Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 4 |
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Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 2 |
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Plugable Universal Laptop Docking Station Dual Monitor for Windows and Mac, DisplayLink USB 3.0 or USB C Dock, (Dual Video: HDMI and HDMI/DVI/VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports)
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
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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 | Black |
Hardware Interface | USB Docking Station |
Compatible Devices | MacBook Pro 13" / 14" / 15" / 16", MacBook Air, MacBook Retina, MacBook M1 / M2 / M3, HP Spectre x360 / Pavilion / Envy, Dell XPS / Precision / Latitude, Lenovo ThinkPad / IdeaPad / Yoga / Flex, Surface Pro 7 / 7+ / 8 / 9, Surface Laptop 3 / 4 / 5 / Go / Go 2 / Studio / SE, Surface Go / Go 2 / Go 3, LG Gram, Acer Aspire / Swift / Spin, ASUS Zenbook / Vivobook, and Most Windows systems with Windows 10 or newer / Most Chromebooks running ChromeOS 100 or newer See more |
Total USB Ports | 6 |
Product Dimensions | 8.5"L x 5"W x 4"H |
Number of Ports | 11 |
Item Weight | 13 Ounces |
Total HDMI Ports | 1 |
Wattage | 20 watts |
About this item
- Flexible Expandability - Featuring a hybrid 2-in-1 USB 3.0 and USB-C cable, a single connection from a host PC to this USB dock provides dual video outputs, wired Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm Headphone and Microphone jacks, two USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports
- Dual HD Monitors - Supports dual HDMI displays up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz refresh rate. Second output can support HDMI, DVI, or VGA display with included adapter. Capable of 2560x1440 @ 50Hz with a single HDMI display
- Compatibility - This laptop docking stations compatibility is universal; compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8.x and 7, macOS 10.14 or later, and ChromeOS 100 or later. Plug and play driver installation via Windows Update; manual driver installation on macOS. Dock does not charge host PC
- For Best Results - Can use the USB docking station with web and productivity software; not recommended for gaming. Not supported: some non-DisplayLink adapters, DisplayPort connections, HDCP-will not playback encrypted or copy-protected content
- 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
Customers usually keep this item
This product has fewer returns than average compared to similar products.
Frequently bought together
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Important information
Safety Information
Standard USB ports not recommended for charging USB devices. Some devices may charge in some scenarios, however USB device charging is a complex topic. View the product listing page on the Plugable website for detailed information on device-specific charging behaviors.
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 Description
Expand Your Workstation
Designed for those who want a one-stop upgrade for your Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB4, USB 3.0, or USB-C laptop. The Plugable Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS (UD-3900) allows you to add dual monitors, and connect your peripherals, all through a single cable back to your laptop. Quickly come and go from your desk with ease. By connecting one cable to your laptop, you gain 11 extra ports of connectivity, making it easier to do more work in less time.
Power users with dual monitors: The UD-3900 is the dock you need to maximize your productivity and your workspace. Great for business uses such as email, web applications, Google Docs, Microsoft Office, and more. Featuring a vertical design, you can easily slip this dock between your monitors and save valuable desk space. Conveniently access the front USB and audio ports for those devices you plug and unplug everyday.
Note: The UD-3900 will not charge your laptop and you will need your external charger to provide power to the system. The UD-3900 has one HDMI port and one DVI port and we include both a DVI to VGA adapter and a DVI to HDMI adapter if needed (not compatible with DisplayPort displays).
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11 Ports of ConnectivityGet your ports back with a dock that has space for all of your peripherals.
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High-Resolution DisplaysGet more screen space for more productivity. High resolution displays (HDMI, DVI or VGA) will change the way you manage your out of control tabs and your workflow. No more grainy visuals and tiny screens. Watch videos on clear and sharp 2K 60Hz screens (1920x1200 @ 60Hz). Expand your screen real estate with this dock and cut down the time it takes to work on those highly productive tasks. |
Dynamic DesignNot only does this dock expand your connectivity, it also brings a whole new level of performance and flexibility. Featuring DisplayLink graphic technology, you can connect this dock to a USB 3.0 or USB-C Windows, Mac, or ChromeOS laptop. So whether you're hoteling at a desk for work, or sharing your dock at home, this dock provides the flexibility you need. The vertical orientation is designed to reduce its desk footprint to give you more room for the things that matter most. With easily accessible ports on the front of the dock, you can unplug your headphones with ease. |
Compatibility
Laptop Compatibility | Compatible with most modern laptops and desktops running Windows 11 / 10 / 8.x / 7, Macs with 10.14.x / 10.15.x / 11.x, and ChromeOS version 100 or newer. The box includes a hybrid 2-in-1 USB 3.0 and USB-C cable to connect the dock to your laptop. |
Not compatible with: macOS 10.13.x and earlier, Linux / Unix, and ARM-based Windows systems | |
Monitor Compatibility | Supports two high-resolution monitors up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz. Compatible with HDMI DVI and VGA displays. Conversion to Dual-Link DVI (DL-DVI) is not supported. DisplayPort displays are not supported. |
Software Compatibility | DisplayLink is a flexible and versatile technology that’s great for most users’ workflow. But there are a few scenarios where it’s not the right fit such as gaming and HDCP (copy-protected) content playback from Blu-ray/Netflix/Prime/ iTunes/Hulu/etc. |
Power and Charging | This dock does not provide power to the connected laptop or tablet—the laptop will still require a separate charger.It cannot control the power of the laptop. |
UD-3900 | UD-3900H | UD-6950Z | UD-ULTC4K | TBT4-UDZ | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars
11,370
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4.5 out of 5 stars
1,627
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4.5 out of 5 stars
1,407
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4.1 out of 5 stars
1,506
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4.1 out of 5 stars
235
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Max # of Displays Connected to Dock | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Video Ports | 1x HDMI 1.3, 1x DVI | 1x HDMI 1.3, 1x DVI | 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 | 3x HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 | 2x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI |
Max Resolutions Supported | 2x 1920x1200 @ 60Hz | 2x 1920x1200 @ 60Hz | 2x 4K 60Hz | 3x 4K 60Hz | 2x 4K 60Hz on Mac (Intel, M1 Pro/Max CPU) 1X on M1 and M2 Mac |
# of USB Ports | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
USB Port Specifications | 2x USB 3.0 front, 4x USB 2.0 rear | 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 | All USB 3.0 | 1 USB-C (front) , 4 USB 3.0 (rear) | 1x USB-C (10Gbps), 3x USB (10Gbps), 2x USB (5Gbps), 1x USB 2.0 |
Laptop Charging | No | No | No | Yes - 100W (96W Certified) | Yes - 100W (98W Certified) |
Laptop Connection | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C, USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C, USB 3.0 | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C | USB4, Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB-C |
Compare with similar items
This Item Plugable Universal Laptop Docking Station Dual Monitor for Windows and Mac, DisplayLink USB 3.0 or USB C Dock, (Dual Video: HDMI and HDMI/DVI/VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) | 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 | -23% $99.95$99.95 List: $129.99 | $139.95$139.95 | $78.00$78.00 | $79.99$79.99 | $137.95$137.95 | $68.00$68.00 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | — |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Tech Support | 4.2 | 3.8 | — | 4.7 | 4.1 | — |
Camera quality | 4.1 | 3.3 | — | 4.5 | 3.8 | — |
Quality of material | 4.6 | 3.8 | — | 4.8 | — | — |
Value for money | — | 4.1 | — | 4.1 | 4.5 | — |
Sold By | Plugable Technologies | BEASTRON | Juyi Store | Cakitte | Plugable Technologies | Wirelessforce |
hardware interface | usb docking station | usb3.0, usb2.0, hdmi, ethernet, 3 5 mm audio | usb | usb | usb docking station | usb |
number of ports | 11 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
number of usb ports | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
HDMI ports | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
compatible devices | MacBook Pro 13" / 14" / 15" / 16", MacBook Air, MacBook Retina, MacBook M1 / M2 / M3, HP Spectre x360 / Pavilion / Envy, Dell XPS / Precision / Latitude, Lenovo ThinkPad / IdeaPad / Yoga / Flex, Surface Pro 7 / 7+ / 8 / 9, Surface Laptop 3 / 4 / 5 / Go / Go 2 / Studio / SE, Surface Go / Go 2 / Go 3, LG Gram, Acer Aspire / Swift / Spin, ASUS Zenbook / Vivobook, and Most Windows systems with Windows 10 or newer / Most Chromebooks running ChromeOS 100 or newer | Windows, MacOS | Windows 10, 8, 7,& legacy XP systems. Chromebook C340-15; SanDisk Cruise Glide; Razer Blade 2017 (gtx 1060); Pixel book go 2019/2020, Laptop 5590, HP Spectre Laptop 13-af001TU/ Spectre x360 13t/ Spectre folio/ Specter x369; Elitebook 840 G5 series/ Elitebook X2/ Elitebook x360 1030 G3/ Elitebook 745 G6/ Elitebook 830 G6/ 2018 HP Elite 800 G4;, Apple M1/ M2 and Intel Macs (with macOS 10.14 or later) /Microsoft Surface line/HP Spectre x360 series, /Dell XPS 13 & XPS 15 / Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpad T series. Latitute 7280/ Latitude 5310 2-in-1; Precision 7730/7750;, Envy Geforce mx250/ Envy x360 Laptop (15z-ds100); Z book 15u G3/ Zbook 17 G4, Lenovo Yoga 720-13IKB/ Yoga 730/ Yoga 900-13ISK/ Yoga 910/ Yoga 920/ Yoga 930/ Yoga 940-14IIL; 3rd generation Thinkpad Yoga; Yoga15 Thinkpad Ultrabook Pro;, Thinkpad E590/ Thinkpad P72/ Thinkpad T470/ Thinkpad X1 Carbon; Legion Y530; Lenovo C930/ T480s/ X390/ 81N8, Microsoft Surface Book 2/ Surface Go/ Surface Laptop 3; Surface Pro 7,Huawei Macbook Mate10 or later; Google Slate (2019); | Laptop Docking Station for WINDOWS: Windows 10, Windows 8, 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista; Windows XP SP3 32 bit | Apple M1 / M2 / M3 and Intel Macs (with macOS 10.15 or later), Microsoft Surface line, HP Spectre x360 series, Dell XPS 13 & XPS 15 / Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpad T series | — |
weight | 13 ounces | — | 100 grams | 250 grams | 11.7 ounces | 621 grams |
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Product information
Technical Details
Brand | Plugable |
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Series | UD-3900 |
Item model number | UD-3900 |
Hardware Platform | PC |
Item Weight | 13 ounces |
Product Dimensions | 6.45 x 3.22 x 4.02 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 6.45 x 3.22 x 4.02 inches |
Color | Black |
Power Source | DC |
Manufacturer | Plugable |
ASIN | B00ECDM78E |
Country of Origin | Taiwan |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | August 15, 2013 |
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
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Best Sellers Rank | #231 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories) #21 in Laptop Docking Stations |
Warranty & Support
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Plugable USB docking station windows and Mac
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What's in the box
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 appearance, performance, support, and quality of the electronic device docking station. For example, they mention that it has a sleek design, the screen quality looks great, and the image is crisp and clean. That said, some disagree on connectivity, and usb connectivity.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the docking station. They say it works well, has fewer quirks, and has no issues whatsoever. It works seamlessly with their Asus VivoBook17 and has a fast speed. The video performance is not noticeably different than having the monitor plugged in, and it works great with two external monitors connected. It runs full screen on each monitor and has zero glitches. Customers also say it's worth every penny.
"...There is not noticeable lag that you see with USB 2.0 docks. The one thing is that you have to turn on your computer/device before you connect it...." Read more
"...Station does exactly this with minimal effort and without spending hundreds of dollars...." Read more
"...Especially considering its increased functionality, decreased cost, cable management, and footprint." Read more
"...I regularly swap between two different laptops and the switchover is seamless and fast...." Read more
Customers find the electronic device docking station easy to use. They say it makes setup very easy, connecting everything was simple, and it only took minutes. Customers also say the software installs successfully and is pretty much self-explanatory. They also mention that the primary display is very easy to switch around and that it's easier to switch a cable that is laying on the desk next to the monitor.
"...I've set this all up so that primary display is very easy to switch around...." Read more
"...In short - it just works very well, with minimal fuss for me. So much so I pretty much just do not think about it...." Read more
"...Installing it was a cinch, just connect power and all the stuff you want connected to it. For me, I connected 2 monitors to it...." Read more
"...The UD-3900 came packaged very nicely and securely. Setup was relatively easy, and MS Pro automatically downloaded and installed the necessary..." Read more
Customers like the quality of the docking station. They say it's well built, sturdy, and reliable. Some mention that the dock is awesome and features exactly what they need to expand.
"...That being said, it does have the option to plug in an Ethernet cable to it, thus eliminating an additional cord attached to your computer..." Read more
"I've had this since October 2014. This is a great dock, way cheaper than a lot of other solutions...." Read more
"...Everything crashed. I tried this several times and found that if any headset was plugged in, it would crash. I really thought I had a defective unit...." Read more
"...months, and I read up on all the options, and really, this Plugable dock is amazing...." Read more
Customers like the weight of the docking station. They mention it has a pretty small footprint, has one USB charging point, and a reasonable sized AC adapter. That said, they say it's easy to position on their desk and that the programs fit on the page perfectly.
"...Other than that, I don't have any complaints. It's small, has one USB charging point for when nothing is connected which is nice...." Read more
"So far, so good. Compact and super easy to set up." Read more
"...It's nicely compact and doesn't take up much desk space...." Read more
"...It has a small footprint, supports 2 monitors (I also use the screen from my laptop so there's 3 screens total) and all that other stuff I mentioned...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the support provided by the electronic device docking station. They mention that the product is great, almost flawless, and an excellent piece of equipment. Customers also appreciate the fast, personal, and helpful support for the product. They say the support is professional and knowledgeable about the technical side of the product, making them feel secure.
"...back to bite me. The help provided by Bob was courteous, professional and friendly, and his patience with my ignorance of the situation was..." Read more
"...This is a great docking station and their support is awesome." Read more
"...rave review - I've never received such FAST, personal, and helpful support for a product!..." Read more
"...Top notch product with a top notch support team/company behind it. Can't recommend either of them enough." Read more
Customers like the appearance of the docking station. They say it has a sleek design, and the screen quality looks great. The image is crisp and clean, and clear graphics are comforting. The vertical design helps with cable management, and it has very high definition.
"...The UD-3900 came packaged very nicely and securely...." Read more
"The station was quick and easy to set up. The vertical design helps with cable management. Very happy with this purchase." Read more
"Looks good & works good." Read more
"...It also has a very high definition screen that doesn't always scale correctly when I connect directly from the laptop to my external monitors...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the usb connectivity of the docking station. Some mention that it comes with multiple USB ports, 1 HDMI, and 1 DVI connection. They also say that it has extra ports for their mouse, keyboard, and USB drives. However, other customers say that the dock has only USB-A 3.0 ports and that the ports do not work.
"...USB 2 and 3 devices work well, the screens (both DVI, one connected with a DVI to HDMI adapter) have very satisfactory lack of lag or tearing, and..." Read more
"...desktop working, I dug deeper and ultimately found that USB 3.0 drivers are still imperfect and Windows doesn't always handle them the best...." Read more
"...Other than that, I don't have any complaints. It's small, has one USB charging point for when nothing is connected which is nice...." Read more
"...The keyboard section has a USB3 port...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the connectivity of the docking station. Some mention that it allows them to connect two monitors to their laptop for work, and other devices to the station. However, others say that they experienced faulty connections and disconnection issues with devices.
"...I had video issues, disconnection issues with devices, and just generally found the dock flaky (This was a ACP70USZ model for reference)...." Read more
"...one was Rally good for MacBook Air M2 compatible and I can connect multiple monitors" Read more
"...The connection can be flaky and they just give up the ghost randomly leading to the purchase of, you guessed it, another cable. ii...." Read more
"...I was able to set up the new dual monitors! I can’t explain the sense of accomplishment...." Read more
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QUICK TIP: Get the latest Display Link driver right from Display Link's site or by going through Plugable's site before you ever even plug this device in. There will be an on-screen prompt during installation for when to plug it in. When it asks you to restart, DO IT
Okay, here was my experience.
As mentioned, I bought this to allow me to dock my primary laptop in 2 locations. I also wanted to dock a second laptop on occasion. And, one location also has a desktop in which I want to be able to swap, similarly to a KVM. KVM won't work because the whole point is to plug and unplug as few cables as possible to the laptops to make it work.
In the end, the connections for making things work are:
Laptop 1: Power, 1x USB, and if I want 3D apps the primary display HDMI input
Laptop 2: Power, 1x USB - no 3D ever needed
Desktop: Power, Ethernet, 1x USB, Primary display HDMI input
THE CONNECTIONS
At the primary station I have plugged into the Plugable unit: HDMI primary 1920x1200 monitor, DVI secondary 1080 monitor, Headset, Keyboard that has built-in hub, Mouse, Webcam, USB hub built into Dell monitor, Xbox controller, and external hard drive.
I use a 1 ft female to male HDMI cable from the Plugable so that I can easily swap whether the primary display gets plugged into Plugable, the laptop, or into an extension going to the desktop. This is so I can use 3D apps when needed.
THE SETUP PROCESS
I started the setup on my desktop. That was my first mistake. If I had started on a laptop I would have had the display and keyboard to more easily troubleshoot along the way.
Per the instructions, I plugged it in, and it installed itself. "Sweet!" I thought. It was basically acting as a USB hub at this point but the monitors didn't immediately work. A reboot fixed that. Then I plugged in a pair of headphones into the headphone jack on Plugable. Everything crashed. I tried this several times and found that if any headset was plugged in, it would crash. I really thought I had a defective unit. I had tried the driver that came with it, the Microsoft default, and the newest from DisplayLink's site. Nothing worked.
After spending a bit trying to debug the desktop's sound issue, I got irritated enough to give it up and started a return process. Then I figured what the heck, I'll plug it into the laptop. Sure enough, an install and a reboot later and everything worked perfectly, including the sound.
With my motivation back to get the desktop working, I dug deeper and ultimately found that USB 3.0 drivers are still imperfect and Windows doesn't always handle them the best. I found the model for my USB 3.0 hardware, downloaded the latest driver, uninstalled Microsoft's default driver, and installed the new one. A reboot later everything worked on the desktop.
THE IMPORTANT THING HERE
It seems like a lot of people are having USB 3.0 related issues. If you are, try finding your specific USB 3 hardware and get the newest driver for it. It just might work.
NOW FOR THE PRODUCT ITSELF....
DISPLAY:
Works great. I haven't had any frame rate issues using 2 monitors through the Plugable, even while watching Netflix or YouTube. Based on other reviews for this and other products, I think the displays' consistency will depend on how much traffic the other components are handling at a given time. See Ethernet...
AUDIO:
So far so good. I'm still testing it. It is as good as the audio out on my desktop, but the Dell laptop puts out more power and feels a little cleaner on its own. I have yet to try it with plugging in my amp to it. If you have a dedicated sound card or built in HiFi DAC I would definitely recommend sticking with plugging in straight to that and not through the Plugable.
USB:
All working great. Keyboard is responsive and mouse doesn't seem to lag at all.
ETHERNET:
To be fair here, I haven't used it. However, here's my thought: I wouldn't use it. The reason is that the added traffic is probably not worth the usability. I feel like if anything would contribute to latency, it'd be Ethernet. If you're using a desktop, why bother? Just plug a cable straight in to the tower. It should be capable of higher speeds that way anyways. For laptops, my opinion and preference is to use the Wifi. I don't feel like Ethernet through the USB 3 would be faster with all the other traffic going on, and may only cause issues. Again, I have not directly tested this theory, and please correct me if I am wrong. I'll also report back if I do get around to testing that out.
If anything changes I'll definitely update this review. For now I feel like it is definitely making things easier for me by only having to plug a power cable and a USB 3 cable to "dock" my laptop. When I want games or 3D apps I have one more: the primary display. I've set this all up so that primary display is very easy to switch around. I really like that I can bring in another computer and plug it in as well. The only thing is that I'll make sure to get Display Link installed first onto the computer I want to plug in, so things work as expected.
I'll recommend it. Might buy a third soon for another location. It is not perfection, but I believe that to be in largely the lack of ability of current technology. This might be as good as it gets for this type of setup, for now.
UPDATE 8/15/2016:
Adding the 5th star because these things have held up great and because Plugable is active and a pleasure to deal with.
I now have a third one of these and all three of them are working great.
My system is a MS Surface Pro (original), Win 8.1 Pro, 256 GB, 8GB Ram, 64-bit, Intel Core i5-4200U CPU @ 1.60 GHZ 2.30 GHz with USB 3.0.
I've connected two 24" Dell monitors U2410 and 2408WFP. They're working fine with the dock. One connects to the dock's DVI port. I tried connecting the other monitor via the dock's HDMI port, but both mouse and keyboard lag was horrible. So I connected the second monitor through the mini-port adapter on the PC. That reduced mouse/keyboard lag significantly, but not completely.
Additional USB connections to the dock include two thumb drives (data storage) an audio plug that connects to a speaker that hangs under one of the monitors and a Plugable, powered, 10-port USB hub. Connected to 10-port hub is a printer, plus additional thumb drives used to back up critical files. One monitor's USB cable is also connected to the 10-port hub.
Initially, I had a problem with very frequent, 3-5 second mouse & keyboard lag (Logitech wireless, using Unifying software). The USB-connected printer, which didn't work when hooked up to the dock, does work if I connect it to the Plugable 10-port USB hub which is connected to the dock.
I do a lot of spreadsheet, computer-aided-design (CAD), and photographic editing. The mouse/keyboard lag was unacceptable.
I contacted Pluggable Support who suggested the lag was due to wireless interference caused by USB 3.0 technology - USB 3.0 operates at the same frequency as many wireless devices. The Support rep. suggested moving the mouse/keyboard dongle from the dock to another connection further away. I plugged the dongle into one of the monitor's side ports, and mouse/keyboard lag disappeared.
Occasionally, when I plug in several additional devices and turn on the USB-connected printer, a nastygram will display saying ‘there are not enough resources for this operation’. After a second or two, however, the message disappears and all works well. The 8-year old printer infrequently loses it mind (drivers seem to be unloaded) and won’t connect to the computer. A system reboot usually cures that, so I’m wondering if the nastygram is a printer-related problem. A different wireless printer works flawlessly.
The dock will also allow the use of a 3rd monitor attached to the Surface Pro, but I don't need it, so simply changed my PC power settings to "Do nothing when the lid is closed". I've used the dock for about six months, and am very pleased with its dual-monitor performance. It didn't take long to become spoiled by this setup. Running different applications in each monitor is sweet.
Addendum 12/11/15 re Customer Support
My system was upgraded to Win 10 shortly after it became available, along with new Canon Maxify to replace a dying USB-connected printer. The dock continued to perform flawlessly.
2 days ago, after running Windows Updates, one of two 24" Dell external monitors attached to the dock flashed, displayed a message about a faulty video driver, then lapsed into a BSOD, locking up the system. After forcing a shutdown & rebooting, a different message popped up, saying the driver had failed, again going to a BSOD and system lockup. I swapped monitor connections, to assure both monitors & DVI cables were good. The dock-connected monitor wouldn't come to life. That narrowed the problem down to the dock. After disconnecting everything from the Surface Pro and rebooting, the native PC monitor alternately dimmed and brightened rhythmically. Running the hardware trouble-shooter put the system back to normal and removed the lead ball from the pit of my stomach.
I sent a message to Plugable Support, and a rep named Bob, very patiently and thoroughly walked me through trouble-shooting steps that involved connecting the dock to a different PC (the original Surface Pro wouldn't start while connect to the dock), installing the needed DisplayLink software, and then running a firmware update for the dock. After removing & reloading the DisplayLink software on the original Surface Pro, and reconnecting the dock, all was good. I had failed to install the firmware update when it became available, and apparently that came back to bite me.
The help provided by Bob was courteous, professional and friendly, and his patience with my ignorance of the situation was outstanding. It was undoubtedly the most rewarding support experience I've ever had.
I'm very happy to have the full use of both external monitors again. Trying to go back and forth between the 10" PC monitor and the 24" Dell was making me blind and crazy.
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Reviewed in Australia on February 23, 2022
Reviewed in Singapore on August 22, 2020