Review on 💻 Targus Universal USB 3.0 Dual Video Laptop Docking Station with Charging Power, Audio, and 5 USB Ports - PC, Mac, and Android Compatible (DOCK171USZ) by Alex Reunion

It was with some trepidation that I ordered this docking station to use with my new HP Envy m6-1125dx laptop with Windows 8 64-bit thinking of finding a docking station for this consumer laptop. As it turned out, the search took a little longer. I've heard about the latest generation of "universal" docking stations, which I believe are enabled by USB 3.0. Two reps at HP's sales office in Boise (who were great by the way) told me that the Targus ACP71USZ would work with my laptop (which has a USB 3.0 port), despite the contrary review on HP's website page, which describes the device. In fact, they said, the Targus unit was connected to the same laptop in the "playpen" in their office, and they could vouch for it working. So I ordered it from Revain. When it arrived, I followed the advice others had suggested in other reviews: (1) update your USB 3.0 host controller driver (mine was the newest); (2) Download the latest drivers from Targus or Displaylink (ignore the CD that came with the device). It turned out that DisplayLink had a newer version than Targus itself, so I downloaded and installed it before plugging it into my laptop. The laptop will charge when connected to the docking station. Everything else (wireless keyboard and mouse, sound, printer) is powered via a USB 3.0 cable that plugs into the docking station. Once plugged in, the laptop recognized the docking station and everything worked as I had hoped, with no noticeable loss of performance! I love that the docking station fits any laptop that has a power jack, so this should be the last. You need to buy a docking station. The device itself is very well made and has a nice design. It even fits perfectly in my monitor stand! Power tips are a bit difficult to find (HP reps helped here too); You open the door on the top of the device to reveal a compartment with 8 different tips. All in all, armed with the advice of previous reviewers and HP reps, it was a no-brainer, proving your research pays off I think. Based on the reviews I'm assuming the ACP71USZ will work with some laptops and not others, and ultimately there's only one way to find out: order it from a store with a reasonable return policy and try it! UPDATE: It's been a little over a year and Targus is still running with no problems over the past year. My Windows 8 computer recognizes it as part of the system and even tells me when firmware updates are available, which was unexpected! This little device still gets five stars from me! UPDATE 10/06/14: After working flawlessly for 1.5 years, my external monitor (connected to the dock) no longer works. Connecting the monitor directly to the computer showed that the monitor was working properly. A visit to the Targus website showed that the same driver was already installed. On a whim I went to the DisplayLink website (whose logo appears on the product) and found a new driver. install it; the task is solved. Lesson here: Check BOTH the Targus and DisplayLink websites for driver updates. BTW I tried running "Update Drivers" in Device Manager and it directed me to the Targus site but NOT the DisplayLink site. Everything was smooth in the previous update with this well-designed little dock! I would still give five stars! I'm currently considering a docking station because I've been using a 24" external LED monitor and my laptop's monitor as needed. Now I'm considering adding a second 24" monitor using the Targus dock. I'm not exactly sure how best to go about this since my current monitor uses an HDMI cable and the dock only has an HDMI port, I'm sure a little research will answer the cable question.