Expand MacBook Air USB-C ports for monitor and devices

There are two basic types of docks and hubs:

• Plain USB-C docks and hubs. These often bring out a dedicated HDMI port, plus other things such as USB-A ports, USB-C (USB only) ports, Gigabit Ethernet ports, and memory card slots. Macs only support driving one monitor over a plain USB-C dock or hub.
• Thunderbolt docks and hubs. These use higher-speed connections and are more expensive. Most support the use of two monitors, and some will split a single Thunderbolt chain into several downstream Thunderbolt chains.

Plain USB-C docks and hubs are a dime a dozen, often made by "no-name" manufacturers, and you can find lots of them on Amazon. Watch out for ones whose description mentions things like "DisplayLink" or says that you need to install drivers. Those are clues that the dock uses some sort of second-class workaround to drive one or more of its monitor outputs. Your M5 MacBook Air can drive up to two external monitors in a first-class, hardware-accelerated way, so there is no reason to settle for a "workaround".

If you are interested in Thunderbolt docks and hubs (higher-end docks and hubs that may be overkill for what you need), I would suggest looking at offerings from Other World Computing, SonnetTech, and CalDigit - three vendors who have been in the business of supplying Thunderbolt gear to Mac users for a long time.

MEDANCE wrote:

I seem to have found a possible solution. Its function is inconsistent however.

I have had good experience with OWC docks and Plugable docks. I suggest you review their offerings and select one that meets all your requirements. These docks provide a varying number of Thunderbolt ports, USB-C ports, USB-A ports, HDMI and other connections for monitors, and pass-through charging. There are many low-cost docks for sale online that are low quality, I would avoid those.

Note that with the new MacBook Airs, the ports are technically Thunderbolt/USB-4. Make sure you understand your monitor requirements because I have used monitors that required a Thunderbolt connection (with a certified Thunderbolt cable) and did not work with an ordinary USB-C connection.

MEDANCE wrote:

When the device is connected to my external computer monitor which is connected to my MBair via a VGA adapter to a usb c plug. It works when I play with it by plugging in and out but if the computer goes to sleep I have repeat the process when I wake it up again. I suspect that I got one of the cheaper brands and will try a higher level device.

VGA is a very old analog method for video, typically lower resolution and it would require an adaptor to connect to a modern computer. You should not have to "play" with the cable or connector for it to work; that is a sign you are using low quality (e.g. cheap) connectors/cables or hardware that is outmoded and not compatible with modern computer connections. Doesn't your monitor support HDMI?

If VGA is your only option on that monitor, you should probably look into obtaining a newer more modern monitor, one that can connect via USB-C/Thunderbolt. Either directly to your Mac or through a modern dock.

Often one gets what one pays for -- cheap stuff will require fiddling and won't work consistently going forward. I would aim for a clean setup without outmoded adaptors/connections. There are modern lower cost monitors that will work with modern Thunderbolt/USB-C/HDMI connections. Always use only high quality hardware for this and pay attention to the cable length, the longer the cable the harder it is to obtain a clean video signal.

Take a look on Amazon

Enter USB-C Hub in the search box

Some details would be helpful.