Shop E Store Like many people these days, I work from home and use a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an external display. I’ve been a longtime user of OWC Thunderbolt docks and can connect displays and various peripherals to the I/O ports on the hub.
This dock was sitting on a desk until recently. I came across more improvements to the setup. Simply put, I discovered this cable management tray. This cable management tray allows you to place the dock on a shelf just below the desk, so all the confusion is invisible…
There is a more luxurious cable management tray that you can buy. Standing desk enthusiasts love these shelves that literally screw into the bottom of the table. But I was separated from the people of the past.
The good thing about the cable management tray linked above is that it does not require drilling and does not require holes in the surface of the desk. It has two small clamps on the left and one on the right.
No tools are required to attach. To install, simply turn the clamp and tighten it with your fingers and grab it onto the desk via a soft rubber pad. The Thunderbolt dock and power extension leads can maintain a significant amount of weight. It feels sturdy and stable.
The tray has a wireframe mesh design, so there are plenty of holes to supply the cables, providing adequate ventilation.
From above, it’s just a small tab with two clamps. I have a black colored desk, so it all blends in very neatly – there are many manufacturers who make very similar trays in all kinds of sizes and different colors. Obviously, if you screw it into a permanent shelf, you won’t see these tabs at all. This is the only minor drawback of the clamp approach.
With this setup you can see what my desk looks like from above and below.
Its dock drives USB-C cables such as Ethernet, display, USB microphone, wired keyboard and mouse, power supplies, lightning, and connected iOS devices. Place the power extension leads on top of it to provide four convenient plug sockets. And I don’t need to see it anymore. I even have space on the shelves so I plan to pack a few more in the future.
As you can see from the image, most of the I/O confusion is now completely invisible. For a $30 office upgrade, I’m very pleased with the results. In fact, the most expensive part of all this was that you had to buy a longer Thunderbolt cable that could be reached under the desk from your laptop.
