Plugable USB-C or USB 3.0 to DisplayPort Adapter

We have a produced a series of short videos that introduce the general concepts of multi-monitor setups in Windows, how to make changes to the way things behave, as well as how to solve common problems.

Direct links to the introductory videos our customers have found the most useful are:

• Introduction to Multiple Displays in Windows  
• Common Multi-Monitor Problem—Spatial Orientation  
• How To Make a Display the ‘Main’ Display in Windows  
• Multi-Monitor Problem—Spatial Orientation Part Two  
• Introduction to Display Scaling in Windows  

We also maintain a playlist that contains all of the multiple monitor tutorial videos we have made  .

Most Windows notebook computers power management settings will default to putting the computer to sleep with the lid closed, regardless of any external displays, keyboard, or mouse connected to the computer. If this is happening but you would prefer the system to remain active with the lid closed utilizing the external display or displays, these settings can be changed by performing the following:

For Windows 10:

1. Start by right-clicking on the Start button and select Power Options from the menu.
2. From the right side of the Power Options settings page, select the blue link for Additional power settings

   

3. From the choices present on the left-hand side of the Power Options window, please click on Choose what closing the lid does
4. Make sure the setting for When I close the lid under the Plugged In column is set to Do Nothing

   

5. Click the Save Changes button and restart the system (making sure that the laptop’s power adapter is also connected) and test the behavior again.

For Windows 11:

1. Start by right-clicking on the Start button and select Power Options from the menu.

   

2. In the upper left corner of the settings window, in the search box, type "lid" then select Change what closing the lid does from the search results

   

3. Make sure the setting for When I close the lid under the Plugged In column is set to Do Nothing

   

4. Click the Save Changes button to apply the new settings.

Closing the lid should no longer put the computer into sleep mode when an external display and power source is connected, instead one of the external displays should now become the Primary display with the desktop icons instead of the laptop's built-in display.

The lid may still need to be opened to perform the following tasks:

• To power on the computer from a fully powered off state
• To log into the computer if logged out or if the computer is restarted with the lid closed
• To wake the computer from a deep sleep state ( hibernation, or Windows hybrid sleep states )

When connecting to a monitor that accepts a USB-C input, from a docking station that outputs DisplayPort (such as the UD-6950, UD-6950Z, UD-6950H, TBT3-UDZ, TBT3-UDC3), you will need to use a DisplayPort to USB-C "Bi-Directional" cable. This is because many USB-C to DisplayPort cables are unidirectional and only send data in one direction, from USB-C source device to a DisplayPort input port on a monitor.

Additional information:

• Be sure to use a DisplayPort to USB-C cable that supports the 1.2 DisplayPort standard (or higher). 
• To ensure optimal performance the maximum recommended cable length should be no longer than 1.8 meters (6 feet).

An example of a DisplayPort to USB-C "Bi-Directional" cable can be seen here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081VK1KHV

How to install the Silicon Motion InstantView application based on your macOS version.

If you are unsure of the macOS version you are using → Click on the Apple logo in the top left of your mac display and select ‘About This Mac’.

macOS 13.x and newer

***For macOS 10.15 through macOS 12.x please click here***

1. Download the Silicon Motion InstantView application for your version of macOS from here.

2. Double-click on the file you downloaded to start the application installer

3. Drag the macOS InstantView app icon to the Applications icon: (Please be sure to drag the 'macOS InstantView' application to the 'Application' icon inside of the 'macOS InstantView' window itself.)

4. Navigate to your Launchpad or Applications folder to locate the InstantView app and double click to launch it

5. Click Open

6. Click Open System Preferences. Note: this should automatically open the Security and Privacy section, but if it does not you can manually open the Security and Privacy settings

7. Click on the switch to enable screen recording for the macOS InstantView application. 

8. If prompted, enter your password and click the ‘Modify Settings’ button: 

9. You will be prompted to Quit and Reopen the InstantView application in order for the change to take effect. Please do so: 

11. The software has now been installed and you may connect your graphics adapter or docking station  

** Please note - The Silicon Motion InstantView application does NOT in fact record or store any information. This permission must be granted in order for the InstantView application to access the information it needs in order to generate the image shown on the Silicon Motion-connected displays. **

Using the macOS Silicon Motion InstantView Application:

12. Right Click on the InstantView icon that is now present within the Apple Menu bar at the top of your screen. This will reveal the InstantView quick access menu:

13. Click "Display before Login" to enable the Silicon Motion-connected displays to be activated at the macOS Login Screen

14. In order to receive automatic InstantView application updates you can ensure that the Auto Update setting is checked

15. Left click on the InstantView icon within the Apple Menu bar at the top of your screen. This will reveal the InstantView application

16. You can quickly disconnect the displays and you can quickly change your Silicon Motion-connected displays to Mirrored or Extended mode

macOS 10.15 through macOS 12.x:

How to install the Silicon Motion InstantView application on macOS 10.15 through macOS 12.x:

1. Download the Silicon Motion InstantView application for your version of macOS from here.

2. Double-click on the file you downloaded to start the application installer

3. Drag the macOS InstantView app icon to the Applications folder in the window that opens:

4. Navigate to your Launchpad or Applications folder to locate the InstantView app and double click to launch it

5. Click Open

6. Click Open System Preferences. Note: this should automatically open the Security and Privacy section, but if it does not you can manually open the Security and Privacy settings

7. Click on the gold padlock at the bottom of the application window to enable changes.

8. If prompted, enter your password and click the ‘Unlock’ button:

9. Click to place a checkmark next to the macOS InstantView entry:

10. You will be prompted to Quit and Reopen the InstantView application in order for the change to take effect. Please do so:

11. The software has now been installed and you may connect your graphics adapter or docking station  

** Please note - The Silicon Motion InstantView application does NOT in fact record or store any information. This permission must be granted in order for the InstantView application to access the information it needs in order to generate the image shown on the Silicon Motion-connected displays. **

Using the macOS Silicon Motion InstantView Application:

12. Right Click on the InstantView icon that is now present within the Apple Menu bar at the top of your screen. This will reveal the InstantView quick access menu:

13. Click "Display before Login" to enable the Silicon Motion-connected displays to be activated at the macOS Login Screen

14. In order to receive automatic InstantView application updates you can ensure that the Auto Update setting is checked

15. Left click on the InstantView icon within the Apple Menu bar at the top of your screen. This will reveal the InstantView application

16. You can quickly disconnect the displays and you can quickly change your Silicon Motion-connected displays to Mirrored or Extended mode

Silicon Motion technology uses the Silicon Motion software driver on Windows and Silicon Motion InstantView application on macOS to generate a "virtual desktop" image that is sent over a USB connection to the adapter. These pixels are rendered by the Silicon Motion chip within the adapter to then send a video image to the connected monitors.

Because of the amount of data being sent the software driver must compress the data being sent so it can pass through efficiently over USB connections. This is why some images may not appear as "crisp" using a Silicon Motion adapter or docking station.

In our testing, Red colors are primarily affected where they can appear pixelated or blurry when viewed closely.

The Silicon Motion driver does not currently support this type of color adjustment. As a result, applications like f.lux, Night Shift or Night Light will not affect displays connected to a Silicon Motion-based docking station or video adapter.

The graphical software utilities provided by Intel, NVIDIA and AMD/ATI are designed to only recognize and work with graphics adapters made by their respective manufacturers. As a result, they will not recognize USB-attached displays connected to a Silicon Motion-based docking station or graphics adapter.

It is recommended to use the facilities built-in to Windows to manage the connected displays. These would be the ‘Display Settings’ application on Windows 10 and ‘Screen Resolution’ application on Windows 8.1 and 7. Both of these applications are available by right-clicking on empty space within the Windows desktop and selecting the appropriate choice from the context menu that appears. 

The Silicon Motion driver does not support color calibration functionality of any kind. Most monitors have built-in controls that can be used to adjust the characteristics of the display, though we realize this approach may not be ideal in all cases. For environments that necessitate near-perfect color reproduction and display calibration capabilities via software, a dedicated graphics card is recommended.

Touchscreens that do not require drivers and use the host’s operating system’s built-in USB Human Interface drivers (HID) to record touch inputs can be made to work with our products, however Plugable does not provide support for doing so due the complexity of multi-monitor touch screen setups.

No, the Silicon Motion device's presence on your system will not preclude the use of any of your system’s built-in video outputs.

Windows does not have the ability to adjust the brightness of a display connected using Silicon Motion technology. We recommend making use of the display’s internal on-screen menu options in order to adjust the display's brightness.

Our Silicon Motion-based graphics adapters and docking stations are supported with macOS, albeit with potential limitations that one would expect with a directly connected external monitor.

Graphics adapters and docking stations based on Silicon Motion USB video technology are in essence a 'virtual' graphics adapter that relies on the host laptop's CPU and internal physical graphics processing unit (aka as GPU) to generate the information shown on the Silicon Motion-attached displays.

In rare instances, Windows applications that use a technology known as OpenGL to draw the image shown on the display will attempt to direct OpenGL related tasks to the Silicon Motion-based virtual graphics adapter, and not to the 'real'/'physical' GPU within the laptop.  

Since the adapter or dock is not a physical GPU that supports OpenGL, this can sometimes cause applications that make use of OpenGL (such as Google Earth or AutoCAD) to not work as expected or result in various types of error messages. 

The true root cause of this behavior can vary, and ultimately lies outside of the adapter, docking station or its associated Silicon Motion driver. In some cases the root cause lies within the Windows driver for the host system's physical GPU and in rarer cases within the Windows operating system itself.  

In some cases updating either the driver for the system's internal GPU or updating Windows itself (when Microsoft provides such updates) can help, however that is unfortunately not always the case.

If updating those components does not help, in most cases there are two possible workarounds. 

The first is to configure Windows to have the ‘Main’ display set to a display directly connected to the host system's built-in internal GPU, whether that is an internal laptop display or another external display connected to one of the system's built-in video outputs (a quick guide to doing so is here -> https://youtu.be/7nnKztRZXsw). 

If the first option does not prove a suitable workaround, the second option is to boot the system without the adapter or dock connected, launching the affected application, and then connecting the adapter or dock may also help.

'Legacy' Silicon Motion Driver installation for macOS 10.14 Mojave

** Before you begin **

If have installed a previous version of the Silicon Motion driver, please uninstall it and then reboot your system before proceeding.

1. Download the latest driver for macOS 10.14 Mojave from here -> Link

2. Navigate to your Downloads folder and double-click on the Silicon Motion driver download

3. The disk image of the driver will mount, and automatically open the Silicon Motion Installer main landing page

4. Double-click on the ‘SMI USB Display Driver Installer.pkg’ file. The SMI USB Display Driver Installer page will open

5. Click ‘Continue’ at the Introduction step

6. Click the ‘Continue' at the Read Me step. 

Note: This Read Me step mentions that the Silicon Motion software must be allowed in the macOS Security & Privacy settings - this is an important step starting in Step x of these instructions

7. Click ‘Install’

8. Enter your system password and click the ‘Install Software’ button

10. Click 'Continue Installation'

11. Click on the ‘Open Security Preferences’ button 

12. Click the ‘Allow’ button at the bottom of the window to grant permission for the extension to be loaded.

** Important note – this approval must be granted within 30 minutes of the driver installation or the process will not work. A fresh installation must be performed to reset this timer. **

There is also a chance that the warning message about the blocked System Extension will not appear, but macOS may still block the extension. After the driver installation completes, please double-check that the necessary approval was granted by clicking the ‘System Preferences’ icon (the gear) and then clicking on the ‘Security & Privacy’ icon. From the window that appears please ensure the Silicon Motion driver is Approved by clicking the ‘Allow’ button.

12. Close the ‘Security and Privacy’ window. The Silicon Motion installation should now complete

13. You may also elect to move the Silicon Motion driver installer to the Trash Bin by clicking 'Move to Trash' or you may keep it by clicking 'Keep'

'Legacy' Silicon Motion Driver removal for macOS

1. Download the Silicon Motion driver package for macOS 10.14 Mojave from here -> Link

2. Navigate to your Downloads folder and double-click on the Silicon Motion driver download

2. Double-click on the 'SMI USB Display Driver Uninstaller' to begin the uninstallation wizard

3. Click the ‘Uninstall’ button

4. Enter your account password and click ‘OK’

5. After a few moments the process will complete. Click the ‘Restart’ button to complete the removal process.

Yes! As long as the software drivers for both Silicon Motion and DisplayLink-based products are installed on the same computer these two USB graphics solutions can work together and be used at the same time.

When a Plugable Silicon Motion device is not working as expected with a Windows system, the best practice is to disconnect the device from the host system (and remove it's external power source, if it has one) and perform a manual installation of the latest version we recommend of the required Silicon Motion software driver to help ensure both are in a good state. To do so, please follow these steps:

1. Disconnect the Plugable Silicon Motion USB docking station or video adapter from the host system. If the product you are using has an external power adapter (for example a USB docking station), please also disconnect the power adapter from the product so that the unit resets. Please keep everything disconnected until prompted
2. Uninstall any and all software with 'Silicon Motion' in the title that is present from within the Control Panel > Programs and Features (Apps and Features in Windows 10). If an entry is not listed in the Programs and Features application, the driver was likely installed automatically by Windows Update. Please then move on to the next step of installing the latest recommended driver
3. Once the uninstallation has completed running, restart the host system (even if not prompted to)
4. Download and install the latest version (that we recommend) of the Silicon Motion software driver
5. If you disconnected the power adapter from your product in step one, please reconnect it so the device powers on, then reconnect the product to the host system. If the product is still not working as expected, please restart the host system one more time.

If, after having completed this process, your Plugable Silicon Motion device is still not working as expected, please reach out to us directly via support@plugable.com with the output of our PlugDebug diagnostic utility and we will be happy to help

It's not uncommon for users to notice a certain level of heat generation from electronics and by extension, Plugable products during operation. In this knowledge base article, we'll explore the reasons behind this heat generation and why it is considered a normal experience within reasonable limits.

Electronics, by their nature, generate heat during operation. This is primarily a result of the electrical current flowing through various components, such as integrated circuits, transistors, and other electronic elements. As Plugable products are designed to efficiently process and transfer data (among other functionality), some level of heat generation is inherent.

Factors Influencing Heat Generation:

1. Power Consumption: The power consumption of a device directly influences the amount of heat it generates. Higher power usage, especially during data transfer or charging processes, can lead to increased heat.
2. Enclosure Design: The design of the product's enclosure and its ability to dissipate heat play a crucial role. Adequate ventilation and heat sinks are often incorporated to manage and disperse generated heat effectively. This is evident in our TBT3-UDZ and TBT4-UDZ designs. The metal case in these docks are designed to function as a heatsink with thermal pads placed throughout the enclosure. This allows heat dissipation from inside to the outside, but will also make it feel as if the device is “too hot”. 
3. Ambient Temperature: The external environment may also play a role. Higher ambient temperatures can contribute to increased perceived heat from the product. This means that summer temperatures may increase the heat generation of not just Plugable products, but many other electronic devices.

Normal Heat Levels: While it is normal for electronic devices to generate heat, Plugable products are engineered to operate within safe temperature ranges. We conduct rigorous testing to ensure that the heat generated during normal operation falls within industry-standard safety parameters. While not all products are or need to be UL certified, we try to go by UL guidelines for thermal readings. The UL threshold is 77C/170.6F, and we aim for around 71C/160F.

Tips for Users:

1. Ventilation: Ensure that Plugable products have sufficient ventilation around them. Avoid placing them in enclosed spaces where heat dissipation may be impeded.
2. Usage Patterns: Intensive tasks such as high-speed data transfer or charging multiple devices simultaneously may result in increased heat generation. This is generally normal but may be more noticeable in such scenarios.
3. Accessories: A number of our devices will allow for the connection of USB accessories and as such, these will require power. If too many “power-hungry” devices are connected, this will cause the device to run much hotter than expected. Be sure to keep in mind the power limits of your dock/device.

In conclusion, experiencing heat from Plugable products is a normal aspect of their operation. Users can rest assured that we prioritize the safety and efficiency of our devices. By understanding the factors influencing heat generation and following simple usage guidelines, users can make the most of their Plugable products while ensuring a reliable and efficient user experience.

If you have installed your Silicon Motion-enabled docking station or graphics adapter and downloaded the Silicon Motion software, but see that no displays are working properly, you may need to enable “Screen Recording”. In this guide, we will go over a short list of steps to enable this permission, and get your Silicon Motion device up and running!

As of macOS Catalina (version 10.15), Silicon Motion drivers that are installed require that the “Screen Recording” permission be granted by the user. While this permission, when used in conjunction with Silicon Motion, is not recording in a traditional sense, it does allow the software to access the pixels it needs to render images (mirrored or extended). It then sends these pixels over USB from the computer to the display connected to your Silicon Motion device.

When on your desktop you will see a purple screen icon, this message will appear saying that "macOS InstantView is capturing your screen". No sort of video storage or screen recording is being done by macOS InstantView, it's simply capturing the screen to render images for the additional monitors.

Note: It does not capture or send any data.

When your Mac is on the lock screen, in the menu bar it will show "Your Screen is being observed". This message is simply implying that the macOS InstantView is running in the background.

In the macOS menu bar you will see a Purple square with a person icon, if you select this it will show a message saying "Currently Sharing" this is the macOS InstantView software using the screen sharing API to enable your extended display. There is no recording or sharing of your monitor screen, this is just a generic message that macOS uses when the screen sharing API is being used.

During the installation process for the Silicon Motion drivers, you will be requested to allow “Screen Recording” for macOS InstantView. Additionally, you may see a notification during the macOS InstantView installation process. However, we understand sometimes these may get lost in a sea of information and other notifications.

How do I know if the Screen Recording permission hasn’t been set? Reference the image below to check in your “Privacy & Security” settings

If you have not enabled “Screen Recording”, please follow these few instructions to enable it.

1. Click on the Apple icon (defaults to the top left corner of your screen) and select “System Preferences”.
2. Navigate to and click “Security & Privacy”.
3. In this window, select “Privacy”.
4. A list will be presented, scroll until you find “Screen Recording” and click on it.
5. Displayed on the bottom left, there is a lock icon, click on this to make changes.
6. If prompted, login using your computer credentials to make changes.
7. Check the box next to macOS InstantView.
8. You will be promoted to “Quit & Reopen”, click this button.
9. Click on the lock icon once more to save your changes.

Note: Some of these steps may vary slightly based on your macOS version.

You should now be able to see your displays on your docking station or adapter. If you have completed the above steps successfully and still do not see your displays, please be sure to reach out to our support team at support@plugable.com.