Laptop Docking Station, 9-in-1 Dual 4K@60Hz Dock with DisplayLink

Having used DisplayLink docks for years, I find them highly reliable for business, though they do have notable limitations. This unit functions similarly to standard ThinkPad docks, but you must supply your own power supply (a USB-C PD adapter is highly recommended for stability). It also features a great selection of front and rear ports for easy peripheral access. While the required DisplayLink software makes extending to two extra screens seamless, the "screen recording" compression method means picture quality takes a hit. Text isn't perfectly crisp, colours are slightly off, and fast motion can be choppy. Additionally, HDCP restrictions mean you can't watch copy-protected content like Netflix. I’ve since upgraded to a Thunderbolt 4 dock, which is far superior for my needs—delivering power, data, and Ethernet over a single cable without any visual compromises. That said, it feels wrong to dock a star for this product; it does exactly what it's supposed to do. It’s just that DisplayLink technology itself is starting to feel a bit ancient.

This dock is great, it does exactly what it says it does and it works with both my work provided MacBook Air (M1) and my personal MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) and allows me to use two external monitors with the MacBook closed. I do have some issues with it though, but these aren’t big enough to stop me using the dock. The dock shows up in finder and desktop all the time as it’s for two files stored on the dock that links you to the required software for display link for Mac and windows. It’s easy to ignore, but I wish this was listed in the product page as it took me a while to recognise what this new random drive was. It also shows up as an available microphone on Microsoft teams, but it has no mic built in so not sure why this happens. Apple then being apple will keep displaying the purple screen sharing icon in the taskbar, which I’ll be honest is super annoying when I remember it’s there, but this isn’t ugreens fault, it’s apples. The dock itself doesn’t get that hot and the size of it is perfect, it’s not too big so doesn’t take up lots of room and fits perfectly at the back of my desk. Overall, compared to other docks on the market this one is great value for money, it’s a great build quality and an all round great dock.

Difficult to find a docking station which allows for screen extension onto 2 additional screens but I found one here. Great product that does require screen software to be downloaded to the MacBook Pro. Easy to install and setup with compact desktop foot print but good additional ports for network USB and USBc accessories. Other more pricey options are available but not sure if that is required for a home setup.

I had a problem with my previous dock not connecting well with my macbook after a period of time. I bought this when it was on offer (still a decent investment though) and the problems are soived. I can charge the M3 macbook, send a picture to 2 monitors, and still transfer data via the ports at full speed. It can get a little warm when used for long periods of time, but has never caused any problems

Highly recommend. Excellent quality, UGreen is a go to brand for me when buying IT hardware. It does exactly what I needed with no fuss. Extends my MacBook to 3 screens. I did my research and bought this one because it automatically has the driver you need to install. Or the link at least.

I bought the UGREEN 9-Port Laptop Docking Station for my wife’s setup because her laptop lacked a USB-C port for video output (had one but for data only). It’s been working perfectly—smooth dual 4K@60Hz, fast 100W PD charging, and all the extra ports we need. Highly reliable and hassle-free!

The approach of automatically mounting a USB storage volume to facilitate Display Link driver installation is good in theory, except when it interacts with endpoint security policies which attempt to encrypt any USB volume attached to a corporate laptop - causing an endless loop of mounting and unmounting. It becomes utterly pointless when you connect the hub to another machine and find out that the "drivers" are nothing more than browser shortcuts to the Display Link website. An utterly useless over complication which could otherwise be served with a short URL or QR Code being included in the quickstart guide.

TL;DR: This dock has sub-par user experience, requires third-party software, impacts CPU performance, shows incorrect high refresh rate capabilities, has laggy video output and fails to support HDCP-protected content like Netflix and Amazon Prime. -- I purchased this dock to use with my M1 Pro MacBook because I had purchased UGREEN products in the past and found the price reasonable. Upon receiving the unit, I discovered that the four video ports (2x DP, 2x HDMI) are not independent. Instead, they are grouped into two outputs, each combining one HDMI and one DisplayPort. This raised alarm bells in my mind. After connecting my laptop to the dock, I noticed there was no video output. I then found an external drive on my desktop with links to "MacOS Drivers." This is where the dock’s user experience falters significantly. To get the displays to work, you need to install third-party software called "DisplayLink Manager" which asks for permissions to record your screen any time the dock is plugged in. This dock doesn't function in a conventional way; it uses screen recording to transmit video to the monitors. This process involves encoding, transmitting, and decoding video, which puts a significant load on the CPU. On my M1 MacBook Air, I observed 40% CPU usage with two displays connected: one at 1440p 144hz and the other at 1080p 60Hz. Another issue is the refresh rates. While the display settings may show 1440p at 144Hz, etc the encoding and decoding method introduces high latency and the actual display is not running at 144fps and is most likely at 60fps which also often stutters and has graphical glitches like weird gradients on glass like elements of applications. Anyone who understands display technology and how bandwidth limitations work knows that if a product advertises "4K 60hz" it will also work at higher refresh rates for lower resolutions like 1440p and 1080p, I have no doubt the claim of "4K 60hz" is purposely obfuscated in their marketing so that people will buy this product and naturally expect the dock to output those higher refresh rates. Any sort of gaming that you might want to do on this dock will be completely ruined by high latency and stuttering. The final problem is related to HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). Modern displays and computers use HDCP to prevent video content from being displayed if screen capture is detected. This means you can't watch Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Blu-rays, or any other protected content while using this dock, as it thinks you are recording the content. Finding a workaround for this issue is a hassle within itself.. Overall, this dock has an atrocious user experience, sucks power and CPU usage from your machine, doesn't support high refresh rate at all and stops you from watching any protected content. I would steer clear of this dock unless you are only planning to use this for light office applications and spend the extra on thunderbolt docks like those from CalDigit. I understand these are significant jumps in price and if you just want a way to extend your displays i'd still suggest looking at anything other than this as there are significant potential security risks with having your screen recorded at all times by closed source software.

Me ha solucionado perfectamente poner dos pantallas a mi Apple M1 y con salida de 10 g para disco duro. Botones de encendido y carga a la vez el ordenador. Material de aluminio y perfecto. Espero que dure tiempo

It was simple to install. Works instantly. Absolutely hazzle free.

I have an M1 Macbook pro ( the one with the ill fated touch bar) and while I love it for most use cases, it has the annoying limitiation of only supporting one external monitor. Fortunately DisplayLink software comes to the rescue and allows me to plug in up to three monitors with a DisplayLink dock. I had bought another brand dock before and this Ugreen dock was to replace it after it burned out. I couldn't be happier and this feels like a huge upgrade. My other dock didn't support full 4K resolution on output and the ports were also not as good. This one has all multiple USB C ports and a dedicated USB C for powering my mac so I really don't lose any conectity by using this on one of my ports.

I have used iMacs and Macbook Airs for a number of years now. My iMac is now not able to be upgraded to the latest OS and from past experience in the end communication between different machines running different OS's get steadily more problematic as the generational gap of the OS's grows. I also use my iMac much less now that I havee retired. I looked into running multiple screens off my M2 Air as a cheaper alternative to buying a new iMac. Essentially you can only run one extra display off an M2 Air, and HDMI splitterrs are not the same as docking stations. I ordered this device and it arrived quickly and was easy to set up. By using a separate power adapter for it I was able to connect my two Samsung 21" monitors to it, with the added advantage that it charges the M2 Air through the USB-C port as well. I downloaded the DisplayLink software from the Synaptics web site and it works fine with Mac OS Sonoma. There are plenty oof customisable features that all seem to work seamlessly. I also connected my Apple Magic Keyboard, TrackPad and Logitech MX master mouse with no problems. When connected all of my different Desktops on my M2 displayed just fine and when you disconnect the docking station the desktops return to the M2 Air exactly as they were before. The only thing I noticed is that when you connect extra screens the windows from the Air do not automatically resize to fit the the bigger screens, but hardly a problem. I have run Excel, Word, Music and a drawing package simultaneously with no noticeable speed penalties and the ability to use an external keyboard, mouse and trackpad is great.

Very happy with this product. Allow Mac to have 2 Monitors, stable Ethernet connection