Plugable Universal Laptop Docking Station Dual HDMI Monitor for Windows and Mac (Driver Required), USB 3.0 or USB-C, 2X HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports (UD-3900)

I don’t normally write reviews because like everyone else on this planet I’m busy, between my graduate degree, work, and life in general, my spare time is valuable. However, I struggled for months trying to find the right combination of things for my specific situation and I am hoping this will help other people make an informed decision that they are happy with. After talking with tech people at work and in stores, and in addition to my own internet research I finally settled on the Plugable USB 3.0 Docking Station (Model UD-3900, Dual Monitor Docking Station). I’ve included my thoughts on the Plugable USB 3.0 Docking Station as well as some helpful hints that users who are not super computer savvy might find helpful (I will add, I’m not a super techy person myself). First, my thoughts on this product: It accomplishes my “wish list” without having to spend hundreds of dollars on a Docking Station. I have two computers – an older, personal computer (from around 2013/2014 time frame) that does not have a 4K screen and a brand new 2019 screaming machine that is provided by my job that does have a 4K screen. My home monitors are two 27” LG Class Full HD IPS LED with dual HDMI connections that I purchased around 2 years ago. This means that I am dealing with resolution differences across all of my equipment (I’m working with 3 generations of technology). Each computer has the following connections – 1 HDMI port (both computers), 3 USB ports (older computer - 1 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0), 2 USB ports (newer computer – all USB 3.0) and 1 USB-C Port (newer computer). My wish list included the following: 1. Connect and EXTEND my desktop display to my two 27” monitors. 2. Keep a resolution that does not blow everything up to a size that is unusable (an issue when dealing with 4K and not 4K capable equipment) 3. Plug one cord into my computer (rather than multiple) The Plugable USB 3.0 Docking Station does exactly this with minimal effort and without spending hundreds of dollars. I was really pleased when I plugged everything in and changed the display setting to extend and everything just worked. (As a note, I did tinker with the resolution settings on both computers to get my mouse to move screen to screen anywhere along the side borders – I did not observe a noticeable change in the image on my computer or on the monitors after doing this.) I was fortunate that all I had to do was plug and play and did not even have to restart either computer after plugging the unit in for the first time. The little informational booklet that comes with the product is actually pretty helpful if you know a little bit about what you are doing and want to accomplish, though it is brief and mostly contains pictures. There is also a web page and email address listed in the booklet if you need troubleshooting help. In short, if you have lots of cords that need to connect to your computer (for whatever reason), you don’t care if it charges your laptop, and you need two additional displays I would definitely recommend this docking station. Here are some things I learned along the way in regards to my specific situation. This is not meant to be a how to for all systems or set ups, just information that hopefully helps others. There is a lot of functionality in this little device way beyond what I have covered below - again, I'm not a really tech oriented person, a lot of what follows is laymen's terms. 1. Calling this a “docking station” is a bit of a misnomer – a true docking station, when plugged into your laptop, will charge it (this product does not charge the device it is plugged into). True docking stations also have a multitude of other capabilities, including supporting more than 2 screens and device charging and will run you in the $200 - $400 range. I would dub this a “docking station Jr.”, some but not all of the capabilities of a true docking station. That being said, it does have the option to plug in an Ethernet cable to it, thus eliminating an additional cord attached to your computer (super convenient!). I’m all about fewer cords if possible and if you have to be hard wired into your internet this is definitely a plus. 2. The order of the monitors (1, 2, 3) is as follows on the back of the Plugable USB 3.0 device (keep this in mind if you are picky about how your mouse will travel from one monitor to the next) a. Monitor 1 will always be the device you are duplicating or extending by default b. Monitor 2 will be the DVI port c. Monitor 3 will be the HDMI port 3. Cables…there are so many choices and some are directional and some are not and some need adapters and some don’t and, and, and… jeepers cats batman why can’t this be more simple!!! Here’s what you need to know about your computer and monitors to make THIS PRODUCT work. a. Do you have a USB 3.0 Port on your computer? It will say SS (super speed) next to the port. Most new computers have at least one USB 3.0 port, some older computers, like mine have 1 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0. I recommend using the USB 3.0 rather than the 2.0. The basic difference is in the speed of data transfer, but either should work according to the box. (I did not try using the USB 2.0 since I have a USB 3.0 available on both computers.) b. Does/do your monitor(s) have any of the following ports on the back – HDMI, DVI, D-SUB (also sometimes called VGA)? I don’t recommend using the D-SUB (VGA) port, it doesn’t support very good resolution and you may end up with a really grainy image on your screen, but in a pinch it functions exactly as it is designed to with an adapter to connect it to the docking station (the unit comes with a VGA to DVI adapter if you didn’t notice in the product description). You’ll need a DVI to DVI cable if you are going to use the adapter. c. IF YOU HAVE HDMI PORTS ON BOTH YOUR MONITORS - here are the cables you should buy: i. 1 HDMI to HDMI, spend a couple extra dollars and get a decent cable, my experience with cheap cables is they are well, cheap. The connection can be flaky and they just give up the ghost randomly leading to the purchase of, you guessed it, another cable. ii. 1 HDMI to DVI, again spend a couple extra dollars and get a good cable. d. You need to have at least one monitor with an available HDMI port for this docking station to work for TWO MONITORS. (Why, because of the type of connections available on the docking station and the way display data is designed to stream through the available connections on your devices – there’s a way more technological answer, but simply put 1 connection out on the docking station gets you 1 connection in for each monitor.) e. What direction should the cables be connected??? This relates specifically to the HDMI to DVI cable. The DVI side of the cable is the signal out; plug it into the docking station. The HDMI side of the cable is signal in; plug it into the monitor. You are moving the image from your computer/docking station (out) to the monitor (in). 4. Duplicating a desktop vs extending a desktop: a. Duplicate means just that, whatever is on my desktop will be on my monitor(s), if I move my mouse on my desk top it moves on my monitor(s). Think meeting in a conference room where someone puts their computer screen up on the conference room monitor for everyone to see – duplicated. b. Extend means take my desktop and stretch it out across all three monitors. (Tricky, now you see where resolution problems can come into play.) For my set up my laptop is on the far right, monitor 2 is in the middle and monitor 3 is on the far left. This means that if my mouse starts on my laptop (far right) and I move to the left border my mouse will “exit” my laptop screen and “enter” my monitor 2 screen on the far right. The same will happen when I move from monitor 2 to monitor 3, and the reverse will happen when I move back towards my laptop screen. c. There a literally hundreds of YouTube videos on how to duplicate or extend your screen, simply look up “extend my computer screen” on YouTube to learn more. 5. Resolution – tricky stuff if your equipment is all different like mine a. Ever notice how when you go to arrange your screens in the order you want and some are pictured big and some are pictured small? This is because of the resolution that is set for each screen. This also means that you have to remember how you set up the order of your screens - where the borders touch in picture in the settings is the ONLY PLACE THE CURSOR CAN MOVE FROM SCREEN TO SCREEN. b. Normally the “recommended” resolution is sufficient. If you have a variety of equipment you may need to tinker with these settings. I don’t have a good step by step option because everyone’s equipment is different, all I can say is experiment; you can always change it back later. YouTube is another good resource for where settings are located and how to change them. c. If you want all of your screens to be the “same size” in the settings so your mouse can move from one screen to another at any point along the border you’ll want to set the resolution for each screen in the settings to the same thing. This might mess with how things look on your monitors and on your computer, again, tinker with it, you can always change it later if you don’t like it. Again, this is not meant as an official “how to guide”; I wanted to share some of the things I learned and clarify some terminology for those who are not super tech savvy. Hopefully this helps someone who is trying to decide if this product is the best option for their setup. Happy Computing!

I’ve been using the Plugable Universal Laptop Docking Station (UD-3900) for a couple of weeks now, and it’s honestly a great device. Setup was quick and easy after installing the driver, and everything worked right out of the box. It’s nice having my monitors, keyboard, mic and headphone all connected through one hub — makes my workspace way cleaner. The only reason I’m giving it 5 stars instead of 4 is because I need more HDMI ports. At first, I thought one would be plenty, but my setup grew faster than expected. Dock quality is amazing but it was my mistake, not the dock.. I’ll probably return this one and get another Plugable model with more ports since I’ve been impressed with the brand overall.

I recently had opportunity to appreciate exactly how good this dock is compared to a couple of competing solutions, but first a little background: I purchased this dock in May 2014 to use with a Lenovo Yoga (13"), which now runs Windows 8.1 Update 1. The dock is VERY reasonably priced compared to some competing products. Once I downloaded uploaded DisplayLink drivers, the dock has performed without issue. USB 2 and 3 devices work well, the screens (both DVI, one connected with a DVI to HDMI adapter) have very satisfactory lack of lag or tearing, and do not flicker, blank, or give me issues. In short - it just works very well, with minimal fuss for me. So much so I pretty much just do not think about it. When my Yoga goes somewhere, upon return I only have to connect a power cord and the USB 3 cord from the dock and I'm in business. Enter competing product #1: At my last job, we were provided Targus USB 3 docks and my experience with their solutions when using my Lenovo Yoga was much worse. I had video issues, disconnection issues with devices, and just generally found the dock flaky (This was a ACP70USZ model for reference). I could never get the happy nirvana I had at home with my dock at work, despite trying a combination of new drivers and despite calling support. Bear with me - the next paragraph sets up another comparison: I was laid off at the end of August 2014, and started a new position as a contractor for Microsoft in October. At the new position, I no longer needed the Lenovo Yoga, which now remains at home on the Plugable dock. I was provided a very nice ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop, with a ThinkPad OneLink Pro Dock, which connects using a proprietary connector, and also provides power to the laptop. To say the docking and video experience was a letdown for that product is a severe understatement. Updating BIOS, video drivers, dock firmware, and DisplayLink drivers made no difference in solving my issues. Almost all my co-workers experience some issues with this Lenovo Dock. Mine will graphically "freeze" my laptop (remedied by unplugging then re-plugging the dock cable to the laptop) about 2 out of 3 lock/unlock cycles. One or the other monitor will "blank" for about 2-5 seconds at least once per hour. Video feels slow and unresponsive, and the laptop just performs less reliably with more slowdowns and occasional blue-screens when connected to this dock. I hate the Lenovo Dock. So much so that I decided to take my Plugable UD-3900 to work and try it for a few days to see if my problems went away. What a surprise - all of my issues seem to have dissappeared. With the exception of having to plug in one more cable to power the X1 Carbon, the Plugable Dock is a far superior solution. The once a day blue-screens are gone. The "freezes" are gone. The slowness is gone. It works just as well, or better, than it did at home on my Yoga laptop. Lenovo should recall the OneLink Pro docks, but that is a separate conversation. I can't say many other good things, other than to say after trying two other competing products over an extended period of time, I'm really pleased, again, with this dock. I don't often write reviews, but I felt others might want to know how well this dock has performed for me. Now if I can only convince the powers that be to reimburse me for a second one of these for work. I might note that both of the competing products I reference are priced significantly higher than this Dock.

Purchased this after watching the Plugable You Tube video. I was at my wits end in connecting multiple monitors to MS Surface Pro 4. I originally had the SP connected successfully, but after about a month, and disconnecting the SP, I could no longer get the Samsung to work properly. Was hoping that this would solve the problem....it did and it didn't. For reference, I have a MS Surface Pro 4 and am connected to older model monitors (Samsung S24B300EL and Dell E201HC). I already had the Surface Dock, and was able to successfully connect both monitors to the MS dock at the beginning, by using a VGA adapter for the dell and connecting to the docks MD port. I originally was also able to connect the Samsung monitor using a Belkin HDMI to MD in the MS dock as well. I did not need an adapter at that point for the HDMI cable connected to the MS dock. That stopped working, and only the Dell monitor would work. I was able to get the Samsung monitor working again, by using an HDMI adapter and connecting directly to the Surface Pro. This was annoying because it was yet another cable coming off of the side of the SP, with a large dangling adapter. After disconnecting the SP, that connection also failed and again, I could only get the Dell to connect. The Samsung kept flickering back and forth from digital to analog, and when I plugged the adapter end directly into the SP, it caused the Dell to continually go in and out. On top of that are the typical scaling issues that many experience. My biggest complaint however...is actually the diminished screen resolution! I work extensively in Excel, with multiple spreadsheets up at a time, and could not really see the basic grid lines in my worksheets, unless I was looking at the SP. They were the worst on the Samsung, and only marginally better on the Dell. At my wits end and after reading a zillion blog articles, watching a bunch of You Tube video's, and surfing Amazon reviews, I've come to the conclusion that there are myriad of solutions to this common problem. However, there is not really a clear solution. Everyone seems to have varying solutions, depending on their setup. After watching Plugable's You Tube video, I decided to give it a try, hoping that it would solve my EXCEL problem and my connectivity issue. The UD-3900 came packaged very nicely and securely. Setup was relatively easy, and MS Pro automatically downloaded and installed the necessary drivers. It is pretty much as plug and play as the video says....but it did not solve my Samsung issue being connected via HDMI. At this point I tried every possible configuration you could think of, using HDMI, VGA and or DVI connections. I never could get the problem resolved using any connection configuration that utilized any type of HDMI setup, so excluded that as a connection option. Then went to work connecting via DVI and or VGA, after ordering a myriad of "passive" and "active" adapters. Each time I tried a new configuration, I would reboot just to make sure. It was still a struggle and in the end, the Plugable UD-3900 ended up not being necessary. I finally found success using a Fosmon mini DP to DVI adapter (purchased this brand because an Amazon review I read said they are active adapters, and I was desperate at this point) with a traditional DVI cable, and a Monoprice mini DP to VGA adapter with a traditional VGA cable (both of which I found from our IT department at work). I was able to plug them both into the back of the MS dock, with success. I do however, worry how long this will last, and what will happen when I reconnect. I was hoping to make this configuration work solely with the UD-3900, as it slightly improved the appearance of Excel, but alas, the UD-3900 docking station only has one connection point for a VGA or DVI. You cannot use both or doubles, as there is only one connection. (I could if I wanted to connect one of the monitors to the side of the SP4, but I was wanting to avoid this. The only alternative that I could see, it to use the VGA/DVI port, AND the HDMI port, to connect two monitors. Since I couldn't make the HDMI connection work with the Samsung, this was a deal breaker for me. I decided to return the Plugable, since I am already into the MS dock almost $200, and it cannot be returned. And because I can only connect the second monitor via HDMI connection. The slightly increased resolution did not outweigh the those issues. I think the MS dock is overrated and an overall disappointment. The direction at which the cables connect to the dock, makes for difficult and messy cable management. I also think the length of the power cord to the dock is ridiculously short. Because of this, I would consider purchasing the UD-3900, if I had monitors that could successfully be connected via the options on the dock itself. I would say that it not having a double DVI/VGA port is its only downfall for me personally. (FYI it does come with an adapter so that you can use that port either way.) I'm guessing this is eliminated because many monitors now have HDMI connection, and they are probably less bulky than the alternatives. I like that it stands up (could use a wider base...I can see it tipping over. Or an option to anchor to the desk.) and that most of the connections flow out the back, and not all over your desk. I reduced by one star for two reasons; because it ultimately did not solve my connection problems and the increased resolution was only minimal, and because I had to pay return shipping. If it had free return shipping, I might have kept it at five stars, despite the other issues. Overall...if you have recently purchased a MS Surface Pro, I would purchase this dock over MS version. Especially considering its increased functionality, decreased cost, cable management, and footprint.

Great item. Performs exactly as described. I hooked everything up from my desktop; monitors, external hard-drive, camera, speakers, internet gateway, and I still have 4 USB connections available! Had to download a driver, but it was plug and play after that. I don't normally give much a 5 star review, especially after just a short time using it, but this one delivered with zero problems. My desktop has Windows 10 and won't support Windows 11 so it was either use my laptop or replace my desktop. This docking station allowed me to use my laptop saving me hundreds of $. Definitely recommend it.

My older home-built desktop runs with up to three monitors. I bought the Plugable UD 3900 primarily because my new Lenovo A740 touchscreen all-in-one computer has no video out capability at all. The A740 is setup as dual-boot with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 preview 10074. Install Note: Plugable sent an email right after I ordered the UD 3900 from Amazon. I followed their advice installing the Displaylink software from their site before plugging in and turning on the unit on both Windows 8.1 and 10. Display configuration now: (1) Lenovo A740 AIO - 2560x1440 (2) Dell 2408WP - 1920x1200 - Using HDMI (also 2 DVI-Dual, Displayport, VGA) (3) Sceptre X20G-NagaIII - 1680x1050 - Using VGA with Plugable adapter (also DVI) Using Windows 8.1: - Used the display settings panel to align the monitors as extended displays. Monitors are running left to right starting with the A740 in decreasing screen size. - Each monitor has a separate background by default using builtin "Reflections" Hi-res theme. - Easily moved windows across each display. - Snap worked left/full/right on each screen and consecutively across all screens. - Ran 1080P video in VLC. Moved to each display. Ran full screen on each. No glitches. - Each Plugable run display shows taskbar by default. Start menu opens locally on each monitor while applications start on default display only. This is the expected behavior. You can turn off the taskbar on Plugable run displays via the taskbar properties. - Audio out works well. Did not try the microphone jack. - All 4 USB 2.0 ports are now used on the 3900 freeing up one of 4 USB 3.0 ports on the A740. Previously needed a USB 2.0 external hub for (1) Lenovo wireless keyboard and mouse, (2) Logitech multi-touch panel, (3) Turtle Beach USB audio device running Audioengine speakers (Lenovo built-in sound is awful), and (4) Verifi P2000 fingerprint reader. Everything works. - Both USB 3.0 ports work. Tried USB 2.0 & 3.0 flash drives plus USB 3.0 external drives. - Have not tried ethernet since the AIO has a builtin port. Using Windows 10 10074: Everything works just the same. I did have to restart twice rather than once as on Windows 8.1 First time after installing the Displaylink software. Second time after turning on the device when the software ran display configuration. Please note that the software installs successfully but ends without confirmation on both versions of Windows. If you run it again to make sure, it informs you that the latest version is already installed. Net: My new Plugable UD-3900 replaced a USB 2.0 hub while providing support for two additional monitors, four always used USB 2.0 devices as well as two more much needed USB 3.0 ports. Having two front-facing USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks is a feature I did not realize would be so useful. The Lenovo A740 audio jack is a ganged single plug (requiring a spliter) which is hard to access in a tight space in the back behind a massive low slug 27 inch screen. Having two USB 3.0 ports mounted vertically by my right hand makes using flash drives and my Yubikey Neo so much easier. And I now have 3 free USB 3.0 ports on the rear of the left side of the A740.

I really cannot say enough good about this company and the support they provide for their product. You will be hard pressed to find anyone who stands behind what they sell like these guys do. I purchased this dock for my home office. I have two laptops that I want to be able to drop either of them on my desk, plug in power and a single USB cable and be ready to go. This dock fit the bill and and now with a single USB cable I hook up the following: two external monitors (plus the one on the laptop, for three total) a Logitech gaming type mouse a Space Navigator 3D mouse an external webcam a USB label printer a wired Ethernet connection All of that and it still leaves me two open USB 3 ports that I can use for thumb drives or whatever else. Especially for the price, this thing works great. The real value in this however is in the support that Plugable Technologies provides with the product. When I initially did the installation, after installing the drivers the two external monitors came up without much fuss but the wired Ethernet and USB ports did not work properly. I messed around a bit and then contacted them through their support forum. As it was after business hours on the west coast, I was contacted via email the very first thing the following morning by a tech support guy there named Bob. He requested some information with clear instructions as to how to get said info. Once I sent that along, he promptly emailed back with some suggestions indicating that the network issue was very likely not in the unit but somewhere in my network. He was not so sure what was up with the USB ports not working and offered to send me (at their expense) a new dock that they will have tested for proper function at their facility. After some additional testing, we opted to do that and not only did he get it sent out to me, he got it pushed to the front of their shipping queue so it shipped that same day with USPS priority shipping. He also provided me with a USPS shipping label to put on my original unit to ship it back to them at their cost. It shipped out on Friday and I got it here on Monday afternoon. In the mean time I did some testing here and found out that the network issue was indeed on my end of things (turned out to be an ancient, slow, half-duplex only hub I had stuffed in an out of the way part of the house) and once I got that out of the way the wired Ethernet worked fine. On plugging in the new dock, everything just worked! I then loaded the drivers on my second computer and plugged that in, and once again everything just worked. Again, as much as I like the product, it's the support that really shines here. I have rarely found a company that will provide this level of one-on-one support to a consumer end-user for a product that cost under 100 bucks. Emails were detailed and in-depth, and I would generally get a reply in an hour or two. And all through the process, there was a standing offer to fully refund my money and cover the cost of return shipping if we could not get things working. It simply does not get any better than this. Update to this review: I have had this for 5+ months now and am happy to report that it has worked flawlessly so far. I regularly swap between two different laptops and the switchover is seamless and fast. I wish every tech gadget I bought gave me this sort of experience!

First, hat's off to Amazon for delivering the item on Sun after I ordered in on Sat afternoon! Just WOW! I researched the heck out of this purchase, (as I usually do...) and decided on this item after considerable internal debate. The quick review is that I really do like it! I downloaded and installed the software before the device even shipped (Thanks for the link via e-mail, Plugable Tech!) Unboxing and connecting all my cables, etc. (8 of them!) took about 15 minutes, including rearranging my workstation several times. Upon connecting the device to my Dell i7348 2-in-1, all devices were installed within a minute and I was prompted to reboot. After that, it took me another 15 minutes to "argue" with Win 10 regarding which monitor I wanted where on my desktop and other various settings to get things just the way I want them. There was nothing wrong with the defaults, but I tweaked things a bit, as much because I could, as any other reason. All great! I noticed only the slightest increase in cpu usage with the two monitors and other peripherals connected via the dock instead of connecting one monitor via hdmi connection plus a usb hub for all the other things, before I got this dock. Really, it's so slight that I wouldn't argue against anyone that said otherwise if they were watching my cpu usage in the two instances, as it could have easily been something else in the background causing the difference. (On a side note, I noticed a marked reduction in CPU usage with the dock, compared to when I would connect one monitor via hdmi and another via a MS Wireless Adapter. The wireless adapter is great for some usages, such as projecting presentation onto a screen or wall, or watching movies on the big screen, but not really for "full time" usage...) I did downgrade the device one star for a few reasons. While I knew about them all before I purchased the device, they nonetheless are enough to keep me from considering it the "perfect" device, or close enough to warrant that coveted 5-star rating. The first is that the USB cable provided is somewhat short at 3 ft. This is a typical cable length for devices like this, so I didn't give it much weight in terms of stars, but it does limit where you can place the device relative to the item it's being attached to. I had to go to my third choice in terms of placement and it isn't ideal, but isn't a big enough deal to worry about it. I have a USB extension cord I could use, but I like to keep that in my travel bag, just in case. I could buy another, or even a longer Type A/Type B cable, but it isn't a big enough deal to worry about it. The next issue is that the device isn't HDCP compliant. I read a reply from one of the company reps to a question about that and the response was that not enough customers care about it for them to use the pricier chip necessary. Fair enough, as most other docks in this price range (or higher!) don't have this either, but I think the issue is more related to a lot of people not knowing about it, so not asking for it. Again, not the end of the world for me currently as I intend to use this in my office to enable me to use my laptop with the two large monitors and other peripherals I already have after my desktop cpu failed. I don't often watch HD movies or anything like it in my office. The third issue is that the device doesn't have bluetooth capabilities. While most laptops and desktops now come with bluetooth already, many don't, especially if they're lower to mid-range devices, or they're more than a few years old. You can plug a small dongle into the laptop, but those can lead to damaged ports when transporting. Like the other things mentioned, this isn't a big deal and there are relatively easy solutions to each issue. To be fair to Plugable, they've provided a device that seems to work very well and does what it's intended to do quite nicely. Adding a longer cord, upgrading the chipset for HDCP compliance and adding bluetooth all could be accomplished, but then the cost of the device would likely miss the intended target. I bought it after a great deal of research and consideration, so obviously I'm in that target group! Again, I really do like this device (so far as I've only had it setup for a couple of hours...) I don't envision anything that will change that and really do like the convenience it brings in quickly connecting my laptop with just a single usb connection.