(You can hold down Option and choose  > System Information and click the Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt/USB4 link in the sidebar to see how many buses your Mac has.The Hagibis USB Type-C docking station is another affordable dock for the Mac Mini M1 if you are looking for a couple of extra ports. While the Intel MacBook Air shares one Thunderbolt 3 bus across two ports, the M1 laptops and Mac mini have two, one for each USB-C connector. Some Macs have four Thunderbolt 3 ports and two buses (one for each side of a MacBook Pro) other desktop Macs configure buses and ports differently. You can use more than one hub on your Mac, but each hub requires a separate Thunderbolt bus, which is a separate data path and controller. OWC also told me that later in the year, they plan a revised version of the software that won’t prompt for a security modification, either. With M1 Macs, you need to reduce overall security to enable a kernel extension, but I found I could still use the “eject all” option without lowering the system security level.

This software requires a kernel extension, which means a restart after granting permission on an Intel Mac. For $149, that seems both expensive and worthwhile, particularly if you’re using it as a docking/charging station for a Mac laptop. That’s still two more than you had, plus the 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A port. Although this is a four-port hub, with three of them Thunderbolt, you net out just two additional Thunderbolt ports: one port on your Mac has to plug into the host port on the OWC Hub.

Now, there is a math problem involved here. OWC offers a low-tech add-on option, the ClingOn, to help secure cable attachment. All USB-C connectors feel a little iffy, as there’s no neat click-in system or locking mechanism.

No additional effort was required for management or configuration. I tested the device with multiple external Thunderbolt 3 drives, and it provided consistent access and high data rates. Depending on your Mac, you can plug in one or two displays directly into the hub. The Thunderbolt 3 ports can handle anything you would plug in directly to a Mac’s Thunderbolt connection, including hardware that has to be the first in a daisy-chain of devices for hardware that can passthrough Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt hub for mac mini m1