Expanding connectivity is easy with the Kensington SD4800P Universal Dock Station. Just a single USB-C cable lets you output to three monitors (2x DisplayPort++ and 1x HDMI), provides 60W of power delivery and up to 10Gbps fast data transfer without the need to install any drivers.
Design wise it’s rather inconspicuous, plain glossy black and feels nice. It like most of Kensington’s devices comes ready to link into the Kensington security slot system.
Dock stations have also come a long way and with the introduction of USB-C fast throughput with power delivery, it’s easier than ever and worth it to get yourself a dock station.
Ports & Connectivity
On the front is the 3.5mm audio port, 1x USB-C 3.1 Gen2 (up to 5V/3A/10Gbps) and 1x USB-C 3.1 Type A port (up to 5V/2.4A/10Gbps). Power button located on the right side. Included with the SD4800P, power brick and ac cord, 1m USB-C cable. Yup the power brick is enormous and the uplink cable is a bit short.
On the rear are 4x USB 3.0 ports (up to 5V/0.9A/5Gbps), 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, 2x DisplayPort++ ports, HDMI port. There’s a dedicated USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port on the rear that provides the 60W of pass-through power. Use the included USB-C to USB-C high speed cable to connect to your USB-C supported laptop.
(Host device must support Power Delivery and DisplayPort™ Alt mode over USB-C™. While Windows supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST)for multi-monitor support, Mac and Chrome OS’s do not currently support MST.) Windows 7 or later.
For Mac power users you may want to look over at the SD5200T TB3 40Gbps Dual 4K Docking Station. It doesn’t support triple video but it does give dual 4k video support and blazing transfers up to 40Gbps.
(Kensington has provided us with the SD4800P Dock Station so that we could provide first hand review coverage of the Design, Build Quality along with our overall user experience with it to our readers.)
Video Support
Kensington’s SD4800P supports Dual and Triple video output via 2-Lane or 4-Lane modes. A switch located on the bottom of the unit lets you switch from the default 2-Lane to the 4-Lane. Video is scalable so you have the option to use the 4-Lane Video Boost Mode.
For dual monitor configurations you’ll be using the DP++ ports. For Triple display output the additional display will need to run off of the HDMI v2 connection with the laptop closed. Make sure that your USB-C equipped laptop supports Power Delivery, DisplayPort Alt mode over USB-C and Multi-Stream Transport.
Max resolutions supported: Single Monitor: 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz / Dual Monitors: 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz / Triple Monitors: 1600 x 900
It’s also VESA Mount compatible so you can find a home for the SD4800P off of your workspace area on the back of your center monitor. The Zero Footprint mounting bracket is sold separately.
That’s a Wrap
As laptop form factors get smaller and thinner, we’re losing ports fast. Unless you’re a gamer, Bitcoin miner or a working graphics professional you probably don’t own a computer tower anymore. For many of us the laptop is where we’ve landed and with Kensington’s SD4800P USB-C Dock station you won’t have to sacrifice a thing. Extend, Expand functionality & speed up your productivity. We recommend the SD4800P for dual & triple video output capability and fast transfer speeds up to 10Gbps.
Kensington SD4800P USB-C Dock Station w/ Power Delivery $219.99
www.kensington.com