• “Plug the dock in and it goes. No drivers, no muss, no fuss. Works well with USB2 and USB3. Decent transfer rates with large files – ~30MBytes/s USB2, ~65MBytes/S USB3.” – Ramiro Garcia
  • “Flexible and easy to use. I love it and if I ever get another HD, I’ll buy another one of these to run side by side for backup of my projects.” – G. Tyacke
  • “It has worked flawlessly and has been 100% reliable.” – Ed Schlotzhauer

Features

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  • Insert 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA hard drives (I, II, or III) and connect with any USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 Computer
  • Supports connecting via SuperSpeed USB 3.0 — up to 10x as fast as USB 2.0 (USB 3.0 cable in package)
  • Backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1 (optional USB 2.0 cable also included in package)
  • Slide bare SATA drives into the docking station bay with no wires to connect
  • 12V/2A AC power adapter, power switch, and power/activity LED
  • LucidPort USB300 USB 3.0 to SATA-II Chipset – The same chip used by the USB 3.0 standards body for compatibility testing

FAQ

When I connect the SATA dock via USB 3.0, Windows pops up a “This device can perform faster if you connect it to a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port” message, the SATA drive comes and goes (disconnects), or transfers fail periodically with an error. Can I correct this problem?

Yes, a firmware upgrade is available which improves the error resiliency of the dock and will resolve this problem on most systems. See our Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 firmware upgrade information for details.

What does my PC need for the USB 3.0 SATA dock to work?

To get USB 3.0 speeds, you must have a USB 3.0 controller in your laptop or desktop, with available ports. The USB 3.0 standard specifies that port connectors will be blue, so it’s easy to distinguish from USB 2.0 ports.

The product, however, is backward compatible with USB 2.0 so you can use or move the docking station to any USB-capable computer, and have it work at full function, just with lower transfer speeds. To connect via USB 2.0, use any standard full-sized USB 2.0 A to B cable (one USB 2.0 cable included in the package).

What size of SATA drives are supported?

In theory, the LucidPort USB300 chipset supports drives up to 144,000 TB in size. No drives that large exist today. At this point, it has been tested with drives up to 4TB.

Note that particular operating systems may have their own lower limits. For example, Windows XP limits drive size to 2TB.

How should I insert drives?

Slide drives gently into the top of docking station bay, with SATA connectors aligned. Do not exert force. Drives will attach and rest on the SATA connector with the drive centered in the dock, cradled with space for airflow on all sides, so no fan is required. Drives are easily removed and reinserted with no cables or connectors to attach.

There’s no disk in the package – do I need to install any software?

There is no software to install. For both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 is able to use the standard USB Mass Storage class drivers provided by Windows XP and later, and all recent versions of Mac and Linux.

Is the SATA dock software upgradable as USB 3.0 matures?

We provide periodic firmware upgrades to add features and fix issues. See our Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 firmware upgrade information for details.

Does the power supply switch for different regions or is it tied to US voltage and frequency?

The switching power adapter with our Plugable USB 3.0/2.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station does indeed support international standard inputs of 100-240V ~ 50/60 Hz 0.8A. Output is 12V/2A and comes with a US standard plug. You will not need a power converter as long as the input is within the given ranges. You might need a plug adapter for different regions which is not included.

Will the USB 3.0/2.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station work with USB 3.0 Hubs?

For USB 3.0 performance it recommended to connect the Docking Station directly to a USB 3.0 port on your computer.   USB 3.0 hubs are still maturing and may have compatibility.

What’s included in the package?

  • Main SATA Docking Station Unit
  • USB 3.0 Cable
  • USB 2.0 Cable
  • 12V/2A AC Power Adapter

Where to Buy

Plugable USB 3.0/2.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station (LucidPort chipset) Product Details $28.95