Docking station for Linux (Lenovo ThinkPad T480s & Steam Deck)
Docking station for Linux (Lenovo ThinkPad T480s & Steam Deck)
Hello everyone,
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T480s laptop running Fedora 39 Kinoite. I would like to use it in a multi-display setup, so I am looking for a docking station. The laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 port. I have attached the details of my device at the end of the post.
People on Reddit are writing that "all Thunderbolt docking stations should work fine" and that's obviously not the case... I have this Dell Thunderbolt Dock (WD19TB) at home from work and the displays work when I plug it into the laptop but, for example, my mouse (connected via USB-A) doesn't work. When I connect it to the DELL laptop provided by the company, there are no problems at all.
Docking station requirements: Ethernet, 3x USB-A, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI.
I have two 1080p displays: 75Hz and 165Hz. Obviously I'm not going to be playing any high-frame-rate games on this laptop, but even on a desktop it's sometimes nice to see a slightly higher refresh rate. So if it's possible, I'd like it to be able to display things above 60Hz...
I also have a Steam Deck OLED and would like to be able to use this dock with it.
I don't want to spend too much money on it. Do you have any experience in this area and can you help me choose?
I am from Poland if it helps in any way (maybe some brands are not available here).
LAPTOP DETAILS
Operating System: Fedora Linux 39
KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.9
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.111.0
Qt Version: 5.15.11
Kernel Version: 6.6.6-200.fc39.x86_64 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Processors: 8 × Intel® Core™ i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz
Memory: 15.5 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: Mesa Intel® UHD Graphics 620
Manufacturer: LENOVO
Product Name: 20L8S0SA00
System Version: ThinkPad T480s
I've had success with the official Lenovo docks on my AMD T14 (gen 2) and AMD Z16 (gen 1)
Both required BIOS firmware from the fwup testing repos (I think thats what they are called) before they performed as expected. Before the firmware update I could only get Intel Lenovo's to work with the docks well in Fedora.
I also had success with the startech docks, offical steamdeck dock (after a firmware update from the steamdeck itself), and a thirdparty $20 steamdeck dock. The official docks should meet your requirements I think. Double check. Go with the startech if the Lenovo tax is too much.
Running Fedora KDE spin for the past few years with the docks.
Edit: docks doesn't have an i in it :o
I've found an after-lease Lenovo 40AC (model no. DBB9003L1) for 265 PLN (~68 USD). Unfortunately, I can't see any video performance information on Lenovo's website: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/acc100356
However, the 40A9 does say that it supports two 1080p 60Hz displays via DisplayPort: https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/acc100348
I assume the 40A9 model is the worse of the two - when I go to my laptop's specs on the Lenovo website and check for compatibility, the 40A9 is in the USB Dock category and the 40AC is in the Thunderbolt Dock category (what's the difference?). So with 40AC it's probably the same at worst, maybe better.Here is the model I'm using: https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/p/accessories-and-software/docking/docking_usb-docks-(universal-cable-docks)/40ay0090us
It's the 40ay Universal USB, not thunderbolt. My AMD T14 would only work with thunderbolt in Windows, refused in Linux. No issues with Intel T14s. (We use strictly Lenovo products at work.) So this might be a better bet for you.
The Z16 works with or without the correct power supply, a T480 should be fine with the one that comes with it.
Not sure of your budget, hopefully it's not too much for you.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/
40A9 - ThinkPad USB-C Dock Mixed mode USB C dock daisy-chained to an MST hub. It can drive two 1080p @ 60 Hz and 5 Gbps USB ports. ** Warning: ** there's a credit report of the MST chip dying in there.
40AC - ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 Dock Thunderbolt 3 dock + MST hub. Most of the time, a much cheaper USB-C dock or a competitor's TB 3 dock is a better bang for the buck; this thing is a bit expensive for what it offers. Especially bad purchase for the X2/T laptops because their half Thunderbolt matched with this dock has zero advantage whatsoever over the dual USB-C Pro/Ultra docking stations. In fact, if the Ultra explanation above is correct then the Ultra provides more video bandwidth than this one.
I have a caldigit ts3 and it work great in both
I've already seen this one, but with "Plus" in the name: CalDigit TS3 Plus. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an HDMI port, just a DisplayPort, and it's also quite expensive: 999 PLN (~254 USD).
https://www.caldigit.com/usb-c-soho-dock/
Maybe this might be more in your price range?
It really depwnds on how much power you need for your laptop.
That's strange. I had a T480s (now replaced with a T14), and it always worked with whichever dock I tried. I have the Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 dock, which obviously works, I also have an HP Omen GA1 with an Nvidia 1080Ti inside, and a Dell dock at work, but I don't have the exact model. Anyway, all 3 of them work fine on the T480s. Check the security settings to make sure the dock is getting granted access. Thunderbolt allows the connected device access to all of the computer's RAM, so make sure you only use thunderbolt peripherials you trust. The Omen GA1 is also basically a real pcie slot for your laptop. I've used it with GPUs, 10 Gbps network cards, SAS controllers.. always worked fine, just like a Pcie slot on a desktop.
As I have mentioned in one of the comments below, I had the security level set to “User Authorization”. I also remember KDE Plasma showing me a popup asking for authorization for the Thunderbolt 3 port. However, I will disable this to make sure the docking station has the correct permissions. I will update you then.
However, it looks like these problems may be caused by the Thunderbolt 3 implementation used in this laptop. Described here: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/