Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2

Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2..

Buy Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 By Microsoft

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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Best Fit Among Surface Pro Compatible Docks (with Caveats for Owners of the First Gen Devices)
By Shopper
Bottom Line: Very easy to set up and use. Designed for Surface Pro tablets. Not compatible with Surface RT tablets. Additional equipment is required to support multiple monitors when used with a first generation Surface Pro, unless they are USB monitors. Recommended, but test all ports after purchase and check for driver updates.

Full Review: Overall the user experience is quite good. On a tabletop the viewing angle is about the same as when using the kickstand, so no issues there. The Surface tablet rests in a stable position if the clamps are in the open position, so the tablet can be set in the dock without it being charged or connected to accessories. The keyboard covers can still be used when docked, or the new wireless adapter is also handy if the dock location precludes comfortable typing while docked. The Docking Station for Surface Pro is going to be the nicest fitting docking station you are going to find on the market, since it was manufactured to be an exact match for the form factor of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet PC. The slider mechanism for locking the two bracket arms into place on either side of the tablet operate smoothly, and again are an exact fit for the different ports on the Surface Pro it replicates and for the power charger.

For the owner of a second generation Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 2, there is significant upside seemingly without negatives compared with competing products. It could probably use another USB 3.0 port, since 3 out of 4 ports are USB 2.0, but that can be overlooked. If you are an owner of the original MS Surface Pro, however, the value proposition is a little more challenging. To add one additional monitor, that can be accomplished easily by way of the single included mini DisplayPort. If you would like to add more than a single monitor, you are then looking at DisplayLink USB drivers (and likely an additional docking station to add since there are no other video outs built in). The Surface Pro 2 can support more than one monitor using a single DisplayPort. Still, I am marking the docking station down to four stars for a design decision to only have one video out on a $200 device. There is no option provided by Microsoft to support a dual monitor feature that most competitors offer below that price point, which reduces the benefit of being backward compatible with first generation Surface Pro tablets.

The issue for the original Surface Pro is Microsoft's design decision on what to support in the dock configuration. There is only one native port for display, which is a replicated mini DisplayPort. According to Microsoft release notes, the concept is that DisplayPort 1.2 can be used to daisy chain monitors. What is not clearly mentioned is that since the docking station replicates the DisplayPort of the docked machine, if the Surface Pro port does not support the 1.2 specficiation then the dock also will not. As mentioned above, the original Surface Pro has a 1.1a port, so anyone wanting to daisy chain monitors using DisplayPort 1.2 would need to have an MS Surface Pro 2 model of tablet.

The item used for this review is a production copy purchased directly from Microsft during an early sales opportunity. Included in the box was the docking station and AC adapter with no additional cables. For reference, the products listed below can be used with the Docking Station for Surface Pro to set up a triple display work station:
- Anker USB 3.0 Dual Display Universal Docking Station with DVI/HDMI, Audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and 6 USB ports (2 USB 3.0 + 4 USB 2.0) for Windows (for first generation Pro owners)
- Acer T232HL bmidz 23-Inch Touch Screen LCD Display (no bezel around border - fully compatible with Windows 8)
- Rosewill Direct USB 3.0 External Slim Aluminum 6x Blu-Ray Writer RDED-12001 (low cost R/W option for BDXL)
- USB3.0 portable Blu-ray drive with BDXL writing - LBD-PME6U3LBK (lower cost R/W option for BDXL)

Update 1: If you use a third party USB-to-Ethernet Adapter (I have the Plugable USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter), the device driver(s) may interfere with ethernet connectivity via the Surface Pro Docking Station. Since I have another dock running off the USB 3.0 port, when I plugged the network cable into it the connection worked fine and I am leaving it as-is. On travel I'll still be using the Pluggable adapter and don't really have the time to debug given a work around of comparable performance. If I pick up the MS-branded adapter that might justify uninstalling third party networking drivers to toubleshoot, but for now the ethernet port on the dock has a link light but the cable is not recognized by Windows 8.1 on the Surface Pro.

Update 2: Added a Surface Power Cover to my configuration, and can confirm the dock accommodates that accessory attached to the Surface Pro with no problem.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
MS Surface Pro docking station - good build, but disapointing
By James H. Hansen
I am very pleased with the ease of use and build quality of this docking station, but am very disappointed in the performance.

My biggest disappointment was that the Ethernet speed is only 10/100 Mbps. With a USB 3.0 link they could easily have included a built-n hub with a gigabit Ethernet port. My second issue is that there is only one USB 3.0 port with the other three USB ports rated 2.0. An extra USB 3.0 port would have been appreciated My solution to these problems will be to buy an external USB 3.0 hub with a built in Ethernet adapter for (more or less) $30. The third problem is the mini-display port adapter. I would prefer a sturdier full-size display port. Since the video output is capable of supporting dual monitors on my desktop, a built-in splitter with two ports would also have been nice. As it is I will have to buy another adapter to support my desktop displays.

As best I can tell this is more of a port replicator than a true docking station. The USB 3.0 and display connectors seem to simply be passed through connectors that automatically plug into the ports on either side of the Surface carrying the signals to the ports on the back of this device and the power passed through to the Surface. Although I haven't disassembled anything to find out, I suspect the USB 2.0 and Ethernet ports are passed through connectors on the lower edge of the Surface to the ports on the back. (The Core i5-4200U and Core i5-4300U CPU's used by the Surface Pro models provides USB signalling and the Ethernet support probably is provided by the WiFi chip.) There appear to be no "smarts" in the device to justify the price or the designation "docking station". By the way, I certainly would not pay more than the MSRP of $200. It is available for that price and is not worth more.

As a port replicator, it is a convenient and well built unit, albeit overpriced, and is a better unit than any other I have yet found. As a docking station it falls short. However I don't regret buying it under the circumstances.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
My Surface Is Now My Desktop!
By BillP
With the addition of a hard Ethernet connection, a mini-hdmi to vga cable, a nice big monitor, and a dongle to run a wireless keyboard and mouse, the docking station lets me use my Surface Pro as a pretty much a full-blown desktop. Worked immediately with no fuss. Easy to dock and undock. The toughest part (and it wasn't that tough) was setting up the Surface to stay active with the lid closed. Working like a charm so far.

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