If you have a new M1 Mac, you’re going to need a dock. And that dock should probably be a Thunderbolt dock, so you can use just one cable to turn your MacBook Air, Pro, or Mac mini into a hyper-connected desktop machine.

A Thunderbolt dock is like a fancy USB hub. It lets you connect not only USB drivers and peripherals, but also monitors, Ethernet, audio devices, and more. I’ve been using a CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt dock with a Mac mini for the past few weeks and it’s been great.

For $250, the CalDigit TS3+ is one of the most highly recommended docks out there. It’s Wirecutter’s top pick, and from what I’ve read online, hardly anyone has anything bad to say about it. After using it for a while, I have to agree. It gets hot and has an annoying blue LED on the front, but it’s been completely reliable for me. But first, what does it do?

The TS3+ comes with a (large) power adapter and a Thunderbolt cable. That last one is important, because a decent Thunderbolt cable can set you back around $30 by itself. You plug in the power and then connect it to your Mac (or PC). With this one cable, your little MacBook Air now has: