Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100), Black

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Overview

The Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 connects your laptop to up to three additional monitors, various external devices and the Internet with a single cable. It features a convenient way to expand the capabilities of your portable PC and customize your desktop computing environment. This sleek, compact dock unlocks enhanced productivity and entertainment options with highspeed connectivity and support for Ultra HD 4K displays. It also includes three USB 3.0 ports, as well as two USB 2.0 connections, ensuring compatibility with a vast array of peripherals, such as external hard drives, printers and scanners. Moreover, it is a great choice for corporate environments with Wake-On-LAN and PXE boot (on selected platforms).

Easily connect laptops to Ultra HD 4K displays, Full HD display

The Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 connects your laptop to up to three additional monitors, various external devices and the Internet with a single cable. It’s a convenient way to expand the capabilities of your portable PC and customize your desktop computing environment. This sleek, compact dock unlocks enhanced productivity and entertainment options with high-speed connectivity and support for Ultra HD 4K displays. Designed for Ultra HD 4K resolution, this USB 3.0 universal docking station enables compatible PC’s to display 4K resolution when connected.

Expand productivity with peripherals

Your laptop is no longer constrained by its included ports. With a single cable, the Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 connects your laptop to various devices, such as printers, scanners and external hard drives. There’s also a Gigabit Ethernet port, headphone jack and audio output to connect external speakers.

Advanced networking and security for enterprise use

The Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 is a great choice for corporate environments with Wake-On-LAN and PXE boot (on selected platforms). There’s also an integrated cable lock slot (lock sold separately), so the dock can be secured to a desk or workstation.

Supports one Ultra HD 4K display and two Full HD displays:

Expand your desktop by connecting up to three displays at once, including one Ultra HD 4K display and two Full HD displays. The Dell Docking Station allows you to spread out your desktop on up to three external displays, increasing productivity and making it easier to manage multiple applications.

High-speed data transfer with USB 3.0:

The Dell Docking Station offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds among connected devices. The dock features three USB 3.0 ports, as well as two USB 2.0 connections, ensuring compatibility with a vast array of peripherals, such as external hard drives, printers and scanners. The dock also provides USB charging to external devices.

What’s in the Box:

  • Dell Docking Station
  • USB 3.0 Cable (2ft.)
  • AC Power Adapter
  • HDMI-DVI Adapter
  • Installation Driver CD
  • Documentation

Full HD displays. The Dell Docking Station allows you to spread out your desktop on up to three external displays, increasing productivity and making it easier to manage multiple applications.Compatible with Latitude 3330,Latitude E6540,Latitude E6440,Precision M3800,Latitude 3340,Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5547),Inspiron 14 5000 Series (5447),Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3542),Inspiron 17 5000 Series (5748),Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3541),Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3442),Inspiron 15R (5545),Inspiron 13 (7347),Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5542),Latitude E5250,Latitude E5450,Latitude E5550,Inspiron 15 7000 Series (7547),Latitude 14 Rugged 5404,Latitude 7350,Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3443),Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3543),Latitude 3450,Latitude E7250,Latitude E7450,Latitude 3550,XPS 13 (9343),Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3451),Inspiron 17 5000 Series (5749),Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5548),Inspiron 7348,Inspiron 17 7000 Series (7548),Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3551),Latitude 3150,Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3558),Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3458),Inspiron 14 5000 Series (5458),Inspiron 5558,Inspiron 5551,Vostro 3558,Vostro 14 (3458),Inspiron 7558,Inspiron 5755,Inspiron 5758,Inspiron 5555,Latitude 3160,Inspiron 3552,Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3452),Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5552),Latitude 3570,Inspiron 14 5000 Series (5459),Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5559),Inspiron 17 5000 Series (5759),Inspiron 11 3000 Series (3153),Inspiron 13 7000 series (7353),Inspiron 13 7000 series (7359),Inspiron 15 7000 Series (7568),Inspiron 11 3000 Series (3158),Inspiron 7559,Vostro 3459,Vostro 3559,XPS 13 (9350),XPS 15 (9550),XPS 12 (9250),Latitude E5470,Latitude E5570,Latitude E7270,Latitude E5270,Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3559),Latitude 3470,Latitude 7275,Latitude E7470,Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5568),Inspiron 13,7000 Series (7368),Inspiron 15 7000 Series (7569),Inspiron 17 7000 Series (7778),Vostro 3549,Vostro 3449. Inspiron 14 (1440) , Inspiron 14 (1464) , Inspiron 14 (3437) Inspiron 14 (N4050) , Inspiron 14 3000 Series (3421) , Inspiron 14 7000 Series (7437) Inspiron 15 (1525) , Inspiron 15 (1526) , Inspiron 15 (1545) Inspiron 15 (1564) , Inspiron 15 (3520) , Inspiron 15 (3521) Inspiron 15 (3537) , Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5565) , Inspiron 15 5000 Series (5567) , Inspiron 15 7000 Series (7537) Inspiron 17 (1750) Inspiron 17 (1764) Inspiron 17 (3721) Inspiron 17 (3737) Inspiron 17 5000 Series (5767) Inspiron 17 7000 Series (7737) Inspiron 17 7000 Series (7746) Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme 7214 Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme 7414 Latitude 3379 Venue 11 Pro (7140)

Features & Specifications

  • 2 x USB 2.0 to 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x headphone input and output 3.5 millimeter
  • 3 x super speed USB 3.0 - 9 pin USB type A, 1 x network - RJ-45. Designed for Inspiron 15 7567 Gaming, 5459; Latitude 13 7350, 3350, E5270, E5460, E5470, E5570, E7270, E7470; XPS 13 (9343)
  • 1 x display/video: DisplayPort output : 20 pin DisplayPort, super speed cable
  • 2 x display/video: HDMI: 19 pin HDMI type A, 1x HDMI DVI adapter included
  • Allow for a triple monitor setup, see compatible Dell models in the description
  • Dimensions: ‎20.7 x 15 x 11.2 inches
  • Weight: ‎10.1 ounces

Pros & Cons

Pros

Excellent Solution For Productivity. I am a grad student and like most I am having to do school from home because of covid. I have an office in my house that I setup to be equal to what I had at work when I was as an engineer. The only problem is my wife who is also an engineer is working from home and is now the primary user of the home office. This created a huge issue as I need access to the main house computer, need a attend remote grad school, and need an area to do hw. I purchased a Dell Inspiron 3493 core i5 (14 in screen) to be a mobile PC for school and to be used as a secondary main house computer when I don't have access to my primary one. I took over my wife's vanity table and converted it to my new work area. Working on a 14 in screen on the go is good, but working on it for hours is a pain due to lack of screen size. The Dell D3100 was the solution and allowed me to repurpose two old monitors I had lying in the attic. No USB 3.0 docks on the market charge a laptop because they were designed for laptops that do not have USB-C or thunderbolt ports on it (my exact laptop) which actually make them more/true universal compared to USB-C/Thunderbolt docks. Saying that I love this dock as it has allowed me to work/study without strain and my productivity isn't hampered because of lack of screen(s). The dock has also allowed my work area (a small vanity table) to be clutter free which is essential to maximize space. I have dual monitors, logitech C270 cam, wireless keyboard (logitech K360), ethernet, and dual speaker with amp all attached to the dock; plus three free USB 3.0 ports that are easy to access. change a few power settings to prevent the laptop from automatically falling asleep when plugged in and the lid closed. Don't turn the laptop off, just manually put it to sleep when you are done using it, and you can wake it up via the wireless USB keyboard or mouse which makes this very convenient. I did notices that when you use both monitors on the dock, internet speeds are reduced (but honestly it isn't noticeable) probably due to thru put of the USB 3.0 cable and the dock does get warm with use I have noticed. Because this docking station does not charge, it is 100% universal compared to the ones that do. I noticed that all these brands of docking stations advertise how much charging power they supply ONLY to their brand of laptop but they do not state this at first or second glance. It is very misleading when they are calling it universal. 210 W charging for our brand but 90 W max only to other brands (you have to really dig for this information). You might end up sending almost $400 on a dock that is no better than a $140 dock. My wife needed a truly universal dock to work on her HP Zbook 15 G5 and to work on a Dell equivalent when her company changes their laptops and is demanding the return of all their docking stations. She currently is using a HP 230 W dock which will only supply 90 W to the Dell equivalent laptop (same is true for a dell 240 W dock on a HP laptop) meaning the laptop will need to be also plugged into its power brick when docked. So I figured why buy a $400 dock that will require her to plug in the laptop's power brick to use it when I can buy this dock (Dell 3100) for $140 and be in the same situation but for much less money. for convenience, but buy a second power brick for $40/50 and it will still be cheaper than a $400 dock that only supplies 90 W to laptops that aren't the same brand as it is. **update: my wife's work laptop has an integrated NVIDA Quadro P2000. My biggest fear was bc of the dock being USB 3.0 vs. the others, the laptop would use the integrated graphics on the CPU only and bypass the integrated NVIDA Quadro P2000 as I have read would happen. GOOD NEWS: the integrated NVIDA Quadro P2000 GPU is being utilized and there was no bottle necking. the setup works perfectly.** The dell 3100 docking station has been great and is an excellent value that solved all my problems and needs (and my wife's too). for those that have spoken poorly about this docking station simply haven't done research on docking stations period.

Buy it nice or buy it twice. Like most of us out here in cyberspace, I used to think that if I purchased a small simply docking station I would be able to get away from large devices like these. I could have my desk setup to be mobile and nimble, allowing me to work from anywhere. Then I purchased one of those small usb devices and came to discover what everyone else already knows. They dont pack the power to be as nimble as you want. After going through cheap device(s), I bit the bullet and purchased this for my home setup. While it may be big and I cant just be out and about like I want, I also am not carrying two (2) 4K monitors with me where I go, nor am I doing rendering on the train. This larger device is not only seamless when installed, but I was able to update my computer hardware without having to go through a million and one steps to 'make it work'. It just does. If you have a home office setup and you want to keep it simple, this is the choice for you.

Runs Two Monitors. Runs my two monitors just fine from my Dell laptop, but there is no power button to wake up my laptop (I have to open the lid of my laptop to press the power button).

Easier than advertised. Plug and play! Laptop and 2 added monitors up and running in under 10 mins. Now all I need to do is organize the rat's nest of wires from all these devices LOL

Easy Awesome. Easy to set up, dependable, compatible with all of my gadgets!

Docking Station. This product works great and just what I needed. I can work more efficiently by connecting my two monitors, to one unit.

Cons

Dysfunction enhanced by Dell Tech Support incompetence and apathy. My ownership of the D3100 UltraHD Universal dock is a story of dysfunction enhanced by Dell Tech Support incompetence and apathy. The dock failed to work properly when connected to my system. The source of my problems was originally not clear, although ultimately identified as the dock & Dell tech support. Here's the long version of my problem. I purchased the Dock along with a Dell XPS 15 laptop and Dell U2713HM monitor, all purchased new at the same time. Both the computer ($2000) and the monitor ($500) are made for ultra-high-resolution display (maximum 3200x1800 and 2560x1440 respectively). They do not match resolution, despite the assurances I got on this point from Dell before purchasing the equipment. Prior to purchase I was told by two separate Dell answer-line people that these three products (laptop, monitor, Dock) were designed to work together. It is obvious they were not. Initially the monitor did not work (black screen) when connected through the dock, or directly to the laptop. Two different Dell tech support technicians spent a cumulative 5 hours (with me a hostage assistant) working remotely on my system, resetting and re-installing every possible driver and setting and cable configuration, plus having me purchase additional cables. Unfathomably, the DVI and VGA cables supplied with the UltraHD monitor do not support its full resolution; you must purchase additional cables for it to reach its full, advertised resolution. With no help from Dell tech support I accidently discovered that the computer-monitor connection (either with or without dock) will not function if the Screen Resolution setting is "Duplicate these Displays". Any other setting works. After solving that "problem" my monitor works fine when connected directly to the laptop. Connections through the D3100 Dock work only intermittently. This includes both monitor display and keyboard communications. After Dell Tech Support recommended purchasing additional cables, which also did not solve the problems, my case was elevated to Dell's "HD resolution specialist" who confessed having never worked with a D3100 dock before, so wasn't sure what to expect of it. After having me perform more tests and having me install more drivers, communicating only by email, she eventually concluded that either the dock is faulty or maybe I need to re-install the computer OS. It took 2 weeks' of occasional email to reach this indecisive conclusion. It has taken one month to get to this point, the source of the problem and its resolution are still not known decisively, and Amazon is out of stock on the D3100 dock until end of February. I asked the Dell Tech Support specialist if they could handle the Dock replacement in order to expedite finding a solution to my problems and she promised to let me know. That was 5 days ago; still no response. If the replacement Dock doesn't work I'm faced with an OS re-install that also may or may not work. This is not Dell's cheapest equipment by a long shot. I expected a lot more of both their equipment and especially of their tech support. It will be a long time before I think of purchasing Dell equipment again. I can only wonder: how would Apple have handled such problems if it was their equipment? Update 1/18/15: I exchanged my D3100 for the same product two weeks ago and the new dock has worked well during this time. Apparently my problems stemmed from a hardware failure in my original dock. I would give the new D3100 a 5-star rating if not for the fact Dell tech support was both helpless and apathetic about assisting me to diagnose what was the cause of my connectivity problems (I was on my own to figure out if it was caused by my new computer, new monitor, or new dock). I'm raising my rating to a 3-star because the hardware is good if it is functioning, but lack of product tech support and misinformation from Dell denies it a higher ranking.

USB adapter works fine, does not power the laptop!! For anyone who is looking to have an actual docking station - this is not for you (although it seems none of the major players are making docking stations anymore). This is basically a USB hub that will allow you to run more screens and connections than the laptop has connections for. I'm using this to support a work-issued Dell Precision 5540. Pros : it's USB and setup initially was pretty easy. I have two monitors running extended display + the laptop monitor for 3 total monitors and they all work well. The monitor that is true HDMI has had zero issues. The monitor that is running DisplayPort to DVI will go black for about 4 seconds once in a while. My corporate IT helped me to update the drivers for the docking station but this issue did not resolve. My headsets work no problem. Cons : this USB hub DOES NOT POWER THE LAPTOP. So you need to keep the power adapter issued with the laptop plugged in AND you need to plug the power adapter in for the docking station. For a WFH office, this will not help you reduce your power strip needs. Honestly, you could get the same performance from a much cheaper off-brand device. If this was not paid for by work, I would have returned it. For people who need power from their "docking station", my IT person says the Dell Thunderbolt docks (like the WD19TB) should work. Please check ahead with Dell before purchasing, since this information could be incorrect.

Missing cable. I knew I was purchasing a used component, but the description said it came with the cables needed to plug in your laptop. This one was missing the connector from the dock to the laptop :/

It works I guess. Overall disappointed with the performance of this unit but at the end of the day it does what's advertised... just with a lot of hiccups. I run a triple monitor display with ethernet, a mouse and keyboard, and a 2.1 speaker setup off this display link from my acer aspire e5. It's a decently powerful laptop handles all the tasks I throw at it with ease but once it gets hooked up to my station in my dorm... well let's just say it's unreliable. It's pretty common for the display link to just choose a random port to not work whenever I turn on my laptop in the morning. Almost everyday it seems I have to troubleshoot either a monitor not picking up a signal (while simultaneously saying it is in display settings) or a keyboard just not turning on and even sometimes the ethernet just decides to sh*t itself. The fixing aspect is sometimes very easy. All I have to do is unplug it and plug it back in... SOMETIMES, while on other occassions no amount of troubleshooting or driver updates will fix the problem. It'll just not work until it does again (sometimes a port doesn't work for a day or two and then just comes back to life.) But the most annoying feature of this device by far is that for some god forsaken reason it just turns off and on the display of my main monitor (120hz VG248) at random times. The monitor can be under no stress or a lot of stress, it does not matter the screen will just go black and come back again in a second or two. Really irritating if I'm in a game or something which I sometimes am. (This issue did not exist before the display link) In conclusion, I would not buy this port again but I'm okay owning it because it was really the only option I had given the specific variety of ports I need for my college setup.

Misleading title. It will NOT output 4K on all 3 monitors, only on DisplayPort, HDMI remains 1080

Needs improvement but finally got it to work. UPDATE 2/2/16: I was very critical of this docking station but the main issue has now been resolved. Finally, a tech from Dell emailed me the solution: my HDMI to DisplayPort adapter was not an active adapter. So for $20 I ordered a new one and it did the trick. There are still issues but the setup is now functional. Biggest issue now is that after waking my computer, I often have to unplug the dock from power and plug it back. Until I do, my external monitors say "No Signal". This issue is much more frequent with the 4k monitor. Also, things do lag a bit on the 4k monitor, like mouse movement. Dell was almost of no help at all... the manager I spoke to was very knowledgeable but couldn't figure out the adapter issue... thankfully, he was faithful to email me about it when he figured it out. But this took over a week. ORIGINAL POST January, 2016: I bought this last week as I have a new Windows 10 laptop and two external displays. One monitor is plugged into D3100 via DVI to HDMI adapter; the 2nd monitor is a Vizio 4k TV. I've plugged it into HDMI on D3100 and also tried it in DisplayPort using HDMI to DP adapter. The 4k TV continually shows "No Signal" even though Windows' Display settings recognize that all three monitors are there. No setting I've chosen, however, will fix the issue. Oddly enough, the 4K gets signal if I bypass the D3100 and plug directly into laptop's HDMI port, which means nothing is wrong with the TV or the HDMI cable. Both HDMI ports on the D3100 work when I plug the DVI monitor into them. In my research on DisplayLink's forum, I found several users reporting the same issue. One user even stated, "No 4k TV works through the D3100". Ouch. Pretty damning for a docking station that advertises it is a 4k docking station! To top it all off, Dell's support has been a train wreck. They keep asking for some serial number that doesn't exist on their docking stations, their tech support automated system doesn't even give docking stations or accessories as an option, and once I got someone, they knew absolutely nothing about docking stations. So finally they passed me on to some sort of manager, who was knowledgeable but not enough to find a solution. He told me he would research it and get back to me by noon on Wednesday... which he never did. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

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Based on real customer reviews and satisfactions, we use an optimized algorithm to put together objective data into a list of pros and cons as well as product features and specifications as such a good guide for you to follow that you can buy the best Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100).

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Conclusion

On the whole, this is a pretty nice product that earns many praises from real life customers, being listed as one of the best sellers of Laptop-Docking-Stations.

We highly recommend the Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100) to you.

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