Displaylink ceases to work in 10.13.4

[Sofla David]

I'm seeing a lot of posts on the internet from people who had gotten it working under Mojave Public Beta 5, and then are experiencing the blank screen with cursor just like me after installing Mojave Public Beta 6. Especially those of us with the newer 2017/1018 MacBook Pros.

I hope I'm wrong, but it would appear that Apple broke it again with Public Beta 6.

I'm hoping DisplayLink can comment and either confirm, or deny that assumption soon so we can stop beating our heads against the wall trying to get it to work again or that Public Beta 7 comes out and fixes it again (one can hope).


I guess the big lesson here is to always come check the DisplayLink forums before installing ANY update. Unfortunately, I got my new 2018 MacBook Pro the SAME day that Public Beta 6 was released, so I wasn't even aware I was installing a newer Beta at the time, and didn't consider that the next Beta might break it again.

[AlbanRampon]

Originally Posted by Sofla David

I'm seeing a lot of posts on the internet from people who had gotten it working under Mojave Public Beta 5, and then are experiencing the blank screen with cursor just like me after installing Mojave Public Beta 6. Especially those of us with the newer 2017/1018 MacBook Pros.

I hope I'm wrong, but it would appear that Apple broke it again with Public Beta 6.

I'm hoping DisplayLink can comment and either confirm, or deny that assumption soon so we can stop beating our heads against the wall trying to get it to work again or that Public Beta 7 comes out and fixes it again (one can hope).


I guess the big lesson here is to always come check the DisplayLink forums before installing ANY update. Unfortunately, I got my new 2018 MacBook Pro the SAME day that Public Beta 6 was released, so I wasn't even aware I was installing a newer Beta at the time, and didn't consider that the next Beta might break it again.

Hello Sofla,

There is something on the 2018 model. As far as I know, it is NOT a regression (meaning it never worked, it did NOT "stop working again") We have received logs and have done preliminary analysis and logged a bug report. That's what my last comment on the idea thread was asking for.
In the meantime, you can force AirPlay with our beta 6 as I left it online.

Both sides are still in beta.

Kind regards,
Alban

[Sofla David]

Thanks for the reply Alban, glad to know it's a known, identified issue and already being investigated.

I wasn't aware the Beta 6 drivers were an option for Mojave. I just installed them, and it's working via airplay, so that makes it at least usable for me until a permanent fix is found.

Thanks again for the quick reply and great info.

[MC Ren]

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

Hello Sofla,

There is something on the 2018 model. As far as I know, it is NOT a regression (meaning it never worked, it did NOT "stop working again") We have received logs and have done preliminary analysis and logged a bug report. That's what my last comment on the idea thread was asking for.
In the meantime, you can force AirPlay with our beta 6 as I left it online.

Both sides are still in beta.

Kind regards,
Alban

In the mean time, it would be great if Display Link could fix the problem already, ok...

[AlbanRampon]

The fix for the mac 2018 model will not come from DisplayLink.

[warlockuk]

I get that basically Apple breaking functionality they deem 'not supported' even though a number of their third party providers rely on it is a pretty epic dick move...

...but is there a possibility of a (non Airplay) fix for pre-Mojave versions?

If it's looking like a 'no' then the heads-up would be appreciated as I'm going to have to find something that can function with the hardware I have to use for work

[lhasiuk]

I previously used a DisplayLink adapter to add a second external monitor to my late 2011 MacBook Pro 17", until it stopped working when I unknowingly updated macOS to an incompatible version. I stayed on top of this thread looking for a fix, but unfortunately the first one available would not fill my needs because of the resolution restriction and the lack of rotation support. Continuing to read through the thread over time, I decided that the best approach was to upgrade to a newer MacBook Pro, and ended up with the 15" 2018 model. It works great and easily supports my 30" main monitor and the 20" monitor beside it with the appropriate adapters. Apparently I can add up to four external 4K monitors. It works so much better than the DisplayLink adapter ever did, which was so slow that I couldn't really run anything that had a rapidly changing image and many apps with seemingly static displays would sometimes cause the driver to peg the CPU and be unusable with it. It eventually became my "documentation only" screen and then, of course, stopped working at all.

Now I can run whatever I want on either screen and it works flawlessly. Yes, it was expensive to upgrade my computer, but the MacBook Pro 17 was seven years old and had gone through three logic boards because of the graphics chip solder issue, which Apple covered but simply replaced with similarly flawed boards.

What I can't figure out is why anyone purchasing one of these 2017 and newer MacBook Pros would want to continue using the DisplayLink adapter, as some of the comments in this thread seem to imply. Do you really need more than 4 external 4K screens? Just go with an inexpensive USB-C to HDMI adapter or a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter, depending on your connection needs. You'll be much happier when your displays run with native support and you no longer have to carefully consider whether applying the next update is worth the possibility of losing your extra displays.

[Sofla David]

Originally Posted by lhasiuk

I previously used a DisplayLink adapter to add a second external monitor to my late 2011 MacBook Pro 17", until it stopped working when I unknowingly updated macOS to an incompatible version. I stayed on top of this thread looking for a fix, but unfortunately the first one available would not fill my needs because of the resolution restriction and the lack of rotation support. Continuing to read through the thread over time, I decided that the best approach was to upgrade to a newer MacBook Pro, and ended up with the 15" 2018 model. It works great and easily supports my 30" main monitor and the 20" monitor beside it with the appropriate adapters. Apparently I can add up to four external 4K monitors. It works so much better than the DisplayLink adapter ever did, which was so slow that I couldn't really run anything that had a rapidly changing image and many apps with seemingly static displays would sometimes cause the driver to peg the CPU and be unusable with it. It eventually became my "documentation only" screen and then, of course, stopped working at all.

Now I can run whatever I want on either screen and it works flawlessly. Yes, it was expensive to upgrade my computer, but the MacBook Pro 17 was seven years old and had gone through three logic boards because of the graphics chip solder issue, which Apple covered but simply replaced with similarly flawed boards.

What I can't figure out is why anyone purchasing one of these 2017 and newer MacBook Pros would want to continue using the DisplayLink adapter, as some of the comments in this thread seem to imply. Do you really need more than 4 external 4K screens? Just go with an inexpensive USB-C to HDMI adapter or a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter, depending on your connection needs. You'll be much happier when your displays run with native support and you no longer have to carefully consider whether applying the next update is worth the possibility of losing your extra displays.

In my case, I need a 2nd monitor that fits in my backpack when I travel to ships around the world and does not require it’s own power source.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of other options outside of the Asus USB DisplayLink monitors that fit those requirements.

[warlockuk]

Originally Posted by lhasiuk

What I can't figure out is why anyone purchasing one of these 2017 and newer MacBook Pros would want to continue using the DisplayLink adapter, as some of the comments in this thread seem to imply. Do you really need more than 4 external 4K screens? Just go with an inexpensive USB-C to HDMI adapter or a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter, depending on your connection needs. You'll be much happier when your displays run with native support and you no longer have to carefully consider whether applying the next update is worth the possibility of losing your extra displays.

For my use-case, I have a 2015 model; the monitors I have are standard corporate issue Dell monitors with DisplayPort, occasional HDMI and DVI-D inputs.

This Mac has two Thunderbolt 2 ports, so I went with a one-cable (plus power) solution - thunderbolt cable to a Belkin dock.
Belkin dock then has two USB to HDMI adapters (which in turn adapt to DVI cables).
Belkin dock also has a second Thunderbolt to mini displayport dealie for a third monitor.

Now the USBs don't work I've got two dead monitors out of three. I'm a developer, so it's kind of a punch in the sack.

Corporate won't upgrade my Mac because it would involve a new dock + an expensive new machine and we've got a 4 - 5 year refresh policy.

They won't give me monitors that can daisy chain, as that'll be expensive.

I can't switch to a PC, I need a bunch of iOS / Safari debugging stuff which it isn't convenient to fake on a PC.

Basically, not everyone who has gone dark has the option to use fancy monitors or newer hardware.

[Wozzy]

So what is happening to support 10.13.6 - It would appear nothing!

I have users screaming at me needing DL. We can't wait for Mojave as in an enterprise environment it will be at least 2 months befoe we approve for use.

We need a final driver for 10.13.6 NOW.