Connecting Mac Book Pro M4 to external devices and internet

Rikybrain wrote:

Also, I’m scratching my head about connecting an external 4K monitor. The monitor has a USB-C port (DP Alt-mode) for input. What kind of adapter (if any) do I need for that? And what about the cable... does it need to be Thunderbolt, or will a standard (supporting 4k) USB-C cable do the trick?

A USB-C to USB-C cable will do. Check that the cable is rated

• for carrying 4K video @ 60 Hz
• for carrying at least as much charging power as the monitor is willing to offer to your Mac

and try to keep the length to about 1 meter (3 feet) or less, if possible.

USB-C cables are not all equal. There are some that are fit only for charging small portable devices (like iPhones) using 15W or less of 5V power. They might carry data only at USB 2 speeds – if they carry it at all. These are the cables that give people grief when they try to sync iPhones, iPads, etc. with their Macs and PCs.

At the other end are certified Thunderbolt cables that can carry just about anything – and that often cost a lot of money because of their high-quality construction. You should not need one of those, unless you are planning to use a Thunderbolt dock. (Then you would need to run a Thunderbolt cable between the Mac and the dock.)

Rikybrain wrote:

I just got a new MacBook Pro M4 Max (with Thunderbolt 5 ports), and I need to hook it up to the internet via an Ethernet cable. Do I just need a regular “USB-C to Ethernet” adapter, or does it have to be a “Thunderbolt to Ethernet” one? If it’s the latter, does it need to specifically say “Thunderbolt 5 to Ethernet,” or will any Thunderbolt adapter (like 1, 2, or whatever) work?

Those "Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C)" ports are multi-purpose USB-C ports that "speak" multiple types of protocols. They adapt to whatever is plugged into them.

The USB-C ports on your M4 Max MacBook Pro have several "blades":

• Traditional USB – Apple doesn't indicate the speed, but it's probably "up to 10 Gb/s" (USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed)
• USB4 (up to 40 Gb/s)
• DisplayPort
• Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40 Gb/s)
• Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120 Gb/s)
• Charging

Most USB-C to Ethernet adapters are going to care about the USB 3.* (traditional USB) blade, and are going to ignore all of the others. If you were in the market for a 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps Ethernet adapter, you might come across adapters that wanted to connect via Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (which your Mac's ports should also support).

Generally speaking, accessory makers don't like to incur the expense of Thunderbolt controllers and cabling if there's a way to do things with the USB 3.x and DisplayPort "blades". The Thunderbolt and/or USB4 "blades" typically come into play for attaching high-end accessories: Thunderbolt docks, 5K displays, ultra-fast SSDs.

Do not get a Thunderbolt 1 or 2 adapter. Thunderbolt started out life on the Mini DisplayPort connector. You'd need a $50 Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter to plug in a Thunderbolt 1 or 2 to Ethernet adapter.