Docking station/hub recommendations?

[Dougmeister]

Starting a new job and the employer is providing a Surface Pro 7 and a docking station when in the office. I don't know what brand/model they will use, but it will probably be more expensive than I want to spend to purchase one for my home office.

I thought this one would work, but then a friend pointed out that it specifically says it will not work with a Surface Pro 7 for some reason?

No-name brand hub at Amazon

Can anyone help me find an inexpensive dock, or even a hub, that would work with the Surface Pro 7 and provide:
* Dual video output (not mini-display port if possible)
* USB for a full-sized keyboard
* RJ-45 for hard-wired Ethernet connection

 

[Plantje]

I can give you "some" insight, but I have some questions myself as well. I have a Surface Pro 2017 Advanced LTE (so, a SP5 actually). I have tried the Surface Dock (1st gen), but for some reaon it didn't play well with my two screens. At that time, I was planning on replacing my desktop with my Surface Pro, but later on I decided to upgrade my desktop after all.

At my previous client I worked with a Dell D3100 and I really liked it! Two 24" screens, keyboard, mouse, RJ-45, mini jack.... everything connected all at once!

So, now I am looking at a D3100 for my home setup as well. Actually, I want to connect everything to the D3100 and then connect the D3100 to a USB with a switch. That way, I can easily switch between using my devices with either my destkop or with my SP with a flick of the switch.
However, Dell and a lot of others have different shapes and sizes in these docks and I don't know which is better. There is also the D6000 that has USB-C, but I haven't found a USB-C splitter with switch yet.

Main thing that I am wondering about: does a dock have some sort of graphical card built in? Or does it just use the graphics card of the computer connected?

 

[Turbo4AWD]

2nd gen Surface Dock is probably the best, however, Belkin makes a really nice one but it requires you to detach the keyboard and have an external one. It turns the Surface Pro into a "Surface Studio-Like" device.

 

[mjblazin]

Surface Dock 2 is the only one that offers 2 monitors connected to a dock at 4K/60hz. I had one of the cheaper variants ($35 on Amazon) and it worked fine offering HDMI, USB A and Ethernet. I don't know if you can daisy chain a second monitor off the first monitor connected via HDMI to the computer. All the non-MS docks take the USB C and USB ports with a side attachment. That's why each Surface Pro type gets a different cheap dock since the ports on side differ. Only MS gets to use the Surface Connect port. Consequently you lose the USB C to get the other ones you wanted. I don't know the technical reason why a vendor cannot offer a big adapter attached to USB C on a Surface Pro 7/X, powered by own line to 115v, that offers various outlets. It would have to be cheaper than $179. High end monitors, $400+, essentially offer that feature with multiple output ports on the monitor.

 

[Plantje]

Surface Dock 2 is the only one that offers 2 monitors connected to a dock at 4K/60hz. I had one of the cheaper variants ($35 on Amazon) and it worked fine offering HDMI, USB A and Ethernet. I don't know if you can daisy chain a second monitor off the first monitor connected via HDMI to the computer. All the non-MS docks take the USB C and USB ports with a side attachment. That's why each Surface Pro type gets a different cheap dock since the ports on side differ. Only MS gets to use the Surface Connect port. Consequently you lose the USB C to get the other ones you wanted. I don't know the technical reason why a vendor cannot offer a big adapter attached to USB C on a Surface Pro 7/X, powered by own line to 115v, that offers various outlets. It would have to be cheaper than $179. High end monitors, $400+, essentially offer that feature with multiple output ports on the monitor.

I thought the Dell docks also offer 2 monitors at 4K.

I use 1920x1200 screens anyway and I am perfectly happy with those. Still wondering about this one: does a dock have some sort of graphical card built in? Or does it just use the graphics card of the computer connected?

 

[mjblazin]

I meant with the Surface Pro 7. The surface dock 2 uses the Surface Connect to extract signal for the dual monitors and power the tablet. I thought that the SP7 cannot push that much video out its single USB connection. That would be the only way for the Dell Dock to connect.

 

[Plantje]

Ah, ok, like that. Thanks!