MobileTechReview.com Phone, Smartphone, Notebook and Gadget Reviews and buyers guide
Phone Notebooks & Tablets Gaming Gadgets iPhone & iPad Shop Forum

Advertisement

Home > Tablet Accessory Reviews > Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets (B2B042-C00)

line

Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand

Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating starrating starrating star
Discuss this product

What's Hot: A good number of ports that should cover all your connectivity need for Windows 8 tablets, clean design, weighed to keep tablet steady in the dock.

What's Not: No easy access to the Windows button on most tablets.

line

Reviewed July 22, 2013 by Tong Zhang, Senior Editor

Windows 8 tablets offer full powered Windows capability in small and slim forms. But these slim tablets often lack enough ports that you’re accustomed to on full sized laptops or desktop machines. Belkin now offers a docking stand that can hold your tablet at a comfortable viewing angle while providing ample ports that can turn your tablet into a more powerful tool for productivity and multimedia consumption. The Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets measures 9” long and weighs a little over 2 pounds.

Belkin USB 3 Dual Video Dock

Design

The Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets has a clean design that we’ve come to associate with Belkin. The metal construction feels sturdy and the brushed surface won’t easily scratch your tablet. The dock offers a tablet stand that’s wide enough for all Windows 8 tablets we’ve seen including the 11.6” Acer Aspire P3 and Acer Iconia W700, and the 10.1” Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2. It even holds the 13” Sony VAIO Duo 13 nicely. The tablet slot has enough depth to keep your tablet securely standing on the stand, but it blocks the “Windows” button on the bottom bezel on most Windows 8 tablets, and you’ll need to rely on either the touchscreen or keyboard connected to your tablet. Also with the bottom of the tablet sitting in the slot, speaker outlets and vent grills might be hidden as well. The tablets sit at a slight angle for sound to get through however.

Belkin USB 3 Dual Video Dock

The Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets has ports on the right side of the dock for quick access to USB and audio out, and a DisplayPort on the back to connect with external display options. Thus triple monitor lovers could use the internal panel, an HDMI monitor connected directly to the tablet and a third monitor connected to the dock’s DisplayPort or DVI connector. There are two cord holders on the back of the tablet stand to keep the back of the tablet free of wire tangles. The dock has enough heft to hold even the 13” VAIO Duo 13 and it has four strong rubber feet that prevent the dock from sliding on smooth surfaces.

Belkin USB 3 Dual Video Dock

 

Deals and Shopping:

 

Ports

The Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets offers ample ports that are intelligently located. Two USB 3.0 ports live on the right side of the dock and you can easily connect your tablet to a keyboard, a game controller, a mouse or other peripherals. Both USB ports are 5 Gbps SuperSpeed USB ports and one of them offers 2.1A power output for charging your iPad or other mobile devices. Next to the two USB ports, you’ll find a combo audio port for headphones and speakers. We tested charging an iPad 4 with Retina Display via the side USB port and it worked fine.

The ports on the back of the Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand help turn your Windows 8 tablet into an able workstation. A USB 3.0 Upstream port connects the dock to your tablet via included cable and it passes the data from your tablet to monitors and peripherals. For external display options, the dock offers a DisplayPort 1.1 and a DVI-I to monitor port that also works with VGA via the included DVI to VGA adapter. The maximum resolution supported by the dock is 2048 x 1152.

Additional connectivity ports on the back of the dock include two USB 2.0 ports (perfect for keyboards and mice) and an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port. There is also a security lock slot and a power adapter to keep the dock in operation and pass power to the 2.1A USB 3.0 port. The dock comes with a beefy AC charger, though if you connect an additional USB hub to the dock, it’s a good idea to have a self-powered hub as the dock can’t spare that much power.

Software and Compatibility

The Belkin USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 Tablets requires a simple software installation. When you first connect the tablet to the dock, DisplayLink software will start the installation process. Be sure to power on the dock before connecting your tablet to it and use the Windows desktop view for the installation. Once installed, the software allows you to configure screen resolutions, set primary and secondary screen options, audio and video set-up. The process is simple enough for anyone who’s set up AV gear with their computers and certainly easy enough for your IT department. So far in our tests, we haven’t experienced any delays in video response on the external monitor. One thing that’s a little annoying, though this is an OS issue not Belkin’s, is that when you disconnect the tablet from your second screen and reconnect it, you have to rearrange the windows, as the OS doesn’t remember the previous set up.

The dock and software work with all Windows 8 tablets based on Intel Core and Intel Atom mobile CPUs and so far every Windows 8 tablet has at least one built-in USB port to work with the Belkin dock. The Belkin Dual Video Docking Stand works with maximum of two monitors. The Belkin Dual Video Docking Stand does not work with Windows RT devices.

 

 

Belkin USB 3 Dual Video Dock

 

Belkin USB 3 Dual Video Dock

Conclusion

The versatility of the Belkin Dual Video Docking Stand for Windows 8 tablets is hard to beat. For large corporations whose IT department needs to set up “hot desks” for their workforce with tablets, this dock will connect the tablet to the wired network, desktop monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer in the office. For small business and office, the dock let you turn your tablet into a desktop-like machine. We haven’t seen anything in this space that offers such an easy set up, so many ports and additional features such as charging your iPad. The weighty metal dock is well made and strong enough to hold large tablets too. It’s highly recommended if you’re looking for a dock to go with your Windows 8 tablet.

Price: $249

Web Site: www.belkin.com

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

Specs:

Displays Supported: DVI single link and DisplayPort. VGA and HDMI via adapters. Can output via both ports simultaneously.

Weight: 2 pounds.

Interface to Tablet: USB 3.0 or 2.0 upstream port (cable included).

Networking: Integrated Gigabit Ethernet.

Platform: Windows 8 32 bit and 64 bit. Uses DisplayLink software that installs from dock.

Ports: Two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports (one with 2.1 amp charging), Ethernet, DVI, DisplayPort and 3.5mm combo audio.

In the Box: Docking stand, power supply, upstream USB 3.0 cable (connects tablet to dock), DVI to VGA adapter.

 

PHONE

All Phone Reviews
Smartphone Reviews
Android Phone Reviews
BlackBerry
Windows Phone Reviews
iPhone
HTC Phone Reviews
LG Phone Reviews
Motorola Phone Reviews
Nokia Phone Reviews
Samsung Phone Reviews
Sony Phone Reviews
AT&T Phone Reviews
Sprint Phone Reviews
T-Mobile Phone Reviews
Verizon Phone Reviews
Unlocked GSM Phone Reviews

TABLETS

All Tablet Reviews
Android Tablet Reviews
Tablet Comparisons
Android Tablet Comparisons

 

LAPTOPS & ULTRABOOKS

Laptop Reviews
Ultrabook Reviews
Laptop Comparisons
Best Ultrabooks

 

GADGETS & GAMES

Bluetooth Headsets
iPhone and iPad Accessories
eBook Readers

iPhone Game Reviews
iPad Game Reviews


iPhone Case Reviews
iPad Case Reviews

SITE TOOLS

RSS News Feed

About Us

Contact Us

Advertising

Site Map