Thunderbolt 3 Dual-4K Docking Station for Laptops - Windows Only

Sometimes an on-board network interface card (NIC) conflicts with a new NIC.  In these cases it is best to disable the on-board NIC.

The best way to disable your on-board NIC is to go into your BIOS and disable it there if possible.  To do this, consult your motherboard manual.

You can also disable any NIC in Windows.  Here is how you do this:

First click Start, or, in Windows 10 and 8, hold down the Windows key and press X.  Then click Control Panel.

Windows 10

1. Click Network and Internet.
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. On the left, click Change adapter settings.
4. Right-click the NIC that you would like to disable and select Disable.

Windows 8

1. Click Network and Sharing Center.
2. On the left, click Change adapter settings.
3. Right-click the NIC that you would like to disable and select Disable.

Windows 7

1. Click Network and Internet.
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. On the left, click Change adapter settings.
4. Right-click the NIC that you would like to disable and select Disable.

Windows Vista

1. Click Network and Sharing Center.
2. On the left, click Manage network connections.
3. Right-click the NIC that you would like to disable and select Disable.

Windows XP

1. Click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the NIC that you would like to disable and select Disable.

If you set your display to [email protected] and connect a display to the DisplayPort output on the laptop docking station, your display may flicker. This issue only affects certain monitors and is a result of an interoperability issue between the hardware used in the display and the docking station. This issue is not specific to StarTech.com docking stations.

To resolve this issue, try any of the following:

• Connect a USB-C to DisplayPort cable from the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port on the docking station to the DisplayPort input on the display. (StarTech.com product ID for the USB-C to DisplayPort cable: CDP2DPMM1MB.)
• Connect a USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cable from the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port on the docking station to the HDMI input on the display. (StarTech.com product ID for the USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cable: CDP2HD4K60.)
• If you are using a dual monitor setup, connect a dual DisplayPort adapter from the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port on the docking station to the DisplayPort input on the displays. (StarTech.com product ID for the Thunderbolt 3 dual DisplayPort adapter: TB32DP2.)
• Disable MST (Multi Stream Transport) or DisplayPort 1.2 mode on your display and enable [email protected] Refer to the information provided by the manufacturer for assistance. 

If your computer is not detecting your Thunderbolt™ 3 device, try the following:

• Update the Thunderbolt software on your Thunderbolt 3 host device.
• Update the Thunderbolt controller NVM firmware on your Thunderbolt 3 host device.
• Update the Thunderbolt controller drivers.
• Update your motherboard BIOS or UEFI.

For more information about how to update the software, firmware, drivers, and BIOS or UEFI, refer to the website of the manufacturer of the Thunderbolt 3 host device. The following website includes links to some of the manufacturers of Thunderbolt 3 host devices: https://thunderbolttechnology.net/updates. If the manufacturer of your host device is not listed, you should contact the manufacturer or refer to their website for more information.

For more information about how to check which version of the Thunderbolt software and firmware you are currently using, see the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-check-software-firmware.

For more information about Thunderbolt 3 host system and motherboard compatibility, refer to the Thunderbolt 3 Compatibility and Troubleshooting guide.

If you are only getting a single display to work with your Thunderbolt™3 device, make sure that your Thunderbolt 3 host device can support two separate DisplayPort lines over Thunderbolt 3. 

While Thunderbolt 3 supports dual monitors over a single connection, not all Thunderbolt 3 host devices are designed to meet this requirement. If your Thunderbolt 3 host device does not meet this requirement, you cannot troubleshoot this issue with software, firmware, or driver updates, and you cannot use this device to achieve dual displays over Thunderbolt 3. If you are not sure whether your Thunderbolt 3 host device supports dual monitors, contact your Thunderbolt 3 host device manufacturer.

If you confirmed that your Thunderbolt 3 host device does support dual monitors and you are only seeing a single display, see the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-update-software-firmware.

For more information about Thunderbolt 3 host system and motherboard compatibility, refer to the Thunderbolt 3 Compatibility and Troubleshooting guide.

When you connect a Thunderbolt™ device to any Windows operating system that can support Thunderbolt 3, a pop-up message appears. To use your Thunderbolt 3 device do one of the following:

• Select Connect Only Once.
• Select Always Connect.

Caution! If you select Do Not Connect, only video will pass through on your Thunderbolt 3 device.

If you accidentally set a Thunderbolt™3 device to not connect to your computer when prompted by the system, you can force the software to prompt you again for authentication. To do so, complete the following:

1. Right-click the Thunderbolt icon.
2. Click Approve Attached Devices.
3. Select the Thunderbolt 3 port that you want to authenticate.

If you receive an error message that your Thunderbolt device is not certified for PC use, try the following to resolve the issue:

1. Click Start.
2. Type Thunderbolt and click the search result.
3. In the system tray, right-click the Thunderbolt icon.
4. Click Settings.
5. Clear the Only allow Thunderbolt Devices that have been certified for PC check box.

To use a Thunderbolt 3 adapter to output to a display at 60Hz, your monitor must support the refresh rate and you need to set the monitor to work at 60Hz. By default, most monitors are set to DP1.1, which will not work with this Thunderbolt 3 device when you use a display at 60Hz. In most cases, you need to set your monitor's DisplayPort settings to DP1.2.

To resolve this issue, use the buttons on your monitor to change the DisplayPort settings to DP1.2. For more information about changing your monitor settings, refer to the website of the manufacturer of your monitor.

To output 4K to a DisplayPort display at 30Hz, your monitor must support the resolution and refresh rate. If your monitor also supports 4K at 60Hz (DP 1.2 or higher), you may also need to set the monitor to work at 30Hz. 

To resolve this issue, use the buttons on your monitor to change the DisplayPort settings to DP1.1. For more information about how to change your monitor settings, refer to the website of the manufacturer of your monitor.

To confirm that Windows detects your USB device, complete the following:

1. Press the Windows key+R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
2. In Device Manager, under the appropriate heading, confirm that your expansion card is listed and that there isn't an exclamation mark next to it.  For example, a USB controller card would be under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Your USB device is listed according to the name of the chipset. To determine the name of the chipset of your USB device, navigate to www.StarTech.com and look on the Technical Specifications tab for your product.

To check which version of the Thunderbolt™ software, NVM firmware, and drivers you are running, do the following:

1. Click Start.
2. Type Thunderbolt and click on the search result.
3. In the system tray, right-click the Thunderbolt icon.
4. Click Settings > Details.

Review the versions of the software package, NVM firmware, PD firmware, and drivers.  If you are not running the latest versions, navigate to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest versions. 

When you connect a Thunderbolt™ device to any Windows operating system that can support Thunderbolt 3, a pop-up message appears. To use your device, complete the following:

1. In the New Thunderbolt devices have been attached pop-up message, click OK.
2. In the User Account Control pop-up message, click Yes.
3. In the Approve Thunderbolt Devices pop-up message, do one of the following:
   • If you want to authorize your Thunderbolt devices every time that you connect them, select Connect Only Once in the drop-down list.
   • If you want to authorize your Thunderbolt devices only once, select Always Connect in the drop-down list.
4. Click OK.

If you accidentally set your Thunderbolt device to Do Not Connect in step three above, refer to the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-denied-authentication.

If you accidentally set a Thunderbolt™3 device to not connect to your computer when prompted by the system, you can force the software to prompt you again for authentication. To do so, complete the following:

1. Right-click the Thunderbolt icon.
2. Click Approve Attached Devices.
3. Select the Thunderbolt 3 port that you want to authenticate.

You can use the Thunderbolt™ software to manage your Thunderbolt 3 devices on a computer running a version of Windows. To manage your Thunderbolt 3 devices, complete the following:

1. Click Start.
2. Type Thunderbolt and click on the search result.
3. Right-click the Thunderbolt icon.
4. Click Manage Approved Devices.

Components

Thunderbolt™ 3 is the latest version of the Thunderbolt standard for connecting computers and electronic devices. It is capable of the following:

• Total bandwidth up to 40Gbps. Data transfer speeds are dependent on the other features that you are using in your setup.
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 support.
• 4K 60Hz video on one or two separate displays.
• 5K 60Hz video on a single display.
• A 10 GbE network connection between two Thunderbolt 3 compatible computers.
• Up to six devices daisy-chained from a single Thunderbolt 3 port.
• Alternate modes, such as DisplayPort Alternate Mode (DP Alt Mode).
• Bi-directional power delivery up to 100W (not all Thunderbolt 3 devices support power delivery).

USB-C and Thunderbolt 3

Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C connector, but not all host connections, cables, and devices with a USB-C connector support Thunderbolt 3. This means that a USB-C device is compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 host connection, but a Thunderbolt 3 device is not compatible with a USB-C host connection. Therefore, it is important to know whether you have a USB-C or a Thunderbolt 3 host, cable, or device.

To determine if your component is a Thunderbolt 3 device, look for the Thunderbolt 3 symbol (shown below). USB-C devices do not include this symbol.  For more information about USB-C, see the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/usb-c-port-capabilites.

Thunderbolt symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT3MMXM.B.jpg.

Backwards compatibility

If you use an adapter, Thunderbolt 3 host connections are compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 devices. You can use the StarTech.com TBT3TBTADAP to make a Thunderbolt 3 host connections backwards compatible.

Thunderbolt 3 devices are not backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 host connections.

Although the Thunderbolt™ 3 standard is capable of data transfer speeds up to 40Gbps, not every cable can support this bandwidth. For example, cables over a certain length or made with certain materials are only capable of data transfer speeds up to 20Gbps. 

To confirm the capability of your Thunderbolt 3 cable, refer to the information provided by the manufacturer. StarTech.com lists the capabilities of the Thunderbolt 3 cables on the individual product pages.

There are two different Thunderbolt 3 cable symbols: the 20Gbps symbol and the 40Gbps symbol. The 20Gbps symbol is composed of the Thunderbolt 3 symbol, and the 40Gbps symbol is composed of the Thunderbolt 3 symbol and the number three. These images are shown below.

• The 20Gbps symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT3MMXM.B.jpg.
• The 40Gbps symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT34MMXM.C.jpg.

Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C connector, but not all host connections, cables, and devices with a USB-C connector support Thunderbolt 3. This means that a USB-C device is compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 host connection, but a Thunderbolt 3 device is not compatible with a USB-C host connection. Therefore, it is important to know whether you have a USB-C or a Thunderbolt 3 host, cable, or device.

To determine if your component is a Thunderbolt 3 device, look for the Thunderbolt 3 symbol (shown below). USB-C devices do not include this symbol.  For more information about USB-C, see the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/usb-c-port-capabilites.

Thunderbolt symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT3MMXM.B.jpg.

No, you cannot use this device to increase the maximum number of displays that a video card supports. For example, if your video card only supports up to three displays and you add this device to your setup, your display limit is still three displays.

If you have connected more than one of this device to the same computer and are experiencing display issues, you should make sure that your video card can support the number of displays that you are using in your setup.