Two Laptops - Which Dock?

[billr]

I have two laptops I want to interchange between one dock. I would prefer to use USB-C connection on both.

Laptop “A” has what appears to be a USB 3.1Gen 1 type C with no alt video. I assume that will require the installation and use of DisplayLink.

Laptop “B” has Thunderbolt USB connector. I assume this device will supply video through USB without the need for DisplayLink software. It also charges the battery though the USB port but this feature is not necessary in this setup.

Currently I have only one monitor on HDMI but would like to have capacity to expand later to multiple monitors.

What, if any, products would work with both machines?

[OmarD]

Hello Bill,

Thank you for reaching out to Plugable support and providing a clear description of the goals you’re looking to meet!

Our UD-3900H is a great option for USB-C or USB-3.0 enabled systems. This dock features 1 HDMI video output, 1 DVI output.

This docking station will allow you to drive two displays while adding wired Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm Headphone and Microphone jacks, two USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports.

This device will have no issues supporting computers “A” and “B” based on the specifications.

Please free to reach out to Plugable support with any additional questions or concerns!

Thanks,

[billr]

Thanks for the quick reply. You said that the UD-3900H dock has 60w of PD. Is that for downstream devices? The product page states that it does not charge the connected device, laptop “B” in my case.

Am I correct that laptop “A”, the one with USB-C without ALT video will require DisplayLink and that laptop “B” with the Thunderbolt USB-C port should work without DisplayLink installed?

[OmarD]

Hello Bill,

Thank you for that update.

My apologies. I was mistaken about the UD-3900H supporting 60w(PD).

This device does not offer Power Delivery(PD)

All the other specs listed are correct.

To answer your question about DisplayLink, Our UD-3900H relies on DisplayLink technology for both video output ports on the device.

That being said, the DisplayLink software would need to be installed on both laptops for this dock to work properly on your system. The information you mentioned is true. Laptop “B” would have no issues using one of our Thunderbolt 3 docks, such as our TBT3-UDZ docking station, without DisplayLink software installed.

Am I correct that laptop “A,” the one with USB-C without ALT video, will require DisplayLink, and that laptop “B” with the Thunderbolt USB-C port should work without DisplayLink installed?

Thanks!

[billr]

Thank you. I did see that the DisplayLink software is a requirement for this dock upon further reading. I will order one and test it out. Thanks again for your help.