Error Message: Cannot Use Thunderbolt Accessory Connect accessory to a Thunderbolt port.

I do not see any Thunderbolt hubs or docks on the Lionwei site.

There are a few USB-C docking stations and hubs. Some of these have downstream USB-C ports, but those seem to be just for USB data – not for the full range of (USB, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt) protocols that your M1 MBP Pro's USB-C ports support.

If you are trying to plug an accessory that needs Thunderbolt into a USB-C (USB only) port on the Lionwei docking station, this may be why you are getting a "Cannot use Thunderbolt accessory" error.

A Thunderbolt / PCIe NVMe SSD, a 27" 5K Apple Studio Display, or an old 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display hooked up via a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter would be an example of such an accessory.

fieldsfrombrooklyn wrote:

Here's the docking station on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8MQGFV9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

That's a USB hub – not a Thunderbolt dock or hub. It has a mixture of downstream ports:

• (2) USB-C ports for USB data transfers at speeds of up to 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed)
• (1) USB-A port for USB data transfers at speeds of up to 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed)
• (4) USB-A ports for USB data transfers at speeds of up to 5 Gbps (USB 3.0 speed)

It also has:

• Some USB-A ports that do not support data transfer, and are only for charging devices

You can connect it to a computer with a USB-A cable or a USB-C cable. But while the two USB-C port and the USB-C cable might be convenient, it looks like this hub does not particularly take advantage of any of the stuff that USB-C can support that USB-A cannot. In particular, I see no mention of

• USB-C Power Delivery (in either direction)
• DisplayPort Alt Mode
• Thunderbolt

Not sure what you mean about downstream. Explain like I'm a 5 year old, please.

For data connections, upstream is "towards the computer" and downstream is "towards the accessories." The downstream ports on this hub are all of the USB-A and USB-C ones on the top marked with "USB-C 3.1", "USB 3.1", and "USB 3.0".

But, as I mentioned above I get the same results from several different docking stations. Same result with unpowered Anker and another one by Totu. (though I don't get the error message. On those devices only the USB 2 drive mounts.) If this hub is incompatible, as you seem to indicate, how do I find one that is compatible?

This hub should be compatible with your M1 MacBook Pro – but only for the purpose of plugging in devices that want to communicate using USB protocol, or that want to draw the small amounts of charging power specified in the USB 3.0 standard.

If you want to attach a monitor to your computer, you should not plug it into the USB-C ports on this hub. These ports support neither

• the USB-C (DisplayPort) signal that most monitors and adapters would want, or
• the USB-C (Thunderbolt (DisplayPort)) signal that a few high-end monitors would want

You would plug your monitor directly into one of the USB-C ports on your M1 MacBook Pro. While there are other, more elaborate docks that would bring out your Mac's video signal in some way, this is not one of them. It's not a bug in the Mac or the hub; just a known limitation of this particular type of hub.

If you want to attach some other Thunderbolt device to your computer – such as a Thunderbolt SSD – then again, you'd need to plug it directly into your computer (or into some fancier Thunderbolt dock or hub).

I do not know for certain that the error that you saw is due to

• Plugging a 27" 5K Apple Studio Display into one of the hub's downstream USB-C ports
• Plugging an Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter and 27" 2.5K Apple Thunderbolt Display into one of those ports
• Plugging a Thunderbolt 3 / PCIe NVMe SSD into one of those ports

But these are three fairly common expansion scenarios involving Thunderbolt, and they are scenarios in which an error like the one that you saw would be appropriate. The error would be telling you: Don't plug this device into the hub, whose USB-C ports don't support Thunderbolt. Plug this device into the other USB-C port on the MBP, which does support Thunderbolt.

If you are getting the Thunderbolt error but you are not actually trying to plug in any Thunderbolt devices, then I am not sure what to tell you. You may need to contact Lionwei support, and tell them, "I'm plugging in only USB devices, but I'm still getting this error that's not relevant to them. What's going on?"

fieldsfrombrooklyn wrote:

Just purchased a Powered Universal USB docking station with thunderbolt (USB 3 or is it C?) by Lionwei.

Strike the "with thunderbolt". It's USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 all the way, regardless of the connector type (A or C). The description on the Amazon product page confirmed that.

Reading the next part of the post more closely, in light of this:

It only works with a USB 2 input. Not the usb c/thunderbolt. So the USB 2 drive mounts. Not the C. I get an error message: Cannot Use Thunderbolt Accessory Connect accessory to a Thunderbolt port. The USB C drive mounts when directly plugged into my M1 Macbook pro, OS 13.2.1.

Sounds very much like the "C" drive that "won't mount" when plugged into the hub, but will mount when plugged directly into the MBP, is a Thunderbolt drive. Perhaps a Thunderbolt / PCIe NVMe SSD that can make good use of the extra speed that Thunderbolt offers.

A USB-C (USB 3.0) or USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) drive might work with the hub … but this drive needs something that is beyond the hub's capabilities.