[NAME]  HDMI 1.4b can only run 3440x1440 at up to 50 Hz, but not all displays support 50 Hz input.  And that can create some issues when watching videos shot in popular frame rates anyway, just fyi.In terms of solutions, it sounds like you have a solid grasp of the tech products out there, and therefore your options, along with their various drawbacks and risks.  I have a couple of suggested setups that would probably get you to your ideal in terms of convenience and functionality, but (probably predictably) they also involve more cost.  You may have already ruled these out for that reason, but just in case you haven't thought of these options and would be open to them, here goes: Option #1: Get a display with a USB-C input that supports Power Delivery, and optionally (but ideally) ALSO has an additional upstream USB interface.  Connect the Latitude 5400 to the USB-C input, then keep the WD19S 180W dock for the XPS, since current USB-C displays won't provide the 130W required by that system anyway.  Connect the WD19S to the display via DP, and if the display has that secondary upstream USB data interface, connect that to the WD19S as well.  At this point you'll have both systems connected to power all the time, and switching video (and possibly USB) is a simple matter of changing the display input.  On Dell displays with multiple USB upstream data paths, you can configure them so that a certain USB data path is active whenever a certain video input is active, so switching the video input will automatically take care of USB.  And if you have USB data paths to both systems, you can even use Dell Display Manager to switch inputs by running a command, triggered either by a batch file you click on your system or even a simple keyboard shortcut, so you don't even have to physically touch the display. Option #2: Get a second WD19S dock plus a KVM.  For the Latitude 5400, you'd be able to get by with the WD19S 130W if you prefer in order to save a bit of cash, and then for a KVM if you only need to switch one display, that shouldn't be too difficult to find.  I'm a fan of IOGear for KVMs, and I've actually recommended their GCS1942 KVM for people who are trying to switch dual display setups between multiple source systems.  But here again, this way you'll have both systems persistently connected, as well as an easy way to have certain USB peripherals dedicated to each system (since each system has its own dock), AND you'll have the KVM for quick switching of the display, audio, and any USB peripherals that you want to switch along with the display.  But this solution is undoubtedly somewhat expensive and "bulky" with two docks plus a KVM needing to be parked somewhere.If none of that appeals to you, when I've been in a similar position as you, I've typically swapped a docking station cable and also had a secondary power supply dedicated to my desk to be connected to whichever system wasn't docked at the time.  If you need to be able to switch USB peripherals independently of which system is using the display, then a separate USB switching hub like you've got is a nice solution.  I personally only needed to have certain USB peripherals switched based on which system was docked -- which I connected to the dock -- and certain USB peripherals dedicated to one of my two systems, which I achieved by having a USB hub separately connected to that system.  (My other system didn't need any dedicated USB peripherals except for stuff I would just connect temporarily as needed.)Hopefully at least some of that is useful!
tl;dr: I've tried a few solutions to share usb-c devices between two computers at a single desk, and have run into different issues each time. Hello! I posted this to reddit but then searched and found that the answers provided here in the forums are substantial in content... but I didn't find an answer to this. It is regarding both an XPS and Inspiron. Like many others, I am working from home a lot. At my desk, I have a personal laptop that I use while on breaks, play music, email etc... I also have a work only laptop, which I cannot do any personal things on, like play music during the day and do things that keep me from going insane. I am attempting to juggle what I might consider reasonable expectations of my workspace/desk, but I'm running into challenges finding the optimal solution. Some of these challenges are not likely Dell specific, but I am trying to set this up with Dell computers. If anything, maybe this novel of information could provide some insight to someone else trying to accomplish the same. I have the following: Dell XPS 15 (personal computer) Dell Latitude 5400 (work computer) Dell WD19S 130W dock Aten USB-C switch (US3342) Sceptre C35 monitor (3440x1440) Various USB peripherals (mouse, kb, camera, mic etc...) Original Set Up: For a year and a half, I've had all of the devices above, aside from the Aten USB-C switch. It's been a bit of a mess of cables on my desk and I've needed to "hotswap" the USB-C cable of the docking station between computers. The issues with this: Inconvenient to constantly swap USB-C cable One computer is always dying, unless I use the power adapters If I use the power adapters, they have to be accessible so I can bring my laptop to work (rarely), or my personal laptop somewhere else (more often). So, I decided to look into a switch and found the Aten USB-C switch. I was aware that it can't switch video, so I would need to use the HDMI ports on the laptops. However, as the inconvenience of unplugging video/power cables would only happen maybe once or twice a week, while the switching between devices (usb-c dock swap) might happen every hour, it was better to eliminate the need to swap the USB-C cable than to worry about unplugging a couple extra cables to move my laptop. However, this created a bunch of other logistical issues: Powering The Aten switch can only power one computer and that is only if I provide the switch with USB-C power (it doesn't have a PSU). I don't have another USB-C high wattage power supply, so this can only be done presently using the Dell dock. I can't tie up the power supply of the XPS and the Dell dock, because I wouldn't have anything to power the XPS when outside of the house. To solve the above, I decided to just use both power adapters on the computers and free up the clunky Dell docking station, to keep in my computer bag to be ready to travel with either of the computers. Not ideal to use as a power supply but it can power either computer and I wouldn't need to buy yet another device. Switching / Hot Swapping XPS 15 When I was hot swapping the USB-C cable from the Dell dock between the Latitude and XPS, after one or two swaps, the XPS would not detect any USB devices plugged into the dock. The video would still work and I would hear the connection sound, but nothing would work. If I rebooted the XPS, it would detect everything again. I do not have this issue with the Latitude at all. Every time I plug the Dell docking station in, it works. I thought that it was an issue with the Dell docking station. However, the same thing happens with the Aten switch. It works flawlessly on the Latitude but the XPS drops the connection after one or two swaps. I presently have no solution for this as, with either configuration, I would have to reboot the XPS when swapping devices. Has anyone else seen or experienced this issue? What is the best way to approach it? Video As mentioned, I knew the Aten switch would not help with the video. I would need to have the video plugged into the HDMI ports of the computers. a) One issue with this is that in order to swap monitor between computers, I need to press the input select buttons on the monitor. I was willing to live with this because while I'm working, I can just use the laptop monitor on my personal computer and vice versa. So, one input change at the beginning of the day and another at the end. b) The MAJOR issue with video is because of the SCEPTRE monitor. The XPS can display to it fine. However, the HDMI port on the Latitude is 1.4b, I believe. I knew that it wouldn't be able to output at the highest resolution and refresh, but I thought that I could step it down in Windows. No matter what I do, I cannot select a resolution that fills the screen. I tried swapping the cable to a brand new gold-plated etc..., I also changed the refresh rate and tried every resolution available. I either get something readable that doesn't come close to filling the screen or something squished and unreadable. c) Another challenge, but one I was willing to live with, is that the computers still detect the monitor even when it is set to the other input. Cable Management I've cable managed the bejesus out of the desk because it is a standing / sitting desk. So, the cables need to be carefully placed so they not only don't snag on anything but also so it doesn't look like utter garbage when the desk is raised. This adds a bit of a logistical hurdle because I need to be able to remove the computer from this system, and be able to power it while I'm away. I would like to do this without crawling under my desk to unplug it, or have another power bar on top of the desk and with minimal time spent replacing everything.   So, the summary of the challenges that I need to balance are: Swapping devices between two computers Powering the computers at the desk Being able to take either computer with me and power it while away Fixing the XPS device swapping issue Cable-tie/organizing cables at the desk   Where am I now? Before I tear everything apart again, I thought to post here to see if anyone might be able to help. Without any other input, this is where I was heading: Put the Dell dock back and accept that, until a USB-C video combo switch is made, I need to swap the Dell dock USB-C cable between computers. This will swap all devices and the monitors AND power the devices. To do this, I need to solve the following issues: Figure out why the XPS cannot detect devices after one or two swaps. There must be a solution to this somewhere Figure out how to power my personal computer during the day Buy another power adapter to keep one at the desk and one in my bag (either a Dell or a 3rd party), Swap the USB-C cable to the personal computer at lunch to give it a boost, or, Figure out a nice way to set up the adapter so I can plug/unplug it when I need to take it with me Figure out the best way to "hotswap" the usb-c cable back and forth. I think that cable wear would be an issue after a couple years of doing this.. as well as super annoying to drag the cable across one of the laptops. I was thinking to grab a USB-C extension that supports the transfer rate needed by the dock and just move the Dock cable slightly to plug into the extension A small modification to the above is that if, during the day, I want to be able to do short tasks on my personal computer (XPS), I could put a small USB 3.0 hub in the mix, put the keyboard and mouse on it, and plug channel 1 into the Dell dock and channel 2 into my XPS. During the day, I can just switch the 3.0 hub for fast access to my XPS then, at the end of the day, I can swap the Dell dock usb-c cable to my personal computer. If you made it this far... thank you for your time!
2 laptops, 1 desk, USB-C switching, closest solution?