My Pluggable dock TBT3-UDZ came with an AC power adapter that is plugged in at all times. However, none of the ports in it work unless my computer is connected. What is the purpose of the AC power adapter if its feeding off of my computer for power? I dont want to have my computer plugged in constantly because I don’t want to mess up the battery life by never having it run disconnected.
Is this a setting somewhere? I would like to be able to charge my phone and my Razer Mouse with it. Really without this ability its just taking up desk space until i need to plug in my laptop
Hello,
Thanks for contacting us! I’d be happy to help clarify this for you.
You asked: “What is the purpose of the AC power adapter if its feeding off of my computer for power?”
The docking station uses power from the provided power adapter, the computer is not powering the dock. (You can confirm this by disconnecting the power adapter, the dock can’t work without it even while connected to your computer.)
It is normal and expected behavior for the USB ports on the dock to not be functional if your computer is not connected. This is because when your computer is not connected the dock enters a low power mode. However, the front USB 3.0 port is left enabled to charge a phone or tablet, etc.
You mentioned: “I dont want to have my computer plugged in constantly because I don’t want to mess up the battery life by never having it run disconnected. Is this a setting somewhere?”
There is no setting to change this behavior. If you’re concerned about leaving your laptop connected to the dock you can periodically perform a full discharge of the battery which should help to keep the battery maintained. Some computers also offer a setting in their BIOS to change their default charging behavior if intended to be used while charging most of the time.
“I would like to be able to charge my phone and my Razer Mouse with it. Really without this ability its just taking up desk space until i need to plug in my laptop”
I recommend connecting your phone to the front USB 3.0 port as this port offers charging abilities even with the dock disconnected from the laptop.
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
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