My current laptop is PDC based win7 system, running with
4GB RAM and has USB 2.0 only.
I am using extended display by connecting a 23 inch LCD monitor and this gives me one display on Laptop screen, and extended on LCD.
I want to expand this and have 3 LCD/LED monitor running along the laptop screen.
But being in a country where such setup is not popular in small cities or such hardware is available I am getting confused with what exactly are the Adapters I need to get.
from my understanding I need a
Plugable USB 2.0 Universal Docking Station
and 3 Plugable USB 3.0 HDMI adapters
Am I on the right track ??
Please make Sticky forum topics with Hardware combos and then link them to your actual video how that setup would work, this would help newbies a lot.
I just love the YouTube treasure you guys have made available people who look for working on multiple monitors.
Hope to get the answers soon so I can ask a friend in US to bring this to me in a month or two when he travels back.
Thank you for making this topic and asking! I’d be happy to assist.
Please let me double check that the first external monitor is connected to the video graphics port of the laptop, but not using any other USB graphics adapters, right?
Assuming the above is correct, since you have already had one external monitor, I think you only need adding two more monitors (total four).
(If you have already used any other USB graphics adapters, our graphics adapters may have the compatibility issue. Plugable graphics adapters will only work with DisplayLink USB graphics technology.)
If your laptop doesn’t have two available USB 2.0 ports now, you can use a USB hub. That USB hub can be the “Plugable USB 2.0 Universal Docking Station”, or any USB 2.0 hub. Our USB Universal docking stations are kinds of a USB hub, plus video graphics port(s), the Ethernet port and audio input/output. If you only need to add external monitors, a regular USB hub plus USB graphics adapters would work fine.
So my recommendation would be:
1 x Plugable USB 2.0 hub. (You can choose 4, 7 or 10 USB 2.0 port hub.)
2 x Plugable USB 2.0 graphics adapters (i,e, Plugable UGA-2K-A VGA/DVI/HDMI adapter)
If you prefer using the USB 2.0 docking station, you need only one additional USB graphics adapter, since the dock has one video port. But the port is DVI and you’d need to convert the port into HDMI by using a port adapter (that will not come with the dock).
yes my external Display is currently connected to laptop’s VGA PORT.
I currently don’t own any USB display adapter or such device and now after exploring plugable Expandable portable technologies, I am not even going to search for such a setup.
I have 2 available USB 2.0 ports but I want to use a HUB or a Universal Docking Station to keep it neat and clean setup around laptop.
Since USB docking station would have a a video port its the best bet for startup configs, and if I am not mistaken, it would still give me chance to expand this setup in future or move it to another machine when this laptop is around end of its life cycle.
normally I don’t use them after around 3 years, and move to a new hardware.
not to mention its already 2 years old laptop but without a USB 3 port, so it would certainly be dumped in coming year.
can you please let me find some details about difference between USB HUB and USB Docking Station.
Thank you for the additional information! Now I think I could have understood pretty well about your preference and the future plan for your setup.
Since you are thinking to get a new machine with USB 3.0 ports in the near future, and you prefer to have a docking station with two monitors, I’d recommend you our USB 3.0 UD-3900 docking station.
UD-3900 has two graphics ports (one DVI, one HDMI), the Gigabit Ethernet port, 2 x USB 3.0 port, 4 x USB 2.0 port and 35mm audio input/output in a unit. You can connect up to 11 USB devices through this dock by using only one cable from the laptop.
The UD-3900 is USB 2.0 compatible, and will work fine as a USB 2.0 device (with the USB 2.0 transfer speed) when connected to a USB 2.0 port. In that case the two of the USB 3.0 ports on the dock also work as USB 2.0 ports.
You can connect two monitors directly to the docking station. (No additional USB graphics adapter is needed.) But please note that depending on the input types of the 3rd and 4th monitors, you may need a port adapter or cable: for example, if you wanted to connect both monitors via HDMI, you’d need one DVI-to-HDMI port adapter cable.
Hope this helps! Please let me know if you needed any additional information!
