MicrosoftUSB-C Travel Hub

An expensive but, for some, necessary expansion dock for the Surface Pro 3 and 4 but its appearance does nothing to enhance the ulta-slim Surface Pro; its blocky design could possibly benefit by being smaller and less rectangular and a change from its all black colour. It not only provides an extra 4 USB 3.0 ports but 2 HDMI ports that potentially support 4K graphics and a Gigabit Ethernet port. There is also an audio socket either for headphones or powered speakers. A USB-C port would have provided some benefit if the connector's bandwidth supports it and if included. It uses its own substantial power adapter which connects via a common form of co-axial socket and also powers the Surface Pro via the same magnetically-connected port as the standard power adapter, which it replaces. Its PSU, which is virtually identical in size to the hub, has some extra power to offer and appears not to get become quite as warm as the standard power unit when used for a few hours. It is no shrinking violet and is far heavier than it would appear.A normal 4-port USB hub has been sometimes used in the past - it was originally purchased to use with another laptop - but it obviously does not provide the same connectivity as the dock although several USB adapters could be purchased to provide the same functionality as this but they would consume most or all of the hub's ports. There is currently no single alternative to this Dock that provides similar connectivity.If you frequently use the Surface Pro and need some or most of the Dock's additional connectivity, then this is something to consider as it is so useful. It adds so much extra to the Surface's connectivity that it transforms the Surface Pro into a virtual desktop PC. There are reports that it cannot simultaneously support two 4K monitors but that is because some of the Surface models may not fully support MST (multi-screen technology); the top-of-range model may!

pondered on this purchase for a little while as its not cheap... and finally got fed up with my mess of wires and USB boxes. I also run two screen off my surface using the one video port on the Surface and a USB socket... I also have various backup drives, wireless mouse and keyboard dongle etc etc. to plug in and never mind audio speakers which tend to work better plugged in than with bluetooth. The clincher was two of my USB 3 splitters causing problems ... if you put cheaper product under load don't expect it to perform well in the long term. So I took the plunge and shelled out the cash for what I hoped would be a product of a similar quality and build as my Surface 4... anyway plugged it in and it was all just working with no hassle. I immediatly used ALL the sockets, video, audio, network and all the USB ports two of which plugged with 4 way splitters in each meaning that I have 10 USB 3 ports available to me and it has worked like a dream... I have not checked out everything yet but file transfer speeds have improved immeasurably. I am having no video problems all my screens are working well and it is so simple just plug the docking station into the power socket and it all runs from there while it also charges your Surface.... The build is good as well, it has that "it won't break if you drop it" feel... alltogether a good purchase ... I also understand that it will be forward compatible with the next generation of Surface computers so looks like I'm in clover, at least so far as this docking station is concerned.... I gotto say than none of this kit is cheap but I have been a surface user since the Pro 2 and this stuff just keeps on working unlike, two other laptops that I have bought in the last three years so as you can tell I am a happy bunny!

I purchased one of these so that I could connect two monitors and a keyboard to my Surface Pro 4. I initially plugged it in without monitors so that I could use the extra USB ports and it was fine. However as soon as I plugged in a monitor to the dock it killed all network connectivity (although plugging a monitor directly into the Surface was fine). I looked this up on various forums and it became apparent that this was a well known fault, so I requested a return and was very promptly (i.e. next day before I'd even returned the item) sent a replacement by Amazon.Happily, I can report that this new device now works perfectly with 2 monitors, a USB keyboard, an Ethernet cable, and several other USB devices. It does require that you work from a wired connection when you're docked which can be quite annoying if there's only Wi-Fi (although I haven't updated the firmware yet, so this may have been resolved).The downsides (other than the aforementioned Wi-Fi issue) are that the monitor sockets are mini-DP. Given that even the Lumia 950 dock has HDMI and that DP monitors are generally more expensive, this is a bit annoying as DP to non-DP cables can be a bit of a lottery - but it's not a showstopper. It also worth mentioning that you can continue to use the Surface as a monitor even when docked (so it's basically a 3 monitor PC).On the bright side this is a very compact device, which can be viewed as simply a heavy power supply. Connectivity is via a cable that plugs into the Surface's power socket which makes it easy to leave on your desk and dock at your leisure, but it's also light and small enough to fit in a laptop bag. It allows me to use my Surface like a desktop when I'm at my desk, then just unclip it and walk away with it like a tablet for meetings.Highly recommended and actually delivers on the promise of a high-powered premium compact desktop device.