TRENDnet TU3-DS2 Universal USB 3.0 Dock Station Review

TRENDnet's TU3-DS2 Universal Dock Station adds a bunch of functionality to your MacBook or notebook. It's one of those most feature-rich we've tested.

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Updated
Manufacturer: TRENDnet
2 minutes & 14 seconds read time
TweakTown's Rating: 86%
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The Bottom Line

TRENDnet's USB 3.0 Universal Dock is a great solution for notebook or MacBook users wanting to increase productivity with a simple and easy to setup solution.
TRENDnet TU3-DS2 Universal USB 3.0 Dock Station Review 99

Anyone that uses a MacBook or notebook on a daily basis knows there are times when it would be nice to put your computer down on the desk and plug into a couple large displays, maybe a keyboard and mouse, and get some work done. Fortunately, the product we are looking at today has those capabilities and even a little more.

The Universal USB 3.0 docking station is one of the latest products to come from TRENDnet. This solution allows consumers the option to dock their notebook, ultrabook or MacBook quickly and easily via USB 3.0 enabling users to connect to two independent 1080p displays, along with a gigabit Ethernet port and two USB 3.0 ports. Maximum resolution for the HDMI port is reported at 2048 x 1536, while the DVI port is capable of 2048 x 1152. Compatibility of the TU3-DS2 extends to modern Windows operating systems, along with OS X 10.9.

MSRP of the TRENDnet Universal USB 3.0 Dock is set at $149.99 with a two-year warranty.

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Packaging for the TRENDnet device houses the dock and power adapter in a plastic shell.

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Scope of delivery for the TU3-DS2 includes a USB 3.0 cable, power adapter, along with reading materials.

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As you can see, the Universal Docking Station carries a slim form factor housing two USB 3.0 ports on the front, along with microphone and headset ports.

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The back of the unit houses four USB 2.0 ports at the top, followed by a gigabit Ethernet port, DVI port and HDMI.

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To test the USB 3.0 capability, we used a SanDisk Extreme PRO 1TB SSD via USB 3.0. Rather surprisingly, the TRENDnet TU3-DS2 allowed full USB 3.0 throughput.

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Moving on, we ran the gigabit Ethernet port through our network testing and found the adapter capable of 840 Mbps.

For users that want the ability to dock their notebook, the TRENDnet Universal Docking Station is one of the best I have seen to date. The build quality of the unit is rather superb, and setup is quite simple. In addition, the ability to connect to dual displays with each being capable of 1080p resolution can aide in increasing productivity greatly.

Performance, especially over USB 3.0, was quite surprising. We were nearly able to max out our native ports on our Intel Z97 platform with speeds upwards of 434 MB/s read and 424 MB/s write. The gigabit Ethernet port, while not reaching the full potential of gigabit, did offer nearly 840 Mbps of throughput and makes a great addition to the dock.

Over the past few months, we have seen quite a few DisplayLink adapters come through the lab. While some had additional connectivity options like gigabit Ethernet, none have been as complete of a solution as the TRENDnet TU3-DS2.

PRICING: You can find the TRENDnet Universal USB 3.0 Docking Station, TU3-DS2 for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The TRENDnet Universal USB 3.0 Docking Station, TU3-DS2 retails for $101.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The TRENDnet Universal USB 3.0 Docking Station, TU3-DS2 retails for CDN$140.52 at Amazon Canada.

TRENDnet TU3-DS2 Universal USB 3.0 Dock Station Review 100
TweakTown award
Performance 90%
Quality including Design and Build 85%
General Features 90%
Bundle and Packaging 85%
Value for Money 80%
Overall 86%

The Bottom Line: TRENDnet's USB 3.0 Universal Dock is a great solution for notebook or MacBook users wanting to increase productivity with a simple and easy to setup solution.

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

USUnited States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com

UKUnited Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk

AUAustralia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au

CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Tyler joined the TweakTown team in 2013 and has since reviewed 100s of new techy items. Growing up in a small farm town, tech wasn't around, unless it was in a tractor. At an early age, Tyler's parents brought home their first PC. Tyler was hooked and learned what it meant to format a HDD, spending many nights reinstalling Windows 95. Tyler's love and enthusiast nature always kept his PC nearby. Eager to get deeper into tech, he started reviewing.

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