Lenovo Thinkpad Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station (40AC0135US)

I am using this with a Lenovo Yoga 920 and Ubuntu 18.04. It works flawlessly. Display outputs, USB hub, offline charging USB port, Ethernet, power pass-through, and audio all work for me in the current Linux kernel with no special drivers or other hoops to jump through. Everything also runs at full 40Gbps speed as far as I can tell.Mine came with a 0.5M passive type-3 cable, which is the longest a passive TB3 cable can be and still support full 40Gbps connectivity. (not that this dock has 40Gbps of devices, but there is a Thunderbolt pass-through port, remember, so a downstream device like a graphics card could theoretically use that. I have not tried to do this.) Unlike the Dell TB16 and some others, this cable is type-c at both ends, meaning you could replace it with a longer cable if you wanted. Options are a longer passive cable limited to 20Gbps or a much more expensive cable with active electronics that allows you to get 40Gbps at a longer cable length. I think it's nice to have this option as the 0.5M cable constrains placement of the dock/laptop slightly on my desk. I plan to use a longer active cable once it arrives.The only thing to watch out for is that Ubuntu 18.04 supports Thunderbolt security directly through the default Gnome desktop environment. If you're using Unity, an older Gnome, or something else, you might not have any way to unlock access to the dock's functions other than the display adapters until you log in under the newer Gnome and authorize the dock's connection. Even after you've saved it for automatic authorization, you still have to go to Gnome every time to let it connect. You only have to do this once per boot/connection of the dock, and it continues to work under other desktops if you log out and switch over. If the displays are working for you but nothing else is, this may be your problem. Yoga 920 has no TB3 security at the BIOS level, but others such as the 720 do, so that's another thing to keep in mind. These issues is not specific to this dock, it's a general TB3 and Ubuntu thing. Hopefully someone will come up with a standalone tool for managing TB3 security in Linux soon, as Gnome hasn't quite made it back to the grown-up leagues yet and it's annoying to have to use it for anything.Just for comparison, and of relevance to those looking for a TB3 dock to use under Linux: Previously, I had been trying to use a Dell TB16 dock, expecting better support for Linux since Dell does officially support Linux. The problem is that they only support it in combination with certain Precision and Inspiron models. You need a firmware update to the dock just to get it working properly in Linux, and the tool that does the update checks the machine you're running it on and will only run on those models and in Windows. Some Linux support. I did eventually get it working, but it was a lot of hassle and it required using one of those Precision machines. It wouldn't even run on another Dell Inspiron that had TB3 type-c port on it but wasn't on the official support list. This Lenovo dock, by comparison, worked pretty much out of the box. I did let it run driver updates in Windows, but I'm not sure that mattered. I have a Yoga 920, which is not on the official support list for this dock (the 720 is) so if there was a firmware update that touched the dock and not the computer, you *might* need a Lenovo to run it, but I will say that it wasn't obvious to me that Lenovo was restricting support in that way, and it never said it was updating the dock, as opposed to the TB3 firmware on the laptop itself. This dock behaved as expected the first time I plugged it in under Linux.Last comment: Ubuntu 18.04 does boot more slowly when it boots with this plugged in. I don't hide the startup messages and what it sits at is indeed the loading up of thunderbolt. This only adds about 5 seconds or so, and it seems to work just as well if you plug the dock in after the boot is complete.

I hooked this up and it worked as expected for 3 weeks. I travelled for 1 week and it did not function when I returned. I could not find much technical support and I spent quite a bit of time troubleshooting the Power Supply, Thunderbolt cable and the Thunderbolt port on my PC. The dock LED was on but it was not recognized by the PC. I believe the Thunderbolt port on the dock failed. I replaced this $200+ dock with a $60 14 in 1 USB C hub I keep in my computer bag, and a $90 J5 USB C Docking station. Neither have the functionality of this device, but they work.

I regularly switch between a variety of thunderbolt docks, from the "dock" I use when I'm out and about, the dock I use at my office, and the docks I use when visiting the offices at HQ. The docks vary in brand from Lenovo, Belkin, and Dell. And of all of these docks, this Thinkpad dock is the only one that works universally for my Lenovo and Dell laptops without any muss or fuss, every time. I plug it in, the drivers are downloaded automatically through Windows, the screens turn on and the USB ports all work. The other docks will work well with one laptop or another, but fail miserably with others. The Dell docks for instance just straight up don't work at all with my Yoga 920.The dock's design is pleasing, with a little red LED for the dot on the 'i' in "Thinkpad" adorning an otherwise pleasant, sharp, professional look. Front port options are adequate, with another USB-C/Thunderbolt port for more modern accessories, and a 4-pole combination 3.5mm jack for your headset needs!I do have some complaints though: The power/sleep button on the dock does not work at all with my Lenovo Yoga 920 laptop. It doesn't do anything. I've actually not hooked up a laptop where the button does function. I've updated drivers etc, but no luck. Another quirk of the device is that it actually "pops" a little bit after it starts to heat up, much like you might hear metal start to make noise as it gets warmer. In the years that I've owned the dock it has never been an issue, but it does happen shortly after turning it on. Neither issue is enough to subtract a star though.

Lennovo docks are awesome but know what you are getting into as they can be a bit finicky, make sure your device is compatible with this, and be sure to use the correct thunderbolt port on your thinkpad.There was a alot of thunderbolt drivers i had to install before using this successfully. Use Lennovo’s Vantage or manufacturer site to get up to date on all drivers.