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USB-C Docking station recommendation

chazzy2501

By chazzy2501
in Hardware

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chazzy2501

chazzy2501

Posted
Posted

I love the HP G5 USBC dock but they were on backorder and over priced, today I was ransomed that I could have the 10 I ordered but for £270 ex each! (£109 inc rrp). I'd already agreed to pay £150 ex for them 3 months ago!

 

So f that!

 

I now have £1500 and need 10 USB-C docks please, who's happy with theirs? (maybe a Dell or Lenovo)

 

Power Delivery, HDMI, 3.5mm, network are required but more is better.

psydii

psydii

Posted
Posted

We've been using them for a few years. Over the last 12 months we have had problem after problem. I don't have a good word to say about the Lenovo G1 or G2 USB C docks.

 

Might be on the laptop side of things, but after each round of windows updates a new set of devices cannot connect reliably through them using DP / VGA. Absolute disaster.

mullet_man

mullet_man

Posted
Posted
We can source all docking stations, but personally the startech ones have proven to be a good hit with the schools I look after. Feel free to drop me a PM if I can help with pricing :)

 

Can you source the HP USB-C Universal Docking Station just out of interest?

Oaktech

Oaktech

Posted
Posted
Wife uses the Lenovo ones at work with her brand new Dell laptop and she has all sorts of issues with displays. This may be the laptop, but it always works OK with the Dell dock she uses at her other office. She has 2x 27" monitors at 1920x1080 but increases the display scaling to 150% and it resets in the middle of working, one monitor turns off if the device goes to sleep and the device reverts to laptop screen and one monitor on the dock and only a restart fixes it. If the laptop is on before she plugs the dock in, it takes several minutes of screens flicking on and off before it sorts itself out and the primary monitor seems to change each time.
ICTDirect_Dave

ICTDirect_Dave

Posted
Posted
Wife uses the Lenovo ones at work with her brand new Dell laptop and she has all sorts of issues with displays. This may be the laptop, but it always works OK with the Dell dock she uses at her other office. She has 2x 27" monitors at 1920x1080 but increases the display scaling to 150% and it resets in the middle of working, one monitor turns off if the device goes to sleep and the device reverts to laptop screen and one monitor on the dock and only a restart fixes it. If the laptop is on before she plugs the dock in, it takes several minutes of screens flicking on and off before it sorts itself out and the primary monitor seems to change each time.

 

I use the Lenovo Thunderbolt dock 3 with my T480 and had all kinds of similar problems. A manual update to the latest Lenovo dock firmware fixed it. For whatever reason the Lenovo Vantage software didn't think it necessary.

Might be worth a look at that?

  • Thanks 1
Oaktech

Oaktech

Posted
Posted
I use the Lenovo Thunderbolt dock 3 with my T480 and had all kinds of similar problems. A manual update to the latest Lenovo dock firmware fixed it. For whatever reason the Lenovo Vantage software didn't think it necessary.

Might be worth a look at that?

 

I'll email my contact at her IT department (from that time where I told them how to fix their VPN issue) and tell them the good news that potentially 1600 docks need a manual update :scared:

psydii

psydii

Posted
Posted

There are ways to automate Lenovo dock firmware updates. https://thinkdeploy.blogspot.com/2020/12/lenovo-dock-manager.html I haven't tried it.

 

In my experience dock firmware updates do not reliably fix the issues as presenting. It might, say, fix it for 50% of users, but the others will still have problems

The dock on my desk today is failing setting up connection to my monitor - triggered by my reconnecting it when the laptop went to sleep. No amount of rebooting, or power cycling the dock or laptop will return it to its previously working state. I had this problem a few months ago - and one day it just started working properly again.

 

I cannot state to you all how much I hate these things.

  • Thanks 1
mullet_man

mullet_man

Posted
Posted
Yes we can source them, but stock is looking 0 currently! I can ask what the leadtime would be if you could provide a quantity?

 

Am not sure it wouldn't be many but due to teachers moving every lesson this school year we've got a few broken ones and used my spares, I'd need say 5 to keep me going for next year.

 

In no rush for them currently.

 

Thanks

  • 2 months later...
mullet_man

mullet_man

Posted
Posted
Yes we can source them, but stock is looking 0 currently! I can ask what the leadtime would be if you could provide a quantity?

 

Hi Jack - Could you check stock levels? Fast running out of docks just had one where it looks like some one has tried to push the lead into meat grinder or something.

 

Thanks.

mullet_man

mullet_man

Posted
Posted
I've used Startech ones when HP was on backorder and seem to work fine.

 

Might have to look at an alterative no where seems to have those HP ones in stock anywhere, am not sure if it's due to the chip shortage or they are discontinuing them?

  • 2 weeks later...
robjduk

robjduk

Posted
Posted

Just to add to an old post... I took a chance on a budget (around £100) one from Amazon called "Plugable USB-C mini docking station" and to my surprise it worked just as well as the HP one. Its smaller and still delivers power.

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plugable-Charging-Compatible-Thunderbolt-MacBooks/dp/B078WXTYTW/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Plugable+USB-C+mini+docking+station&qid=1634718387&qsid=257-9762333-6351018&sr=8-3&sres=B078WXTYTW%2CB08WTT184Z%2CB09HN6NH76%2CB07BFJSYFM%2CB083GNHZ4Q%2CB075R8F7SM%2CB07P7JGYDF%2CB082TNSL2J%2CB076HXWR9M%2CB075T6D9PF%2CB082SR6GMB%2CB07CKG1FXN%2CB076TNP2R9%2CB01BOVBQ4C%2CB01GK13GHQ%2CB07423KK44&srpt=ELECTRONIC_DEVICE_DOCKING_STATION

  • Thanks 1
mullet_man

mullet_man

Posted
Posted

 

Looks interesting being able to use your own means it won't brick the dock if the cable breaks.

 

My big problem with these HP docks is the cables they are not user replaceable if I could replace the cable I suspect I could salvage some of these docks. Anyone good at soldiering haha

  • 5 weeks later...
Network_Boy

Network_Boy

Posted
Posted
We've been using them for a few years. Over the last 12 months we have had problem after problem. I don't have a good word to say about the Lenovo G1 or G2 USB C docks.

 

Might be on the laptop side of things, but after each round of windows updates a new set of devices cannot connect reliably through them using DP / VGA. Absolute disaster.

 

Sorry to bump an old thread. We also have the Lenovo Gen 2 docks in all of our teaching rooms and offices, and they're proving a nightmare. In the offices, which generally have two external monitors connected to the dock, one or both of the monitors will intermittently go black and come back on during use, or just turn off completely - resulting in a restart of the dock and laptop to get it working again. We have the latest dock firmware on the docks, and the latest dock driver installed on the laptops. It doesn't seem to matter whether monitors are connected via HDMI or DisplayPort. Has anyone managed to find a solution?

psydii

psydii

Posted
Posted

Yes, use hdmi out from the laptop.

 

Trust me I burned a lot of goodwill trying to solve this. I suspect that Lenovo did some bespoke things with USB-C / Thunderbolt in 2016-2019 timeframe, and it didn't work out.

 

Something most people don't notice is that you don't get usb3.x connectivity either - the laptop only sees the docks as usb 2 devices, even when you do manage to get DP 1080p passing through it.

  • Thanks 1

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