Universal Dock

bodhi

bodhi

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Hey,

My company are about to move to bigger offices and I want to put a monitor, keyboard and mouse on each desk. We have a BYOD policy so we have everything! MS Surfaces, Apple, HP, Lenovo, Asus etc. etc.

Does anyone know of a simple dock that will allow someone to come along, plug their laptop into USB and then be connected to the monitor, keyboard and mouse etc.? From the research I've done it all looks to be a big shambolic.

Let me know if anyone has any great ideas :-)

Bodhi
 
Thanks Ian. I'll take a look.

I'll make sure I come back on here once I get the office set up and let you know how I get on. :-)
 
Ok, so I’ve come to the conclusion that getting a dock that will work for any device isn’t going to work.

My new plan is to buy monitors with USB-c, HDMI and display port connections and a USB hub so I can connect the keyboard and mouse to the monitor then they plug the laptop into whatever display they need and the USB to drive the keyboard and mouse. Best workaround I can come up with :-)

Now I just need to find a monitor that meets this requirement
 
Yeah, that's probably a good bet - should be fully compatible too :). Hope it works!
 
Thanks! It's still a nightmare trying to find a monitor that meets all my requirements though! :-)

I found one with all the display ports and 4 USB 3.0 downstream ports. The downstream bit freaks me out a bit. Would that work as a hub? I want to be able to plug in the laptop via a USB cable and then power the keyboard / mouse (any other usb devices) through the monitor - would that work do you reckon?
 
I think it should work - I understood "downstream" ports to be ones that you plug peripherals in (but can't connect to your PC directly i.e: upstream port). I can't think of any other way those ports could be used, so I see no reason why it can't work as you describe.

Have you got a link to the monitor?
 
Ian said:
I think it should work - I understood "downstream" ports to be ones that you plug peripherals in (but can't connect to your PC directly i.e: upstream port). I can't think of any other way those ports could be used, so I see no reason why it can't work as you describe.

Have you got a link to the monitor?
Click to expand...

Not yet. I can’t settle on a monitor that I like. I’m very indecisive ‍♂️
 
Alright, so I'm back to close this off and let you know how I solved this.

I bought 8 of these monitors: Dell 27 Monitor - P2719HC.

They are USB-C, HDMI and Display Port monitors with 4 downstream USB ports.

I have the monitor plugged in to the power (obviously) and the USB-C cables connected. I also have the USB-A Keyboard and Mouse plugged in to the back of the monitor.

If someone has a USB-C laptop it's a perfect solution, one cable gives them monitor, audio, keyboard & mouse, downstream USB-A ports on the monitor and it also charges their laptop - easy.

Now, the bit that caused me huge frustration was if someone didn't have USB-C and needed to use HDMI or Display Port. Plugging in the appropriate cable gave them monitor access, but I wanted them to also easily have access to the keyboard and mouse without having to unplug them from the monitor and put into their machine. Initially I bought USB-A to USB-A cable which I ran from the monitor to the laptop - this didn't work. Though it did help me understand the difference between downstream and upstream. :-)

So, I bought USB-C to USB-A converters (tiny little adapter) and by plugging in the HDMI or DP to the laptop and then plugging in the USB-C (converted to USB-A) to the laptop that gives them Keyboard and Mouse. Phew! I know it was a lot of effort for saving one cable, but it's made the solution a lot more tidy.

So there you have it. Hope this helps someone in the future.

Bodhi
 
Hurrah! :D Good work @bodhi!

What do you think of the P2719HC - is it comfortable for office use? It looks like good value. I really like Dell monitors and I'm thinking of making the jump to 27" next year.
 
Ian said:
Hurrah! :D Good work @bodhi!

What do you think of the P2719HC - is it comfortable for office use? It looks like good value. I really like Dell monitors and I'm thinking of making the jump to 27" next year.
Click to expand...

It's a good monitor and everyone seems to like it. The USB-C is a great interface I have to say, so I'd probably recommend getting that on a future monitor.

The picture quality is good (not amazing). When using word and excel etc it's pretty clear (much better than a previous Samsung 32" I had!). I've got a small office at home and cannot fit a big monitor so recently bought the Dell 24" Ultrasharp and that's a sharper picture. Slightly strange resolution of 1920x1200.

The Dell's have some amazingly thin bezels which is great if you plan to have more than one.

The next few weeks will see me build my monster gaming machine which I'll connect to the 24" Dell. It'll be for games and office work.
 
Cheers Bodhi :D. Yep, it's the thin bezel that really appeals, as I'll likely have two side-by-side (or maybe one big one, not sure yet).
 
Ian said:
Cheers Bodhi :D. Yep, it's the thin bezel that really appeals, as I'll likely have two side-by-side (or maybe one big one, not sure yet).
Click to expand...

I bought one big monitor and ended up taking it back. I thought one big one would be better than 2 small ones, it’s not, it’s a pain in the arse!
Get two :-)
 
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