Reddit reviews Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2 - 4K HDMI (30Hz), Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C Pass-Through, SD/Micro Card Readers, USB 3.0 - Compatible with 2020/2018 MacBook Air, 2019 MacBook Pro (Space Gray)

I'm slightly older if that really matters. Here's my advice.

One thing you can do right now without buying anything is to remove the stickers off of your laptop. Seriously, it makes a difference.

For all my recommendations I'm going to list price first as I imagine budget being a concern.

$5 - Do you only use the external drive when at your desk? If so, mounting it to the corner of the desk, the wall, (or if you ever pick up an external monitor, the back of that) might look cleaner.
I use this stuff to stick things - https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-051141397252-Extremely-Mounting-414P-ST/dp/B018GKCI82/ You can find it at stores like Target.

With all the cables coming out of your laptop, I think a USB hub would really help your setup as all of the cables would go directly into one place. If your laptop has a USB-C port and supports charging over it, you can get a USB-C hub so you can connect peripherals and charging over one cable.

$15 - If you don't have USB-C, something like this looks good - https://www.amazon.com/Anker-4-Port-Macbook-Surface-Notebook/dp/B00XMD7KPU/

It has four USB 3.0 ports and is very clean and small. However, the cable is a bit short.

Around $79 - If you do have USB-C, I have this hub and it's pretty good, however the cable is short and can feel a bit loose at times.

$25 - A basic colored mousepad might look cleaner if you want to go for that look. I have this mousepad and recommend it, but it's all personal preference.

$35 - I think you should pick up a headphone stand so the grease and oils don't get on your laptop screen, I recommend this one - https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Headphone-Stand-Holder/dp/B019PI9QFC/

It gives you three extra USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and comes in four different colors, and has a solid aluminum build. If you don't need those extras, this stand is still aluminum and comes in at $12 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZFX6ND/

Probably around $100-$150 - The biggest upgrade you can make here I think is an external monitor and keyboard. It would improve your setup's ergonomics significantly. This desk looks pretty small, so I would recommend something no bigger than 24 inches in screen size. The resolution of the screen and such would depend on what you want and your laptop's power. However, I highly recommend at least 1920x1080 resolution.

$25 - If you ever do decide to upgrade to an external monitor, you probably wouldn't be able to use two screens on your desk, and the closed laptop would take up way too much space. I would recommend this laptop stand - https://www.amazon.com/Vertical-Adjustable-OMOTON-Aluminum-Chromebook/dp/B0769G51R7/

I have it myself and it's very well built, adjustable, and makes things a lot cleaner if you use an external monitor. It has branding on one side but if you flip it you can just use the side with no branding so it looks super clean. You can make it very stable on the desk with some simple double-sided tape.

That's all I have for now. Enjoy your setup!

I can’t recommend those hubs that mount directly on a macbook no matter the brand. It’s definitely going to mess up your ports overtime. Just get something that runs with a cable to it.


Like this one for example:



https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J




Or something a bit smaller:




https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7NBVJK/ref=emc_b_5_mob_i

https://smile.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FW7H5J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In that case go with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527173808&sr=8-2&keywords=satechi+hub+usb-c

Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FW7H5J/ref=emc_b_5_t

I run naked as I just prefer that. I like to keep it thin and I’m very careful with my stuff. For an adapter I use this one: Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2-4K HDMI (30Hz), Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C Pass-Through, SD/Micro Card Slots, USB 3.0 for 2016/2017/2018 MacBook Pro, 2015/2016/2017 MacBook and More (Space Gray) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FW7H5J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_E-gMBb8VA6191

It’s incredible. Has everything you’ll need IMO and I love the addition of Ethernet.

We've used these with our 2018 touchbar pros (as well as the models without touchbar) and are able to use them with the machine closed like you asked... though this one is HDMI and not DVI:
https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Adapter-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J/ref=pd_cp_147_1?pd_rd_w=x8dQh&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=3R3ZM131TA04Q0TJEH2S&pd_rd_r=34da322e-1311-4e24-8fce-94688cf50a53&pd_rd_wg=LLAZK&pd_rd_i=B075FW7H5J&psc=1&refRID=3R3ZM131TA04Q0TJEH2S

The problem is that most of these adapters (not just this brand) seem to still be trying to catchup to the tech. These adapters (again, not just this brand) all run pretty hot and seem to run into problems as far as connection goes. A lot of the time the solution is to unplug it and put it into a different USB C port on the machine and it can usually resolve the issues. That said, a lot of our users seem to burn through theirs and they become VERY finicky to the point that if they bend a certain way the monitors no longer connect until the adapter is repositioned just right.

With that in mind, I'm still on my original one, so as long as the user won't be moving it or placing the adapter so the cable bends at awkward angles it should be fine (well, more of the standard hit-or-miss).

Satechi USB-C Hub
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FW7H5J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes. For example, I have one like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FW7H5J), and am able to read microSD and standard SD cards. They show up on the ipadOS Files app, when plugged in.

Hello these 8 in 1 usb c hub on amazon , the hub have a good price ,you could compare them

1.79.99$ https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J

2.89.99$ https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B01FWT7MEA

3.44.99$ https://www.amazon.com/Joody-Ethernet-Delivery-MacBook-ChromeBook/dp/B07L7PJJF7

4.48.99$ https://www.amazon.com/Joody-U8plus-Ethernet-Delivery-ChromeBook/dp/B07L7NX9JC

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Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2-4K HDMI (30Hz), Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C Pass-Through, SD/Micro Card Readers, USB 3.0 - Compatible with 2018 MacBook Pro/Air, 2018 iPad Pro (Space Gray) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FW7H5J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_e9dECbM31M2SJ

I went with this Satechi hub. I was on the fence between the wired version I chose and the solid version that plugged into both usb c ports. In the end I decided against the solid version because of reports of loose connections over time.

https://i.imgur.com/kuzSV13.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J/

If you can get this or something similar it will save you so many headaches in the future

For some reason (I dunno if it's an oddity in the spec or just lack of foresight), USB-C hubs with actual downstream USB-C data ports are a rarity. The vast majority of them just have Type A ports, maybe it's because alt video modes wouldn't work thru the USB-C ports on the hub and they're trying to avoid that whole confusion? I dunno... Kingston has one, only one I remember seeing.

Most fancier USB-C hubs do have one USB-C port for power pass thru tho, that and HDMI/Ethernet are relatively common. Detachable cables seem rare as well tho... I thought about it a bit and I wouldn't really get a ton of use out of a USB-C data port anyway, I've only got one USB-C-only thumb drive (the others are A+C) and things like external SSD come with A & C cables/adapters.

I've purposely stuck to type-A SD card readers as well since it makes them more versatile and I can just stick it on the end of a C to A dongle if I wanna use it sans hub, no big deal. Anyway, Wirecutter has a decent guide on hubs and USB-C accessories... I decided to go for this hub rather than their recommended one, it's listed in their alternatives section... It was a couple bucks more but not having a hinge on the Ethernet port seems a lot more durable in the long run.

We buy this for Mac laptop users:
https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J
It has ethernet, 3 usb-a ports, and HDMI. I wish Apple made something with ethernet, but they do not. I’d be curious to see what other people recommend, though.

Have you seen some of the reviews? They mention the same ethernet issue. Another one of the users mentions EMI issues. https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/product-reviews/B075FW7H5J/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

We currently use these in our environment and they work very well.

https://www.amazon.com/Satechi-Aluminum-Multi-Port-Ethernet-Pass-Through/dp/B075FW7H5J/