Note that if you go to the link above, the image doesn't quite match the product I received. The photo shows all the ports my version has but mine also has an on/off power switch. This on/off switch is missing from every product photo I have seen online. The power switch comes in very handy as you can use it as a "reboot" option in the event that things get glitch.
The idea behind this docking station is that it sits on your desk and can even be used as a stand to raise the back of a laptop (so that the screen is at a better viewing angle, although this wouldn't work for the surface pro). Once your laptop is on the desk all you need to plug in is a single USB 3.0 port plus a power cable. Then you should be good to go, connected to the myriad of devices plugged into the docking station. There are even power adapters for most major laptop brands hiding inside the unit (lift the lid to reveal them). These plug directly into the docking station, so if your laptop is supported you don't even need your usual power adapter. Unfortunately there isn't one included for the surface pro (but I get along fine with using my standard power adapter).
I am amazed at how much stuff can successfully flow through a single USB 3.0 port. Currently I can connect all the following:
- an external monitor via the DVI port
- another external monitor via the HDMI port (I am using an HDMI to DVI cable to connect this to a Dell monitor, more on this later).
- an audio interface (via usb) which is used for recording audio from a microphone
- a set of speakers (via 3.5mm jack)
- a usb mouse
- a usb keyboard
- an Ethernet cable
- an external usb hard drive
- an external usb bluray drive
This leaves me with one usb port spare, if I need to plug in a usb flash drive (although my monitors appear to have usb ports on them but I'm not sure if they work without additional cabling).
Installation wasn't too bad, although the drivers came on a CD which was a bit of a pain. To install them onto the surface pro you need either an external optical drive or another computer with an optical drive (so that you can transfer them over to usb). The driver file is tiny, so didn't require much space and I transferred it across on a usb flash drive. Alternatively you can just download the drivers direct from the targus website (and get the latest version to boot.
A word of caution if you've installed the drivers from the CD on windows 8 and then upgraded to windows 8.1. I found things stopped working (i.e. I couldn't use my monitor anymore). The solution (when I finally discovered it) was easy but not well documented. Don't just upgrade your drivers to the latest version, an upgrade won't fix things. To get things working with windows 8.1 you first have to UNINSTALL the drivers entirely and THEN install the latest drivers.
Occasionally things stop working (i.e. the monitor doesn't connect or the mouse won't react or the keyboard can't be use to input stuff). Usually switching the power off and on again on the docking station fixes any problem.
Another minor glitch is that sometimes the mouse cursor gets "stuck" in one place or disappears entirely but everything else still seems to work (so you can still type and the monitor is still displaying what you expect). I've found that toggling the display to "PC screen only" and then back to extend mode fixes this issue. To do this quickly hit the windows+P key, choose "PC screen only" and then repeat the process but this time choose extend.
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