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DELL-Terry B

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April 20th, 2016 14:00

Documentation for the Dell Dock (WD15) and the Dell Thunderbolt Dock (TB15)

To back up Dell-Brian B's threads you can find all the available Dell documents for the Dell Dock and Dell Thunderbolt Dock here. 

How to Use and Troubleshoot the Dell Dock (WD15) and the Dell Thunderbolt Dock (TB15)




This article provides the information on "The Dell Dock (WD15) and the Dell Thunderbolt Dock (TB15)".

Before you Begin:

A common issue with any USB device is to have the most current drivers and updates installed. If you are installing these products, you might want to start with the Driver Troubleshooting section of this document.

  1. Dell Dock USB Type-C
  2. Dell Thunderbolt Dock
  3. USB Type-C Cables
  4. Additional information
  5. Troubleshooting Common Issues
  6. Driver Troubleshooting
  7. Documentation

Dell Dock (USB Type-C, WD15).

Overview

This dock uses DisplayPort over USB Type-C cable technology to transmit audio, video, data and power up to 130 watts to and from your system over a single cable connection.

DisplayPort over USB Type-C Icon:

Monitor support for dual Full High Definition (FHD/1920 x 1080 resolution) displays or a single Ultra High Definition (UHD/3840 x 2160 resolution) 4k x 2k display @ 30 Hz refresh rate.

Port information

  1. High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) out port
  2. Mini-DisplayPort (mDP) out port
  3. Video Graphics Array (VGA) out port
  4. RJ-45 Gigabit Network in port (W/LEDS)
  5. USB 2.0 (2-Connectors) ports
  6. USB 3.0 port
  7. 3.5 mm Speaker out jack
  8. DC In power connector (Power to the Dock)
  9. Dell Docking station connector (Dell Proprietary connection to USB Type 3 port on system)
  10. 3.5 mm Headset Jack
  11. USB 3.0 port (with Powersave Technology)
  12. USB 3.0 port
  13. Power LED
  14. Dock Button (Power on system, wake from sleep)
  15. Kensington lock slot

Dell Dock WD15 User Guide

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Dell Thunderbolt Dock (TB15).

Overview

Based on Thunderbolt 3 technology.

Thunderbolt icon:

This dock uses Thunderbolt 3 cable technology to transmit audio, video, data and power up to 130 watts to and from your system over a single cable connection.

NOTE: These steps are recommended before using the Dell Thunderbolt Dock. Drivers are available at the Dell Support Website.
  • Ensure your system has the latest BIOS update installed.
  • Make sure that all dock drivers (3-4) depending on your system are installed.
  • Intel(R) Thunderbolt(TM) 3 Firmware Update.

Display support for a single 5k x 3k (5120×2880) or dual - 4k x 2k (3840 × 2160) Ultra High Definition (UHD) display capability (Multi-Stream Transport (MST) not supported)

Port information

  1. High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) out port
  2. Video Graphics Array (VGA) out port
  3. Mini-DisplayPort (mDP) out port
  4. DisplayPort (DP) out port
  5. RJ-45 Gigabit Network in port (W/LEDS)
  6. USB 2.0 (2-Connectors) ports
  7. USB 3.0 port
  8. Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) port
  9. 3.5 mm Speaker out jack
  10. DC In power connector (Power to the Dock)
  11. Dell Docking station connector (Dell Proprietary connection to USB Type 3 port on system)
  12. 3.5 mm Headset Jack
  13. USB 3.0 port (with Powersave Technology)
  14. USB 3.0 port
  15. Power LED
  16. Dock Button (Power on system, wake from sleep)
  17. Kensington lock slot
NOTE: The Dell Thunderbolt dock will not function on a device with Display Port over USB Type-C with the current Thunderbolt only cable. Future Dell Docking Station Connector cables for the Dell Thunderbolt Dock will be a universal USB Type-C /Thunderbolt 3 compliant, allowing the dock to connect to either Display Port over USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Dell Thunderbolt Dock TB15 Users Guide

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USB Type-C Cables.

These USB Type-C cables are used with these docks.

NOTE: USB 3.1, DisplayPort over USB-C, and Thunderbolt all use the same USB-C connector/port type. However, these technologies are not interchangeable. Plugging a peripheral into the wrong type of port may result in limited or no functionality. The port type can be identified by the label printed next to it.

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Additional information.

When connected to a NON-Dell system the following limitations will apply:

  • Power supplied to the system will be limited to 60 watts.
  • Access to the Pre-Boot environment is not available.
  • Wake on Dock Button will not function.
  • Firmware updates will not be available.
  • Options to disable select ports is not available.
  • MAC address forwarding is not available.
  • Error messages and Docking Station alerts are not available.
NOTE: The ability for the dock to provide battery charging support for non-Dell systems varies based on the system manufacturer.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some common symptoms and solutions related to your Dell Thunderbolt Dock.

No video on the monitors attached to HDMI, miniDP (DisplayPort) port or DisplayPort port on the docking station.

  1. Ensure that the latest drivers for the docking station is installed on your notebook computer.
  2. Make sure the notebook computer is connected to the docking station securely. Try to disconnect and reconnect the docking station to the notebook computer.
  3. Make sure the video cable (HDMI, miniDP or DisplayPort) is connected properly to the monitor and the docking station. Ensure to select the correct video source on your monitor (refer to your monitors documentation for more information about changing the video source).
  4. Check the resolution settings on your notebook computer. Your monitor may support higher resolutions than what the docking station is able to support. Refer to the Display Resolution Table below for more information.
  5. If your monitor is connected to the docking station, the video output on your notebook computer may be disabled. You can enable the video output using Intel Graphics Control Panel or refer to your notebook computers User Guide.
  6. If only one monitor is shown and the other monitor is not, go to Intel Graphics Control Panel, and under Multiple Displays select the output for the second monitor.
  7. If three monitors are connected to the docking station, then the docking station will only support a maximum of two external monitors. Refer to the User Guide of the Dell Thunderbolt Dock for information on how to select and activate the desired monitors.

The video on the attached monitor is flickering or distorted.

  1. Ensure that the video cable (HDMI, miniDP or DisplayPort) is connected securely to the monitor and the docking station.
  2. Reset the monitor to Factory Defaults. Refer to the monitors User Guide for more information on how to reset the monitor to factory defaults.
  3. Disconnect the monitor/s from the docking station. Power OFF and ON the docking station in order to reset.

The video on the attached monitor is not displaying as an Extended Monitor.

  1. Ensure that the Intel HD Graphics driver is installed in the Windows Device Manager.
  2. Open Intel Graphics Control Panel and go to Multiple Displays section to set the display settings to Extended Mode.
  3. Refer to the User Guide of your Dell Thunderbolt Dock for more information on how to select and activate the desired monitor/s.

The audio connector is either not functioning or there is a lag in the audio.

  1. Ensure the correct playback device is selected on the notebook computer.
  2. Check the audio-out connector, most likely cause is a bad audio-out connector.
  3. Power OFF and ON the docking station.
  4. Try to plug the audio cable to the external speaker output on the docking station.

The USB ports are not functioning on the docking station.

  1. Ensure that the docking station is connected securely to the notebook computer using the USB Type-C cable.
  2. Try to disconnect and connect the docking station to the notebook computer.
  3. Check the USB ports on the docking station. Try plugging in the USB device into another USB port on the docking station.
  4. Verify if the device is detected in Windows Device Manager and verify that the correct device drivers are installed.

The HDCP content is not displayed on the attached monitor.

  • The docking station does not support HDCP content.

The LAN port is not functioning.

  1. Ensure that the Ethernet cable is connected securely on the docking station and the hub/router/firewall.
  2. Ensure that the Realtek Gigabit Ethernet Controller is installed in the Windows Device Manager.
  3. Reinstall the Realtek Ethernet Driver from Dell Support website.
  4. Update the BIOS of your notebook computer from Dell Support website. Refer to the knowledgebase article How to Update Your System BIOS Within Windows.

Peripherals connected to the docking station do not working outside the Operating System.

  • Docking station does not support pre-OS environment, hence the peripherals connected to the docking station do not work outside the Operating System.

Fan noise is persistent even when the docking station is in disconnected mode.

  • The XPS 9550/Precision 5510 fan may run at high speed when connected to the dock, this was addressed with BIOS update BIOS 1.2.0.
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Driver Troubleshooting

To fully support new generation Dell Dock and Dell Thunderbolt Dock. Dell highly recommend installing the following BIOS/Drivers step by step on the 64 Bit Windows Operating System.

NOTE: Dell recommends that you install the drivers in this order: BIOS, Drivers, Firmware and Application.
  1. Flash the latest Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "BIOS" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  2. Install the Intel (R) Thunderbolt 3 Controller Driver available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Chipset" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  3. Install the Firmware Update available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Docks & Stands" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  4. For the Dell Thunderbolt Dock Only, install ASMedia USB 3.0 Extended Host Controller for Dell Thunderbolt Dock available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Docks & Stands" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  5. Install the Realtek USB GBE Ethernet Controller Driver for the Dell Thunderbolt Dock and Dell Dock available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Docks & Stands" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  6. Install the Realtek USB Audio Driver for the Dell Thunderbolt Dock and Dell Dock available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Docks & Stands" section. Restart the system before the next step.
  7. For Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 OS Only, Install Patch for the USB audio/mouse issue on the Dell Thunderbolt Dock and Dell Dock available to the system. This is posted on Dell's driver and downloads support web site (Dell.com/support) under the "Docks & Stands" section. Restart the system before the next step.
NOTE: The Dock is not required to be connected to system during driver installation. Rebooting the system after connecting the dock the first time is recommended.

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Documentation

To access the User Guide or Quick Setup Guide for your Dell Dock WD15, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Browse to the Dell Product Selector page.
  2. Under Browse for a product, click View products.
  3. Click the type of device you have. (Electronics & Accessories/Docking Stations then Dell Dock WD15 or Dell Thunderbolt Dock TB15)
  4. Click Manuals.
  5. Click PDFto the left of the manual you want.
    Notes:
    • If the manual(s) are available in other languages a More Languages option will show.
    • A PDF reader (Adobe Reader) is available for free from Adobe.
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Article ID: SLN301075

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