Surface Dock 2 constantly having issues with USB-C Display

Question

The Microsoft Surface Dock 2 docks in our business are constantly having issues with USB-C Display cables. We mostly use USB-C to DisplayPort as we have a fleet of enterprise type HP Monitors which have DisplayPort. We have all Surface Laptop 3 devices.

Screens will turn off and will not turn back on again unless either the monitor is power cycled, the dock is power cycled or in some instances both! It's a pretty crazy situation. We have tried difference USB-C Cables which produce variations to the workaround required (one cable type results in the monitor only needing to be turned off at the power button and back on again while other cables need to be pulled out of the monitor and re-plugged back in again and some been each end power cycled to guarantee both screens.)

It's now been well over 12 months and staff and helpdesk are at the point on walking away from these docks.

Anyone else having this issue?

Answer 1

Hello AaronFindlay,

Thanks for reaching Microsoft Community. We're sorry to learn about this issue on your docks. Please do know that this is not the experience we want you to have.

In this case, please see Troubleshoot connecting Surface to a second screen (microsoft.com) and Troubleshoot Surface Dock and docking stations for more troubleshooting guide and workarounds.

If issue still persists, and since this issue happens to multiple devices, we suggest to raise and open a ticket with our Support for business - Microsoft Support.

Best regards,

StevenK

Answer 2

Hello AaronFindlay,

We have noticed that you haven’t replied to our last response. We would like to know if you still need assistance with your concern. If yes, kindly reply back so we can further assist you.

Hope to hear from you.

Answer 3

Hi, Unfortunately none of the troubleshooting steps assist. Are these issues widespread?

Can Microsoft recommend a specific specification for USB-C to DisplayPort cable?

Answer 4

We had the same issue, and this particular cable works well for us. While I have not taken the time to narrow down what makes some cables more consistent than others, the best explanation I have is that the surface dock 2s requires (for lack of a better word) an active USB-C to HDMI cable to use two monitors. The surface dock 2 will display 2 monitors using one cable that is active and one that is passive. It will also work using 2 active cables. The device will not display properly using 2 passive cables, even though the monitor is recognized in Device Manager.

There is a more specific answer to the question but I have not taken the time to narrow down specifically what causes some cables to work and others to fail. I suspect it has something to do with the refresh rate of certain cables.