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October 13th, 2021 03:00

7391 2in1 docking station

I have an ongoing challenge trying to find a docking station that works smoothly with my 7391

A couple of years ago I bought the TB16 docking station which kinda works ok but has some weird connection issues. I have to unplug the usb c connection cable and reinsert it every time I turn the computer on as for some reason it doesnt light up otherwise.

I have spoken to Dell on numerous occasions and they seem as clueless as me as to which docking station is best for this machine.

So far I have been recommended ( by dell) the D6000, the wd19tb and the wd19

I think I have established that NONE of the dell docking stations can power my laptop for some bizarre reason. That I can live with.

What I want is a docking station that doesnt have weird idiosycracys and the following features:

Can run 2 monitors (doesnt have to be 4k but would be nice for future compatibility)

Has USB C ports (my webcam is usb c)

Do any of you guys have the 7391 working successfully with a docking station with similar requirements?

 

TIA

Simon

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October 13th, 2021 07:00

@Pelv  What is leading you to conclude that none of those docks would power your system?  According to the Setup and Specifications documentation for your system, it's designed for a 65W power source, and its USB-C port supports USB PD.  I've worked with multiple Inspiron 7000 Series systems that can be powered just fine over USB-C.  And all of the docks you're looking at can supply at least that much power.  If you're concerned that your system isn't listed in the WD19 docking station compatibility guide, Dell doesn't list ANY non-business system models in there, and it's likely that functions like the dock's Power button won't work to control your system because that requires firmware-level support on the system side that Dell hasn't seemed to implement on non-business systems.  But power should be just fine.

In terms of a dock choice, the WD19TB and WD19TBS use Thunderbolt 3, which your system doesn't support, so unless you want to buy a Thunderbolt dock purely to run a potential future Thunderbolt system, I would save your money, because the WD19TB(S) when paired with a USB-C system like yours will work just like a regular WD19(S).  Note: The "S" models are newer and are identical to their non-S counterparts except that they dropped the 3.5 mm audio jack.  Something about the global semiconductor shortage prevented Dell from getting those jacks or the audio chipset that ran them, so Dell created the S model versions that didn't include them in order to be able to keep producing docks.  You might not be able to find non-S models at the moment, at least not new, but if you don't care about that jack, then it won't make a difference.

The regular WD19(S) when paired with your system can run dual displays up to 1920x1200 60 Hz or a single display up to 2560x1440 60 Hz (or 4K but only at 30 Hz).  Running 4K 60 Hz through the regular WD19 would require that your system support DisplayPort HBR3 over USB-C, but your system only supports HBR2.  The only other option would have been Thunderbolt, which would have allowed dual 4K 60 Hz, but your system doesn't support that either.

As for the D6000, that works in a completely different way.  It relies on "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink, not to be confused with DisplayPort.  It would actually be able to run dual 4K 60 Hz plus a third display up to 4K 30 Hz all simultaneously, but DisplayLink comes with some drawbacks that can be significant in some use cases.  I wrote about those in the post marked as the answer in this thread.  The WD19 dock family models do not use this technology; their video signal comes directly from the GPU.

But again, any of these docks should charge your system properly.  The WD19TB(S) can provide up to 130W.  The regular WD19(S) can provide either 130W or 90W depending on whether you get the version with a 180W or 130W power supply.  Since your system only requires 65W, I'd get the WD19S 130W w/ 90W PD.  And the D6000 can provide up to 65W.

Hopefully this helps.

5 Posts

October 18th, 2021 07:00

I am a little confused as my specs say this laptop IS thunderbolt 3 compliant. And I have been told by dell that this model doesn't allow for power via USB-c port. Hence my reticence. I'm an getting so many conflicting accounts of what will or won't work. 

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October 18th, 2021 09:00

That is really odd, different specs for different regions. But thank you again for the reply. I will have a read through your earlier reply again and see if I can figure out which one would suit be best. And thank you for being as comprehensive as you were re: the docking stations.

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October 18th, 2021 09:00

@Pelv  Where are you seeing specs saying the Inspiron 7391 2-in-1 supports Thunderbolt?  The Setup and Specifications document showing the description for ports on the left side of the system here do not mention Thunderbolt for the USB-C port, only DisplayPort and Power Delivery.  And the Port and Connectors page of that same document here doesn't mention Thunderbolt either.  As for charging, the reference to USB Power Delivery is ambiguous, since that could technically mean the port is only capable of providing USB PD to peripherals rather than using USB PD to charge itself.  But if you want to try it, connect a USB-C power source of ideally 65W or more since that's what the system is designed for.  If the system doesn't charge, then it doesn't support charging that way.  You won't damage anything by connecting a USB-C charger to port that doesn't support being used for charging, because in that case the system won't perform a USB PD negotiation with the charger and therefore the charger won't provide power.

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October 18th, 2021 09:00

@Pelv  Interesting... So my links came from the Dell US Support site, whereas I see yours came from Dell UK.  And the system color is different in the photos.  I wonder if they have a different spec on sale in different regions?  Or sometimes Dell has "special edition" builds of a system model that include higher-end specs even though they carry the same base model number.  In any case, if the TB16 works at all, then you've got Thunderbolt, because the TB16 is not backward compatible with regular USB-C devices as its successor the WD19TB(S) is.  So I'm afraid I can't offer any more information than I did in my original reply in this thread where I provided a breakdown of the docks that you mentioned.  I can't speak to why the TB16 is finicky, other than to note that it had a bit of a reputation for stability and reliability issues, and since I've never used your specific system, I can't guarantee that your experience with any of the other docks will be perfect.

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October 18th, 2021 09:00

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I found the specs here 

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October 18th, 2021 14:00

@Pelv  Happy to help, and please don't hesitate to ping me if you have any other questions.  Good luck with your decision!

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January 4th, 2024 17:13

@Pelv here I am 2+ years later reading this thread with the same inquiry. If you happen to see this, what did you land on for a dock? I have been using a Dell WD15 for the last few yrs but with my new setup, the laptop stays closed off to the side. Was hoping the power button on the WD15 would work but alas, like you, I have to remove the USB-C connector. 

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