u/Purple-Ebb-6690

Packing got easy. I can be out the door in 20 minutes now, and airports with one bag are almost relaxing. Saying goodbye to people I met a week ago also got easier, which I have mixed feelings about.

What hasn't: finding wifi I can trust in smaller cities. Explaining to my parents what I do for work. Sunday evenings in a new city where I don't know anyone yet, those still get me.

Gear-wise, my laptop and a pair of $15 earbuds have made it through all three months, while the expensive stuff broke first. Two things I added a few weeks ago that I wish I'd had from the start: the new Anker Universal Charger for all the different outlets, and an Anker Travel Charging Station that lives on whatever hotel nightstand I'm at.

My old hub (a no-name 7-in-1 from Amazon) stopped working after about 18 months. One of the USB-A ports failed and then the whole thing started disconnecting randomly. Tried different cables, different ports on the laptop, nothing helped. It was just done.

So I started looking for a replacement. My setup is an M4 Pro MacBook with one external 4K monitor, mechanical keyboard, and an external SSD. I wanted a 10-in-1 with rear ports so the cables go behind the stand instead of toward me, and something that wouldn't cap my monitor at 60Hz like the old one did.

Spent a couple evenings reading comparison threads on here and r/macbookpro. Most hubs in the $80-120 range still cap at 60Hz. The Anker Smart Display Hub was the only one I found claiming 240Hz single screen, with a diagnostic display and rear port layout. $99.

Got a 10-in-1 hub (Anker Smart Display Hub). It arrived two days ago, and I’m planning the connections:

Planned everyday connections: USB-C PD to laptop, HDMI to monitor, one USB-A for keyboard receiver

Occasional connections: second USB-A for thumb drives, SD card slot for camera

No immediate need for: ethernet (wifi is fine), second display output

About 5 out of 10 ports have a place in the plan. The one cable undock with everything through a single USB-C is the whole point.