Dell Thunderbolt TB16 Docking Station Drivers
The Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station links all your devices to your laptop using a single Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C) cable. When you connect a supported laptop to the docking station, you can gain access to all your peripherals such as the mouse, keyboard, stereo speakers, external hard drive, and large-screen monitors without having to plug each of them into the laptop.
Note: You must update your laptop BIOS and the Dell docking station drivers to the latest versions available on the Dell Drivers & Downloads website before using the docking station. Older BIOS versions and drivers could result in the docking station not being recognized by your laptop or not functioning optimally.
Dell Technologies recommends installing the following BIOS, firmware, and drivers in the prescribed order to ensure optimal performance.
Note: Administrative rights to the laptop are required for flashing the BIOS and the installation of Thunderbolt driver/firmware.
- Go to the Dell Drivers & Downloads website.
- Select your Dell laptop by entering the Service Tag or selecting Browse all products.
- Flash the latest Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) for the laptop. This is available in the "BIOS" section.
- Install the latest Intel Thunderbolt Controller Driver for the laptop. This is available in the "Chipset" section.
- Install the latest Intel Thunderbolt 3 Firmware Update for the laptop. This is available in the "Chipset" section.
- Install the latest Intel HD Graphics Driver for the laptop. This is available in the "Video" section.
- Install the latest ASMedia USB 3.0 Extended Host Controller Driver for the Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station. This is available in the "Docks & Stands" section.
- Install the latest RealTek USB GBE Ethernet Controller Driver for the Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station. This is available in the "Docks & Stands" section.
- Install the latest RealTek USB Audio Driver for the Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station. This is available in the "Docks & Stands" section.
- Restart the laptop.
- After the software update process completes, connect the AC adapter to the Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station first, and then attach the Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) cable to the laptop before using the docking station.
Dell highly recommends the following applications to automate the installation of BIOS, firmware, drivers, and critical updates specific to your laptop and docking station. These applications are available for download on the Dell Drivers & Downloads website. Pick your laptop from the list or enter the Service Tag of your laptop to get the right version for your laptop.
- The Dell Update application is supported on Dell XPS laptops and Dell Venues.
- The Dell Command | Update application is supported on Dell Precision, XPS, and Latitude laptops.
Note:
- Ensure that you connect the Dell Thunderbolt TB16 docking station to your laptop in order for Dell Update to start software updates on your laptop.
- If your laptop has a third-party anti-virus software running, it is suggested that you disable the anti-virus before running Dell Command | Update and ensure it is not reactivated during the update process.
- The latest Dell Update and Dell Command | Update are not capable of updating the Intel HD Graphics Driver to the latest version. Go to the Dell Drivers & Downloads website by searching the Service Tag of your laptop. Download and install the latest Intel HD Graphics Driver in the "Video" section for your laptop.