Great Dock (Extended Displays) w/ Caveats

If you're looking for a slightly less $ version of HP's USB-C Dock that supports extending your screen to multiple monitors (as opposed to just mirroring), look no further. I'm comfortably WFH (while Sheltering In Place) & writing this review on one of the 3 extended displays on my HP EliteBook (running Win 10 Enterprise, 64-Bit). As far as caveats are concerned? I'll break it down into 3 steps (which I wish was mentioned or within the product description/setup instructions).



#1 - It wasn't quite as plug-and-play as I expected. The monitors @ my house require a DVI Port, so I figured I could just reuse use my DisplayPort to DVI cables... Nope... Apparently, this dock requires the use of (something I didn't realize even existed), "Active" cables (vs Passive, which are pretty much standard for any DP/HDMI cable, etc...). I purchased the dock FIRST, then found after some research online that I needed additional cables/adapters to make this work (so was stuck on my tiny EliteBook screen until the additional cables arrived (which I also purchased from Monoprice).



#2, make sure (via Attached Thunderbolt Devices), that the dock (once detected) is configured for "Always Connect."



#3, you'll require 3rd party software (typically the case for any newer notebooks anyway) to enable extended screen capabilities. I assumed I could just right-click on the screen to view video properties, "detect monitors," etc..., but no-go... Windows DOES NOT detect multiple monitors (the dock mirrors across all screens). In my case, I had to open advanced properties of the adapter using Intel's UHD Graphics Control Panel. Once opening the panel, I was able to go to Multiple Displays, "Select Display Mode," & select Extend Displays. Only after Intel applied the settings, could I use the Native display tool within Windows to line up my monitors, rearrange order, detect, etc...



Some simple steps/prerequisites that I wish were bundled into the description/instructions, but wasn't the case. Had I known off the bat, this would be a 5 star product (& as I mentioned earlier, I still saved a decent chunk of $ not having to go w/ HP's branded version).