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Review on πŸ’» Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced Mini-Dock Port Replicator (250410U) for Improved SEO by Rubeen Black

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good docking station for T400/500, hard to find now

I bought a new Lenovo ThinkPad T500 laptop a year ago (November 2009). I really like the T500 and recently needed a mini dock port replicator which Lenovo made for it. I assumed it wouldn't be difficult to buy direct from Lenovo as they put a lot of emphasis on service, support and updates on their website. I'm so stupid. A year ago I could have bought it from Lenovo, but not anymore. It seems that Lenovo is no longer supporting last year's models with peripherals and only offers a mini-dock for its latest ThinkPad range like the T410 and T510, and this mini-dock does not work with the T500 (confirmed by Lenovo). support representative). Now they only offer a USB port expander for older machines which I don't need. Thank goodness Revain and their third party vendors because that's where I found exactly the "Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced Mini-Dock - Port Replicator (250410U)" model I needed (I especially needed the serial and parallel ports, which are only for Mini- the dock will provide). The seller offered this as "Factory Refurbished" and the price was less than half of what the manufacturer had sold them for just a year ago and as the purchase was made through Revain I didn't hesitate. The Rhode Island based seller shipped the item quickly (I believe I received it within 4 days of placing my order with "Revain Free Super Saver Shipping"). It arrived in a sealed Lenovo box with a 'refurbished' sticker but to be honest it looks brand new to me and works just as well. The mini-dock came with a 90W power supply/charger which was a bonus as most other used and so-called like-new 250410U mini-docks I found for sale online did not come with a power supply. AC adapter (this isn't a deal breaker though, as you can just as easily use the 60-watt adapter that came with the laptop if your power needs don't get out of hand). I am happy with this purchase, happy with the seller who sent it, happy with the Revain and happy with the performance of the mini dock. These Lenovo mini docks (as the name suggests) have a relatively small footprint compared to older style docks and are very easy to install and detach from the laptop dock. The minidock adds a serial port, parallel printer port, 4 additional USB 2.0 ports (there are already 3 on the laptop), VGA and DVI monitor ports (both can be used to connect two monitors at the same time). ), modem and LAN ports, a PS-2 port for a mouse or keyboard that requires this functionality, audio out, and a microphone port. All ports and peripherals already on the laptop such as 3 USB ports, a card reader, headphone and microphone jacks and an optical drive remain functional while the laptop is docked. If you use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse connected to the mini-dock, you don't even have to open the laptop, because right on the mini-dock there is a "Start" button to turn on the laptop and small colored ones LED lights are located informs you about the status of the docking station. The dock also features a key lock so you can lock your laptop to the dock and take the key with you, and of course the dock features a standard cable lock mount to secure the mini dock to your desk. If you have a ThinkPad T400 or T500, I highly recommend this mini dock if you need more functionality or if you use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse on your desktop.

Pros
  • Everything great!
Cons
  • Some issues