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I'm over IT for about 40 remote workers. One of the comments in this article rings so true about the pain of using USB-C to DisplayPort: "I hate my USB-C monit

I'm over IT for about 40 remote workers. One of the comments in this article rings so true about the pain of using USB-C to DisplayPort: "I hate my USB-C monitor ports that work is making me use. Sometimes when I plug the USB-Dock in, it works fine. Other times I get one of the two 1920×1080 monitors attached to turn on. Others, no monitors turn on, and I have to unplug it and plug it back in. Then it usually works." It's SUPER finicky and picky, pretty much across the board. I find this true for the PC/Windows- macbook pros seems to work MUCH better, even with triple-2k monitors, but still not perfectly every time.

nikanj 5y ago
I have a macbook and I’m sad to report it’s just as finicky
- abhorrence 5y ago
  I think it depends a bit on the generation. I have a 15” MBP that inconsistently connects to the usb devices connected to the monitor. And I have a 16” 2019 one that has never failed to connect properly to the exact same setup. Of course there could be a different configuration of monitor and usb devices that my 16” would fail to work consistently with.
- Rebelgecko 5y ago
  The problem I have with my MBP is that it randomly forgets which monitor is which, so the left one becomes the right and vice versa
danieldk 5y ago
It's interesting how experiences differ. For me, USB-C <-> DP has been super reliable for years - Mac, Linux, and Windows. Admittedly, that was with a USB-C <-> DP (Alt mode) cable without any other functions.
vladvasiliu 5y ago
This looks to me like the controllers are sometimes badly implemented. I have a HP ProBook with a USB-C/DP output that I plug into an LG monitor with a USB hub. The hub works in USB2 mode + 4K@60Hz (as advertised by LG). This has worked consistently for me for more than two years, using Arch Linux + X11. Sleep, plug, unplug whenever I like, it just works. It seems to also work fairly consistently when colleagues plug in their Windows laptops (also HP). I also have a HP EliteDesk with a Thunderbolt + USB-C / DP port. This is a shitshow. The same LG monitor works every time for BIOS and such when connected through USB-C. Installing Windows works. The Windows logon screen sometimes shows up, but not reliably. The Windows desktop has only ever worked once. This same setup usually works with Linux/X11. But after a display sleep, it sometimes figures it can only do 4K@30Hz. Sometimes it chooses some other random resolution. If I unplug it a number of times, it may end up working again. Maybe. Or maybe not. Sometimes I have to reboot. Which may or may not solve the issue. Plugging in a thunderbolt display (Apple) works more often. But if the screen goes to sleep, there's a good chance it will wake up with some ridiculous resolution, like 1280x720. It's impossible to change it. If the computer goes to sleep or if the monitor is unplugged, it's game over. The screen will never come back again unless I do a cold boot (turn off & on, reboot won't do). I keep hearing people complaining about macbooks being unreliable with external screens. I wonder if it isn't the same kind of issue with a broken controller implementation somewhere. I've never had the slightest issue with external screens on my 2013 MBP (15" with nvidia dGPU). Thunderbolt, 4k@60Hz, you name it, it works. Plug / unplug when it's running, when it's sleeping, whatever, it just works as expected.
sp332 5y ago
Does it work better to keep the monitors powered off, plug in the hub, then turn on the monitors?
PaulKeeble 5y ago
A friend has a Thinkpad that if the battery is fully charged when the machine is turned on with the monitor out plugged in then the monitor works perfectly from the USB 3, if however the battery is not entirely full then the display gets no signal. It requires a reboot once the battery is completely full. It is reliable in producing an image or not depending on battery status. I have no idea why though and neither does support, they haven't fixed it for a year at this point so I doubt they ever will.

nikanj 5y ago

I have a macbook and I’m sad to report it’s just as finicky

abhorrence 5y ago
I think it depends a bit on the generation. I have a 15” MBP that inconsistently connects to the usb devices connected to the monitor. And I have a 16” 2019 one that has never failed to connect properly to the exact same setup. Of course there could be a different configuration of monitor and usb devices that my 16” would fail to work consistently with.
Rebelgecko 5y ago
The problem I have with my MBP is that it randomly forgets which monitor is which, so the left one becomes the right and vice versa

danieldk 5y ago

It's interesting how experiences differ. For me, USB-C <-> DP has been super reliable for years - Mac, Linux, and Windows. Admittedly, that was with a USB-C <-> DP (Alt mode) cable without any other functions.

vladvasiliu 5y ago

This looks to me like the controllers are sometimes badly implemented. I have a HP ProBook with a USB-C/DP output that I plug into an LG monitor with a USB hub. The hub works in USB2 mode + 4K@60Hz (as advertised by LG). This has worked consistently for me for more than two years, using Arch Linux + X11. Sleep, plug, unplug whenever I like, it just works. It seems to also work fairly consistently when colleagues plug in their Windows laptops (also HP). I also have a HP EliteDesk with a Thunderbolt + USB-C / DP port. This is a shitshow. The same LG monitor works every time for BIOS and such when connected through USB-C. Installing Windows works. The Windows logon screen sometimes shows up, but not reliably. The Windows desktop has only ever worked once. This same setup usually works with Linux/X11. But after a display sleep, it sometimes figures it can only do 4K@30Hz. Sometimes it chooses some other random resolution. If I unplug it a number of times, it may end up working again. Maybe. Or maybe not. Sometimes I have to reboot. Which may or may not solve the issue. Plugging in a thunderbolt display (Apple) works more often. But if the screen goes to sleep, there's a good chance it will wake up with some ridiculous resolution, like 1280x720. It's impossible to change it. If the computer goes to sleep or if the monitor is unplugged, it's game over. The screen will never come back again unless I do a cold boot (turn off & on, reboot won't do). I keep hearing people complaining about macbooks being unreliable with external screens. I wonder if it isn't the same kind of issue with a broken controller implementation somewhere. I've never had the slightest issue with external screens on my 2013 MBP (15" with nvidia dGPU). Thunderbolt, 4k@60Hz, you name it, it works. Plug / unplug when it's running, when it's sleeping, whatever, it just works as expected.

sp332 5y ago

Does it work better to keep the monitors powered off, plug in the hub, then turn on the monitors?

PaulKeeble 5y ago

A friend has a Thinkpad that if the battery is fully charged when the machine is turned on with the monitor out plugged in then the monitor works perfectly from the USB 3, if however the battery is not entirely full then the display gets no signal. It requires a reboot once the battery is completely full. It is reliable in producing an image or not depending on battery status. I have no idea why though and neither does support, they haven't fixed it for a year at this point so I doubt they ever will.