Apple MacBook air 2022 - multi monitor

[tangerine_sedge]

I've got a MacBook air with usb-c ports and wondered what's the best way to get a multi monitor setup? By multi monitor, I mean 2x external and the MacBook screen.

I've got a dongle which enables me to hook up to a single hdmi monitor already, but I'm looking for something similar to enable a multi monitor setup...

I'm happy to get new monitors if display port or other esoteric connections are required!

[mikef]

Unless Apple remove the limitation of one external monitor on the MacBook Airs, I can see three options

1. Trade in the Air for a MacBook Pro or Mac Mini
2. Trade in your monitors for a ginormous ultra wide (that's what I did)
3. Use a Display Link hub (I'm not a fan having suffered from Dell DL hubs and the flakey DL Mac drivers in my last job)

[tangerine_sedge]

mikef said:

Unless Apple remove the limitation of one external monitor on the MacBook Airs, I can see three options

1. Trade in the Air for a MacBook Pro or Mac Mini
2. Trade in your monitors for a ginormous ultra wide (that's what I did)
3. Use a Display Link hub (I'm not a fan having suffered from Dell DL hubs and the flakey DL Mac drivers in my last job)

Thanks, it's a toss up between 2 & 3 then!

[Buttery Ken]

I went option two and love it.

[Tycho]

I've not tried multi monitors but do have a Dell Ultra wide and it is fantastic. You can get 3 browser windows side by side easily.

[babelfish]

Mont Blanc said:

Hi

I have used a Dell D6000 Display Link hub on a MacBook Air M1 for 18 months now and never had a single issue. Works exact same as multiple monitors on the old MacBooks. No glitches ever.

Also lets you plug all your USB stuff into the one hub and only ever need one USBC connection to your MacBook.

+1

EBay is your friend. I paid £46 for one and have 3 monitors running off it and a few USB devices.

Just make sure you have the latest firmware on it and the latest DisplayLink drivers on the MBA and all is good.

[beambeam1]

Are these Dell devices suitable for switching between PC and Macbook?

Wife WFH is via PC using two monitors but occasionally I require the screens for working on my Macbook and something like this that I can plug into and switch back and forth would be great.

[mikef]

There’s only one input cable (the Dell mentioned has a USB-A cable with USB-C adapter), but yes it will support either a Mac or PC. My company had one on every desk as we had a mix of Mac and Dell laptops and hoteling (so you’d sit at a different desk every day). That’s where DisplayLink was unreliable - sometimes you could plug in to the hub and off you go. Sometimes you’d need to reboot the Mac and/or recycle power to the hub to get it working. We had MacBook Pro’s, so weren’t reliant on the Dell dock

Edited by mikef on Thursday 27th July 07:23

[Tycho]

One thing I would mention about using a Displaylink dock is that most video streaming platforms won't work. They see a non HDCP display and will only output sound. I've tried Sky Go and Netflix on our work D600S docking stations. Thunderbolt docks work fine but don't support multi monitors and normal USB-C or HDMI monitors will work fine though.

There is a workaround for browser based apps but standalone ones won't work.

[Stereolab]

Tycho said:

I've not tried multi monitors but do have a Dell Ultra wide and it is fantastic. You can get 3 browser windows side by side easily.

Hi any chance of your set-up in action please?

[tangerine_sedge]

babelfish said:

Mont Blanc said:

Hi

I have used a Dell D6000 Display Link hub on a MacBook Air M1 for 18 months now and never had a single issue. Works exact same as multiple monitors on the old MacBooks. No glitches ever.

Also lets you plug all your USB stuff into the one hub and only ever need one USBC connection to your MacBook.

+1

EBay is your friend. I paid £46 for one and have 3 monitors running off it and a few USB devices.

Just make sure you have the latest firmware on it and the latest DisplayLink drivers on the MBA and all is good.

Thanks - not too expensive and will likely enable me to use some of my old monitors for my work laptop and buy a super new widescreen monitor for my gaming machine. Win-win!

[Tycho]

Stereolab said:

Tycho said:

I've not tried multi monitors but do have a Dell Ultra wide and it is fantastic. You can get 3 browser windows side by side easily.

Hi any chance of your set-up in action please?

Sure, here you go.
1st is with 3 browsers, 2nd is youtube 21:9 video and the 3rd is using Samsung Dex via USB-C:

[phil-sti]

Can you not use 1 x external monitor plus an iPad using sidecar?

[tangerine_sedge]

phil-sti said:

Can you not use 1 x external monitor plus an iPad using sidecar?

I probably could......if I had an ipad

[JC06]

Based on this thread I ordered a D6000 from Ebay. £40 delivered and I can now finally run dual external monitors on my 2020 M1 Macbook Air.

Neat solution.

[phil-sti]

tangerine_sedge said:

phil-sti said:

Can you not use 1 x external monitor plus an iPad using sidecar?

I probably could......if I had an ipad

I'm actually doing half day at home today so I have tried the macbook air, an external monitor and an ipad in sidecar and it doesn't work.


This is my occasional work from home set up using an ipad

[LeeM135i]

Strange, mine works just fine? I use it a lot to sign documents using the Apple Pencil.

[phil-sti]

LeeM135i said:

Strange, mine works just fine? I use it a lot to sign documents using the Apple Pencil.

any of those wired in?

[LeeM135i]

phil-sti said:

LeeM135i said:

Strange, mine works just fine? I use it a lot to sign documents using the Apple Pencil.

any of those wired in?

Yes the Dell ultra wide is on a USB C cable which also charges the laptop. I then use the TV, connected to an Apple TV or iPad as a 3rd screen if needed wirelessly.

I don't use the 3rd screen very often as the ultra wide is good for parking two windows next to each other. If I am in the middle of a project or preparing a presentation I will have outlook / web page / notes open on the 3rd screen.