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September 17th, 2021 09:00
Precision 5550 with D3100 Docking Station
Hi All
I already have a Dell3100 hub that I used with a previous Dell laptop. I now have a new Precision 5550 but didn't get a docking station with it. My question is can I use a USB type B to USB type C convertor to connect my D3100 to my Precision 5550?
I don't need anything fancy, just the HDMI connection for a second monitor and USB type 2 connection for my keyboard and the wired network connection available on the D3100.
It seems a waste to replace a working hub with a new (and very expensive) WD19TBS hub.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Steve H-B
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jphughan
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September 17th, 2021 12:00
@Steve H-B Yes, you can either use the existing B to A cable and get a female USB-A to male USB-C adapter, or else get an actual USB-B to USB-C cable, though those are somewhat uncommon. But either way, make sure you get one rated for USB 3.x, since some of those cables/adapters only support USB 2.0. You will want this even if your actual USB peripherals are only USB 2.0 because the added bandwidth of USB 3.x comes into play for your display based on how that dock works (more on that in a moment).
In terms of whether the WD19TBS would be a waste, that sort of depends. For one thing, the WD19TBS would be able to charge your system, which would also free up your system's own power adapter so you wouldn't have to unpack it and repack it as you came and went from your desk. For another, Dell's Dxxxx dock models rely on "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink -- not to be confused with DisplayPort -- and that has several potential drawbacks that I've written about in the post marked as the answer here. The WD19TBS uses native GPU outputs for its video signal.