Laptop USB C Docking Station Dual Monitor USB C Hub

 

Got a great price on this and it turned up next day. Use it everyday and makes everything easy to get a

 

So far so good. The Monitor link is a bit on off. But otherwise good

 

Does what I need it to do, but might not be suitable for all customers.

This review is a first impression only, I cannot comment on the aftersales of the seller or longevity of the device. The item was delivered quickly, ordered on Saturday and arrived on Monday. Item in new condition.

I suspect the manufacturer has altered/improved the design since some reviews were posted, some complaints are now no longer true and some customer pictures are of different design to what is now advertised and what I received. I don’t want to undermine the sincerity of other customer’s complaints but some could be due to their misunderstanding about how computers and USB ports work rather than something wrong with the device itself. I will try to provide some technical information and myth busting in my review further down for the benefit of future buyers.

POSITIVES
– Works with Pop OS (a spinoff of Ubuntu, Linux) even though only advertised to work with Windows and Mac. My laptop manufacturer (Dell) optimised my laptop for Windows rather than Linux, so that’s a good sign that it works on Linux just as well as it would on Windows immediately, without any drivers
– Works with my laptop (Dell Inspiron 7000 series, specific model 7501) even though it wasn’t advertised to do so
– I can use the HDMI ports to extend my monitors, so that including my laptop’s native monitor I now have three extended screens. As a programmer this is fantastic for me and exactly what I wanted the device for
– Ethernet port works, which is great because I’ve had problems with simpler USB adapters and my laptop does not have an ethernet port.
– No problems to report with the USB ports, USB C port, Headphone jack, SD or Micro SD card slots
– Sorry I was not able to test the power upstream port or the VGA due to lacking the appropriate hardware
– In my experience, the device does not get extremely hot (only as warm as my phone gets during intense operations), but I am not using it very intensively…. My main use for it is the HDMI ports and Ethernet port

NEGATIVES
– The cable attachment is extremely short. This is fine if your laptop is on a desk, but it ironises the aptly named “lap” top. I tried using a long USB C to C cable via the adapter’s USB C port, but this doesn’t work, the device can only be connected to my laptop using its attached cable
– The pictures give the impression that the device neatly sits on the desk. But my HDMI and Ethernet cables are very thick; the thickness and stiffness of the cables bend contrary to gravity and the weight of the device, so my adapter is suspended in mid air at a funny angle.

TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS OF USB
I suspect reasons why a lot of customers complained about the USB ports not working properly is that they might be connecting multiple high powered devices. This adapter does not come with a power cable, all the power is drawn from your laptop, which has limited power reserves to send via USB. Devices such as phones, tablets and external hard drives (perhaps not SSDs) tend to use a lot of power. Devices such as mice, keyboards and pen drives use substantially less power in comparison. Your laptop might struggle to accommodate multiple high-powered devices through one USB C port. Understand that there is a reason your laptop model didn’t give you 8 USB ports already, it’s too taxing on the battery life and the internal circuitry!

Additionally, plugging high powered devices could be the reason why some customers experience heat problems. This adapter is not ventillated.

The adapter offers a USB C upstream port which could be used with a 100 Watt adapter (purchase separately) to provide more juice. But as above I was not able to test this feature myself. Doing this will cause the adapter to get hotter!

Furthermore, the “Universal Serial Bus” is not as universal as the name suggests. Just because your laptop has a USB C port, doesn’t mean it is able to send Video signals or charge its battery via USB C. Just because it fits, doesn’t mean it works. You need to check your laptop’s specifications, and be aware of the limitations of Macbooks as the seller has (now at least) clearly advertised. It’s also theoretically possible that your laptop model COULD… support HDMI/VGA, but ONLY if this is ALSO supported by its internal GRAPHICS CARD; some laptops offer a choice of graphics chips, and cheaper or integrated graphics chips (as opposed to more expensive, dedicated graphics cards) may be more limited in this regard.

My laptop is quite modern and theoretically supports USB C charging, but I suspect it wouldn’t work with this adapter because it is quite powerful and needs 100 Watts of juice. This adapter is rated at 100 watts for the upstream, but needs some of that power for itself. My laptop is simply too high powered. Something like a 65 Watt laptop would probably work better for charging with this adapter… as long as you are using its USB-PD upstream with a suitably rated power supply.

If you would like more information on the USB Port (with pictures), Christopher Barnett provides a good YouTube video on his channel, “Explaining Computers”.

VGA NOT WORKING
Some customers report that that VGA port doesn’t work at all. Again this could be a limitation with your laptop or graphics card over USB C. VGA is now an outdated analogue video format, whereas USB is digital and VGA compatibility is simply fading away with time. I do feel sorry for people not having a lot of money to buy new hardware, but I’m sorry to say VGA is destined for the dustbin with your old cassette tapes.

BUT I REALLY, REALLY NEED IT TO DO THESE THINGS
As long as your laptop is compatible, if you want a docking station that can charge your laptop and can cope with higher powered USB devices, you might do better to look at bigger models such as those made by Dell, which have their own power supply cables included and are ventilated to cope with the heat, but as a word of warning, EXPECT TO PAY DOUBLE THE COST AS A MINIMUM. The price reflects the adapter’s capabilities.

HEADPHONES/MIC 3.5MM JACK – USEFUL TO KNOW
This adapter has a single combined headphone/microphone port, similar to a mobile phone. It can only accommodate headphones AND microphone on a headset that uses a combined jack. Desktops and older laptops have separate headphone and microphone ports, so a headset with split jacks is not suitable for this device unless using the headphones without the microphone.

SD CARD PROBLEMS
My laptop recognised that “something” was plugged into this device (Micro SD card) but could not identify it for file transferring. I suspect this is because the SD card is formatted to my mobile phone, so it does not act like a normal SD card. Using a full size SD card from a photoframe did work.

ETHERNET PROBLEMS
I’m not entirely sure on the wizardry behind this, but I suspect adapters such as these may contain their own network cards, rather than using the network card built into your laptop. I have experienced issues with another laptop whereby an ethernet cable worked via a USB adapter but not in the laptop’s own ethernet port because my network hub was treating them differently. If this adapter is drawing power and is plugged into ethernet, but is not plugged into a laptop, your network hub might still think that “something” is plugged in, as per another customer’s complaint. In theory, as long as your network is setup correctly and your laptop has automatic “DHCP”, ethernet should be “plug and play”, your laptop should immediately recognise being plugged into ethernet by virtue of plugging in this adapter.

HDMI TO DISPLAY PORT ADAPTER CABLES
I have a cable that can convert HDMI to Display Port, but it only works one way around (HDMI to DP works, but DP to HDMI doesn’t work). I don’t know if the limitation lies with my PC, monitor or cable. If you want to plug your laptop into Display Port, there is a small risk that buying this adapter then using adapter cables MIGHT not work. To be on the safe side, you would do better to purchase an adapter that has Display Ports instead of HDMI.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I BUY TWO OF THESE ADAPTERS AND PLUG ONE INTO THE USB C PORT OF THE OTHER?
A rip in the fabric of space time? I don’t know. Don’t try it.

 

Works just like a full sized docking station, paired perfectly with my surface 7 pro even with another laptops usb c power supply attached was powering it. Shame it didn’t come with a psu but at that price can’t expect it to.

 

Great value and exceptional quality. Everything works as it was advertised, and it’s been brilliant as a laptop multi tool. Worth every penny (we actually purchased another one after this one)

 

A really good product however the price is far too high for what you get.

 

Ordered this for working from home as had cables going all over the place. Keeps everything nice and tidy plus I can now use an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi.

 

excellent device, small and compact, only one connection needed to the laptop for power, monitor and attachments.

 

This product is ideal for the use it provides. Good quality and a breeze to use.

 

Great device, good value for money. Arrived extremely quickly and would purchase again.

 

All the ports work and the metal finish feels study and of prism quality. Charges iPad while allowing the iPad to use HDMI, therefore perfect for what I wanted and the aux point means my Bose headphones are not redundant for the new iPad. Certainly would recommend and is great for other people needing a port. Did not over heat and maintained Charing iPad with the majority of the ports occupied. Solid, I would buy again.