The XGIMI Horizon Pro can be considered a main competitor to the BenQ X3000i, even though its price tag is usually substantially less and yes, both are 4K projectors, but neither are actually producing native 4K footage. Even so, the XGIMI is able to deliver some very convincing 4K images and, as my tests will show below, the projector does really well with both movies and even 4K gaming. Besides the 4K resolution (non-native), the XGIMI Horizon Pro offers a package of auto adjustment features for the footage which includes autofocus, auto keystone correction, intelligent screen alignment and intelligent obstacle alignment.

And it works incredibly well. Even if you put the projector at an angle, its distance from the wall has changed or regardless of any other positioning change, the XGIMI Horizon Pro will always successfully adjust the projected image. It’s all done automatically, so the user doesn’t need to change any other settings and yes, this does mean that the device is truly portable and one of the most user friendly 4K projector on the market.

This feature is also available on the non-Pro Horizon projector which makes that device just as compelling as the Pro. As for the software, the XGIMI Horizon Pro uses Android TV at its core and it does have integrated Google Assistant, as well as the most popular streaming services, except for Netflix, which needs a minor workaround. Furthermore, there is support for HDR10 + HLG, and the XGIMI went for Harman Kardon speaker for the sound, so overall, it does look like a very compelling package. Let’s put it to the test.

The Design and Build Quality

The XGIMI Horizon Pro is very compact, and I suppose it was designed to allow the user to move it around (that automatic angle and focus adjustment is a true godsend), but even if it measures 8.2 x 8.6 x 5.4 inches (20.8 x 21.8 x 13.6cm), it’s not really a lightweight device (it weighs 6.4 pounds). That’s the same as the XGIMI Horizon projector and yes, both devices do have the same design as well. The outer shell is metallic with a circular hole on the front for the lens and one the camera, and it curves nicely until it reaches the rear side where you can find the ports and connectors.

The lens is fully exposed, and it has a throw ratio of 1.2, while the camera next to it has the role of monitoring the image in real-time to do any necessary adjustments to keep it nice and focused. The rear side of the XGIMI Horizon Pro has some obvious ventilation areas for pushing out the air but know that the pattern on the metallic shell serves the same purpose to keep the internal temperature in check.

And yes, the projectors do tend to function at a slightly more elevated temperature, but the XGIMI Horizon Pro does make use of a very complicated cooling system that relies on copper pipes and a fan to keep the temperature low enough as to not warrant any throttling. I do need to mention that the fan is very quiet, so you don’t really have to worry about changing it with some Noctua’s – not that you’d be able to do so easily.

Returning to the rear side of the 4K projector, we can see that there is a Power port followed by an optical port, two USB-A 2.0 ports (for adding external storage – a drive with movies) and then there are two HDMI ports. The first is an HDMI 1 / ARC port for transfers up to 10.2Gbps and the second is an HDMI 2.0 port for data transfer at 18Gbps. Both ports are perfectly capable to deliver 4K videos, but the latter is better for a higher refresh rate. The XGIMI Horizon Pro only goes up to 60Hz, so yeah, it’s a nice feature to have but won’t really make a difference in our case.

Next, we have the LAN port which I assumed it was Gigabit, but after connecting it to the Zyxel XS1930 switch, it revealed that it can only go up to 100Mbps. Is that enough for 4K movie and gaming streaming? Yes, yes it is. Neither will get close to 100Mbps. Lastly, we can see the 3.5mm jack for audio output. The top and the bottom of the projector are made of plastic which is fine since it doesn’t take away from the premium look and feel of the device.

At the bottom, there is a hole dedicated for mounting the XGIMI Horizon Pro on a tripod – there are four silicone feet as well to keep the device in place and it’s interesting that there are actually four mounting holes just like in the center where the feet are simply screwed in. At the top of the projector, there are four buttons, first is the Power button which has a red LED embedded into it and it has the role of powering on and off the device (press and hold the button).

Then, there’s the Play/Pause button followed by Volume Up and Down. It’s a basic set of options, but do we need more? We got the remote for the proper set of controls. Before moving forward, if you look closer to the sides of the case, you will be able to see the two speakers (one on each side) and they’re both 8W Harman Kardon which should mean that they sound good. But we’ll put them to the test soon.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Teardown

I wasn’t very keen on opening up the XGIMI Horizon Pro mostly due to its price tag, but I mustered up the courage and detached the top part with a prying tool and doing so, I could see the controls board, as well as the antennas for the WiFi (dual band, so there’s support for 802.11ac).

There was also the Bluetooth antenna since the XGIMI Horizon Pro does indeed use Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE. I could see the intricate cooling system which seems to be proprietary made for this projector. The fan is 12V and it’s really not easy to reach in case you want to replace it (it’s quiet, so there’s no actual need to do so). I didn’t really go farther than that, but the FCC ID website was offered a far more in-depth teardown.

This way, I could see the Mediatek MT668BUN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 highly integrated single chip, the WF-M76B-USX1A WiFi and Bluetooth antennas, the 2x Texas Instruments DLPC3439 DLP digital display controller and the 09CCRCT G4 chip resistor.

I also know that the XGIMI Horizon Pro features 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. One of the most important aspects is the DMD 0.47″ chipset which is the same as on the XGIMI Horizon and it does have a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. So, how is the XGIMI Horizon Pro able to achieve 4K?

How is the XGIMI Horizon Pro able to achieve 4K resolution?

As I mentioned before, the XGIMI Horizon Pro uses the DLP470TP 0.47″ DMD chip which has a native resolution of 1080p, so how can it go up to the required 8 million active pixels? It’s using the XPR technology to achieve that result. Well, sort of, because in truth, it doesn’t really go up to the minimum 8M pixels, but it does use some tricks as to make you see the data as if it was in 4K.

I am not going to go too much in the technicalities since the guys from ProjectorJunkies did a very exhaustive analysis on the matter, but the general idea is that the projector plays all the information within the 2M pixels (1080p limitation) and breaking it into 4 pieces which are then played with a slight delay. But enough for your eye to see the entire 4K information.

Can it be considered just a trick? Even if it’s not native 4K, the end result perceived by our brains is almost the same. So yes, if the projector is good, you can rely on it even if it’s non-native 4K. But there’s a but. And it’s specific for the XGIMI brand. The XGIMI Horizon is a very good projector, too good actually because people have complained that the Pro version doesn’t really offer a noticeable improvement. How come? Well, the reason is the projected area. If it’s too small, like underneath 100 inches and you’re about 10 feet away, then you most likely won’t see a difference.

Going farther than that and raising the projected area will show that the XGIMI Horizon Pro does offer a better performance. But there is another aspect that we need to discuss, it’s the rainbow effect. It’s well known that the DLP projectors can be susceptible to this effect, and I have seen it on the XGIMI Horizon Pro. But know two things. First, not all people will see this effect (about half the population will mentioned it) and secondly, Texas Instruments (the developer of the chip) has made significant advances, so the effect is less noticeable.

Also, I have seen that the developer may want to move past the 60Hz limitation which would pretty much negate this effect altogether.

The Remote Control

The remote control that comes with the XGIMI Horizon Pro is the nicest remote that I have ever handled so far. It’s not very lightweight, but the metallic body does give it a premium feel and look. And you don’t get a huge number of buttons, just the minimum required to quickly navigate the software interface. Before anything else, you do need to pair the remote to the projector and even before that you need to go and purchase a couple of batteries because there are none in the package or in the remote.

That being said the pairing procedure requires that you click and hold the Back and Home buttons at the same time until you hear a sound from the XGIMI Horizon Pro’s speakers. You get the volume buttons, a Settings buttons and in the middle, there is even a D-PAD suitable for certain applications.

There is also a shortcut to the Google Assistant and there is a microphone built into the remote to make things easier. Also, embedded within the metallic case, there is the Focus button. While I was navigating the interface, I never felt that I was missing a keyboard and a mouse even if I had to write something in search bars. I know that the Android TV has come a long way and it does feel that intuitive on other devices as well, but the remote control seems perfectly tailored for the XGIMI projector interface. That’s unless you need to use a browser – you need a mouse and a keyboard at that point.

The Software Experience

XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K is essentially an Android TV, so you do need a Google account to access its features (there is some data collection since we’re talking about Google..). And, as I mentioned in the previous section, there is a very good symbiosis between the remote control and the interface, so you can quickly move through menus and options.

The 2GB of RAM seem to be more than enough for a smooth navigation with zero stuttering so far which I suppose was expected considering the price tag of the projector. You do get some of the most popular streaming apps already installed which includes Prime Video and the Google properties (YouTube, Music) but what is missing is Netflix which was a very weird app to omit. And it’s not even in the app store either. It’s curious considering that there is a Chromecast built into the XGIMI Horizon Pro, but the manufacturer has found a workaround, although the resolution will suffer.

I have mentioned the Chromecast integration, so you can cast videos or games directly towards the projector, and Google Assistant will let you give vocal commands from the remote control. Let’s not forget that the XGIMI Horizon Pro also support 3D videos. How does that work? Well, you need to click on the Settings button (on the remote) and select the 3D Videos Setup. Then, you get to choose between Side-by-side, Top and bottom, as well as 3D to 2D – you will need to use special glasses to see the footage properly.

Automatic Adjustments

XGIMI calls this suite of automatic adjustment features the Intelligent Screen Adaption Technology and it is indeed one of the best features that I have seen on any projector, even the more expensive ones. If you have ever gotten a cheaper projector, you know that you have to manually adjust the keystone alignment, as well as the focus. The XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K projector will do all those adjustments for you. There are two main settings and the first is called Keystone Correction.

XGIMI has added the Auto Keystone Correction as the first option, so they’re definitely spoon feeding us, but there are some settings involved here. You can find them under Keystone Settings: you can enable this function on Startup and when the projector has been put into a new location. Then, there’s the Obstacle Avoidance and the Auto Screen Alignment. The former uses the camera to detect that the surface where the image is projected is irregular (due to a piece of furniture, a painting or even a power outlet), so it moves the image around that obstacle.

The latter detects that you have positioned the XGIMI Horizon Pro at an angle and it tries to adjust the image as to be straight in the middle. Most of the times it works perfectly, but there have been some instances where I adjusted the angle a bit more manually. I know that a lot of people need to do this calibration only once and afterwards the projector essentially becomes a piece of furniture, but for people that need to move the device a lot, this is a godsend. The second setting is the Autofocus which is less complicated and, using the same camera, it will adjust the focus accordingly.

The Image Quality

Let’s first talk about uniformity. To assess whether the XGIMI Horizon Pro is able to produce a perfectly uniform image, I used five 4K pictures, each displaying a certain color. As you can see, the black was fairly uniform, with the exception of the top left corner.

There was a slight shade which remained regardless of where I positioned the projector (I cleaned the lens, so it’s not a smudge). At the same time, the blue was far better and it’s almost perfectly uniform – at least with the naked eye because the photo still shows a very slight darkening in the top left corner.

The green seemed perfectly uniform and so was the red, and the white was another pleasant surprise because it was very well uniform all through to the corners. I have checked what other people were experiencing and it does seem that the uniformity issue during dark scenes is far more pronounced with my unit.

Moving on, I played some videos and movies to get an idea about what the projector is capable of achieving. Since there are few 4K movies out there, I had to rely on YouTube, and I used a 12K HDR video which went up to 4K (right..). The footage looked absolutely stunning, the colors were vivid and there was an incredible amount of detail. I even went closer to the wall so that you get an idea about just how detailed everything was – I watched 10 ads for a few minutes of this video, so YouTube lost its mind.

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Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

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Does this actually matter that much to warrant an entire new device? It does matter because you get more pixels in the same area (as the first Photon printer), so the models should be far more detailed (there is a huge difference between 2K and 4K). And if the price remains roughly the same, then the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K should be a great replacement over the roughly five-year old resin 3D printer.

That being said, the Photon Mono series was and still remains suitable for new-comers since these resin 3D printers are not that expensive and, if anything goes wrong, it’s not too difficult to either repair or completely replace the device. Also, the Anycubic Photon 3D printers are actually able to create some really good models, a performance that was only possible a few years ago with devices that easily exceeded $1,000. But, before moving forward, I need to admit that this is the first resin 3D printer that I have used and tested, so I have made quite a few mistakes (and so will you, if you’re new to all this stuff), but the silver lining is that my approach will be similar to how the regular new-comer would see and do things. So, without further ado, let’s check out the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K.

The Design and Build Quality

Since I have been using a few inexpensive FDM, I am accustomed to having an open-case design where both the cables and the connectors aren’t really contained (it makes sense since the arm needs to move in certain directions). So, I was immediately surprised by how compact the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K was and how there were no exposed wires or cables. At 15.1 x 8.9 x 8.7 inches (38.3 x 22.7 x 22.2 cm), it won’t occupy that much from your table, but don’t let that fool you, a resin 3D printer will occupy your entire desk with all the accessories needed for cleaning the models afterwards.

It’s also not really bedroom-friendly due to the fumes and the risk of contaminating your stuff with uncured resin. In any case, the build volume is not that big 6.5 x 5.2 x 3.1 inches (16.5 x 13.2 x 8.0 cm), but it should be enough for small and medium-sized models (then again, larger models are usually printed in separate parts, so it may still work just fine with the Photon Mono 4K). So yes, the 4K version is the same as the original Photon Mono in terms of design, which means that there’s a black base and a yellow UV-blocking transparent top cover.
Unlike the more expensive Anycubic models, the top cover needs to be completely removed (it’s not just a lid), but the good news is that the 3D printer does have a sensor which will not allow you to start the printing process unless it detects that you added the cover.

The Photon Mono did not have a fan despite having some cut-outs that may suggest otherwise and it seems that the manufacturer has kept the Mono 4K fanless as well. This does mean that it should be more silent, but you will still be able to hear the movement of the elevator (Z-axis). The good news is that it’s surprisingly quiet, with just that characteristic low-volume squealing noise – since the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K will not end up in your bedroom (a garage is the more likely room), it won’t matter that much how noisy the printer is.

Since we’re dealing with an MSLA 3D printer, there is a 6.23-inch monochrome screen facing upwards and next to it there are two metallic supports with knobs for fixing the vat into place (which will contain the resin). I really like how Anycubic has added various measurements inside the vat, including a maximum limit, so that you don’t overfill it, therefore risking spilling some resin when the build plate needs to come down. The build plate is going to be separate in the package and you will need to add it to the support and calibrate it using the provided paper. On the front of the Photon Mono 4K, there’s a 2.8-inch color TFT touchscreen display which has proven to be very helpful.

You can use it to select the model that you want to print, to adjust the UV power, to move the Z-axis rod, to adjust the exposure, the rising speed, retraction speed and more. I did find the LCD display to be fairly responsive and it did move fast through the menus (a very similar performance to what I saw on the Longer LK5 Pro), but I also need to mention that you can see a live rendition of every layer that’s getting cured, as well as an approximate time until the model is going to be done. All around the base, you can see that there are quite a few ventilation cut-outs and, on the right side, there is a Power switch and a USB-A connector that you can use to insert an external storage device.

Note: After printing a few models, I noticed that the printing platforms has developed a few scratches from the metallic scrapper, so bear in mind that it is considered a consumable and may need replacing after printing a large number of models.

Putting Everything Together

The FDM 3D printers (the ones that use filament) are not easy to put together and even those that do come with most parts pre-attached, still require that you carefully follow the instructions and dedicate at least a couple of hours for the assembly. And then there’s the lengthy calibration. The SLA 3D printers are already pretty much fully assembled and everything is underneath a case, so you don’t have to deal with wires or rods. In the case of the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K, the installation process is incredibly simple and the first step is to power it on: attach the cord to the rear port and press the Power switch. The display should light up and show the Print, System, Tools options.

Select Tools > Move Z and then 10mm – press the Up arrow several times to raise the platform bracket using the Z-axis rod. Inside the box, you should be able to see the metallic printing platform: take it out and unscrew the four lateral screws. At this point, I decided to remove the protective plastics, but you can remove them later as well (it’s going to be more difficult though). On the platform bracket, you should be able to identify the large black knob which you need to unscrew and then slide the printing platform.

Secure it into place using the knob and then take out the leveling paper from the box and place it on the upper-facing glass screen (the paper was a bit large, but you can insert only a portion of it). From the display, press the Home icon to descend the Z-axis. When it stops, place your fingers on the printing platform and push gently on top of it, while tightening the four screws (using the provided Allen key). After that’s done, return to the display and click Tools > Z=0 and press Enter twice to save the current calibration. Afterwards, go back to Tools and select Detection. Next choose one of the three images and the exposure time – the screen should display the same image as you have chosen.

Now, it’s time to install the resin vat. Make sure that the screen is clean (I used a small blower that came with some camera lens and it worked great for removing dust particles) and then simply slide the vat into place. Tighten the two knobs and you’re good to go. Yes, there are seemingly many steps, but the real-life process will take very little and will feel very intuitive. The more difficult steps are later, when you actually finish printing a model.

Printing with Resin and Accessories

While the more difficult part when using a FDM 3D printer is the assembly process and the leveling, the SLA printers are a bit trickier to use than simply letting a filament be molten to form a certain shape. Before doing anything, you need to understand that uncured resin is toxic and hazardous to both yourself and the environment, so you need to handle it in a manner that it doesn’t end up touching your skin, Also, the disposal method needs to be in accordance to the local rules. So, don’t just pour the isopropyl alcohol and the uncured resin down the drain, but take it to the proper disposal center that’s nearest to you. There are countless videos on how to handle resin with 3D printers and I did take some advice from this video made by Maker’s Muse.

So yes, I used an aluminum tray to prevent any spills that I may have from the printing platform to reach unwanted surfaces, and I did use two separate plastic containers with lids for the isopropyl alcohol. I went a bit overboard, so I covered the entire table by a transparent plastic layer and then I put the printer into the aforementioned tray, but my routine was the following.
I put gloves on, as well as a mask and safety glasses, I stirred the resin bottle a bit and then carefully poured the resin into the tray (up until it almost reached the max level). Then, I took the gloves off and put the UV-blocking top cover. Afterwards, I inserted the provided USB drive and selected the model that I wanted to print (I used the test file), and then let the printer do its thing. Fast forward to a few hours in (about 4 hours and 10 minutes), I took the lid off the two containers and generously poured the isopropyl alcohol into both of them.

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Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

Furthermore, Annke has made sure that during the day, you can get a detailed view of its surroundings and, for the night vision, it made use of the EXIR technology to ensure that the darker areas are lighten up. This means that there is no way to hide from this camera even if it’s very dark outside. The EXIR predates the NightChroma technology that we saw with the NC400 which was capable of displaying a colored night video without relying on a spotlight and, while it’s not implemented on the C800, you can see this amazing tech in action on the new 4K camera NC800.

Besides the improved night vision, C800 supports the H.265+ video format which is great for keeping the files smaller, but without affecting the video quality and Annke has also added a noise-canceling microphone. A mike is always a welcomed addition on a security camera and the noise-canceling tech should help make the voices clear, especially if you live on a busy street. Of course, the support for RTSP and ONVIF are also present on the C800, so you should have no trouble integrating the camera with most third-party software and NVRs. That being said, it seems we get a fairly complete package for the money, so let’s check out the Annke C800 a bit more in detail and see if it’s suitable for ensuring the safety of your home.

Design and Build Quality

After I took the turret-shaped Annke C800 from the package, I immediately noticed that it looked very similar to the Annke C500, another PoE camera that I tested a few months back and, at a closer inspection, they do indeed look almost identical. The only difference that I could spot was the ‘Setting’ plastic cover that’s screwed to the top of the camera (for the microSD card slot and the Reset button – there’s a special key in the package to open the cover), while everything else is seemingly the same.

So, you get a plastic base made of two parts, a detachable bracket that you need to use to mount the camera on the wall or ceiling and the upper base which keeps the main camera body in place and allows a certain amount of movement. Unfortunately, there are no motors to move the camera from the app, so any angle adjustment needs to be done manually. Within the base, there is the ceramic coated metallic case of the camera, sporting a fairly large front section for the lens. And, this section is black, while the entire device is covered by a white matte finish, to not stand out too much from the wall or ceiling.
Within the aforementioned black section, there’s the Sony IMX274 image sensor, the microphone and, if you cover the sensor, the two IR LEDs will shine underneath it.

Even though the size of a security camera may not be that important (probably, the bigger, the better), it’s still worth mentioning that the C800 measures 4.3 x 3.7 inches (same as the C800). As perhaps all other Annke cameras, the C800 is a rebranded Hikvision camera (to be more specific, it seems to be the SP-APHD97A-8M), so both devices should share the same hardware, but not the software, obviously. I decided to open up the case of the C800 to make sure that the hardware is indeed identical and, to do so, I had to remove the three screws on the bottom. And, after detaching the power connector, I got a better view of the first PCB and I could see the MNC H16111CE 2103X 100Mps switch chip and a CM8-001R 2037 common mode choke.

After removing the metallic cover, I could also see what seems to be a quad-core Cortex A17 CPU (HK-2019-A17 T4TX6900 2010-BS), 128MB of flash memory from Winbond (25N01GVZEIG) and 256MB of RAM from Nanya (2052 NT5CC128M16JR-EK). I could go on and detach the top PCB to access the second one and see the lens, but I already checked the main components, so I let it be. After putting everything back together, I saw that there is a concealed seal between the two metallic parts and it’s there to ensure that neither water, nor dust can enter the enclosure. Indeed, the device is IP67-rated, so it should survive most outdoors conditions – besides the dust and water protection, the C800 should also remain operational when the temperature is between -22 to 140 degrees F (or -30 to 60 degrees C), so it will fare fine even during those harsher winters (which are less often nowadays).

At the bottom of the camera, you will notice a permanently attached cable which is divided into two smaller cables: one is for connecting the Annke C800 to a PoE switch or directly to a router and the other is for connecting the camera to a power adapter. Inside the package, you won’t find an Ethernet cable, nor a power adapter, so Annke doesn’t persuade you to go either way (although PoE is clearly the superior option, especially for the outdoors), but the manufacturer has added a waterproof lid for the Ethernet cable.

Installation and Setup

The Annke C800 does not support a WiFi connection, so you have to directly attach it to your router and this can be done in two ways. Either get a power adapter and an Ethernet cable, and connect the camera to the router and a wall socket or use a single Ethernet cable and a PoE switch or PoE adapter to power on the C800. Since I don’t like too many cables outdoors, especially power cables, I preferred using PoE, so I connected the C800 to a TRENDnet TPE-LG80.

Afterwards, I opened the Annke Vision app (I already had it installed from when I tested the NC400 and the C500) and then I tapped on the Plus sign to add the C800 – there are two options to do so, either by scanning a QR code or by manually inserting the serial number. Since the Annke C800 doesn’t have a QR code, I used the latter option and, after selecting the device type (wired camera), it required a Device Password to activate the C800. Moving forward, I set a Verification Code, so that the videos are automatically encrypted (don’t lose this code) and I got the Adding completed message.

The App

The app GUI is relatively simple, showing the live footage in the middle, while immediately underneath, you get to select how many cameras you want to view at the same time (can go up to 16 – obviously, this is going to work great if you have a larger tablet). Further down, you can select the image quality which comes as Basic, Standard or HD. I can only assume that HD stands for the highest resolution available since I have set the image quality to 4K from the web-based interface and I took a video using the HD mode and indeed, the resolution was set to 3840x2160p. Be aware that the higher the resolution, the higher the bitrate, but, since the connection is cabled and the link is made at 100Mbps, it shouldn’t be a problem for any router released in the past 10 years (or more).

At the maximum video quality, there is a noticeable lag of about 1 second and a half during both the day and the night. Next to the image quality icon, you can use the digital zoom icon (it zooms up to three times), capture a photo, start recording a video, pause the live view, enable the alarm (?) which would give me Operation failed and flipping the screen.

The last option will allow you to select the noise reduction level for the footage. If you tap on the three dots on the top right corner, it will summon four more options, the first allowing you to check the footage that’s saved on your SD card or HDD (the device supports SD cards up to 128GB which is acceptable). The second and the fourth options are for Sharing the device with other people or Add it to favorites, while the third option allows you to change the Settings. But, don’t get your hopes too high, because there’s only a limited amount of options – the good stuff can be found on the web-based UI. Still, you get to enable the Image and Video Encryption, the Microphone, configure the Notifications and set up the DDNS.

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Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

I’ve already seen this tech on the RLC-511WA and on the RLC-520A, and it worked really well, being able to easily to tell apart moving objects from humans. But that’s not all because, similarly to the aforementioned RLC-511WA, the camera does offer colored night vision using a front-positioned spotlight (not the same implementation as on the Annke NC400) and the 5x zoom does make far more sense on a 4K camera. Not that the RLC-511WA didn’t perform well, it’s just that the Reolink RLC-811A should be able to deliver a far better image quality (since I doubt that extra pixels are just for show).

Of course, this is not a WiFi camera, so you will either need to choose between a power adapter or a PoE connection and the device is, as usual, built rugged enough to withstand the elements. All of these features should render the RLC-811A one of the best cameras that Reolink has built so far, while also keeping the price tag as affordable as possible, so let’s check it out and see if it manages to blow all of its competitors out of the water.

Design and Build Quality

The Reolink RLC-811A looks very similar to the RLC-511 and the RLC-511WA that I recently tested, so expect a fairly large metallic case covered by a white matte finish and, consider its generous size, it’s hard to go unnoticeable when mounted on a ceiling or wall. And that’s pretty much the point of these security devices, they need to be clearly visible in order to discourage any potential trespasser – if the size won’t do it, there’s the bright spotlight that consists of five big LEDs underneath the front-facing lens. That being said, the RLC-811A measures 3.0 x 2.83 x 5.43 inches without the stand (and 9.37 with the stand fully extended) so, it’s essentially just as big as the RLC-511WA, minus the antennas.

There are other similar elements with the aforementioned WiFi camera, such as the bottom-mounted speaker that’s covered by a circular metallic piece and the blue-colored silicone band that divides the front and the rear parts of the case. As I do with all cameras, I decided to take the RLC-811A apart to see what the manufacturer has inserted inside the metallic shell.
The tear-down process involves removing the four screws from the rear side of the camera and then to slide the front section to reveal the internal components. This way, I was able to identify the NT98523MBG 2004-BB T8N60400 processor, 256 MB of RAM from SKHynix (H5TQ2G63GFR RDC 928V NWMN7918WH), 128 MB of flash memory (GigaDevice FP2024 5F1GQ4UBYIG) and a Ruimeng MS41929 JCQA05 IC. So it’s not just the internal layout that’s almost identical to the RLC-511WA, but the components are also the same, minus the RAM which comes from a different manufacturer.

After adding it all back together, I had to put the silicone seal properly into place in order for the camera to retain its IP66 rating. Indeed, the RLC-811A is dust proof and will remain functional when powerful jets of water are directed towards its metallic enclosure (which is great in case of powerful storms). The RCL-811A is not really mountable in the open, but, in any case, make sure to take all the necessary precautions against lightning (add surge protectors).

You should also take into account the temperature at which the device will remain operational – it’s down to 14°F and up to 131°F, so it should do fine in areas where the winters aren’t too harsh. The front of the camera is also very similar to the RLC-511WA, so the four IR LED pcs are there, as well as the brightness sensor and the five LEDs for the spotlight. On the bottom of the camera, besides the speaker, there’s also a microphone, so yes, it does support a tow-way communication (you can simply scare any intruder – it’s better to rely on the horn, but screaming should also do the trick).

The metallic arm requires manual adjustments and, after you’ve put it into place, use the hex key (from the package) to block it into position. The cable that’s attached to the camera is also white to better camouflage itself with the wall (before, it was black) and, towards the end, it gets divided into three separate shorter and narrower cables. First, there’s the Reset cable (press and hold the button at the end for about 10 seconds to return the RLC-811A to its default settings), the second cable allows you to connect a power cable (there isn’t one in the package), while the third one supports an Ethernet connection and yes, you do get a fairly short Ethernet cable in the box. It’s clear that the preferred option is PoE since you only have to use one cable instead of two for both data transfer and for powering up the camera.

Setup and Functionality

The hardware installation is similar to most other bullet-shaped cameras, so you will need to drill three holes and then screw the camera arm into place, but the power source is where things get interesting. You can purchase a separate power adapter and rely on an Ethernet cable to send and receive data from your router, but, since this is a PoE camera, it’s better to either use a PoE switch (even a cheaper unmanaged one will do the trick) or a PoE adapter (the RLC-811A supports PoE 802.3af, 48V active). In case you can’t run an Ethernet cable outdoors, but do have a power source near the place where you mounted the camera, you can give a chance to the Reolink RLC-511WA since, even though the image quality is not just as good, you do get all other features + the dual-band wireless capability.

After that’s done, you do need to download and install the Reolink app on your mobile device (it will work with both Android and iOS) and, in my case, since I was already connected to the local network (while the camera was connected to the same router), the application immediately detected the uninitialized Reolink camera.

Tap on it to start the wizard which will guide you through creating a login password for the camera, to give it a name (to easily identify it in case you have multiple Reolink cameras) and that’s all, the entire process can take less than a minute before you get access to the live footage. As with other Reolink cameras, you get to see the current bitrate on the top left corner and it seems that the manufacturer has kept the same upper limit at 8,192Kbps, but, in my case, while the image quality was set to High, the bitrate averaged at about 6,500Kbps regardless whether it was during the day or night.

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Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

There aren’t that many 8K monitors available yet (Dell or LG offer a few, while Apple goes up to 5K), but the professionals will always need better gear, so, despite being small, it’s a growing niche nonetheless.
Even so, the device will work perfectly fine with two 4K monitors at 60Hz, which has been the standard with the other (more premium) Kensington docking stations for the last few generations and there’s also the Thunderbolt 3 port that can charge a 13-inch laptop, so you don’t have to carry the power brick with you, just the slim laptop (you do get a healthy amount of USB ports for your peripherals as well).

I have to mention that the SD2500T is not the only docking station from Kensington that supports 8K pass-through, since the manufacturer has also made available the fairly better equipped SD5600T, but the advantage that the SD2500T has is that it’s a lot more compact, while keeping pretty much all the important ports and connections. Well, you do get 60W instead of the 100 watt power supply delivered by the SD5600T, but that’s a necessary compromise if you want to be able to carry the docking station with you – the SD2500T is no larger than a smartphone, so it can easily fit in a pocket. That’s right, Kensington has made sure that the SD5200T is as compact as possible and, at 5.9 x 3.1 x 0.6 inches (15.0 x 7.9 x 1.7 cm), it’s definitely not going to take much space from your desk and it will be easy to carry.

I did put it next to the SD5500T, another fairly compact docking station from Kensington and, while the SD2500T is clearly smaller, I was surprised to see that it is, in fact, heavier. This is far from being a bad thing (no, it doesn’t weigh like a brick) since it will give it a premium look and indeed, the case has kept that compact, but elegant look that we got accustomed from Kensington. You get a thick metallic shell that goes around the top, bottom and the sides, but it as left the front and bottom for the black glossy plastic where the manufacturer has positioned all the ports and slots. There is no brushed aluminum this time and instead, Kensington has preferred the soft metal finish, but you do get the usual silicone bands that keep the device from budging, as well as an info label. I did notice that there is no VESA mount this time and I am a bit surprised by this decision considering that pretty much all other Kensington docking stations has at least a couple of VESA holes. Truth be told, there really aren’t that many places where you could have mounted the docking station, unless you purchased a dedicated stand.

That being said, let’s have a look at the ports. On the rear side (based on the Kensington logo from the top), there is a power port which is proprietary and, unexpectedly different than on the other Kensington docking stations, but I did like that the manufacturer has put some thought when it designed the brick considering that it’s covered by a brushed pattern (I won’t judge anyone that simply offers a black plastic brick since it’s most likely going to end up on the floor). Next to the DC connector, there is the Thunderbolt 3 port to which you will need to connect your laptop, so it both send/receives data and it gets its battery recharged – you get a 2.6 feet cable included (Intel Certified Thunderbolt 3). I used a MacBook Pro 13, so the 60W were enough for anything I would have wanted to run using the macOS, but things can get a bit trickier while gaming.

If you have a laptop that supports heavier games (Windows OS, mainly), you may need to take some breaks from time to time to allow for the battery to recharge. The 60W should also suffice for the larger-screen MacBooks, but it may not be enough if you’re running some heavy applications (in which case, give the SD5600T or the ‘older’ SD5500T a chance). It’s worth mentioning that the T3 port will also work with non-Thunderbolt 3 laptops, since it will simply revert to a basic USB-C connector (the controller seems to be a part of the Titan Ridge family). Be aware that some older MacBooks are not equipped with T3 ports and no, the SD2500T is not compatible with the previous standards (FireWire).

Next to the Thunderbolt 3 port, there are two DisplayPorts 1.4 and, as I previously said, you can connect two 4K monitors at the same time (both will be capped at 60Hz) or, if you have the gear, you can go for that single 8K output. In case you can’t connect to a T3 computer, you still get to use two 4K monitors, but they will be limited at 30Hz. I am still stuck with that 2K monitor fro Dell (U24515), so I can’t really test the true potential of the SD2500T, but, while attached to a MacBook Pro, the image was perfect and I saw no connection issues. Further to the right, there is a Gigabit Ethernet port along with two LEDs to show the data transmission and the supported speed (this is the only LEDs that I could find on the SD2500T, so no, there is no power LED). Of course, I immediately decided to test the supported throughput and to do it properly, I connected the docking station to a MacBook Pro (via T3) and the SD5200T to my router – it will work as client – I also connected another computer to the router and it will function as the server.

This way, from the client to the server, I saw an average of 940Mbps and, from the server to the client things didn’t go as smooth, since the average throughput was at about 687Mbps.

As a comparison, the SD5500T offered a sustained 943Mbps, so I assume there may be some limitation due to the compactness of the case or due to the internal heat (?). Speaking of which, the case did get warm to touch, but didn’t get hot, so I doubt there was any reason for throttling. The last port on the rear side is the USB-A port that, along with the couple of USB-A ports from the front side, will do great for connecting your peripherals. But it’s important to know that all three are USB 3.2 Gen 2 port supporting up to 10Gbps, so they should also be reliable for connecting external storage devices. Besides the USB-A ports, there is also a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that I used to test the storage performance of the docking station.

To do so, I connected a SanDisk Extreme Pro external SSD (256GB) and, while the SD2500T was attached to a USB-C-only laptop (Lenovo Legion Y520), I ran the CrystalDiskMark 6 and the ATTO benchmarks. When compared to the direct connection to the laptop, the CrystalDiskMark 6 shows that there is a slight speed decrease, but it’s nothing dramatic (less than 5 percent which is negligible); the ATTO benchmark showed a better performance and there was barely any difference between the direct connection and the SSD going through the docking station. Afterwards, I kept the SanDisk SSD connected to the SD2500T, but I connected the docking station to a MacBook Pro (to one of the two Thunderbolt 3 ports).

This way, while running the BlackMagicDesign benchmark, I saw that the Read speed was 502MBps which is very close to the 514MBps that I got when the SSD was directly connected to the laptop, but the Write speed did suffer quite a bit, going down to 296.8MBps (from the 468.4MBps via the direct connection). Just like most recent Kensington docking stations, you also get an audio output port which worked really well with my pair of headphones – no interference or noise and lastly, you do get an SD and a microSD card slot. These slots support SD 4.0, UHS-II and they’re a great addition for photographers and vloggers considering that Apple didn’t bother including them into their MacBook series.

Conclusion

Similarly to the SD5500T, the Kensington SD2500T was designed to cater to both the Thunderbolt 3 ultrabook users and for those that have laptops with only USB-C ports available, and make no mistake, you do need a docking station in case you decide to go for those slim, easily-portable computers. It’s true that the SD2500T is not the most inexpensive device, but you do get support for dual 4K monitors (or 8K single monitor), you can charge your laptop, connect all your peripherals, your headphones and even your SD cards, and all that in a very compact case (considering the amount and variety of ports that you get) that looks just as premium as your expensive laptop.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

The Kensington SD5300T has kept most of the ports of its predecessor (such as the Gigabit Ethernet connector and the couple of Thunderbolt 3 ports), but it also made some radical changes, replacing the single USB-C port with more USB Type-A ports, it fused the two audio I/O ports into a single one, the DP++ was replaced with a HDMI port and there is now an SD card reader, a feature that has become a necessity thanks to Apple’s ‘minimalist’ approach.

It’s true that Apple has started this trend and the other manufacturers have followed suit but some larger ports needed to be removed in order to make the computers slimmer and more lightweight, therefore more portable and to include larger batteries, ensuring more hours of use on a single charge. The alternative always remains the gaming laptop which comes with all the needed ports and with more powerful internal hardware, but which has none of the advantages of the ultrabook (it’s less portable, is usually made of plastic and the battery lasts 3-4 hours on average). The ultrabooks also give a sense of modularity allowing you to move the computer from home to the office and, using a single cable, to simply connect to all the necessary devices (mouse, keyboard, storage devices and even external GPUs) using a stationary dock which, in some cases, can also recharge the battery of your laptop, so you don’t need to carry the power brick around with you.

The Kensignton SD5300T is built specifically for this type of layout, featuring an external power brick and requiring a single Thunderbolt 3 cable to connect a higher number of devices to your computer. The docking station itself is a bit larger than its predecessor (it measures 9.0 x 3.4 x 1.0 inches LxWxH) and the case has been completely redesigned: while the SD5200T had a brushed metal frame with the top and bottom side made of plastic, the SD5300T has the top and bottom covered by two brushed metal pieces and the frame is made of plastic (with a black glossy finish).

The corners of the rectangular case are rounded and both the plastic and the metal curves towards a narrower front surface – this makes the device feel more elegant and thanks to its premium build, the Kensington SD5300T will look really good next to your ultrabook or MacBook (the decision to not include any flashy elements was the most suitable one considering that the targeted audience values minimalism above the colorful over-design trend).

Since it has more metal, the SD5300T is a bit heavier than its predecessor, weighing 15.16 ounces and, thanks to its four silicone feet from the bottom, the device should stay in place regardless of the number of cables that are connected. Among the most important features of the SD5300T are the two Thunderbolt 3 ports which can be found on the rear side of the docking station, the first one supporting up to 15W, therefore being suitable for charging the battery of smartphones or some true earbuds’ case, while the second Thunderbolt 3 port is the host port (used to connect to your laptop) and it supports 60W (similarly to the SD2000P).

This is a step down from the 85W of the SD5200T and Kensington says that the reason for this was because most Thunderbolt 3 laptops don’t need more than 60W to be kept live and running. And that’s mostly true because my 13-inch MacBook Pro was easily handled even at full speed (charging it from 0 to 100% took just about as much as it would if I used the Apple adapter), but a 15-inch ultrabook will need 80-85W under a heavy load, so the SD5200T will cover this ground a lot more effectively – the SD5300T can also recharge the battery of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but it will take more time and, if you run resource-heavy applications, it may lose charge.

What all the ultrabooks and MacBooks have in common is the use of USB Type-C ports (Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 / 3.2) and, while I’m happy to see that this has finally united Apple with the rest of the computer manufacturers, the lack of backwards compatibility remains a major issue, especially when most peripherals are stuck on the older standard (yes, even the newer high-end ones). And that’s not all, because a source of confusion comes from the Type-C connector itself which, despite looking the same in any configuration, it can support a transfer rate of up to 10 Gbps (USB 3.1) or up to 40Gbps (the case of the Thunderbolt 3).

Additionally, the USB Type-C port also supports DisplayPort (1.2 and 1.4), HDMI, DVI and audio. The Kensington SD5200T has a USB Type-C (3.1) port, while the SD5300T decided to replace it with more USB Type-A ports (five instead of the three of the previous gen): the three ports from the rear side support 5V/0.9A charging and one of th USB 3.1 Gen1 ports from the front support 5V/2.1A fast charging technology (I tried recharging the battery of my Pixel 2 XL and it still charged slowly with both ports, but it did show “Charging rapidly” when using the second USB-C port, so it may be a tech incompatibility?).

Next to the two Thunderbolt 3 ports (to the left), there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port and, since most ultrabooks and all MacBooks have removed this vital port, this is the only way to gain a more stable connection from your router. To see if the docking station has any significant impact over the connection, I took an ASUS RT-AC86U router and connected my desktop computer using a CAT6 cable (it will work as the server) and next, I connected another CAT6 cable to the router and to the Kensington SD5300T dock, which, in turn was connected to a MacBook Pro using a Thunderbolt 3 cable (the laptop will work as the client). This way, I could measure the LAN to LAN performance: from the client to the server, I measured an average of 949 Mbps (the throughput was pretty much constant for the entire duration of the test) and, from the server to the client, I got an average of 863 Mbps (again, with very small variations of a few Mb).

To the right side of the Thunderbolt 3 ports, there’s a single HDMI v2.0 port which allows you to connect to a 4K monitor at 60Hz and, since the manufacturer has also included a USB-C to HDMI video adapter in the package, you can add a secondary 4K monitor at 60Hz. The SD5300T can also handle a single 5K monitor at 60Hz.
Since I currently only have a 2K monitor, I connected the MacBook Pro to my Dell U2515H and everything went fine by either using the direct connection to the HDMI or through the adapter. On the front of the device, towards the left, there are two LED indicators (instead of the single LED on the SD5200T), one showing when the device is powered on (green LED) and the other if any device is connected (blue).

Still on the front side, but a bit to the right, there’s an SD 3.0 UHS-I card reader which supports speeds up to 104 MBps. I didn’t have the fastest micro-SD card around, just an 8GB Hama microSD HC class 10 which, when connected directly to my Lenovo laptop, it delivered an average reading speed of 58 MBps and an average writing speed of 19 MBps. When connected through the docking station, I got the same performance in both the reading and writing speed test. Considering that the MacBook Pro lacks a card reader (other ultrabooks, such as the Dell XPS and the HP Spectre do have it), this addition is going to be extremely useful especially if you’re a photographer or if you’re shooting videos on a daily basis. Further to the right, the SD5300T has a single audio port where you can connect headphones with integrated microphone (unlike the SD5200T, which had the headphone and the microphone port separated). On the left side of the dock, the manufacturer has added a Kensington Security Slot and a smaller Nano Security Slot.

I recently acquired a Samsung X5 Thunderbolt 3 SSD (500GB), so I decided to test its performance when connected directly to the MacBook Pro and when connected through the Kensington SD5300T. In the first case, using the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test tool, it measured an average writing speed of 1,701 MBps and an average reading speed of 2,390 MBps (the reading speed is on par with what was advertised, but the writing speed is a bit off – but it has nothing to do with Kensington, since these numbers are from the direct connection to the computer). After putting the Kensington SD5300T in between the MacBook Pro and the Samsung X5, I measured an average writing speed of 1,654 MBps, while the reading speed was 2,370 MBps. As you can see, neither the reading, nor the writing speed was affected in a significant way when connected to the Kensington SD5300T, having a very slight drop, which is to be expected when using a docking station.

Since not all your devices will use the Thunderbolt 3 standard, I decided to format a SanDisk Extreme external SSD (250GB) and run the BlackMagic benchmark. This way, when connected directly to the MacBook Pro, I measured an average of 513 MBps on the reading test and an average of 485 MBps on the writing speed; after I put the Kensington SD5300T in the middle, I measured an average reading speed of 503 MBps and an average writing speed of 467 MBps. Once again, there is a very small difference between the direct connection and when using the docking station.

While running the tests, the docking station got a bit warm all around the case, but it didn’t show any signs of overheating (unlike the Samsung X5 which wanted to catch fire). Similarly to the SD5200T, the docking station can be used with the DockWorks software to actively monitor the connection, to enable the MAC Address Pass-through feature and to easily switch from the WiFi to the LAN.
Note: If you want to connect the SD5300T to a USB 3.1 Type-C (non Thunderbolt 3) port, it will not work because the docking station does not use the Titan Ridge controller.

Conclusion
The Kensington SD5300T doesn’t seem to aim to be a replacement for the SD5200T but to coexist alongside it, offering some features that its predecessor did not have (such as the SD card reader, more USB ports and a modified audio port), but it also has downgraded some parts, such as the power delivery (which went from 85W to 60W) and removed the USB 3.1 Type-C port. That being said, similarly to its predecessor, the SD5300T features a premium build quality, it supports 5K / dual 4K monitors, has enough ports to connect all your peripherals (including fast eGPUs) and gain a wired Internet connection, all that while requiring nothing more than a single Thunderbolt 3 connection to your computer.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

While some users may not really be fond of this new approach, it did create a clearer separation line between gaming-focused laptops (which are chunky, have powerful internal hardware, but lack in the battery life department) and the slim, portable laptops which, after the removal of most of the ports (including the Ethernet port), they become incredibly thin (but sturdy, thanks to a metal frame), a lot lighter and come with larger batteries (which now are allowed to occupy more space), so the user gets the perfect portable working station. Considering that people may still need a reliable wired connection to the Internet, a connection to a larger 4K/5K monitor or to a portable SSD drive (or any other peripherals), a good docking station can ensure that all of these needs are met.

The Thunderbolt 3 isn’t really that widespread and you can mostly find it on the newer MacBooks and some other high-end Windows laptops (hopefully that will change after AMD decides to actually use the (now) royalty free Thunderbolt technology), while the other portable computers will have to settle for the cheaper and slower USB 3.1 Type-C connector. But there is a problem: both look the same, so the user may have difficulties understanding the differences between these two ports.

To make it simple, the USB Type-C specification refers to the small reversible port which supports a wide array of protocols, including DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA, while also allowing up to 100W of power to be delivered to any connected devices. One of the first standards to use the Type-C is the USB 3.1 which supports a transfer rate of up to 10 Gbps but, to ensure that the users will not experience any type of latency, Apple decided to implement Intel’s new Thunderbolt 3 controller which, unlike the previous Thunderbolt and the USB 3.1 standards, is capable of up to 40Gbps, has a better power consumption and, since it supports the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol, the Thunderbolt 3 can pair a compatible laptop to a couple of 4K monitors at 60Hz (or a single 5K monitor at 60Hz when using the more recent MacBook Pro).

And that’s where the Kensington SD5200T comes into play, requiring only a single Thunderbolt 3 cable connection to your laptop to gain a wired connection to the Ethernet and to carry all your peripherals. While most other Thunderbolt 3 docking stations are plain looking, a bit more thought has been put when designing the Kensington SD5200T, so the device will not look out of place next to your ultrabook: the top and bottom part of the case are made of plastic, while on the lateral sides, Kensington added a thick metallic layer covered by a brushed pattern which gets interrupted on the front side by a small LED light and by two ports.

Furthermore, the plastic on the top surface curves towards the metallic outer shell which, paired with the chamfered edges, it gives the device a unique, elegant appearance.
Unlike the CalDigit TS3 Plus that was designed to be kept on an upwards position, the SD5200T can only sit horizontally on a flat surface and, on the bottom area, you can find two mounting holes (if you decide to purchase additional brackets to mount the docking station to the back of the monitor), an info label and four silicone feet for increased stability, especially when you connect all the ports – the unit is also heavier than most other devices from the competition because of the outer metallic layer (it weighs 11.9 ounces), but its footprint remains within the norms (it measures 8.6 x 3.4 x 1.0 inches – so it won’t take more space from your desk than necessary).

As expected, the main point of interest is going to be the ports area and Kensington decided to put most of them on the rear side of the device: from the left, there’s an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port (since most thin laptops have removed the Ethernet port, this will come in handy to gain a stable wired connection to the Internet – great for games and video streaming), a simple USB 3.0 Type-A port which is useful for connecting any peripherals (mouse, keyboard, external HDD and so on), but, paired with the other USB 3.0 on the front side of the SD5200T it may prove to not be enough for most users (to counteract this problem, you can daisy-chain multiple docking stations or use additional dongles).

Next to the rear USB 3.0 port, there is a 3.5mm microphone and a 3.5mm headphones jack (and the sound seems clear even at lower volume, a problem which plagued the TS3 Lite from Caldigit), but I’m not really a fan of the decision to put these two ports on the back area; there’s also a Kensington Security Slot (the manufacturer’s signature – you can attach a security cable to the slot to ensure that the device can’t be stolen) and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The first TB3 port can be used to either add peripherals or for daisy chaining multiple Thunderbolt 3 docking stations to gain more ports (it can charge devices that don’t need more than 15W and it is backwards compatible with devices that have USB Type-C ports – it recharged my Pixel 2 XL from 10 to 100 % in about an hour and a half using the Fast Charging technology), while the second TB3 port (the one with the laptop icon) features a power delivery of up to 85W, so it is the most suitable for connecting your laptop – a fantastic addition since you won’t have to carry around a power brick.

85W should be plenty for most laptops that support Thunderbolt, but you shouldn’t do resource-heavy tasks while the device is charging if you want it fully charged quickly (an XPS 13 9370 went from 20 % to 100 % in about 2 hours with very light use). Obviously, if your computer requires more than 85 W, then a docking station will not be enough and you will have to rely on the dedicated power brick (be aware that the Kensington SD5200T’s power brick is almost as large as the dock itself, but considering that it’s easy to tuck it away under a table, it won’t really be an inconvenience).

To test the storage read/write speeds using a Thunderbolt 3 port, I decided to connect an external 256GB Samsung T5 SSD and measure its speed when it was connected directly to the XPS 13’s Thunderbolt port and the through the docking station. This way, when connected directly to the external SSD drive, the sequential read speed was, on average, 532 MBps and the sequential write speed was 516 MBps. While going through the Kensington SD5200T docking station, the sequential read speed was, on average, 510 MBps and the sequential write speed was around 488 MBps.

Note: The Thunderbolt 3 ports can be converted to video ports using USB Type-C to VGA or to HDMI adapters.
Next to the two TB3 ports, the SD5200T has a DisplayPort v1.2++ which is useful for connecting a UHD display (4096 x 2160 pixel resolution) at 60 Hz via passive HDMI or DVI adapters and, if you decide to use two UHD monitors at the same time, the TB3 ports do allow it using a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter. This setup is not limited to dual 4K monitors, but also suitable for a single 5K monitor. In my case, I only have one 2K Dell U2515H monitor to test (which is fantastic, by the way) and, as expected, the SD5200T had no problems handling the connection.

The last port on the rear side is the DC 20V power supply which connects to the power brick. On the front side, on the plastic area that interrupts the metallic layer rests a USB 3.0 port (supports Fast Charging and it can deliver up to 15W) and a data-only USB Type-C port (supports speeds up to 5 Gbps).

The SD5200T is compatible with Windows 10 OS and MacOS, but not with ChromeOS. Furthermore, Kensington provides the DockWorks software which is useful if you connect an Ethernet cable to the dock since it actively monitors the connection and can switch from LAN to WiFi (and vice versa) and it does support MAC ID Pass-through and Rest (so, it will mainly be useful for technicians or administrator and less for the regular home user).

Conclusion
Even if there aren’t that many Thunderbolt 3 docking station available, the Kensington SD5200T still has a tough competition to face and to distance itself a bit, the docking station offers a solid built quality, it supports single 5K or dual 4K monitors, it can easily charge an ultrabook and it has a cool tool to control the Internet connection. But, the main reason to get a docking station is to have a reliable device that won’t require more than a cable to connect all your peripherals and the Kensington SD5200T is up for the task.

Check out the product here:

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com