It will be depending on what is (are) the monitor(s) you want to share? (brand and model of each monitor)
D6000 dock having two video outputs. However, for connecting to KVM switches, may can only share one video for DisplayPort video out over the docking station.
@Pete1231242314234 You can definitely use a KVM in conjunction with a dock. I helped a friend of mine do that because he had a desktop and two laptops. He wanted to use the laptops with the docking station (one at a time) but wanted to be able to switch his displays, keyboard, and mouse between either his desktop or whichever laptop was connected to the docking station. I suggested the IOGear GCS1942 for his purposes. It supports dual DisplayPort outputs for up to dual 4K 60 Hz displays, and correspondingly it has dual DisplayPort inputs for each of its two "banks" for source systems. If you connect the DisplayPort outputs on the D6000 to the DisplayPort inputs on one "bank" of that KVM, and then run a USB 3.0 cable between the dock and KVM as well in order to have keyboard and mouse connectivity, you'll be all set.
@Pete1231242314234 On a second read, I think I might have misunderstood your question. It sounds like you have two laptops you want to use with a single docking station, but you want to have the docking station physically connected to both systems simultaneously and then toggle which system the dock actually operates with? That isn't possible. The scenario I described in my first reply involved placing the KVM between the dock and the peripherals (displays, keyboard, mouse). It sounds like you want some sort of device between the two laptops and the dock. You can't do that. But can you maybe explain a bit more of what problem you're trying to solve? The dock connection to the system is just a single cable that carries power, USB data, and video, so what's the problem with having to move that one cable back and forth as needed? If the issue is that you want to keep the "undocked" system charging, then it would probably be easiest to simply get a USB-C power source to keep your undocked system powered when needed.
@Pete1231242314234 Sorry for the triple post here, but one side issue I forgot to call out. The D6000 might not be the best dock choice for your combination of systems. You didn't specify which specific Latitude model you have or which MacBook Pro you have, but for example the D6000 only supplies 60W of power over USB-C. Some Latitude systems are designed for 65-90W, and the MacBook Pros are designed for power over USB-C, whereas the MacBook Pro is designed for 61-96W, depending on display size. When a system is connected to an undersized power source, it attempts to adapt by reducing its battery charging speed and/or throttling performance.
In addition, whereas most docks tap into native GPU outputs wired to the system's USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, the D6000 uses "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink (not to be confused with DisplayPort). That can be useful when working with systems that don't support any better options, but DisplayLink comes with some drawbacks that can be significant in certain use cases, which I wrote about in the post marked as the answer in this thread. If any of those issues do or might affect you, then you might want to consider a dock that taps into actual GPU outputs. If you specify the exact system models you have and the display setup you need to run, I might be able to suggest better alternatives if you'd like.
This is a valid point. How to share the same Dell docking station with two laptops without having to unplug one and plug the other one every single time you need to switch between them, a usb-c switch maybe? Is there such a thing?
KVM PRO
5 Posts
0
June 5th, 2020 16:00
It will be depending on what is (are) the monitor(s) you want to share? (brand and model of each monitor)
D6000 dock having two video outputs. However, for connecting to KVM switches, may can only share one video for DisplayPort video out over the docking station.
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
June 5th, 2020 17:00
@Pete1231242314234 You can definitely use a KVM in conjunction with a dock. I helped a friend of mine do that because he had a desktop and two laptops. He wanted to use the laptops with the docking station (one at a time) but wanted to be able to switch his displays, keyboard, and mouse between either his desktop or whichever laptop was connected to the docking station. I suggested the IOGear GCS1942 for his purposes. It supports dual DisplayPort outputs for up to dual 4K 60 Hz displays, and correspondingly it has dual DisplayPort inputs for each of its two "banks" for source systems. If you connect the DisplayPort outputs on the D6000 to the DisplayPort inputs on one "bank" of that KVM, and then run a USB 3.0 cable between the dock and KVM as well in order to have keyboard and mouse connectivity, you'll be all set.
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
June 5th, 2020 18:00
@Pete1231242314234 On a second read, I think I might have misunderstood your question. It sounds like you have two laptops you want to use with a single docking station, but you want to have the docking station physically connected to both systems simultaneously and then toggle which system the dock actually operates with? That isn't possible. The scenario I described in my first reply involved placing the KVM between the dock and the peripherals (displays, keyboard, mouse). It sounds like you want some sort of device between the two laptops and the dock. You can't do that. But can you maybe explain a bit more of what problem you're trying to solve? The dock connection to the system is just a single cable that carries power, USB data, and video, so what's the problem with having to move that one cable back and forth as needed? If the issue is that you want to keep the "undocked" system charging, then it would probably be easiest to simply get a USB-C power source to keep your undocked system powered when needed.
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
June 5th, 2020 18:00
@Pete1231242314234 Sorry for the triple post here, but one side issue I forgot to call out. The D6000 might not be the best dock choice for your combination of systems. You didn't specify which specific Latitude model you have or which MacBook Pro you have, but for example the D6000 only supplies 60W of power over USB-C. Some Latitude systems are designed for 65-90W, and the MacBook Pros are designed for power over USB-C, whereas the MacBook Pro is designed for 61-96W, depending on display size. When a system is connected to an undersized power source, it attempts to adapt by reducing its battery charging speed and/or throttling performance.
In addition, whereas most docks tap into native GPU outputs wired to the system's USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, the D6000 uses "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink (not to be confused with DisplayPort). That can be useful when working with systems that don't support any better options, but DisplayLink comes with some drawbacks that can be significant in certain use cases, which I wrote about in the post marked as the answer in this thread. If any of those issues do or might affect you, then you might want to consider a dock that taps into actual GPU outputs. If you specify the exact system models you have and the display setup you need to run, I might be able to suggest better alternatives if you'd like.
WildWiseOwl
2 Posts
0
June 22nd, 2023 09:00
jphughan - Are you still active? I need help with a similar issue. I hit Private Message and nothing happened. Thanks in advance.
avaia_dev
1 Message
0
December 9th, 2023 20:53
This is a valid point. How to share the same Dell docking station with two laptops without having to unplug one and plug the other one every single time you need to switch between them, a usb-c switch maybe? Is there such a thing?
Timothy-99
1 Rookie
•
1 Message
0
April 22nd, 2024 18:51
@avaia_dev Very good question. I want to know the same.
Do you have any advice?