The device is simple enough and works as advertised. The design of the plug in the side of the laptop makes the whole unit take up more desk space that just a few cables. It would be better if the unit installed under the laptop, much like Gateway uses. That way you would have cables out of the way and to the rear of the unit. That is an HP/Compaq design problem. There is also a slight hum generated in the audio plug. That is probably because of the lack of shielding inside the unit. HP QuickDock 2.0 Docking Station (KN744AA)
I bought this docking station to go along with an HP Pavillion DV6 that my daughter is using at college. She didn't want to deal with disconnecting and reconnecting multiple USB cables, an Ethernet cable and the power adapter cable. The QuickDock is fairly small and light which is a good thing, and it makes disconnecting and reconnecting a single step.
However, the ergonomics are not well thought out. The HP DV6 laptop has the dock connector on the left side near the back of the laptop. The QuickDock cable is very stiff, so you must place the QuickDock behind the laptop. This make access to the power switch and ports very difficult. HP choose to include an infrared remote control port on the front of the QuickDock where it is totally useless.
The QuickDock should include a DVI and / or HDMI connector instead of the VGA connector. An eSata port would also be nice, since the DV6 laptop has an eSata port.
As others have mentioned, the QuickDock does not come with an AC adapter. Be careful if you order a spare, since Amazon's "Frequently Bought Together" only shows a 90W adapter. The DV6 came with a 65W adapter, which works fine with the QuickDock.
The QuickDock is fairly intuitive to set up, which is good since there is really no documentation. It included a quick start sheet, and a small manual with an English cover but Kanji contents. There is a CD with help files. The help file tells you to disable the feature where closing the laptop cover causes the laptop to sleep. This is only necessary if you are using an external monitor.
If you are using a wireless LAN connection, you can save a lot of money and buy powered USB hub instead.
The docking station for the most part works okay, but on occasion it fails to boot the PC and seems to hang in a limbo state. I then have to disconnect the docking station from the Laptop, physically boot the Laptop, and then reconnect the docking station. Now the strange thing is that it doesn't happen all the time. I had contacted HP support they provided a Bios update and that corrected the issue for awhile, however it soon returned back to its haphazard mode of operation. Doing a Google for the docking station I found others are having the same issue....it's an inconvenience, but I can live with it, just another example of a product no longer made in the USA, that is inferior.
The compatibilty chart very specifically lists the Pavillion dv7 as compatible as does the features list. This is only true of old and no longer available dv7 models apparently. I just bought a dv7 because I did not want anything that was not dockable with a real dock (USB doesn't count) and I bought this dock. When I got it and found that it wasn't compatible, several calls to HP finally unearthed that fact that ALL HP Home Office models have discontinued the docking port but that the customer identifiable model (ie. dv7) has not changed.
BOTTOM LINE: If you have a brand new laptop, simply do not buy this device.
The web site from In and Out Computers advertised that this item would work with the HP Pavilion dv7 (so stated in two different areas) and it does not. It will not connect to it as there is no matching port on the laptop. Make doubly sure, before ordering this product that it will, in fact, connect to your particular model. HP offered no solution except to say that they don't make this model any more and no, it will not connect to my HP dv7. In and Out said that somewhere in their seller's comments (I couldn't find it) that you would need a certain type of connection for it to work. Either way, I could not get my wife's computer hooked up the way I wanted for her and I'm stuck with a restocking fee of 15%. And still need to buy a docking station. caveat emptor.
We purchased this unit for my wife's new HP notebook. It works great, and provides all the ports and connections she needs, with the convenience of a single connector to the notebook.
Only one problem; the audio connection is constantly "whining," with static and noise to the external monitor's speakers, and what appears to be matching "noise" on the external display. If I disconnect the external monitor from the dock, and connect it directly to external monitor on the notebook, the problem disappears. Even leaving the external monitor's speakers connected to the external audio port on the dock, the sound clears up as soon as I disconnect the video from the dock.
I contacted HP about the problem, and they said they had not heard this complaint from anyone else. They sent out a replacement unit, but it has exactly the same problem. - Port Replicator - Laptop Docking Stations - Hp - Laptop'
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