A. Antonio
Meets My Needs
I want to be upfront with this review. I do not own a 4K monitor. I cannot comment on how this unit performs with one, never mind two, but I did notice something that might impact that.
I ordered this unit to serve as hub for my laptop. I wanted to be able to easily and quickly transition it to a full work station. This unit works very well in that regard.
Here is what I was look for:
Q - Will it switch you from wifi to hardwired?
A - Yes.
Q - Will it allow you to shut your laptop and use it like a desktop?
A - Yes, you have to play with your display settings, but it can do this.
Q - Can I run dual monitors?
A - No problem at all. You get two HDMI and two Display Ports.
Q - Will this charge my phone?
A - Yes. Most of the plugs will work for that.
Q - Can I hook up a keyboard and mouse?
A - Very easily. Just use any of the USB ports.
Q - Can you secure this unit?
A - Yes. There are multiple security options to lock this down if you are in a non-private work area.
Other things to point out:
1 - you get two plugs. One regular and one that looks like it's designed for a high draw outlet, like an oven. Could be an OS format.
2 - This thing is solid with a bottom that girps.
3 - Before using this unit, I would strongly recommend you go to the StarTechs website and download the driver. It tells you right in the instructions to do that. I did it upfront since hardware like this can drive you insane if you are not running it with a good driver.
4 - For the people running this for two 4K or a single 5K monitor - I noticed that windows could not detect the resolution when using an HDMI. I don't have a display port, so that might be the problem right there. I just wanted to mention that in case it is an issue.
Is this worth it?
Maybe. At this price point it's really hard to recommend for anyone not using 4K monitors. I gave it four stars because it's well built and does what I want it too, but I bet I could get the same results with a much cheaper unit. At least this is future proof for me. I do hope to get a good 4K or 5K cinema display for my office. When I do, I'll make sure to update this review with my experience with that.
