Alternatives guide
The TS4 is a recorded Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports, 2.5 GbE and up to 98 W of laptop charging that needs a power supply.
A Thunderbolt 4 dock with a large port selection, high-wattage laptop charging and support for multiple displays.
Full product researchThe CalDigit TS4 is recorded as a Thunderbolt 4 dock with a large port selection, high wattage laptop charging and support for multiple displays. Its recorded specifications are 18 ports, up to 98 W of laptop charging, 2.5 GbE Ethernet and an external power supply as the power source. Its recorded features are wired Ethernet, multiple display support and being a powered dock. One product in our catalogue is a recorded alternative, and it is a different class of device.
The power supply. The TS4's recorded power source is an external power supply. It needs a socket, which means it stays where it is plugged in. A bus powered alternative does not.
Port count. Eighteen ports is a lot of ports for a desk, and it is more than most people connect at once.
Travel. The TS4's recorded audience is a single desk dock for a laptop, and no travel use appears in its recorded features.
The Anker 555 is recorded as an 8 in 1 bus powered USB-C hub providing HDMI, Ethernet, SD and microSD readers, USB-A and USB-C data ports and pass through charging. Its recorded HDMI output is up to 4K at 30 Hz, its recorded Ethernet is 1 GbE, and its recorded power delivery pass through is up to 85 W of input, with laptop charging wattage depending on hub draw.
The differences are structural. The Anker 555 draws power from the laptop, so it needs no socket and can be packed with the machine. It carries 8 ports rather than 18, 1 GbE rather than 2.5 GbE, and up to 85 W of input pass through rather than the TS4's up to 98 W of laptop charging. The Anker 555 records a single HDMI output while the TS4 records multiple display support.
The one category of ports the Anker 555 does not give up is the one that matters most in a shared setup. Its recorded features include an SD card reader and wired Ethernet, so a card reader and a network connection are still available.
The TS4 records multiple display support but no resolution, refresh rate or number of displays, so the display comparison can only be made as one against many. The Anker 555's recorded pass through is an input figure, and its record states that laptop charging wattage depends on hub draw, so the wattage a laptop actually receives through it is not a fixed number. No price is recorded for either product.
Every value here carries the state it was recorded in: read from the manufacturer's own documentation and not yet checked against a specific product page.
Differences
The differences that change the buying decision.
Bus power against dock power
The Anker 555 is recorded as bus powered with up to 85 W of input pass through and laptop charging wattage depending on hub draw. The TS4 is recorded as externally powered with up to 98 W of laptop charging and 18 ports against 8.
Products
Why it is here: The subject of this page. Its recorded Thunderbolt 4 protocol, 18 ports, 2.5 GbE Ethernet and external power supply define what the alternative is measured against.
Protocol: Thunderbolt 4
Why it is here: Recorded as a bus powered 8 in 1 hub with 1 GbE Ethernet, an SD card reader and up to 85 W of input pass through, so it trades dock power and port count for portability.
Port count: 8-in-1
Notes
What the records do not settle
The TS4 records multiple display support with no resolution or refresh rate, the Anker 555's pass through is an input figure rather than a charging figure, and neither product records a price. Every value carries the state it was recorded in.FAQ
Yes. The recorded power source is an external power supply, and being a powered dock is in the recorded feature list.
Source:CalDigit official site
The recorded laptop charging figure is up to 98 W, which is what makes the external power supply necessary rather than optional.
Source:CalDigit official site
Yes, that is how it is recorded: an 8 in 1 bus powered USB-C hub with HDMI, Ethernet, SD and microSD readers, USB-A and USB-C data ports and pass through charging, and it needs no socket.
Source:Anker official site
No multiple display support is recorded for it. Its recorded port list contains one HDMI output, at up to 4K and 30 Hz.
Source:Anker official site
Keep researching
Yes. The recorded power source for the CalDigit TS4 is an external power supply, and its recorded laptop charging is up to 98 W.
The CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt Station is a powered Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports, up to 98 W of laptop charging and 2.5 GbE Ethernet.
