Archive 2016 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

tntcorp
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

hello all:

dock/docking station is new for me as i never have the need for multiple oses nor portable computing devices until now. hopefully the dock will de-clutter my desk.

there are quite a bit of selections out there but i haven't seen any reviews which explicitly stated that the dock will work smoothly with both win and mac oses. any suggestions or users feedbacks on a quality computer dock are greatly appreciated. :-)

i plan to hook up the mac via thunderbolt and win 10 tablet/laptop via usb3.0. i prefer to use the mini-display port input for the monitor. the dock will also need to accommodate a network attached storage device as well. no need for legacy connections such as firewire, esata, or the like.

thanks again - tom :-)

Aug 01, 2016 at 04:08 PM

sjms
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

a "dock" as it is termed today is generally computer model specific though fairly lame universal models do try to exist. you on the other hand are getting into custom specifics for your fairly divergent pair of devices.

Aug 01, 2016 at 09:49 PM

tntcorp
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

sjms:

i know what you meant, but:

with the exception of a few manufacturers (such as henge) who are still making docks with custom footprints for specific computer models, majority of the docks being offered today are merely providing a centralized collections of input/output ports to facilitate quick connect/disconnect between the laptop and peripheral equipment.

with users of multiple oses out there, i am hoping someone is aware of or currently is running a dock which support connectivity to both mac (via thunderbolt) and windows (via usb 3.0 or...??) systems.

given only one response, perhaps the demands for such dock is too small of a market to justify production :-)

Aug 02, 2016 at 09:36 AM

sjms
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

like you and I said fairly product specific.

Aug 02, 2016 at 09:54 AM

elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

All you need is an IOgear KVM switch. It enables a single keyboard, video display, and mouse to be shared between multiple computers. I use one with a Mac computer and a Windows computer. The model I have been using is about 7x7x1 inch in size.

I have individual Ethernet cables for the computers but could also use wireless 802.11 to go through my wireless router and to the NAS where all my working files are kept. I use this same router to print on 3 different printers in my office as all my printers are network capable.

Aug 04, 2016 at 02:59 PM

tntcorp
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

thank you for the kvm suggestions :-)

i have used them in the past to share input/output devices between multiple desktop computers. however, i have now 100% migrated to portable laptops and tablets along with wireless mouse and keyboard, i no longer have a need for a kvm switch.

the peripheral i need to share are monitor and network router (along w/ peripheral attached to the router). those peripherals can remain connect to the dock 100% of the time.

since i am running both windows and mac portable devices, a dock supporting both oses is what i am looking for.

Aug 04, 2016 at 03:56 PM

garyvot
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

A few of things to note:

1. Few if any PCs are compatible with existing Thunderbolt docks for Macs.

2. Only Thunderbolt and USB Type C / 3.1 docks have the ability to pass through native display signaling

3. You could choose a USB 3.0 dock with video that works with both your Windows and Mac OS devices. These docks use a virtualized video-over-USB technology from DisplayLink that, with the latest chipsets, can support up to 4K displays. Depending on the speed of your CPU, this works well enough for productivity applications, but is not powerful or fast enough to handle gaming. There are, however, usually drivers for both Windows and Mac OS. The best of the 4K DisplayLink USB docks is possibly this model from Dell:
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=452-BBPG

Aug 06, 2016 at 06:29 PM

Michael White
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · computer dock for both win tablet/laptop and mac laptop

Most of the ones I've seen are for pcs using USB or are for Marcos using lighting connections

Aug 07, 2016 at 05:43 PM


FM Forums \| General Gear-talk \| Join Upload & Sell

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.