I note that the UD-160-A has an ethernet port, but can you confirm that I can connect a laptop to a LAN using this port? As far as I can see this is not stated on your web pages.
Also, do you, or will you, make a similar device using ExpressCard?
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the questions! Yes, the ethernet RJ45 port on the Plugable Docking Station means you can connect to your LAN, just the same as any wired network connection on any laptop.
What happens on your PC (once drivers are installed) is when the USB docking station is present, a second network interface will come up in the operating system – the OS begin using that connection if it’s the only or fastest one available. Everything you normally do over a network is the same as any other network connection - access to the web, to network servers, etc.
The gain is it’s all connected with a single USB cable back to your laptop (quick to unplug and go). And some people need the network connection, because they don’t have another working one anywhere on their PC.
Advanced users can configure the various network connections differently and/or perhaps run one to a specific device or server.
Note that while things are great on Windows (and Linux) – on Mac, the ethernet interface on the dock is disabled because of various problems in combination the most recent OS updates and with the DisplayLink drivers. At some point, those problems may get resolved, but today it is a limitation.
Thanks for the suggestion on ExpressCard. Its bus speed would be much greater, but the plug-and-play support for ExpressCard is not as good as it is with USB. There’s a world of software problems. With USB, we get “one cable to rule them all” and it’s capable of working great across many operating systems – so we don’t expect to be offering an ExpressCard version at any time. The next jump will be USB 3.0 (10x USB 2.0 speeds) – most likely in the coming year.
Thanks!
Bernie