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Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Plugable Technologies
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Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Sixdrop
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Plugable 14-in-1 USB-C and Thunderbolt Dock - 40Gbps with 96W Charging, Compatible with Mac and Windows, 2X HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort, 7X USB Ports, Ethernet, Audio, SD/MicroSD, Driverless
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Plugable |
Color | Metallic |
Hardware Interface | Thunderbolt |
Compatible Devices | USB-C / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 Mac M1 / M2 / M3 (M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, M3 Pro/Max) and Windows Systems See more |
Total USB Ports | 8 |
Product Dimensions | 4.13"L x 1.42"W x 7.68"H |
Number of Ports | 14 |
Total HDMI Ports | 2 |
Wattage | 100 watts |
About this item
- 100W Max Power - The TBT3-UDZ laptop dock delivers the fastest laptop charging rate for certified Thunderbolt devices - up to 100W (96W certified), while also safely charging laptops needing 85W or less. Maximize compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C systems
- 14-in-1 Expansion - Thunderbolt 3 dock expands to 2x HDMI or DisplayPort monitors, 1x USB-C (10Gbps), 1x USB-A (10Gbps), 5x USB 3.0 (5Gbps), Gigabit Ethernet, Audio In/Out, SD/microSD all through a single 2.6ft Thunderbolt 3 cable (40Gbps)
- Versatile Dual 4K Displays - This laptop docking station's dual monitor design is the first Thunderbolt dock to offer a choice between dual HDMI and DisplayPort displays. Drive up to two 4k 60Hz displays via Thunderbolt 3 or two 1080p 60Hz displays via USB-C
- Mac and Windows - Compatible with Intel CPU Thunderbolt 3 Macs like the MacBook Pro 16" and Windows systems with Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type-C like the Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3, Lenovo Yoga, HP Spectre, Dell XPS (USB-C and Apple M1 / M2 / M3 systems will operate at reduced functionality)
- 2 Year Warranty - We love our Plugable products, and hope you will too. All of our products are backed with a 2-year limited parts and labor warranty as well as Seattle-based email support
Additional Details
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From the brand
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At Plugable, we design products for productivity. And we know that work can happen anywhere–at a desk, on the road, in an office, and more often than ever, at home.
Every Plugable product–from dongle to docking station–is designed and tested by our team in Redmond, Washington to work anywhere you work.
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Product guides and documents
Product Description
A powerful and versatile Thunderbolt 3 dock
The TBT3-UDZ is Plugable’s most versatile, powerful and accessible docking station yet. Its unique, exclusive design allows users to connect up to two 4K displays using either HDMI or DisplayPort without the need of external adapters - the first Thunderbolt 3 docking station to offer this flexibility of display types. Using the Intel Titan Ridge chipset and Plugable's custom design, the TBT3-UDZ delivers a combination of more port options, fastest charging up to 100W, and widest PC and Mac compatibility of any dock on the market.
- Up to 100W Power Delivery to host (96W Certified)
- 2x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI ports (for a total of two displays)
- 7x USB ports: 1x USB-C 10Gbps port, 1x USB 10Gbps port, 5x USB 5Gbps ports
- 1x SD card slot
- 1x MicroSD card slot
- 1x Gigabit Ethernet port
- 1x Combination audio input/output jack
With this dock, we set out to solve customer pain points that users have been dealing with for a long time now. These include the difference between Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C, which have identical looking ports, HDMI versus DisplayPort, USB-C or USB-A peripheral ports, and the different levels of charging wattage offered. The TBT3-UDZ eliminates any confusion between these different types of technologies by offering a simplified solution that answers these questions for you.
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DisplayPort and HDMIPlugable's unique design allows users to connect up to two additional 4K displays with your port of choice using either HDMI or DisplayPort without the need of external adapters. This is the first Thunderbolt 3 docking station to offer this flexibility of display types. Made to adapt to the user's setup, the TBT3-UDZ is unparalleled in flexibility. |
Vertical and HorizontalThe horizontal or vertical design of the TBT3-UDZ goes against the grain of other docking stations. Fit the dock in any space standing up or lying flat so there's more room for monitors and peripherals, while keeping a productive and clean workspace. The dock includes a sturdy, detachable base for vertical orientation, which ensures a stable, sturdy setup no matter how many cables you connect. |
Thunderbolt 3 and USB-CThe TBT3-UDZ is built upon the latest Intel Titan Ridge chipset, enabling the widest compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C laptops on the market. Thunderbolt 4 laptops are also supported. Its dual connectivity removes frustrations from having to pick a docking station for either type of laptop while delivering unrivaled performance. |
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100W ChargingThe TBT3-UDZ’s 100W* Power Delivery is the highest charging wattage to be implemented in any universal Thunderbolt 3 docking station. With Apple now releasing notebooks with 96W chargers, such as the new 16” MacBook Pro, the TBT3-UDZ is the best docking station to pair with these devices for unrivaled performance. Charge your laptop at noticeably faster speeds - so you’ll have one less thing to think about and you can say goodbye to your other power supply. *To strictly comply with 100W regulatory limits with margin, Thunderbolt certification limits to charging to 96W. |
Dual 4K DisplaysExpand your workspace with 40Gbps Thunderbolt speeds and drive any combination of two DisplayPort or HDMI monitors. When connected to a compatible Thunderbolt 3 Mac* and Windows systems:
When connected to a compatible USB-C system:
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Flexible ConnectivityThe docking station features 14 ports making it one of the most comprehensive docking stations available, ideal for the most demanding of professions that require multiple inputs and peripherals. With a mix of five USB 3.0 (5Gbps), one USB-A (10Gbps) and one USB-C (10Gbps) ports, you’ll be able to connect your phone or USB flash drive to the easily accessible front USB and USB-C ports, then connect other USB peripherals such as a keyboard or mouse to the back of the dock. Note: The USB-C port on the front of the dock supports data transfer only (no video). When connected to a USB-C laptop the front USB-C and USB-A port may be limited to 5Gbps depending on host specifications. |
Compatibility
Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 Systems:
- PC: Windows 10 or 11 with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 and Power Delivery support (PD required for charging)
- MAC: macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later with Thunderbolt 3 (M1 / M2 / M3 Macs are limited to a single extended display)
- LINUX and CHROME OS: Not supported
USB-C Systems (No Thunderbolt):
- PC: Windows 10 or Windows 11 with USB-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode video output support (required for video functionality) and Power Delivery charging support (required for charging).
- Multi-display capabilities will vary depending on host system graphics card support.
- MAC: 12” MacBook Retina models (limited to a single extended display or dual mirrored displays up to 4096x2160 @ 30Hz)
- LINUX and CHROME OS: Not supported
Important Notes:
- Apple M1 / M2 / M3 based MacBook, Mac Mini, and iMac systems (non-Intel processors) only support a single external display via Thunderbolt ports (this is a limitation of the M1 / M2 / M3 graphics card)
- Some Thunderbolt 3 Windows systems will not support dual displays (only one DisplayPort stream). Please check with your system manufacturer to verify dual displays via Thunderbolt 3 are supported
- Not all systems with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 support charging from these ports. Use of separate laptop power adapter may be required. Please check with your system manufacturer to verify Power Delivery charging is supported
- Dock capabilities are reduced when connected to USB-C only systems. When using the dock in USB-C mode (no Thunderbolt support from system) the front 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A ports will be limited to 5Gbps operation. Display support may also be limited to a maximum of two 1080p @ 60Hz displays (dependent upon system graphics card DisplayPort implementation)
- Windows systems may require updated Thunderbolt drivers, Thunderbolt NVM firmware, system UEFI BIOS, and graphics card drivers from the system manufacturer (Apple systems provide this automatically)
TBT3-UDZ | TBT3-UDC3 | UD-ULTC4K | UD-3900C4 | TBT4-UDZ | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.1 out of 5 stars
792
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4.1 out of 5 stars
183
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4.1 out of 5 stars
1,508
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4.1 out of 5 stars
159
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4.1 out of 5 stars
236
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Laptop compatibility | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C |
Power Delivery to host | 100W (96W Certified) | 100W (96W Certified) | 100W (96W Certified) | 100W (96W Max PD Profile) | 100W (98W Certified) |
Number of displays supported | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Video output types | 2x DisplayPort or HDMI | 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort (or second HDMI with included adapter) | 3x HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 | 2x HDMI 1.3, 2x HDMI 2.0 | 2x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI |
SD/Micro SD | ✓ | -- | -- | ✓ | ✓ |
Orientation | Vertical or Horizontal | Horizontal | Vertical | Vertical | Vertical or Horizontal |
Compare with similar items
This Item Plugable 14-in-1 USB-C and Thunderbolt Dock - 40Gbps with 96W Charging, Compatible with Mac and Windows, 2X HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort, 7X USB Ports, Ethernet, Audio, SD/MicroSD, Driverless | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
Try again! Added to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart | |
Price | $199.95$199.95 | -12% $251.99$251.99 Typical: $285.99 | -41% $100.00$100.00 List: $169.99 | $199.95$199.95 | $189.95$189.95 | -5% $189.95$189.95 Typical: $199.95 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Camera quality | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
Value for money | 3.7 | 3.7 | — | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
Tech Support | — | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 |
Sold By | Plugable Technologies | Plugable Technologies | Amazon.com | Plugable Technologies | Plugable Technologies | Plugable Technologies |
hardware interface | thunderbolt | usb c | usb | hdmi, ethernet, usb, thunderbolt, usb3.0 | usb docking station | usb docking station |
number of ports | 14 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
number of usb ports | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
HDMI ports | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
compatible devices | USB-C / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 Mac M1 / M2 / M3 (M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, M3 Pro/Max) and Windows Systems | Supports full-featured USB-C, USB4, and Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 systems running Windows 10 / 11 & ChromeOS 100 or newer including, HP ProBook / EliteBook / Spectre x360 series, Dell XPS / Latitude / Inspiron series, Lenovo ThinkPad / IdeaPad / Yoga , Microsoft Surface Pro / Go / Book / Laptop models, LG Gram, Thousands of other laptops which are compliant with full-featured, standards-compliant USB-C ports | Dell Notebooks/ Tablet PC | Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C Windows and Mac laptops including Apple M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max MacBook, Dell (Latitude / XPS), Lenovo (Thinkpad / IdeaPad / Yoga), HP (ProBook / EliteBook / Spectre x360), Framework (Intel Processors), Microsoft (Surface Pro 9,8 / Surface Laptop Studio / Surface Laptop 5) Systems | Windows 10 / 11 & macOS 10.15.x and later, ChromeOS 100.x and later Supports full-featured USB-C, USB4, and Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 systems, including: M1 / M2 / M3 (M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, M3 Pro/Max); Intel-based Thunderbolt 3 MacBooks (late 2016+) Dell XPS, Latitude, Inspiron series with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 Microsoft Surface Pro / Go / Book / Laptop models with USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 4 HP ProBook, EliteBook, Spectre x360 series with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 Lenovo ThinkPad, IdeaPad, and Yoga with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 LG Gram with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 & thousands of other laptops which are compliant with full-featured, standards-compliant USB-C ports | Windows 10 / 11 & ChromeOS 100 or newer & macOS 11 and later Supports full-featured USB-C, USB4, and Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 systems, including: M1 / M2 / M3 (M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, M3 Pro/Max); Intel-based Thunderbolt 3 MacBooks (late 2016+) Dell XPS, Latitude, Inspiron series with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 Microsoft Surface Pro / Go / Book / Laptop models with USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 4 HP ProBook, EliteBook, Spectre x360 series with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 Lenovo ThinkPad, IdeaPad, and Yoga with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 LG Gram with full-featured USB-C, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3 / 4 & thousands of other laptops which are compliant with full-featured, standards-compliant USB-C ports |
wattage | 100 watts | 100 watts | — | 96 watts | 60 watts | 60 watts |
weight | — | 486 grams | 0.63 pounds | 320 grams | 400 grams | 2.4 pounds |
Product information
Product Dimensions | 4.13 x 1.42 x 7.68 inches |
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Item Weight | 4.22 pounds |
ASIN | B08HR3T837 |
Item model number | TBT3-UDZ |
Customer Reviews |
4.1 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #5,251 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #69 in Laptop Docking Stations |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | September 29, 2020 |
Manufacturer | Plugable |
Country of Origin | Thailand |
Warranty & Support
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the dock's ports and quality. They say it has enough ports for webcam, mic, USB hub, and accessory ports for scanners, optical drives, and 3D printers. They also appreciate the dock provides 96W charging power. However, some customers have reported connectivity issues and disagree on performance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the ports on the docking station. They mention it has all the ports they could ever need, including USB ports, HDMI, and display options. Some say it has enough ports for webcams, mics, and other accessories. They also appreciate the optimal charging power and the best port selection. Overall, customers are happy with the port selection and functionality of the product.
"...It really was pretty easy to set up, looks great, and as numerous ways to connect peripherals with plenty of ports...." Read more
"...Never any issues charging the laptop and the extra USB and ethernet ports work well...." Read more
"...The USB ports and Ethernet ports only work after the laptop has been unlocked...." Read more
"...It has a nice amount of different ports for my devices and allows me to use an external monitor with my M3 Macbook Pro while keeping it charged and..." Read more
Customers like the quality of the docking station. They mention it's a solid dock, has great build quality, and is reliable. The ports are high quality and fit snugly. The dock is a heavy unit with plenty of ports for their needs and allows them to get a nice stable setup.
"...I feel like you can throw everything at the dock and it can handle it just fine. That's the price you pay for. Tiptop quality...." Read more
"...This dock allowed me to get a nice stable setup!" Read more
"...* All the ports are high quality and fit snugly.* The unit is exceedingly well-designed...." Read more
"...It stays nice and cool, has great build quality, and it looks really nice on my desk!However, there are a few problems:..." Read more
Customers like the charging power of the dock. They say it reliably provides 96W charging power to their M1 computers. They also say it has enough power to charge their laptop and has no lag. Some mention that the dock is one of two that supports full 96-W charging. The high-power USB-C charging eliminates the need for another connection and hasn't had any charging issues.
"...material and as far as I am aware is one of two docks that supports full 96W charging (the other also made by Plugable)...." Read more
"...Never any issues charging the laptop and the extra USB and ethernet ports work well...." Read more
"...Reliably provides 96 W charging power to my M1 computers. One less bulky power adapter to fit onto an outlet strip.*..." Read more
"...It has tons of ports. It's only "flaw" is that I wish it would Power my Dell Precision 7680...." Read more
Customers like the charging of the dock. They mention that it charges their computer at improved speeds and charging capacity. The WAN speed is fine, and the refresh rate is working like advertised. The dock also drives two external SSDs at high speed, and can charge at 96W. Customers also mention that the dock can drive two displays at 120Hz.
"...The WAN speed is fine though. I'm getting close to 280 Mbit/s. Which is as fast as plugging in the ethernet cable directly to the laptop...." Read more
"...Apparent faster data transmission capacity than prior docking station.•..." Read more
"...helped and my internet connection would just die off or become extremely slow. This would usually last anywhere from a few minutes to hours...." Read more
"...It also drives two external SSDs at high speed, an ATEM video and Focus right audio, it also provides additional USB outputs that I use to connect..." Read more
Customers like the value of the docking station. They say it's the best value for the money, saves money on dongles, and is the best bang for the buck Thunderbolt dock.
"...respects exceeds its competition, and manages to do it at a very reasonable price-point." Read more
"...And it all booted right up. Worth EVERY penny (so far, I mean, I just set it up) and I have an external SSD, speakers, printer, 2 USBA extended..." Read more
"...The price is still very steep, but uh, good quality comes with a premium price and that's what I'm willing to pay for, because this dock screams..." Read more
"...Worth every penny" Read more
Customers find the electronic device docking station easy to set up. They mention that no programming was required, it works as designed, and it's simple to connect. The entire process was painless, and no additional packages had to be installed.
"...It really was pretty easy to set up, looks great, and as numerous ways to connect peripherals with plenty of ports...." Read more
"...Features I especially appreciate:• Easy set up.•..." Read more
"...No issues with connection. So easy to set up, no software. Very powerful." Read more
"While No docking station is perfect, this Plugable is very easy to setup. Plug n Play is actually true here...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the docking station. Some mention that it works great, while others say that it simply doesn't work. Some say that the DisplayPort does not work, and the laptop won't stay awake when plugged in with the lid closed.
"...That's the price you pay for. Tiptop quality. 220 EUR is lot of money, but it spares me a lot of hassle every time I leave home for work...." Read more
"...This docking station works perfectly…for BOTH of our laptops!..." Read more
"...Tried this one again, did not work. I attempted to download all the updated drivers and they were already installed...." Read more
"...It is solid material and as far as I am aware is one of two docks that supports full 96W charging (the other also made by Plugable)...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the connectivity of the docking station. They mention that it keeps disconnecting while they are trying to play video games, and the dual monitors they have plugged in via HDMI would lose connection every 3-5 minutes. They also say that the backups they are making would fail as a result of the disconnections and reconnects. Customers also mention that the DP connection is inconsistent, and that nothing other than the display connections work.
"...worked just like it was supposed to; however, my newer laptop would not connect properly...." Read more
"...of all: When the computer would go into sleep mode, the whole home network would shut down, which I discovered was due to a "broadcast storm"...." Read more
"...Unfortunately, I have noticed an issue when using HDCP-protected video when the dock is connected via Thunderbolt 3...." Read more
"...Video connections are important.Here is my configuration:1. Two 24-inch LG monitors (4,000K, 60Hz)2...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Alright, after an hour of extensive use of the dock, I think it's time to write a review about this baby. Usually I don't write reviews on Amazon, but for Plugable, I'll make an exception.
I live in Belgium and like the rest of the world, our lives have been affected by COVID-19. My boss told us to work from home, but I still have to go to the office and visit customers occasionally. I don't want to plug/unplug all the cables when I leave home, so it's time to buy a docking station for my laptop (HP ZBook 17 Gen 3).
After some research I've decided to pick this dock mainly because of it's display connectivities. It supports up to 2 DisplayPort OR 2 HDMI monitors in 4k 60 Hz. I'm not sure if you can mix DisplayPort with HDMI though.
This dock doesn't come cheap. When I first added it to the shopping cart, Amazon said 309.70 EUR (374,89 USD import taxes + shipping included). But after selecting the coupon and subscribing to Amazon Prime (1 month free trial), the dock is discounted to 221.47 EUR. The price is still very steep, but uh, good quality comes with a premium price and that's what I'm willing to pay for, because this dock screams high quality.
2) Delivery
The dock was delivered pretty quickly. I ordered the dock on 30th November and ETA should be 24th December to 30th December, but Amazon gave me a surprise: the dock was delivered today (8th December). I was at the bike store for maintenance when UPS came. So the delivery guy left a note for me to pick up the dock. Luckily the pickup point was not that far, so I traveled by bike.
3) Unboxing
I pretty much know exactly what's in the box, so no surprises here. One thing that bothered me though, the dock came with a US power socket (actually not surprised). Luckily I still have some universal sockets lying around, so no biggie here.
4) Setup
After some struggle with cable management with my Ikea Bekant, I can finally switch on the dock (no power button, just plug in the power socket). Windows 10 immediately recognized the dock and started to set it up (installing drivers?). After a minute or so, the dock is ready to be used and a thunderbolt icon is added to the notification area.
5) Displays
After plugging in the HDMI cables, I've got 2 black screens. So I pressed Winkey + P to extend the displays and voila, I got some nice (distorted) images on my main monitor (Samsung CRG9, also bought it for WFH). Still no images on my second monitor (10 year old Dell U2711). After some checks, I noticed the HDMI cable came loose on the Dell. Plugging it back in solved the problem.
Although I got images on both monitors, the resolutions were messed up (hence distorted). So I opened up Nvidia control panel to add some custom resolutions (I did this many times before, so no need to google). So 5120x1440 for the Samsung and 2560x1440 for the Dell. The image quality is now perfect. The refresh rate is also working like advertised (tested with testufo.com). One small issue though, for some reason the Dell won't turn on when the laptop display is on. So instead of extending the displays, I just display the second and third monitors in Windows, problem solved. This is my setup anyway before buying the dock, so no biggie here again.
6) Networking
I've only tested copying files from a remote desktop session. For some reason I can't access files on SMB shares on my desktop computer and vice versa. Maybe the corporate firewall software on my laptop is blocking it. I only get 10 MB/s via remote sessions. I expect the LAN speed will be much higher (100 MB/s) when copying files via SMB. The WAN speed is fine though. I'm getting close to 280 Mbit/s. Which is as fast as plugging in the ethernet cable directly to the laptop.
7) The rest
I didn't test the audio port, because I'm too lazy to unplug the audio cable connected to my CRG9 (it's not easy to access the back panel). I play music with my Sony SRS-XB22 via Bluetooth anyway.
I also didn't test the 5 USB3 type A ports (back), the USB3 type C port (front) and the SD card slots. I have no need for those ports at the moment, but I expect they'll work without any issues.
I did test the front USB3 type A port though. My 3 year old OnePlus 5 charges just fine. I can also access files on my phone. So I am a happy Man (capital M because my last name is Man, no pun intended).
8) Verdict
Although I haven't tested everything on the dock (some day I will), I'm already very satisfied with my purchase. I feel like you can throw everything at the dock and it can handle it just fine. That's the price you pay for. Tiptop quality. 220 EUR is lot of money, but it spares me a lot of hassle every time I leave home for work. For someone who's constantly on the road, it's worth every penny.
Cheers,
Kevin
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2020
Alright, after an hour of extensive use of the dock, I think it's time to write a review about this baby. Usually I don't write reviews on Amazon, but for Plugable, I'll make an exception.
I live in Belgium and like the rest of the world, our lives have been affected by COVID-19. My boss told us to work from home, but I still have to go to the office and visit customers occasionally. I don't want to plug/unplug all the cables when I leave home, so it's time to buy a docking station for my laptop (HP ZBook 17 Gen 3).
After some research I've decided to pick this dock mainly because of it's display connectivities. It supports up to 2 DisplayPort OR 2 HDMI monitors in 4k 60 Hz. I'm not sure if you can mix DisplayPort with HDMI though.
This dock doesn't come cheap. When I first added it to the shopping cart, Amazon said 309.70 EUR (374,89 USD import taxes + shipping included). But after selecting the coupon and subscribing to Amazon Prime (1 month free trial), the dock is discounted to 221.47 EUR. The price is still very steep, but uh, good quality comes with a premium price and that's what I'm willing to pay for, because this dock screams high quality.
2) Delivery
The dock was delivered pretty quickly. I ordered the dock on 30th November and ETA should be 24th December to 30th December, but Amazon gave me a surprise: the dock was delivered today (8th December). I was at the bike store for maintenance when UPS came. So the delivery guy left a note for me to pick up the dock. Luckily the pickup point was not that far, so I traveled by bike.
3) Unboxing
I pretty much know exactly what's in the box, so no surprises here. One thing that bothered me though, the dock came with a US power socket (actually not surprised). Luckily I still have some universal sockets lying around, so no biggie here.
4) Setup
After some struggle with cable management with my Ikea Bekant, I can finally switch on the dock (no power button, just plug in the power socket). Windows 10 immediately recognized the dock and started to set it up (installing drivers?). After a minute or so, the dock is ready to be used and a thunderbolt icon is added to the notification area.
5) Displays
After plugging in the HDMI cables, I've got 2 black screens. So I pressed Winkey + P to extend the displays and voila, I got some nice (distorted) images on my main monitor (Samsung CRG9, also bought it for WFH). Still no images on my second monitor (10 year old Dell U2711). After some checks, I noticed the HDMI cable came loose on the Dell. Plugging it back in solved the problem.
Although I got images on both monitors, the resolutions were messed up (hence distorted). So I opened up Nvidia control panel to add some custom resolutions (I did this many times before, so no need to google). So 5120x1440 for the Samsung and 2560x1440 for the Dell. The image quality is now perfect. The refresh rate is also working like advertised (tested with testufo.com). One small issue though, for some reason the Dell won't turn on when the laptop display is on. So instead of extending the displays, I just display the second and third monitors in Windows, problem solved. This is my setup anyway before buying the dock, so no biggie here again.
6) Networking
I've only tested copying files from a remote desktop session. For some reason I can't access files on SMB shares on my desktop computer and vice versa. Maybe the corporate firewall software on my laptop is blocking it. I only get 10 MB/s via remote sessions. I expect the LAN speed will be much higher (100 MB/s) when copying files via SMB. The WAN speed is fine though. I'm getting close to 280 Mbit/s. Which is as fast as plugging in the ethernet cable directly to the laptop.
7) The rest
I didn't test the audio port, because I'm too lazy to unplug the audio cable connected to my CRG9 (it's not easy to access the back panel). I play music with my Sony SRS-XB22 via Bluetooth anyway.
I also didn't test the 5 USB3 type A ports (back), the USB3 type C port (front) and the SD card slots. I have no need for those ports at the moment, but I expect they'll work without any issues.
I did test the front USB3 type A port though. My 3 year old OnePlus 5 charges just fine. I can also access files on my phone. So I am a happy Man (capital M because my last name is Man, no pun intended).
8) Verdict
Although I haven't tested everything on the dock (some day I will), I'm already very satisfied with my purchase. I feel like you can throw everything at the dock and it can handle it just fine. That's the price you pay for. Tiptop quality. 220 EUR is lot of money, but it spares me a lot of hassle every time I leave home for work. For someone who's constantly on the road, it's worth every penny.
Cheers,
Kevin
A couple weeks ago, we had an issue with the station’s power. I contacted Pluggable. Josh, from Pluggable service, was very quick to respond and walked me through potential fixes. Finding none, he sent a new docking station for us to swap. This docking station works perfectly…for BOTH of our laptops! Josh sent a prepaid return USPS label and I shipped the original docking station back to him. The entire process was painless, which seriously helped with the minor inconvenience of limping along with out it.
I condensed our experience for the sake of the reader but I highly recommend the purchase of this product - for its functionality and features, as well as the superb customer service.
I had the following problems with this dock, using it with a Macbook Pro 16 and two 4K LG displays:
- HDMI port worked about one out of every three times that I would plug in it
- When using both displayports, the identity of the two monitors would appear to be the same, causing display settings to be incorrect whenever the dock was plugged in.
- The audio jack did not work at all. It did not show up in the system as an audio device.
- When the dock was plugged in, the Apple Magic Mouse 2 would stutter periodically.
- Probably the biggest problem of all: When the computer would go into sleep mode, the whole home network would shut down, which I discovered was due to a "broadcast storm". This issue, as it turns out, was a known issue and had a fix - namely to ask Plugable support for an updated driver for the Realtek ethernet chipset. I would have done that if not for the other issues.
I do wonder if maybe the other issues that I had would have been resolvable by simply installing the Realtek driver? (i.e. maybe the ethernet issues were somehow overwhelming the thunderbolt bus causing the other problems?) I decided that I spent way too much time with it and just wanted to return it though. Fortunately, their support team was incredibly responsive and kind with me, dealing with these issues, and I had no problems returning it.
I actually have a plugable Thunderbolt 3 dock from 2017 that works perfectly with the Macbook Pro 16 (ironically had some minor issues with an older 2017 MacBook pro), so I am just going to continue to use that one. The biggest reason that I was replacing this was to get the 96W charging. But, after all of the hassle of trying to get this to work, I realized it is so much easier to just plug/unplug a second charging cable.
I still am giving this four starts though, assuming that this was just a faulty dock and that they can't all be like this. Maybe I am being too optimistic? But, if you read the reviews of other docks, it seems like there are always going to be some duds. I can at least attest for this one that the support from Plugable has been great.
One more thing that I will mention is that I actually tried this and the other 96W one from Plugable titled "Plugable Thunderbolt 3 and USB C Docking Station with 96W Charging". That one had similar problems with the displays and the missing audio port. I did not test that one with ethernet, but I suspect that it would have had the same issue. Again, an issue that is resolvable with a driver that you need to ask Plugable support to send you.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Mexico on May 11, 2022
Reviewed in Australia on January 28, 2021
When I first plugged it in my screens flashed up and were working instantly, but the USB ports and the ethernet port were not. I dont have much faith with support on products like this, but thought I would try it out anyway. They include a nice card in the package stating to do so if you have trouble.
Well to my suprise, they got back to me within hours! Bob (I'll just call him the Yoda of Plugable) got back to me and asked a couple of questions regarding my installation, then asked to run a debug program he sent a link for and email him back.
Again within hours he replied back with what he thought the problem was. Also linked a video showing how to remedy the issue I was having. Within minutes of reading through his second email the TB3 was up and running with ethernet and USB ports all working perfectly.
This is the kind of support you want!!! I couldn't be happier with this purchase!
(Turned out there was nothing wrong with the Plugable product. It was my system that needed a thunderbolt driver installed so it could read the TB3 USB cable that was supplied to function correctly)