I have a Kensington SD4750P docking station and according to their website it works with a MacBook (I have a MacBook Pro M3) but when I connect the docking station every thing except the monitors work. Is there some type of software required for this to work?
MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.1
That dock is a DisplayLink-capable dock. The software you re-added to get it working for the second display is a variant of DisplayLink software.
DisplayLink technology creates a "fake" display buffer in RAM, sends the data out over a slower interface to a stunt box with DisplayLink custom chips that put that data back onto a "legacy" interface. It is not a true "accelerated" display, and it can suffer from lagging. Just adding the DisplayLink Driver is not adequate to get a picture -- you need a DisplayLink "stunt-box" or a Dock that includes DisplayLink chips.
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It may be acceptable for a second display showing slow-to-change data such as computer program listings, stock quotes, or spreadsheets, but NOT for full motion Video, not for Video editing, and absolutely not for gaming. Mouse-tracking on that display can lag, and can make you feel queasy.
In a pinch, it may even play Internet videos (as one user put it) “without too many dropped frames".
If you are only doing program listings spreadsheets, stock quotes, and other slow to change data, DisplayLink can work for you, but requires you to make some strong compromises.
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It is really nice to know that you can use a DisplayLink display if you MUST have an additional display for some of the types of data I mentioned. But that is NOT the same as the computer supporting a second, built-in, Hardware-accelerated display.
These displays depend on DisplayLink software, and are at the whim of Apple when they make MacOS changes. There have been cases where MacOS changes completely disabled DisplayLink software, and it took some time for them to recover.
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I think the Big Surprise for a lot of Hub/Dock buyers is that they thought they were getting a "real" display, but actually got a DisplayLink "fake" Display. If you got what you expected in every case, I would not use such pejorative terms to describe DisplayLink.
That dock is a DisplayLink-capable dock. The software you re-added to get it working for the second display is a variant of DisplayLink software.
DisplayLink technology creates a "fake" display buffer in RAM, sends the data out over a slower interface to a stunt box with DisplayLink custom chips that put that data back onto a "legacy" interface. It is not a true "accelerated" display, and it can suffer from lagging. Just adding the DisplayLink Driver is not adequate to get a picture -- you need a DisplayLink "stunt-box" or a Dock that includes DisplayLink chips.
————
It may be acceptable for a second display showing slow-to-change data such as computer program listings, stock quotes, or spreadsheets, but NOT for full motion Video, not for Video editing, and absolutely not for gaming. Mouse-tracking on that display can lag, and can make you feel queasy.
In a pinch, it may even play Internet videos (as one user put it) “without too many dropped frames".
If you are only doing program listings spreadsheets, stock quotes, and other slow to change data, DisplayLink can work for you, but requires you to make some strong compromises.
--------
It is really nice to know that you can use a DisplayLink display if you MUST have an additional display for some of the types of data I mentioned. But that is NOT the same as the computer supporting a second, built-in, Hardware-accelerated display.
These displays depend on DisplayLink software, and are at the whim of Apple when they make MacOS changes. There have been cases where MacOS changes completely disabled DisplayLink software, and it took some time for them to recover.
--------
I think the Big Surprise for a lot of Hub/Dock buyers is that they thought they were getting a "real" display, but actually got a DisplayLink "fake" Display. If you got what you expected in every case, I would not use such pejorative terms to describe DisplayLink.
arthurfrombossier city wrote:
I have a Kensington SD4750P docking station and according to their website it works with a MacBook (I have a MacBook Pro M3) but when I connect the docking station every thing except the monitors work. Is there some type of software required for this to work?
MacBook Pro - Tech Specs - Apple
From the specifications:
"M3
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz"
Go to the Kensington site and download the driver. I had an issue when my mac book upgraded recently and the Kensington no longer worked. Took 2 minutes to download the "new" driver from Kensington. I spend hours troubleshooting before I thought about the recent mac updates to the OS.
To use up to TWO displays on one port out of your MacBook Pro 14-in with Pro processor, the PORT, the Cable, and the first device (dock or display) must be genuine ThunderBolt.
That USB-C Dock does not qualify for two displays on one cable on a Mac
the second display in that setup must be plugged into its own port.
Dual Monitors not working with Kensington SD4750P docking station
