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Surface IT Pro Blog
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Simple management & security with our latest Surface Dock

DashaPushkareva's avatar
Apr 04, 2023

We're excited to announce our latest generation Surface Dock with Thunderbolt™4 support and compatibility for USB-C® devices. With ultra-high speed data transfer[1] and built-in enterprise management and security, it’s the perfect companion to Surface Pro 8, Pro 9, Laptop 5 or Laptop Studio.

 

See it up close in this video as Jacob Rhoades on the Surface Team showcases the ease of connecting to external monitors and your most important peripherals:

 

 

Whether you work from home, in the office, or on the go, Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock delivers the following features:

 

  • High-speed USB4®/Thunderbolt 4 on USB-C  ports: Plug in one cable to power your device and connect two 4K monitors at up to 60 Hz.[2] Transfer data and files at up to 40 Gbps.
  • The charging power you need for your device and accessories: Connect and power your laptop with up to 96 watts of power passthrough and extra charging power for your phone and accessories.[3]
  • More inclusive design and design with recycled materials: Confidently and easily identify ports with raised tactile indicators for greater accessibility to ports. The lightest Surface dock and PSU enclosures (excluding the AC cable) are attributed to 20% ocean-bound plastic[4] . The packaging is ~99% recyclable in OECS countries and free of single-use plastics.[5]

IT management & security

 

IT admins face numerous challenges keeping devices secure and up to date, especially in hybrid work scenarios. We designed Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock to enable IT admins to quickly perform the following tasks:

 

  • Seamlessly keep docks up to date: One of the benefits of using the dock is that it always stays up to date with the latest firmware and drivers. Update the dock automatically via Windows Update or Surface App. Or manually download the update firmware and driver MSI packages from the Microsoft Download Center.
  • Maintain device network identity across docks: One of the challenges of using multiple docks or shared workspaces is to ensure that your device has a consistent network identity. Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock supports MAC address passthrough,[6] which allows your host device to use its own MAC address instead of the dock's MAC address when connecting to the network. This way, your device will be recognized as the same device regardless of which dock or workspace you use.
  • Wake devices out of Modern Standby: Modern Standby is a power-saving mode that allows your device to stay connected and receive updates while in a low-power state. However, sometimes you may need to wake your device to perform specific tasks or troubleshoot issues. With the new dock, you can use Wake-on-LAN (WOL) to remotely wake up your device from Modern Standby and access it over the network.
  • Use Surface Enterprise Management Mode (SEMM) to secure ports: SEMM is a feature that allows you to control the configuration and security of your Surface devices and accessories. With SEMM for Dock5, you can use a certificate-based tool to lock down specific ports on the new dock, such as USB, audio, or Ethernet. This can help prevent unauthorized access or data leakage from your devices.
  • Remotely monitor and manage the latest firmware, policy state, and related data: WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) is a framework that provides access to system information and management capabilities. You can also use WMI for diagnostics and to remotely apply firmware updates or policy changes to the new dock.
  • Get direct support for warranty & service: Use one of the self-serve portal options to make a warranty claim or to request support. The Surface Management Portal allows you to manage your Surface devices and accessories, check warranty status, request service, and track service orders. The Microsoft Hardware Support Portal will enable you to register your hardware products, check warranty status, request service, and track service orders.

 

Components

Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock is designed for our newest Surface devices that feature USB4/Thunderbolt 4 and are compatible with USB-C devices. Unlike our earlier docks, Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock works across other USB-C® devices, such as Windows OEM devices and Apple Macs. [7]

 

Front view showing components

 

 

Rear view showing components

 

For more information including tech specs, see What's new in Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock.

 

Securely mount Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock

A convenient new third-party accessory is the Cable Matters Mount, which provides greater accessibility, ease of single-handed use, improved port access and saves desk space. Its purpose-built for Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock and Designed for Surface certified.

 

 

Cable Matters Mount attached to Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock on desk

 

Boost your productivity

If you're already using a Surface device with Thunderbolt 4, you will want this dock. If you don't yet have a Surface Pro 8, Pro 9, Laptop 5, or Laptop Studio, now's a great time to get one.

 

 

Order Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock

 

References

[1]. Requires device with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port.

[2]. When supported by device and display.

[3]. USB-C® port doesn't charge your Surface device or any device that requires more than 15 W.

[4]. Ocean-bound plastic is plastic waste recovered from oceans and waterways, cleaned, and processed into recycled plastic resin pellets. These recycled pellets are blended in with virgin plastic during the manufacturing process.

[5]. In OECD countries, Microsoft operates recycling programs either independently or through third parties covering Microsoft Devices. In addition, check local recycling programs for availability.

[6] Surface Enterprise Management Mode for Dock and MAC address passthrough are available on select host devices and supported operating systems.

[7] Requires device with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port.

Updated Apr 07, 2023
Version 13.0

9 Comments

  • Alex Durrant's avatar
    Alex Durrant
    Copper Contributor

    Good day,

     

    In regards to MAC Address pass-through, will this be made backwards compatible on previous surface docks?

     

    Note 6 stated that MAC pass-through is only available on selected hosts and OS', could you confirm what they are please?

     

    Thanks

  • dissentingoz's avatar
    dissentingoz
    Copper Contributor

    Thanks Robin St.Clair  ... My laptop was painful to use so I guess it's time to upgrade. Pity the dock was the stimulus for this change.

  • dissentingoz's avatar
    dissentingoz
    Copper Contributor

    My Surface Dock 2 supported my Surface Book 2 and two 4k monitors. Setting up the Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock, only one monitor can be connected at a time. Why?

  • Robin St.Clair's avatar
    Robin St.Clair
    Copper Contributor

    Jacob
    Thanks for your comment.
    Unfortunately, how the Laptop 5 and Dock 2 should interact is not reflected in reality. This Friday I am visiting Microsoft's London Experience Centre to verify that the new Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock performs as specified, and that the new software is reliable and works with the Laptop 5 before deciding whether to purchase the new TB4 Dock.
    The Laptop 5 only has 3 data ports, 1 x Surface Connect, 1 x USB4/TB4 and 1 x USB-A 3.1. When using the TB 4 Dock, this only leaves the USB-A 3.1 port for attaching devices. My experience when using the Dock 2 has been poor, at best, currently the external 4K display only functions when connected to the Laptop 5's TB4 port. Looking forward one has to ask if the Surface Connect port has reached the end of its days, unfortunately its specification is closed and there is no way of telling if it could support TB4.
    In conclusion, I'd observe that the inter-operation/integration between the Laptop 5 and the TB 4 Dock has to be orders of magnitude better than it is with the Dock 2 for it to be preferred over other equivalent devices.

  • Jacob_Rho's avatar
    Jacob_Rho
    Former Employee

    Robin_StClair , both the new Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock and the Surface Dock 2 support two 4k60hz monitors with your Surface Laptop 5, assuming your display cables/adapters and monitors also support this. There should be a similar dual-monitor experience with the Laptop 5 and both of these docks. If you are still experiencing issues after verifying connections, I would recommend contacting support. More information: Surface Dock 2 overview - Surface | Microsoft Learn

     

  • Robin_StClair's avatar
    Robin_StClair
    Copper Contributor

    Having had to try and integrate a Surface Dock 2 with a Surface laptop 5, I can understand why Microsoft has brought forward the release of this device. It is quite apparent that there was zero testing, of any substance, of how the Dock 2 and the laptop 5 interoperate, otherwise the Laptop 5 would not have been released when it was.
    Somewhat disturbingly, I read rumours that the launch of a Surface Dock 3 is anticipated in Q3 2023.
    Why launch a Dock for the laptop 5 that does not have a Surface connector? Apart from the Audio Jack, Laptop 5 only has 3 data ports. Using the Thunderbolt 4 Dock, the Surface connector port is not used, the USB-C/TB4 port being used for charging the Laptop 5, leaving only the USB-A port free. Based on my current experience, the USB-C port is required for the external 4K HDMI monitor as the Dock 2 does not support this.
    Will the Surface app be any better with the Thunderbolt 4 Dock? 
    What is going on at Microsoft?