Hello. I have an issue where sometimes one of the monitors stops working. It can be fixed by disconnecting the power cable from the dock and then reconnecting it. I’ve tried the different combinations of the HDMI ports on the dock. I’ve tried the DisplayLink software from the website and the MS Store. Any idea what causes this?
Hi,
Thank you for contacting us, I am sorry this is not working as expected and I am happy to help!
This docking station relies on two graphics technologies to support up to three external displays.
The “HDMI 2” and “HDMI 3” outputs are controlled by DisplayLink USB Graphics Technology, this is a combination of software on the computer and hardware on the docking station which extends the capability of the computer to support more displays than the computer was designed to support. This requires installing the DisplayLink drivers for Windows ( https://plugable.com/drivers/displaylink ) or the DisplayLink Manager App for macOS and configuring macOS to support the external displays ( for macOS 13 and newer: https://kb.plugable.com/1595423, for macOS 11, and 12: https://kb.plugable.com/1185378 ).
The “HDMI 1” output relies on the computer’s internal graphics controller, it utilizes USB Type-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode (“Alt-Mode” for short). This is an optional USB Type-C port feature which is not enabled on all computers. This relies on the computer’s built-in graphics drivers and requires the docking station to be connected directly to a USB Type-C port with Alt-Mode capability using the original USB Type-C data cable provided with the docking station. USB Type-C cables from other products, or purchased separately online may be charging cables that do not support Alt-Mode video data.
May I ask which of the three HDMI outputs is affected by this behavior?
Additionally, may I ask the manufacturer name and model of the host computer?
For Windows:
- Open the Start Menu and search for “msinfo32” and launch the first search result
- Please let me know the values from the following entries ( on the right column ):
2a) “System Model”
2b) “System SKU” - Please feel free to attach a screenshot of this window to your reply email if you prefer by using the Windows Snipping Tool ( from the Start Menu search for “Snipping” ) and I can get the details from there
For macOS:
- Open the Apple Menu > About this mac…
- Please let know the system model details and macOS version from this page
- Please feel free to attach a screenshot of this window to your reply email if you prefer by using the macOS screenshot hotkey combination [Command ⌘]+[Shift ⇧]+[4] then dragging a selection box around the window, the screenshot will be saved to the desktop and can then be attached to your reply email.
Thank you for these additional details, I look forward to your reply email and we can proceed from here.
Pat
Plugable Technologies
I am not sure which port is having the issue. I will pay closer attention. I do have the DisplayLink for Windows drivers installed. If the issue is with HDMI port 1, you say that Alt-Mode is not enabled on all computers. Is it something that can be enabled? You also say that using the original USB C data cable provided with the docking station is required. If I need the cable to be longer, do you have any recommendations? The model is Dell Pro 16 PC16250 and the SKU is 0D64.
Hi,
Thank you for replying back!
If the issue is with HDMI port 1, you say that Alt-Mode is not enabled on all computers.
USB Type-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode has to be enabled by the system manufacturer when designing the computer. From Dell’s support page this computer has DisplayPort Alternate Mode enabled on the two left-side USB Type-C ports.
The rear-most of the ports supports Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort version 2.1 while the front port supports USB 10Gbps Type-C with DisplayPort version 2.0. I would expect the docking station to function with either port, but I also recommend noting which port it is connected to when issues occur just to help narrow down if this may be a port specific issue on the host computer.
Regarding the data cable, the original cable is recommended, it has been tested and paired with the docking station to ensure reliably operation. This docking station requires a USB 5Gbps Type-C data cable, which can be up to 2-meters per the USB specifications ( the included cable is capable of 10Gbps and is 1-meter in length ). Our Thunderbolt 4 2-meter cable ( https://plugable.com/products/tbt4-40g2m ) is backwards compatible with USB 5Gbps Type-C and is a functional replacement for the original USB Type-C data cable, however I recommend we ensure the computer and docking station work reliably with the original cable just to be sure everything is working as expected.
The Dell Pro 16 is a brand new model that we have not specifically tested with this docking station. While we expect this to be compatible I recommend we gather some additional details from the computer to see exactly how the system is detecting the docking station and to ensure the computer has no pending driver or firmware updates that may be affecting the performance and reliability of the docking station and external displays.
Our next step is to get some additional information from your system using our log-gathering tool: PlugDebug, when you have a moment:
- Keep the docking station connected to the computer with the displays and devices connected to the docking station
- Download and run our PlugDebug utility ( http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug )
2a) For Windows: Download the PlugDebug Utility, then Right-click on the PlugDebug application and run as administrator
2b) Follow the on screen instructions to launch the application - Click the “Start” button to begin gathering logs from the system
- When completed the application will pop-up a message with the name of the zip file containing the logs on the user desktop directory
- Please attach this zip file to your reply email to ‘support@plugable.com’ with the subject line ‘Ticket #480079 - Attention Pat’
This will allow us to examine some log files from your system to help determine the next steps.
Thank you,
Pat
Plugable Technology
support@plugable.com
Pat
Plugable Technologies
I am using the orignal USB cable that came with the dock but also a 1 meter long USB extension cable from Faracent that supports 20Gbps ( https://a.co/d/gGsisVz ). Do you think that this extension cable should work?
Hi,
Thank you for relying back, I normally don’t recommend extension cables as the join between the two cables reduces reliability and acts as an ingress point for RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). USB 3 devices are susceptible to RFI in the 2.4GHz ISM band commonly used by Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, and other consumer wireless technologies. As the 2.4GHz band has lower regulation than other radio frequencies we also see interference from non-wireless devices like power supplies, fluorescent lamp fixtures ( not so much modern or LED replacement fixtures ) and microwave ovens all of which can introduce unexpected noise into the USB data connection causing reduced reliability and even disconnections.
Joining cable can also introduce resistance into the data cable which may cause detection and communications issues for USB Power Delivery negotiation ( charging the host computer ) as well as DisplayPort Alternate Mode negotiations.
We have not tested this specific extension cable, the specifications indicate it can support USB 5Gbps data rates and should be technically capable, however I recommend ensuring the system and docking station are working with just the original cable first, then you can try adding this cable for additional length. If the extension cable makes the docking station and computer connection less reliable then I would recommend a single-cable instead.
Thank you,
Pat
Plugable Technologies
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