Luna Display and Adapters
Can Luna be used with an adapter, hub, or dock?
Luna Display must be plugged directly into a compatible port on your Mac or PC. We cannot guarantee Luna will work with every adapter, hub, or dock, as they use different communication protocols.
Using Luna with an adapter, hub, or dock is at your discretion, as these are not officially supported. Adapters may be compatible with wired connections (Ethernet or Thunderbolt) cables since wired connections are not related to our Luna Display hardware.
Can adapters be used for wired connections?
How do I use a USB, Ethernet, or Thunderbolt connection?
Yes, adapters can be used for wired connections like Thunderbolt or Ethernet, which are separate from Luna Display's hardware. You will still need to plug the Luna dongle directly into your Mac or PC.
Example: If you're connecting a 2015 iMac (Thunderbolt 2) to a 2021 MacBook Pro (Thunderbolt 4) using a Thunderbolt cable, you’ll need an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable.
For Ethernet connections, if your computer lacks an Ethernet port, you’ll need an Ethernet to USB-C adapter.
Recommended adapters: We suggest using Belkin adapters. Brands such as Insignia or uncommon brands found on Amazon can offer unreliable connections, especially when used in conjunction with a switch.
Adapters on M1 Macs
USB-C adapters that worked on Intel Macs may not work on M1 Macs due to missing APIs for Mini DisplayPort. Apple may add support in the future, but for now, some adapters may not function.
Mini DisplayPort Luna
Mini DisplayPort Luna is compatible with Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 2, and Mini DisplayPort (mDP) ports. However, some adapters, like Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, do not support the mDP protocol, even though Thunderbolt 2 does. This means the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter will not work with the mini DisplayPort version of Luna Display.
From Apple's support article about Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter:
USB-C Luna
Not all USB-C ports support displays, and not all USB-C adapters are compatible with Luna. The USB-C Luna uses DisplayPort Alt Mode, which is optional for USB-C ports and adapters.
What is DisplayPort Alt Mode?
DisplayPort Alt Mode allows USB-C ports to transfer video using DisplayPort signals. Luna requires a port that supports this protocol.
USB-C Port Types:
Can I use a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter?
DisplayPort is not natively compatible with HDMI unless the port supports dual-mode DisplayPort (DP++). If your port supports DP++, you may use a passive adapter. Otherwise, you will need an active adapter to convert the signal.
Since this setup has not been extensively tested with Luna, we do not recommend using DisplayPort to HDMI adapters.