U2419HC, dual, connection/display issues

Question

I am using two Dell UltraSharp U2419HC. These were purchased to work from home with the requirements being a monitor with both USB Type-C and HDMI inputs as there are multiple devices connected to these displays at various times and there is limited space in my home for multiple work spaces/monitors/users to have individual setups.

These work fine daisy chained with my Latitude 7490 using USB-C output. However, this is not the only laptop that is to be used with these displays. Issues arise with other devices.

XPS 13 9350 - unable to detect USB C signal so displays are useless to me at present.

I understand this an issue already addressed as per below:

A "No Video" issue may occur when you connect the older Dell XPS 13 9350 laptop to any of the new Dell USB Type-C monitors. The hardware for the XPS 13 9350 was developed well before the Dell USB Type-C monitors were introduced and there is a compatibility issue between the two devices. The XPS 13 9350 is now End-of-Life (EOL) with no plans to modify the laptop to work with the newer USB Type-C monitors. The Dell USB Type-C monitors are brand new (FY19) devices and will work with the latest series of Dell laptops with USB Type-C outputs.

However my XPS Laptop hasn't reached EOL for my purposes so I am keen to persevere with alternate solutions to make ti work with these displays.

Second non-working display issue is with an older HDMI Laptop. It can display to one but not both when monitors are daisy chained via DP. I understand this is an MST issue when using PC source HDMI out port. See this.

Is the solution to address these two issues to get a Docking Station and not daisy chain the monitors but connect each one individually to the Docking Station?

If this is the case, can you confirm which Docking Station is the going to address these above issues with the following devices XPS 13 9350/Latitude/older HDMI laptops?

Monitors were purchased with the USB Type-C HDMI inputs as the main requirements however I stupidly did not appreciate the limitations to my choice however I am keen to get this sorted so all devices can be used easily.

I appreciate it may mean more cables and devices than I previously envisaged but just want it to work on both displays for all laptops and to be able to switch between laptops easily.

Thanks for any advice/assistance with this.

jphughan · Answer

@KayGee2020

For the XPS 13, you can get your displays working, in your existing daisy chain setup, if you get a USB-C to DisplayPort cable to run from the XPS 13 to Display #1. The KB article you quoted pertains only to the specific case of using that system, with a USB-C cable, connected to the USB-C input of certain Dell USB-C displays. However, using a USB-C to DP cable means you would lose the ability to charge your system and carry USB data through the system's USB-C port, since it's now being used solely for video output.

So you have two options here:

In conjunction with the USB-C to DP cable, keep the system charger independently connected as well, and then optionally run a regular USB cable from the display to the XPS 13 if you need to be able to use devices plugged into the USB ports on the display. If you aren't using those, then you can skip the USB cable run.
Ignore the cable suggestion I just made and get a docking station instead. This will keep video, power, and USB all running through a single cable to your system, although obviously at higher cost. If you just want dual FHD displays like your U2419HCs, a regular USB-C docking station such as the Dell WD19 would be fine, but dual displays up to 1920x1200 each or a single display up to 2560x1600 is as high-end a display setup as it can handle with the systems you've got. If you want to have support for higher-end display setups, possibly for futureproofing, you'd want a Thunderbolt 3 dock like the WD19TB, which can do dual displays up to 4K 60 Hz each or triple displays up to QHD each. With either dock you'd be able to maintain the daisy chain if desired or connect each display to the dock independently. And either dock will work with both your XPS 13 and your Latitude system -- although the Latitude system would only take advantage of the WD19TB's Thunderbolt capabilities if the Latitude actually has Thunderbolt, which I believe was optional on the 7490. The WD19TB will still work with the 7490 even if it only has regular USB-C, but it will only operate a functionality level equivalent to the regular WD19. But again, with your current dual FHD setup, that won't matter.

As for the other system that uses HDMI, you're correct about it being an MST issue. DisplayPort MST requires that the entire signal chain use DisplayPort, because only DisplayPort supports running multiple independent displays from a single system output. HDMI doesn't.

jphughan · Answer

@KayGee2020  I edited my post above to clarify a few things, but I also just noticed you asked for a docking station that would work with your XPS 13 9350, Latitude 7490, and 'older HDMI laptop'.  Without knowing the model of that laptop, I can't say whether the docks I suggested would work with it.

KayGee2020 · Answer

Thanks, I'll try the USB Type-C to DP cable option first.

KayGee2020 · Answer

Sorry, I knew the older laptop bit was possibly going to sound too vague to address  but there are a few HDMI laptops that get used here so I was being general - however immediate laptop in question is an old Toshiba Satellite L640/05K Notebook

jphughan · Answer

@KayGee2020Ok, the WD19 and WD19TB both require a system with a USB-C port that supports video output, which systems that old wouldn't have.  If you need to support those types of laptops too, the only type of dock that would work would be one that used 'indirect display' technology like DisplayLink (not to be confused with DisplayPort).  The Dell D6000 is one such dock.  It can connect to a system via either USB-C or USB-A 'regular USB', and when connected via USB-C it can provide up to 60W of power to attached systems, which would cover your XPS 13 and Latitude 7490.  However, although DisplayLink offers the benefit of universality since it can transmit video even over a regular USB port that doesn't natively support video, it comes with some drawbacks.  First, you have to install the DisplayLink software from DisplayLink.com to use it, so you'll need admin access on all of these systems (or cooperation from an IT department that does).  Second, the way DisplayLink itself works introduces some drawbacks that can be significant in certain use cases.  I wrote about those in detail in the post marked as the answer in this thread.  The original question was about gaming, but the answer applied more broadly than that.  You might decide that those drawbacks won't affect your use case, or that any issues are worth having a universal dock, but just be aware.I don't know if the D6000 supports running a daisy chain from its DisplayPort outputs, but if not you can just connect each display directly to the dock.Good luck!

KayGee2020 · Answer

Thanks for the reply - I'll try with the USB-C to DP cable option for the XPS if I can source one.

For the HDMI issue, I am also wanting to see if a dock will enable me to use both displays (not Daisy Chained but both connected to the dock).

If dock is only way to get HDMI on both displays then it may end up being the best solution for both.

KayGee2020 · Answer

OK, success with the USB Type-C to DP cable.

I will work with this until I can try with a Docking Station.

Ancient Laptop may have to be given up as a lost cause or just make do working with single display for now.

Thanks

jphughan · Answer

@KayGee2020  wow, I'm surprised you were able to get one so quickly!  They're not exactly rare, but they're not THAT common.  In any case, thanks for reporting back and glad you've got a more workable solution.

KayGee2020 · Answer

Fortunately there is a good electronics supplier close to home so it was easy to collect while out exercising. The dock will take a little longer to try out as the one I can test with it is not so conveniently located and trickier to get to with lockdown. I'll keep the query as unresolved until I can try with the dock but have a workable solution for now to get by with.

Thanks for your assistance with this.

Monitors

U2419HC, dual, connection/display issues

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