The Kensington sd100 Notebook Docking Station should probably be called the "Notebook usb Port Replicator" because it is not a true docking station. That being said, this is a fine product what will fulfill the needs of most laptop users.
The device plugs into your laptop with one usb cable and offers sound, network, and five usb ports. It does not power your laptop (because it is a port replicator, not a docking station). It also does not offer ps/2 keyboard/mouse ports, so you will need to use a usb mouse and keyboard. It does prop your laptop up to a very nice angle to type on, so an external keyboard is less of a concern.
Overall, this is a very nice product for most people. (Just read the instructions.) Kensington sd100 Notebook Docking Station K33419US
- No video connector
- Just a glorified USB hub
- And to add insult to injury, it stopped working after 6 months...
- And don't try looking for help on the Kensington website, nothing there except the driver which is very confusing to download. I'll just shrug my shoulders and buy something else.
Shame on Kensington for advertising this as a docking station. It is a USB port replicator with wired networking and sound. As such it would be useful if it worked. The sound and network interfaces fail regularly requiring you to uninstall and reinstall the drivers (Dell Studio Laptop, Windows Vista).
Don't waste your money on this product. You're better off getting a handful of zip ties to bundle up your cables and plug/unplug at will.
I've been using this 'dock' for some time, and it is very disappointing. The sound and ethernet connections do not work reliably with my Vista system. Reinstalling drivers doesn't help much - it turns out it doesn't really have good support for Vista users. The Kensington website does have the Windows XP logo with the description of the SD100, but avoids spelling it out in the description anywhere, and most retailers, including Amazon do not spell out that it is really designed for XP. The support for this product from Kensington is almost non-existant on the website. I would save your money and get a port replicator to handle most of your peripherals.
Kensington should be sued for advertising this as a Docking Station. As other users have said, it's NOT! My primary reason for buying this piece of $h1T was for POWER. It does not give you power at all. Now I have to lug my power adapter in and out of my laptop bag (or buy a new one). This product is literally disgusting.
As other reviews have stated, this isn't a true docking station, and I couldn't be happier by that fact. True docking stations are made for specific laptops, usually corporate styles and cost well over $100, I work in IT and I see them often. They charge the laptop, give it Ethernet, and also provide video out. I have yet to find any decent USB docking stations that can support high resolution video out, as the USB 2.0 spec can't handle that kind of bandwidth, maybe when USB 3.0 becomes more mainstream will it become a reality.
Pros: Worked out of the box, hooked it up to my Acer Netbook and Windows 7 Pro found all the drivers except the Ethernet driver, I changed my settings for Windows Update to search online and it found the Ethernet driver and installed it automatically. All USB ports work and the audio port works. I have not had a chance to test the Microphone port.
Cons: None really, my only wish is that they were to provide a higher quality USB A to B cable for the connection from the Dock to the computer, as with too much movement (although I don't plan on moving it at all), the USB A side of the cable will fall out, something I've experienced with many USB A to B cables.
Great "Dock", not an actual dock, read the specs and know what you're buying and it's a great deal compared to other options out there. I purchased this item at $[...], when Newegg was selling it for $[...], free shipping on both. Great quality in the actual dock piece, doesn't feel flimsy of fragile.
Since this USB hub has no Power or Video or HDMI or Audio connection, and it doesn't actually "click" or "lock" into your laptop, I have trouble calling this a docking station. It does, however, consolidate all your peripheral devices (mouse/keyboard/harddrive/internet), into one USB connection into your laptop. You'll still need to manually connect this one USB connection, plus your video, power, and audio connections. 4 connections is still better than 8 or 10.
the software seems to have compatibility issues with what is on my computer. It often malfunctions, causing me to have to reboot. The internet will cut out for no reason, and there is no guaranty that rebooting will restore it. Sometimes I can get it to work again by disabling it and re-enabling it, but that too is sporadic. Can't something just "work"? I've had it unplugged for the last couple weeks, unsure that it will even work as an unpowered usb hub (because the software won't let it). No instructions on how to uninstall the driver and I can't seem to find it with Window's add/remove program utility. - Notebook Dock - Docking Station - Laptop - Notebook'
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