HP Announces 2nd Generation Thunderbolt Dock
by Joe Shields on February 7, 2018 3:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Accessories
- HP
- Audio
- Thunderbolt 3
- Ethernet
- Dock
Along with the other announcements today, HP is also bringing forth a compact the new Thunderbolt Dock G2 with an (optional) audio conferencing module - a first of its kind according to HP. The unique cube-shaped design and optional audio will save desk space and allow for great flexibility especially in collaborative instances.
HP Elite Thunderbolt Dock G2
HP's new Thunderbolt-based dock designed to 'power the modern workspace'. The design is said to allow users to have a clean and functional workspace due to its small cube shape and ability to connect to devices with one cable. The small dock will provide power (up to 100W), support for up to two 4K displays (4 max at lower resolution), offer wired network access, and HP states it is the world’s first TB dock with an (optional) audio conferencing module.
The optional audio conferencing module is a unique feature which can be used in a closed office, small huddle rooms, or focus rooms through that single cord. The TB dock is said to work in shared environments, or hot desk environments saving desk space and giving the work area more room and added flexibility. It also is able to control Skype conference calls with one-touch keys.
The small black dock (about the size of a 4" cube), has connectors on both the sides and back. The side has one powered USB3.0 port, the combo audio jack, and a Kensington lock slot. The back hosts the lions share of ports and has dual USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, VGA, 2 x DisplayPort, USB-C DisplayPort, data and power out port (15W), and Thunderbolt ports. The network does have the ability to PXE Boot, Wake on LAN, MAC address pass through, and WLAN-LAN switching capabilities. The HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 will connect to HP ProBooks, EliteBooks, Elite x2, up to HP ZBooks and ZBook x2 devices.
| HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 | |||||
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 3.9" x 3.9" x 2.7" | ||||
| Weight | 1.76 lbs | ||||
| Top Components | LED and Power button to power/wake host system |
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| Side Components | 1 x powered USB 3.0 port 1 x combo Audio jack 1 x Kensington lock slot |
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| Back Components | 1 x Thunderbolt port 1 x USB-C DisplayPort (15W power) 2 x DisplayPort ports 1 x VGA port 2 x USB 3.0 ports 1 x RJ-45 port AC Adapter connector |
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| Network Manageability Features | PXE Boot Wake on LAN |
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| External Monitor Support | Up to 4 | ||||
| Power to System | Up to 100W | ||||
The HP Elite Thunderbolt Dock G2 is expected to be available in May sometime with pricing TBD closer to availability.
Related Reading:
- Kingston at CES 2018: Necleum, a Portable 7-in-1 USB-C Dock for Notebooks
- Lenovo Reveals New TB3 Powered Graphics Dock at CES 2018: GTX 1050, 90 Hz WMR
- Promise Launches TD-300 9-in-1 TB3 Dock: GbE, HDMI, USB 3.0, TB3 Charging & More
- MSI at CES 2018: New Optiz MPG Series Monitors - 27" Curved VA Panels Up to 144 Hz Refresh and RGB LED
- ASUS Unveils ProArt PQ22UC OLED Monitor: 4K, 99% DCI-P3, 0.1 ms Response Time
- Dell at CES 2018: Ultrathin Monitors - InfinityEdge, IPS, Display HDR400 Certified
Source: HP
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zogus - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
I have to say, this is a weird choice of ports. VGA and USB-C DisplayPort, but no HDMI? Only three USB 3.0? No TB chaining?Ian Cutress - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
VGA is still a major requirement in business meeting rooms, where projectors only have VGA connections. Sounds dumb I know, but it's easier to replace everyone's notebooks than to invest $200 in an office projector and get it set up. The 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' policy.zogus - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
Never mind, I get it now. It's meant to provide ports that are not available on the corporate laptops HP also announced. You want HDMI, you use the one on the laptop. You want more than three USB, you plug them into the laptop. I'm not sure if that's the most user-friendly approach, but at least it isn't as arbitrary as I initially thought.drothgery - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
Also, DisplayPort to HDMI cables are not difficult to find or expensive.DanNeely - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
I can see where they were going; but generally the point of a dock is so you only need to connect 1 cable not several. In that regard, not including an HDMI is a bit odd. More USB can always just be chained via a hub.Kornfeld - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
Enterprise monitors have only recently started being offered with HDMI. Also with enterprise devices, you're largely talking about using integrated graphics and Intel is still largely only supporting HDMI 1.4. So, replacing one of the DisplayPort ports would be more limiting, especially if you wanted to drive two 4K displays.Kornfeld - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
I'm curious if anyone has any info on these and whether or not they are designed to be "open" products. By open, I mean they are locking down the functionality so that these devices can only be used with HP products. I didn't have a chance to try the previous HP ThunderBolt dock, but I was told by several sources that they were locked down. I known the current Lenovo and Dell ThunderBolt docks are not locked down in this manner. Additional drivers might need to be installed to support the USB Ethernet devices and the USB audio devices, but that is easy enough. The Dell ThunderBolt dock does something proprietary to be able to deliver 130W over USB C to Dell models, but just 100W on other devices. So, while somewhat proprietary, it really isn't a issue when using it with other devices. The only feature I've found that won't work across devices is the ability to power on systems from the dock.