Laptops:
MacbookPro M1 Pro 2020
MacbookPro M1 Pro 2021
monitors:
Acer Nitro XV275KVYMIPRUZX - up to 3840 x 2160 - max 160Hz
Samsung Oddyssey G9 - up to 5k (5120 x 1440) - max 240Hz (in theory )
Both monitors and macbooks connected by USB-C cables that came with iDock and new HDMI cables to the iDock C20 I just bought.
The only thing I can manage to work is that I can see the same replicated windows on both monitors. What my Macbooks see in Settings â Display is usually either Samsung or Acer display as Extended Display, never both. Now iDock C20 mentions Up to two 4k@60Hz outputs which both my monitor qualify for.
I am also able to connect both monitors to both Macbooks Pro with separate cables. Thatâs what iDock is supposed to do.
I want to use both monitors as separate extended displays.
Why is my setup not working ?
What would I need to do in order to make this work, any additional peripherials ?
What monitors would I need to to make this work with laptops I have?
NOTE: The Troubleshooting section in the User Manual that came with iDockC20 mentions that
latest Mac computers with ARM cpus only support DP SST and duplicate contents will be deisplayed
However this goes for Macs not for Macbooks Pro as I checked they do support DP alt mode and DP MST modes.
Thanks for reaching us and we are truly sorry for the trouble.
As our device come with USB alt mode and MST mode,so when connect to the Mac OS via a USB-C cable and two monitors can only work with mirrored mode,which keep show duplicate screens.
Next step,we are planning to launch out a new model which can work with two extended displays for one mac.
But now not have this type product and if that is unacceptable for you and please you can submit the RMA form,our customer service will help to follow up with you.
Best Regards,
Kevin
In which example setup I could actually use those two monitors as a separate displays? Cause right now itâs kind of useless.
I mean, generally I think this product is solid, however for that price tag I would expect this information to be better communicated in product adverts. Considering great job with product descriptions you guys did I think this aspect stayed hidden and it feels like itâs on purpose.
Actually,we have the " Important Notes â shown in our website as well as in Amazon page to nform the customer about two monitorsâ dispaly mode when connect to the mac computer via the single USB-C cable.
Truly sorry for made you confuzed.
So in this case and it is not work for you and please submit the RMA form to ask return and get refund if purchased from our website directly,please contact with amazon team if you get from them.
We are sorry for this inconvenience.
Best Regards,
Well, no, you say âFor the extended display mode on two screens, please use a USB-C laptop supporting DP alt mode and DP MST mode.â
The Mac M1 Pro does support DP alt mode, so, what gives? I feel this is a great product, but MAN this is a major let down if in fact I cannot for the life of me extend my two monitors on my mac. A simple hub like this one used to let me do that: Unisynk 12 Port 8K 100 W USB-C hubi (musta) - Gigantti verkkokauppa
Also, your marketing videos and guides show people connecting macbooks working as intended (using independent monitors). If this isnât misleading information, I donât know what is - if you are saying that NO MACS will function with independent monitors, you should put this in BIG BOLD LETTERS on whatever product page youâre selling or marketing this.
I basically bought the C20 because you have a great switch feature. Please tell me there is going to be a firmware update allowing this, and not another product I will need to buy.
Thanks for the input. I had the same feeling about that marketing. Even though this information is somewhere it feels like itâs hidden.
From what I understand itâs the MST support that would make this work that is lacking on Mac OS. However, buying a product for this price where hubs for 5 times less make it work obviously doesnât make sense. Of course hub wonât work as KVM switch so what could work here assuming you got 2 MacBooks and 2 monitors would be:
USB C Hub for each MacBook.
KVM switch with 2 inputs(hdmi) per computer and 2 outputs(monitors).
Each hub connected with 2 cables to KVM switch.
KVM switch connected to monitors by either display port or hdmi.
Now assuming we want to get rid of the cables this is insane. Also bumps up the costs from buying a single KVM switch to total of 3 devices. The only advantage would be to have only 1 cable connecting to MacBook. However by having intermediate hub we lose the benefits of peripherals on KVM switchâŚ
So a more cost effective setup would be to go with 2 cables per macbook, connected to the same kind of switch. Not sure how the peripherals would work then as usually those kind of switches with 2 inputs per device go with 2xHDMI so sth that can send video not data or power delivery.
Why C20 went with a single USB C knowing most of the MacBooks donât support mst and knowing nobody wants to duplicate screens multiple times I have no idea, I bet on marketing people
Anyway I can imagine some products that can offer multiple extended displays with power delivery, data on a single cable will be created eventually. Till then Iâm just enjoying my cable jungle.
Thanks for your feedback. I try to respond to this. But yes, itâs irritating to get the product and to return it because it is useless in your case.
About MacBook and MST
I am not sure which model youâre using for the MacBook Pro. I consulted our tech before and we are sure that if the single USB-C port supports MST (which means the port is able to send out two different streams via this one single cable), the iDock will present them onto two displays. Thatâs how the dock works and this is same for whatever devices, regardless of the brand.
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This is why DP alt is not enough but we need the device to support DP alt and MST mode at the same time.
About the Product Introduction
Itâs a dilemma sometimes to balance the introduction and marketing well, so that we can maximize the chance to get to the users who need it, but at the same time give proper warning to avoid the mismatch from users who wonât be getting benefits from it.
The page is updated now and there are 4 spots mentioning this to our potential users and also we put this image in the description.
I also put a pinned note under our product intro video on YouTube.
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We have users who are using iDock with MacOS and Windows, and they come into terms with that. Itâs because they can hardly find another solution which is able to extend the MacOS and to have two different streams due to the limit of DP SST. And in the videos we publish, you will see the Macbook extends to duplicates and we didnât cut it to make it look like it can support two extended displays. Itâs the real case how some users are using it.
But I think the key is, iDock C20 can be an unpleasant pick if you use two MacOS computers with a dual monitor setup.
Thanks for your respectful discussion in this community and I really appreciate this. We did receive some complaints from Mac users, and I think iDock is doing some good features so that people want it to work out for their setup. I hope our tech team will have something new and good for this.
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