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

Received the docking station well packed and in like-new condition. It even arrived sooner than expected. Everything connected right away and without issue. This was a replacement for my other D3100, which has worked for over 6 years without issue (until I broke it). Worked with all my different setups and even have it connected to a KVM switch with 4 other systems. Works with all systems seamlessly.

As an accountant, I work with multiple excel documents, and I used multiple displays connected to laptop via HDMI and USB-c ports until very recently our company replaced HP laptops with Microsoft Surface laptops. Unlike my previous HP laptop, new surface laptop came with one usb-c port and one usb-a port, which was quite frustrating as I could connect only one external displays. Microsoft offers docking stations for surface laptops with the price starting at $200 which is quite expensive for my budget. After several days of searching for the right device, I decided to try Dell docking station, and I wasn't disappointed. It works perfectly for me, I can connect 3 external displays (1 in laptop's usb-c port, and 2 displays in the docking station, 1 port remains available) which is crucial for my work. The docking station also comes with multiple usb-a ports and 3.5mm audio port which is very convenient. As a warning, the device is not plug & play and not identified by windows on my laptop, I had to download a driver from Dell website. Also I am not sure if this docking station can be used for gaming, sometimes there are lagging issues with the image. Otherwise, I am very happy with this docking station.

So far, so good. Initially connected with Ubuntu Gnome 16.04 on a Broadwell Dell notebook, and it was terrible- a torturous, tearing fiasco like you can't believe.Tested briefly with a Win 10 laptop (Ivy Bridge hp ProBook 6470b), and it automagically downloaded everything it needed within a couple minutes, and all was well. I decided to fetch the latest dock driver from Dell's website and push it onto the device while I had the Windows notebook plugged in. No apparent change. Switching back to Gnome afterwards was still unbearable.So I did apt install xfce4, rebooted into XFCE, and it works really well. Tried again with clean installation of Ubuntu 16.04.1 ("normal", with Unity), and it worked surprisingly well too. I don't know what the deal was with Gnome being so awful. It's a shame, too, since I really like Gnome, and it's what I always use on my CentOS and Fedora installations.Dock is currently connecting AmazonBasics A100 USB-powered speakers (consuming a USB 3.0 port and an audio jack), two external 1080p monitors over HDMI, and a USB keyboard and mouse over the two USB 2.0 ports. All is working as expected. I may check back in a few days after I add my third monitor.This setup appears to have very little discernible CPU penalty.Cool bit of kit. Kind of dense for its size, and the underside creates enough friction to keep her pretty still on a desk. Well thought out.02.06.2017 udpate: I had trouble adding a third external display (all three external monitors are matching 1080p ViewSonic). Can't recall error message, but I couldn't populate the display on a third monitor. I just worked around the issue by running HDMI directly from laptop to one of the external monitors, and I let the D3100 feed the other two (one via HDMI, the other uses a Displayport-to-HDMI adapter for the moment). Just note you may have a problem with three displays.Currently: Ubuntu 16.04 on Dell 5548 notebook, fully patched, tested with and without Intel-proprietary drivers, stock 4.4 kernel. I'm satisfied with the setup, and I don't intend to fiddle with it any further.03/2017 update:Inconsistent results coming up from sleep state or reboot. Got tired of fussing, so I sold the thing. I'll never buy a consumer-type notebook again, only business-class kit from now on. A proper dock and a computer with proper dock support is worth the spend, to me.

I'm submitting a review because I think this is a decent product. I did end up returning it because I discovered it didn't suit my needs. Main problem I had is I discovered the DisplayLink technology the docking station uses caps out at 60Hz for all displays, regardless of resolution. I have two 144Hz displays, so that was a deal-breaker. The dock worked just fine with my setup but didn't let me take full advantage of my monitors' refresh rates.That being said, for those who don't need more than 60Hz, this is a pretty good product. It runs over a B->A USB 3 superspeed cable (included), meaning it doesn't need to occupy a USB-C port. If you have an older laptop that doesn't have USB-C then this may just be the perfect dock for you. You do need a USB 3 port on your laptop (it won't run over 2.0), but if your laptop is 5 years old or less, chances are you have one of those. The dock comes with its own cable, so no need to purchase one yourself.I tested it on a Lenovo Legion 5, an HP Elite Book, and my Android phone. Android use required downloading the DisplayLink app as well as an A->C USB converter, but it did work (after needing to agree to a million permissions prompts on my phone).So, in conclusion:Pros: very compatible. Will likely work with any Laptop that's USB-C. Even technically worked on my Android phone (note: you will probably need a C->A usb converter for this use case, product does not come with this).Cons: DisplayLink caps at 60Hz. If you have monitors that run faster than that and you want to take advantage of it, this Dock's not for you.All-in-all, a pretty good business dock.