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First Step Troubleshooting for Devices Powered by DisplayLink

What part of the dock does DisplayLink support?

If there is an issue with a device that is plugged into one of the dock’s USB ports this does not go through the DisplayLink chip and support must be sought from the manufacturer.

If there is an issue with a device that is plugged into a Video output, network or audio output on the dock then this does go through the DisplayLink chip so we can provide troubleshooting assistance

Important: Please ensure that your docking station or video adapter are DisplayLink powered and have DisplayLink chip built into it. You should be able to see a sticker with DisplayLink logo on the product. You should also see instructions in the user manual or on the manufacturers website to download and install DisplayLink software.

Layout of the dock

The DisplayLink chip in a dock is a device on the dock’s internal USB hub. The USB hub is designed by the dock manufacturer and not by DisplayLink

The Chip sits on the USB 3.0 path but if the dock is plugged into USB 2.0 port will enumerate down to USB 2.0 speeds.



 

General Troubleshooting

Common Troubleshooting steps:

  • Plug the dock into a different USB port - This will confirm that there is not an issue with the original USB port
  • Inspect the USB Up-Link port on the dock for damage - This could cause connectivity issues
  • Replace the USB cable connected to the dock and computer - This will confirm that there isn't an issue with the cable
  • Plug the dock into a USB 2.0 port or a USB 2.0 extension cable to force the dock to enumerate down to USB 2.0 mode - This will confirm if there is an issue on the USB 3.0 path
  • If the device is bus powered (Adapter or Monitor) please ensure it is plugged into a high power USB port or via a mains powered USB hub - This will confirm that there was not a power delivery issue
  • Enable flight mode or disable WiFi, some Wireless AC cards are known to interfere with USB 3 traffic
  • Does the device behave the same when plugged into another computer? - This will confirm if the issue lays with the original computer or dock.
  • Ensure the computer power settings are set to "High Performance" including the GPU settings to Maximum
  • On Windows 7 ensure Aero glass mode is enabled to avoid rendering issues in some applications
  • Ensure all drivers are up to date.

If a peripheral plugged into a USB port on the dock is not working as expected:

  • Plug the dock into a different USB port - This will confirm that there is not an issue with the original USB port
  • Inspect the USB Up-Link port on the dock for damage - This could cause connectivity issues  
  • Replace the USB cable connected to the dock and computer - This will confirm that there isn't an issue with the cable
  • Does the device behave the same when plugged directly into the computer? - This will confirm that the issue is not with the device or computer
  • You may have an issue with the dock’s USB hub we would recommend contacting the manufacturer of the dock for hardware support.

If the video output from the dock is not working as expected:

  • Display intermittently blanking, flickering or losing video signal: Check and Replace your Video Cables. If you find one or more of the DisplayLink connected screens are going blank for about one second, then coming back on, and the windows on the DisplayLink display have not moved to another display, it is probably caused by the monitor losing sync with the video output from the DisplayLink video output. This can be caused by long, or poor quality video cables
  • If you are using a DisplayPort to HDMI, DisplayPort to DVI, DisplayPort to VGA or HDMI to VGA cable and are having issues we recommend using an active video adapter in conjunction with a video cable
  • If the Display is turning off for more than a few seconds and open windows are regrouping to the primary display, this indicates a loss in connection to the dock and we would recommend
  • Plug the dock into a different USB port - This will confirm that there is not an issue with the original USB port
  • Replace the USB cable connected to the dock and computer - This will confirm that there isn't an issue with the cable
  • Plug the dock into a USB 2.0 port or a USB 2.0 extension cable to force the dock to enumerate down to USB 2.0 mode  - This will confirm if there is an issue on the USB 3.0 path
  • If there is no video output, please check your video cables. 
  • Inspect the USB Up-Link port on the dock for damage - This could cause connectivity issues  
  • Enable flight mode or disable WiFi, some Wireless AC cards are known to interfere with USB 3 traffic
  • Determine if other parts of the dock are not functioning. Check the device is recognised on the USB bus. Look for the device in device manager and if it appears, if there are any errors against it? Please note any errors and report to DisplayLink Support
  • Does the device behave the same when plugged directly into the computer?
  • On Windows 7 ensure Aero glass mode is enabled to avoid rendering issues in some applications

If the Ethernet port is not working:

  • Replace the Ethernet cable - This will confirm that there isn't an issue with the cable
  • Please check the configuration of the switch port, Half duplex connections, eg to network hubs, are not supported. A network link will not be established if connected to a half duplex port.
  • Look for the device in device manager and if it appears, if there are any errors against it? Please note any errors and report to DisplayLink Support

If the audio jack is not working as expected:

  • Please test with different headphones/speakers - This will confirm that there isn't an issue with the headphones/speakers
  • Please ensure your computer is configured to use DisplayLink USB Audio
  • Look for the device in device manager and if it appears, if there are any errors against it? Please note any errors and report to DisplayLink Support

 

Firmware Updating

The DisplayLink chip in the dock runs DisplayLink firmware. The firmware image must be digitally signed by DisplayLink otherwise the DisplayLink chip will not run the firmware. The firmware in the dock ensures secure communitcation between the dock and the host computer over USB or wireless. 

When a DisplayLink device is plugged into a computer, the host software checks the version of the DisplayLink chip firmware and if it matches the host software version, it just boots as normal.

If the chip firmware differs, the host software upgrades or downgrades the firmware of the DisplayLink chip to match the version of the host software release.

This way the firmware of the chip always matches what the driver release has been tested with to ensure compatibility and stability.

 

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