Connect UD-3900 to eSATA port ?

Can I connect a Plugable UD-3900 docking station to my HP Envy 14t-1100 laptop (late 2010 vintage), via its “eSATA / USB combo” port? If so, how - - what cable or adapter do I need? I assume this would be faster than using the USB2.0 port on my laptop right?

Would these two products suffice to make the connection ?

  1. ADAPTER
    USB 3.0B (male) to USB 3.0A (female)
    http://www.amazon.com/SIIG-SuperSpeed…
    { B-male plugs into UD-3900 }

  2. CABLE
    USB 3.0A (male) to eSATA (male)
    http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-US…
    { eSATA plugs into laptop & USB3.0A male plugs into adapter }

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out to us, I am happy to answer your question regarding eSATAp ports and our UD-3900.

Assuming that the “eSATA/USB combo” port you refer to is an eSATAp port, you could theoretically connect our UD-3900 via this port. You would not need any additional cables, as the eSATAp port is both compatible with eSATA and USB.

As to speed, it is hard to say whether it will be faster or not. eSATAp port is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, allowing it to achieve the 5Gbit/s speed. To do this, internally the USB 3.0 connector needs to be connected. If it is not connected, the eSATAp port defaults back to USB 2.0. Looking at the specifications for your computer, I am unable to determine whether this is the case or not. So you may end up getting USB 2.0 speeds.

However, even though there are no direct compatibility issues, using eSATAp is adding another level of complexity to using the UD-3900. These eSATAp ports can be on different hardware layers, which means there may be additional problems of getting the UD-3900 to work on the eSATAp port.

If you do decide to use the eSATAp port, be prepared to use the USB 2.0 port as the eSATAp may not work.

I would advise that you opt to use the USB 2.0 port on your laptop instead. As a note, you will not be getting the best performance out of the UD-3900 as it is a USB 3.0 device.

Regards,

Stephen
Plugable Technologies