Docking station not showing USB on Windows or Mac, monitors not working on Mac, monitors sort of work on windows

Thunderbolt TBT3-UDZ
#1

Hello,

I recently upgraded from the UD-6950Z docking station to the TBT3-UDZ for the added benefit of power delivery. I was using the UD-6950Z with an HP Elitebook and MacBook Pro without issue. However with the TBT3-UDZ I am facing the following issues.

2021 M1-Pro MacBook Pro: Monitors are on but blank, I can move my mouse to the blank screens but the DisplayLink manager says no DisplayLink-enabled display detected. Additionally none of the usb devices are showing up(webcam, mouse, keyboard, speakers).

HP Elitebook: No USB devices showing up. Monitors show no input when you initially plug it in, but if you unplug the displayport cables and plug them back into the dock the monitors work, but this has to be repeated every time you connect to the dock.

I have repeatedly tried numerous solutions on the forum including resetting the dock by unplugging it and all connected devices for the specified time and reconnecting them in the order of the solutions, uninstalling the displaylink manager and reinstalling, uninstalling and reinstalling along with resetting the dock prior to reconnecting.

#2

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Plugable support! Sorry to hear about this issue. I’d be more than happy to assist you.

I will reply inline to some points below:

“I can move my mouse to the blank screens but the DisplayLink manager no DisplayLink-enabled display detected.”
Please note that the TBT3-UDZ does not use DisplayLink, so you would not see the monitors be recognized there. This dock is a full Thunderbolt design, so the displays if detected will only show up in the macOS display preferences.

If you have an M1 MacBook Pro (non M1 Pro or M1 Max) it cannot support two monitors with this dock, and by connecting two monitors to a regular M1 it can cause both monitors to not output.

“Additionally none of the usb devices are showing up(webcam, mouse, keyboard, speakers).”
Can you confirm you’re connecting the TBT3-UDZ using the provided Thunderbolt 3 cable? For reference, this dock will not work with a Mac using the USB-C cable from your previous dock model if that were still being used. (But this dock would still work with the other dock’s cable for a PC.)

“HP Elitebook: No USB devices showing up. Monitors show no input when you initially plug it in, but if you unplug the displayport cables and plug them back into the dock the monitors work, but this has to be repeated every time you connect to the dock.”
Very interesting, this behavior on a PC can be most commonly caused by out of date Thunderbolt software and drivers or graphics drivers. Can you tell me the “Product Number/SKU” of your Elitebook? (If uncertain see here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00033108)

Please don’t hesitate to let us know of other questions.

Thanks again for contacting Plugable support and best wishes!

Joshua Henry
Senior Engineer | Product Owner
Plugable Technologies

#3

Thanks for the reply Joshua.

Please note that the TBT3-UDZ does not use DisplayLink, so you would not see the monitors be recognized there. This dock is a full Thunderbolt design, so the displays if detected will only show up in the macOS display preferences. If you have an M1 MacBook Pro (non M1 Pro or M1 Max) it cannot support two monitors with this dock, and by connecting two monitors to a regular M1 it can cause both monitors to not output.

For the MacBook, it has an M1 Pro chip, so I can go ahead and uninstall the displaylink, I had just assumed it was needed based on the setup instructions.

Can you confirm you’re connecting the TBT3-UDZ using the provided Thunderbolt 3 cable? For reference, this dock will not work with a Mac using the USB-C cable from your previous dock model if that were still being used. (But this dock would still work with the other dock’s cable for a PC.)

I am using the new Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Very interesting, this behavior on a PC can be most commonly caused by out of date Thunderbolt software and drivers or graphics drivers. Can you tell me the “Product Number/SKU” of your Elitebook?

It is an HP Elitebook 835 G7 2J8F9UC#ABA

#4

You’re most welcome for the reply. Please accept my apologies for my delay in getting back to you, I was out sick unexpectedly for nearly a week and am just now getting caught up.

“For the MacBook, it has an M1 Pro chip, so I can go ahead and uninstall the displaylink, I had just assumed it was needed based on the setup instructions.”
Noted and apologies for any confusion during setup, fortunately no harm by having DisplayLink installed, it just won’t do anything in this situation.

Thanks for also confirming the cable and the system model information. For that HP I would proactively recommend to ensure the following update for the latest BIOS is installed for best compatibility: https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp139001-139500/sp139001.exe (01.08.20 from 3/23/22)

Otherwise if that has not helped we should likely get some diagnostics from that HP to see what might be happening. We have a troubleshooting tool that helps us find out what is going on in situations like this. If able, please plug the dock with your devices attached to it into your computer, then go to this page and follow the instructions there:

http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug

When emailing us the diagnostics generated (do not attach them here) please mention “Ticket 373367” in the subject line.

Best wishes,
Josh

#5

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