Review on 🔌 Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station for Windows and Mac - Dual Monitor Support, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports - Horizontal Design by Darryl Duncan

A universal dock will never be as good as a manufacturer dock for several reasons. At the same time, a universal docking station that works regardless of brand is still very practical. This is a solid 4 to 4.5 star product despite the list of minor cons below. We'll update the review below if there are any issues later. ADVANTAGES: + Cost. Docking stations of certain brands can cost 2-3 times more than this docking station. + Slim. It seems to be available in both vertical and horizontal models (I chose horizontal) + Easy to set up if you're tech savvy in any way + Use with any number of devices in your house on a single station, exactly what I use for ( dual monitor home office where you can now swap work and home laptops.) CONS: (these are minor but can be a serious inconvenience depending on the scenario) - requires the installation of a driver (which is not listed in the instructions) , but it's easy enough to find on their website.- **Observation: You MUST have admin privileges on the device. This isn't usually a problem unless you got a laptop for work, for example, but you should contact your IT department to have the drivers installed locally. I bought this for my wife who was having the same problem and luckily her policy allowed her to install the drivers on her completely locked down computer. - It is not possible to charge the laptop via the docking station. - The laptop requires an independent power supply, which is another strong point. The cable needs to be routed and creates a mess. - It is not possible to turn on the docking station when the laptop is switched off (need to open, turn on, close the lid, which may cause additional wear and tear) - As it is not a manufacturer's docking station, it takes a little more space, as it is not designed to place the device in or on the docking station. The USB device connector (USB 3.0 and Type-C for a laptop) is very short and can limit where you can place the VS Dock where the ports are on your laptop, although you can always purchase longer cables as replacements. Even with the included adapters, you can't use any of your monitors without additional adapters (especially DisplayPort). The best monitor solution you can hope for is when both monitors have HDMI and DVI options, allowing you to connect directly to the dock without an adapter (included or not).