UNSOLVED

vaespinoza

updated

1 hour ago

V

vaespinoza

1 Rookie

•

1 Message

•

4 Points

0

9

October 29th, 2026 06:49

16/18 Area-51, BIOS 2.9.0, WD22TB4 no monitors

DO NOT UPDATE YOUR BIOS IF YOU USE A DELL DOCKING STATION on Alienware 16/18 Area-51. I have used a Dell WD22TB4 from day one on this laptop approximately a year, immediately after a bios update today (10/2026) my docking station did not support monitors with my Alienware 18 Area 51 laptop, everything else worked that was connected except the monitors. I called Alienware Elite Care, and they worked on it for almost 2 hrs., couldn’t get monitors to come on, but I also had a Dell Work laptop (Dell Precision 7680) that I connected to docking station and everything worked including the monitor’s? I was told that they would do some research and get back to me in 24-48 hours, we'll see. So after disconnecting with support, I grabbed my wife docking station a Dell WD22TB4 and transferred all to it, and it worked fine for a few minutes, then the monitors stopped working. I believe that Dell has intentionally blocked their own docking stations from working with Alienware machines, and I just cannot figure out why they would do that? I asked support which docking station works with the Alienware system, he said NONE. If anyone has figured out how to bypass this issue, please let me know!

(edited)

  • anne_droid

    6 Operator

    •

    2487 Posts

    •

    9186 Points

    3

    0

    Posted October 29th, 2026 12:07

    Hi

     

    Interesting....

    So an internet search sorta clarified the Dell position....

    "I asked support which docking station works with the Alienware system, he said NONE.  "

     

    Dell does not officially validate or support docks for Alienware laptops, so treat it as “works with” rather than fully supported.

     

    For a high-end Area-51 with RTX 5070 Ti or above, get the Dell WD25TB5 Thunderbolt 5 dock, connect it to one of the rear Thunderbolt 5 ports, and keep the original 360 W charger attached. It is the closest Dell dock match, though not an officially Alienware-certified accessory.

     

    That to me is strange, but Dell know their own business best.

     
     
     
     

      Kind Regards  

                                         

      anne_droid

     

    User uploaded image

     

  • DELL-ChrisM2

    Community Manager

    •

    1942 Posts

    •

    9646 Points

    1

    0

    Posted October 29th, 2026 13:27

    Alienware has never supported dock usage. The online Dell Pro Docks Compatibility Guide PDF dooes not list any Alienware Laptops.

     

    * Open the Pinned Posts = FAQ Alienware Laptops

    * Open the 2023 posted = Alienware Laptops, no dock support

     

    #IWork4Dell