Home » Technology » A Chromebook user’s experience with the CalDigit TS4 (Thunderbolt Station 4) – A machine review

A Chromebook user’s experience with the CalDigit TS4 (Thunderbolt Station 4) – A machine review

In this article, I will summarize the review of using the Thunderbolt 4 compatible docking station “CalDigit TS4 (Thunderbolt Station 4)” with a Chromebook.

Thunderbolt 4 has significant advantages over simple USB-C, such as high-speed data transfer with high bandwidth, high-speed charging with high output, and higher-resolution display output.

Thunderbolt 4 is installed in high-end Windows devices and MacBook Pro, and recently, although it is a small part, it is also installed in high-end models of Chromebooks.

CalDigit

¥58,300 (As of 2023/04/02 10:49 | Amazon research)

This time, we will review the feeling of using the Thunderbolt 4 docking station “CalDigit TS4 (Thunderbolt Station 4)” using the “HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook” that supports Thunderbolt 4, which is valuable as a Chromebook, and the “HP Elite c1030 Chromebook” that does not support Thunderbolt 4. I will continue.

basic information

Regarding the basic information of “CalDigit TS4 (Thunderbolt Station 4)”, it has already been covered and reviewed in many media, partly because it is a docking station loved by Mac users. I’m sure many of you are familiar with it, so I’ll give a brief introduction here.

interface Thunderbolt 4 (40Gb/s) x 3
USB-C (10Gb/s) x 3
USB-A (10Gb/s) x 5
DisplayPort 1.4 x 1
SD 4.0 (UHS-II) x 1
microSD 4.0 (UHS-II) x 1
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet x 1
Front audio combo input/output (3.5mm) x 1
Rear audio output (3.5mm) x 1
Rear audio input (3.5mm) x 1
DC input (19.5V 11.80A) x 1
system requirements macOS 11.4 (Big Sur) or later
Windows 10 (20H2) or later
Thunderbolt 4 computer
Thunderbolt 3 computer
USB-C (USB4) computer
USB-C computer
Chromebooks (Thunderbolt or USB-C)
iPad Pro/iPad Air/iPad mini (Thunderbolt or USB-C)
Windows tablet (Thunderbolt or USB-C)
power supply Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Host Port: Up to 98W
Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports: 15W Front 20W
USB-C port: 20W
Remaining USB-C port: 7.5W
USB-A port: 7.5W )
size Height: 141.0mm
Width: 42.0 mm
Depth: 113.0mm
Weight: 0.64kg

Roughly speaking, it is a docking station with high performance and a large number of ports.

One of the attractions of “CalDigit TS4” is that it can be used not only with Thunderbolt 4, but also with PCs and tablets that use Thunderbolt 3, USB4 or USB-C. In the requirements, it is properly stated as “Thunderblot or USB-C Chromebook”.

The number of ports installed is also very large, among which 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet is installed, it supports up to 98W charging, and the connection port with the host computer is prepared on the back instead of the front. Another minor benefit is that some ports can be used for charging even when the TS4 is not connected to a host computer.

This is a unique docking station for users who want to connect various peripherals and want to keep their desk clutter free with a single USB-C cable.

It’s not limited to Chromebooks, but the number of devices equipped with Ethernet has decreased recently, and there are many devices with a limited number of ports in the first place. easier.

Actual machine review

The first thing I’d like to point out is that the CalDigit TS4’s charging block is so large that it’s about the size of the device itself.

Actual machine review that tried

Because of its impressive size, it is better to check in advance whether it will fit properly if you are using a cable rack under your desk.

Getting back to the topic of the main unit, this time I’m wondering if my Chromebook can use CalDgit TS4, so I tried a Thunderbolt 4 Chromebook and a regular USB-C Chromebook.

Actual machine review that tried

In conclusion, you can use what you can use, but if it is not a Thunderbolt 4 compatible model, there may be restrictions on external output to the monitor. The Chromebooks I used this time are:

  • HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (Core i7-1265U vPro/ 16GB RAM / TB4)
  • HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise (Core i7-10610U vPro / 16GB RAM)

Although the author is in a somewhat special environment, I tried connecting the 28-inch “LG 28MQ780-B” 2560 x 2880 and CalDigit TS4.

No problem if it supports Thunderbolt 4

If it is “Elite Dragonfly Chromebook” compatible with TB4, the video was output without problems. Including other peripherals and Ethernet, there is no particular problem. I thought it would be a little more difficult, but it was smooth as expected as it was an official response.

The peripherals connected in this test are like this.

Actual machine review that tried

Both TB4 compatible models and non-compatible models are basically conditions. However, only the TB4, which is properly compatible, is added and a mobile monitor is connected via “CalDigit TS4”. Of course, this was also output without problems.

Note that the following warning may appear on your Chromebook when you first connect your CalDigit TS4 to your Chromebook.

Actual machine review that tried

This is a warning that appears on Thunderbolt 4 Chromebooks when “peripheral data access protection” is enabled.

To turn off the display, you need to disable this setting, but in the Settings app[セキュリティとプライバシー]It is in[周辺機器のデータアクセス保護]just disable it.

There was no problem with video output even with it enabled, but as explained, there may be restrictions on the use of peripheral devices. If you don’t want to disable it, try it as appropriate to see if it affects the peripherals you’re using.

By the way, if the connected peripheral device is not recognized even after changing this setting, restarting the Chromebook while connected to the docking station solved the problem.

Strict except for TB4 compatibility

On the other hand, when I tried connecting with an HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise (x360 13c in Japan), which does not support Thunderbolt 4, the maximum resolution was 1920 x 1080, although the image was displayed.

If you connect directly to the display with USB-C to USB-C, it will be recognized as 2560 x 2880 without any problems, so it seems that the connection between “CalDigit TS4” and Chromebook is not Thunderbolt 4. However, I haven’t tried it with other resolutions (such as WQHD), so it may be possible to output without problems.

Actual machine review that tried

Regarding the recognition of peripheral devices, there was no problem in recognizing the device connected to the USB port, but Ethernet was not recognized. 2.5GbE is rare for this kind of docking station, but it seems that it must be a Thunderbolt 4 compatible model to take advantage of it.

in short,It can be used even if it is connected to a Chromebook that does not support TB4, but the display output is limited and Ethernet cannot be used, and it functions only as a USB hub with many ports.That’s what I understand.

The official document states that a PC that supports USB-C 10Gb/s (DP1.4) can output 4K 60Hz, so the problem on the ChromeOS side or simply my environment was bad. I’ll add a possibility.

That said, if you can’t take advantage of all the benefits, including Ethernet, then why bother with the TS4 just for your Chromebook? Of course, if you have a Chromebook that supports Thunderbolt 4 or use it mainly with Mac or Windows devices, there is no problem.

summary

In this article, I introduced whether “CalDigit TS4” can be used with Chromebook. As a result, if you have a Chromebook with Thunderbolt 4, I recommend it, but if you don’t, you’re better off just buying another docking station.

Of course, if you buy it for Mac or Windows, it is recommended because the number of ports and functions are substantial.

Actual machine review that tried

CalDigit

¥58,300 (As of 2023/04/02 10:49 | Amazon research)

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