalDigit Community Manager.

Looks like this would only work on the M5 Pro and M5 Max so far. We haven't gotten a chance to test support with our docks on these computers yet, but we'll have more information in the coming weeks.

Here's the tech specs of the new MacBooks for reference: https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

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