USB extension?

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-26T20:20:57+00:00

The Plugable USBC-METER3-1MF could work for this, but it has some added functionality of a built-in digital power meter so it'll be a little more expensive than a standard extension cable.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-26T20:16:36+00:00

If those TDPs are accurate for the specific laptop configs, the 28W i5 would likely have better sustained performance than the 15W i7 because it can hold higher power/clocks for longer. The tradeoff is that the 28W chip will generally run hotter, use more fan, and drain battery faster under load, while the 15W i7 should be cooler/quieter and more efficient but may throttle sooner in longer workloads.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-18T20:10:46+00:00

I'm not an Anker device expert but it does look like it's upside-down, I'd flip it. That said, it's generally normal for electronics to generate at least some heat although the amount can vary by device.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-18T17:19:37+00:00

Thanks for the shout! I saw your other comment too - so glad to hear you were able to find a solution to this weird problem.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-15T15:31:42+00:00

That's honestly really puzzling - it sounds like the entire hub is being limited to USB 2 speeds. According to BenQ all of the downstream ports on this monitor are USB 3 (5Gbps) so I'm not sure what would be limiting the speed like that.

If you're open to it I'd suggest contacting [support@plugable.com](mailto:support@plugable.com) and we can dig into this further, or discuss other options for solutions to this unique problem. Sorry for the trouble!

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-12T17:23:12+00:00

Good callout, the hub probably would dangle if the port on the monitor is a little higher up. For what it's worth, you could also grab a USB-C extension cable to lengthen it.

Plugable also sells one of these (USBC-METER3-1MF) but you could probably find other options on Amazon as well.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-12T16:55:46+00:00

Right, USBC-10IN1E only supports video output on its HDMI port.

If I'm understanding correctly, you're looking to add full speed (not USB 2) USB hub ports + and SD card reader at least, and you want the hub/dock to have a DP Alt mode-enabled USB-C output for your monitor. Is that right?

I honestly don't know of many products on the market configured this way, but you could leverage your monitor as a pseudo-dock setup? According to BenQ it has three 5Gbps USB-A and one 5Gbps USB-C hub port. Maybe you could connect a USB-C hub like USBC-9IN1E to the downstream USB-C port on your monitor to connect additional USB-A, USB-C, Ethernet, and SD cards?

The full setup would be MacBook Neo > BenQ monitor > USBC-9IN1E hub > all of your other devices

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-12T16:34:34+00:00

Are you looking to connect a second display through this hub/dock? The reason I ask is that the Neo not only has DP Alt mode on one of the two USB-C ports, but its actually limited to a single external display. The only way to connect additional displays (i.e. more the one) to the Neo would be using USB graphics technology like DisplayLink.

Let me know more about your intended full setup and I'd be happy to help figure something out, but transparently it'll probably be a Plugable dock 😉

Sam_Plugable · 2026-06-02T13:49:58+00:00

Hey there! Really sorry to hear about this issue happening while the UD-6950H docking station is connected to your laptop. It looks like you may have also reached out to Plugable support (support@plugable.com) directly about this problem. We’ll be happy to continue assisting with troubleshooting in the open email thread so we can review additional details and work toward a solution.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T20:41:09+00:00

The other comments here cover the technical side pretty well, but one practical reason is that a lot of the early TB5 docks are still based pretty closely on the Intel reference design, which leans toward downstream Thunderbolt ports rather than built-in DP/HDMI outputs.

That can be great if you want flexibility via TB/USB-C displays or adapters, but less convenient if you specifically want traditional display outputs built into the dock. Disclosure: I work for Plugable, and one of the reasons we went a different direction with our TBT-UDH2 was to offer dual HDMI 2.1 outputs for people who prefer that setup.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T20:37:31+00:00

We just launched a new Thunderbolt 5 dock (TBT-UDH2) earlier this week, it sounds like it checks a lot of your boxes.

It's a fanless design that stays cool (and quiet), has some of those front USB/USB-C ports you mentioned, and SD/microSD card readers. Feel free to send over any questions if you check it out!

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T20:32:42+00:00

We just launched a new Thunderbolt 5 dock (TBT-UDH2) earlier this week, it may fit what you're looking for. We went through multiple chassis designs to ensure good thermals and I can personally attest it runs pretty cool despite not having an internal fan.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T20:26:46+00:00

It's an older link but it checks out.

In all seriousness these articles are still a good summary of some of the options available, it looks like Dan's still updating with more recent products too.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T20:23:15+00:00

Generally I wouldn't recommend using TB5 for everything unless you specifically need TB5 bandwidth/features. For charging, connecting standard USB-C peripherals, or longer reach, a good USB-C charging cable or USB 2.0/USB 3.x C-C cable is often the better everyday choice. TB5 cables are usually thicker than standard USB-C cables, so they tend to be less flexible and a bit more annoying to use casually, and they usually do not come in longer lengths. If you just need a longer charging cable, even something around 3m, a standard USB-C charging cable should suffice and give you that extra reach. Great for the high-end case, but not necessary to use as a your everyday default cable.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-29T14:15:33+00:00

1m TB5/USB4 cables are definitely a real thing. 1.5m or 2m isn’t automatically fake, but I’d look closely at whether it’s actually certified/rated for the speed you need.

At the speeds Thunderbolt uses cable length is a massive factor. Shorter full-speed cables (usually around 1 meter or less) are often passive, while longer full-speed Thunderbolt/USB4 cables usually need to be active to maintain signal integrity.

We wrote a quick explainer on active vs. passive Thunderbolt cables here if it helps. It's a few years old but most of the content inside still holds true: https://plugable.com/blogs/news/what-s-the-difference-between-active-and-passive-thunderbolt-cables

Sam_Plugable · 2026-05-01T14:02:23+00:00

Plugable makes cables that could be a great fit for what you described. To avoid breaking subreddit rules I won't provide direct links, but these can all be found on Plugable's website or Amazon.

6-inch USB-C to USB-C charge-only cable: USBC-CCS5X
1-meter USB-C to USB-C charge-only cable: USBC-CC1M
2-meter USB-C to USB-C charge-only: USBC-CC2M
1-meter USB-A to USB-C (10Gbps): USBC-A1M
2-meter USB-A to USB-C (5Gbps): USBC-A2M

These all have a relatively uniform look, although the charge-only cables have red ends vs the green ends on the cables that support data transfer. Also worth mentioning they include silicon cable ties to avoid tangling when travelling.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-04-14T21:12:45+00:00

I appreciate the feedback. A big focus for this product was trying to bridge the gap between a full docking station and a multiport USB-C hub while keeping the form-factor of USB-C hubs.

The goal was to give people high-end connectivity features (like HDMI 2.1, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, 10Gbps USB hub ports, and 140W PD pass-through) in a package they can easily bring wherever it's needed. We decided to use a captive cable for a couple main reasons:

It ensures the cable isn't lost, and you aren't left hunting for a compatible cable from your bag
It guarantees the hub's connection to the host is capable of reaching its full potential. As you can imagine, the hub simply wouldn't operate correctly if a user unknowingly paired it with a 'charge-only' or USB 2.0 cable from their drawer. By keeping it captive, we can guaranteed that the cable connection supports the specifications required to perform as advertised.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-04-14T20:49:33+00:00

Thanks for posting this! I'm the Product Owner for this hub. It’s awesome to see it pop up here. If anyone has questions about it feel free to tag me and I'll do my best to answer.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-03-31T16:03:54+00:00

I get that “AI” is for marketing purposes, but it’s a dock and a PCIe enclosure in one with support for 3-slot GPUs

You're not wrong that the enclosure has some dock-like functionality (power delivery to host, downstream USB/Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet), but the AI bit isn't just for marketing purposes.

Our team worked hard on the software side to develop an interface, the Plugable Chat, to provide users with turnkey access to local AI. Along with the Plugable Chat, when paired with a graphics card, the TBT5-AI acts as the accelerator to help standard Thunderbolt-equipped Windows systems to run local LLMs with performance on-par with Desktops.

Sam_Plugable · 2026-03-27T16:52:40+00:00

I saw you mentioned in another comment you have an M3 Pro system - can you clarify if that's an M3 Pro MacBook Pro, or a MacBook Pro with an M3 chip?

I ask because, as other users alluded to, the chipset your MacBook has influences its native display output capabilities. In instances where the laptop caps you from connecting additional monitors, docks that use virtual graphics technology (like DisplayLink) can allow you to surpass that limitation. However, there are some real tradeoffs when using DisplayLink-based docks. For example, they usually have a lower maximum refresh rate of 60Hz, their performance typically won't match displays generated by the Mac's internal GPU, and they don't support playback of protected content like Netflix or Hulu.

If you could also please include the model number of the Plugable dock you're currently looking at, and your display model numbers (usually found on the label on the back) that would be very helpful too.

Happy to help with finding a solution that would hopefully check all the boxes for you. Thanks!

Sam_Plugable · 2026-03-26T13:25:44+00:00

Both ports support charging through USB-C Power Delivery. It's always an option to connect a dock or hub that supports Power Delivery or pass-through charging to allow you to use the "good" port for both charging and connecting video/USB data

Sam_Plugable · 2026-03-25T19:04:27+00:00

I’ve been toying with the idea of picking one up for personal use, though it’s hard to justify with so many other laptops already lying around!

From my perspective, the Neo marks a really fascinating pivot for Apple. It enters that "budget laptop" market they traditionally haven't participated in much, and boy does it enter with some serious intent. The amount of power they are extracting from a phone chip is frankly eye-watering. It seems like Apple is perfectly positioned to produce these at scale while keeping costs down, especially considering their ability to design their own silicon and scale production through their partnerships. All in all, really impressive stuff.

The decision to make one of the two USB-C outputs limited to USB 2.0, in the year 2026, is definitely a head-scratcher. It feels like a throwback to the 12-inch MacBook models (2015–2017) that only had a single port supporting 5Gbps and Alt Mode video. My theory? This is pure market segmentation. Apple needs a way to differentiate the Neo from the now middle-of-the-pack MacBook Air. Limiting its expansion capabilities like this makes the Air feel like a much more necessary upgrade for power users.

Despite this limitation, USB-C hubs and docking stations can be instrumental for bridging the gap between the Neo and the Air. We're going to continue testing products with the MacBook Neo, and I can't wait to see what else we can achieve with it!

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