User guide

Application for Membership
Thunderbolt Docks (continued)
Page 12
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USB 3.0 Adapter may be exactly what you need. As
its name suggests, the compact gadget incorporates
a Thunderbolt cord along with an eSATA port for
plugging in an eSATA drive. It also has a single USB
3.0 port.
Kanex also oers a Thunderbolt-to-gigabit-Ethernet
adapter (shown in the image below).
Akitio’s Thunder Dock is another compact Thunder-
bolt dock, though apparently based on a design
dierent from the one used by CalDigit, Elgato, and
StarTech. This unit, which looks a bit like a compact
portable hard drive, builds in two Thunderbolt ports,
two eSATA ports, one FireWire 800 port, and two
USB 3.0 ports in a “rugged aluminum case.” Given
what it oers, the
$269 price tag
seems more than
reasonable. Cable
placement seems
awkward with ports
on three of the
four dock edges,
though.
Which Dock Would I Pick? – I like the Belkin dock’s
cable-managing design the best, though it is on the
bulky side. Its FireWire 800 compatibility comes in
handy, too, since I have a number of such storage
devices. I’ve been slowly phasing out that old stor-
age technology, though, so I’m inclined to go with
one of the dock clones with HDMI capability, which
the Belkin dock lacks. One other Belkin ding: A Thun-
derbolt cable isn’t included.
Picking among the clones, I’m inclined to show a bit
of brand loyalty and go with Elgato since I’ve been
happily using a bunch of that company’s products —
TV-tuning dongles, SSD storage, Bluetooth keychain
fobs, video-capture peripherals — for years.
Also, Elgato’s price is just right. For $230 via the
online Apple Store you get the dock along with a
Thunderbolt cable. The CalDigit model costs only
$200, but that doesn’t include a Thunderbolt cable.
The StarTech model with a bundled cable is $250, or
$20 more than the Elgato dock.
Since the dock clones are all but identical, though,
they are all ne products. Keep tabs on the makers’
sites for price uctuations, and pounce if any of the
docks sees a temporary or permanent price drop.
You’re golden regardless.
Akitio’s Thunder Dock has me intrigued, too, with a
seemingly killer blend of Thunderbolt, FireWire 800,
USB 3.0 and eSATA (but zero Ethernet) in a compact
package. I hope to get a look at this product soon.
Reprinted from TidBITS#1231/14-Jul-2014; reuse
governed by Creative Commons license.