Everything you need to know about Thunderbolt™ and Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt, developed by Intel, steps up USB port technology by supporting both high‐speed data and video. Harnessing Thunderbolt through a USB-C port created in partnership with USB-IF, Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest port available. It connects Thunderbolt devices, all HD and 4K displays, and billions of USB-C devices using one compact, reversible cable.
The increasing mobility of the workforce coupled with the decreasing size of devices created a challenge within the tech sphere: How to support desktop speeds and applications—on mobile devices. Thunderbolt was developed as a solution to this challenge. Thunderbolt 3 supports the fastest data and most video bandwidth on a single cable.
1. Ethernet 2. Firewire 3. Thunderbolt 2
4. DisplayPort™ 5. HDMI® 6. USB-C 7. USB-A
Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, PCI Express, and USB
Up to 40 Gbps total bandwidth
Supports dual 4K 60Hz displays
Up to 85W power delivery
The new wave of Thunderbolt 3 Docks from Belkin brings fast data transfer, ultra-high definition monitor support and all the features you want from your ideal workstation.
Take full advantage of Thunderbolt technology with cables and accessories from Belkin.
A unit of data transfer rate measuring bandwidth speed by the billions of bits transferred per second.
The most common universal connector on the “other end” of most current USB cables, Standard USB is often suitable for use with computers, car chargers, wall chargers, and many other devices.
A port designed for use with an industry standard connector to communicate data and supply electric power between devices.
USB 3.1 is the updated, Gen 2 version of USB 3.0. Gen 2 successfully doubled the transfer speed rate of Gen 1(USB 3.0), taking USB from 5 Gbps to 10 Gbps.
A new type of USB connector, hailed as the new standard. Smaller, faster, and more user-friendly than previous USB types, USB-C has widespread support from industry leaders, meaning USB-C will come to replace all other USB types.
A non-profit organization founded by the companies that developed the Universal Serial Bus (USB) specification. The USB-IF’s mission is to support and advance USB technology.
Quickly becoming the new standard for high-quality digital video, 4K refers to a horizontal resolution of 4,096 pixels, or “4K” pixels.
A miniaturized version of the DisplayPort interface, Apple developed audio-visual digital interface Mini DisplayPort in 2008.
Thunderbolt is a technology designed to move large amounts of data quickly and safely between two compatible devices, such as a laptop and a monitor (to provide high-definition visuals to the monitor), or a camera and a laptop (to download large photo files from the camera).
Thunderbolt 3 technology uses a USB-C port to connect devices together. The USB-C port is able to handle the large amounts of data pushed through by Thunderbolt at high speeds. The use of a single port type – USB-C – makes it easier to connect audio, video, USB and storage devices through a single cable for a versatile, convenient solution.
Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C look the same because they share the same port, but they are not the same. USB-C refers only to the shape of connectors and cables, while Thunderbolt 3 is the technology that runs through the connectors and cables. While all Thunderbolt 3 devices use the USB Type-C port, not all Type-C ports contain Thunderbolt 3 technology. This means that some USB-C ports may not support the features and capabilities of Thunderbolt 3.
A Thunderbolt cable has a reversible connector offering high-speed data transfer. It is highly versatile and capable of supporting high-resolution displays, power, audio and video with just a single cable.
You can connect a DisplayPort device, such as a monitor, to a Thunderbolt laptop through an adapter or docking station.
A Thunderbolt 3 dock is an extension to your laptop through a single cable, and can support multiple peripherals all at the same time, to deliver high-speed data transfers for video, audio, and storage devices.
Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest port on the market today at 40 Gbps total bandwidth.