Anyone else have a love-hate relationship with their laptop? I adore mine—it’s lightweight, reliable, and has gotten me through countless assignments and Zoom meetings. But when it comes to ports? It leaves a lot to be desired.
As a graduation gift to myself, I decided to level up my workspace and buy two matching monitors to create a little home office setup. Budget-wise, I wasn’t looking to buy a whole new tower, so I figured I’d make it work with the laptop I already had. After all, how hard could it be?
I did my homework and learned that to extend the display (not just mirror it), I’d need a splitter that could handle dual HDMI output. My laptop has only one HDMI port, but it does have USB-C and USB-A ports, so I figured a USB-C-to-dual-HDMI splitter would do the trick. USB-C is everywhere these days—seemed like a safe bet.
I ordered the splitter from Amazon and eagerly waited for delivery. Once it arrived, I hooked everything up… and nothing. No signal. No display. Nada.
Cue troubleshooting mode.
I disconnected everything and tested one monitor directly with the HDMI port—still nothing. I was convinced I’d received a faulty splitter. Frustrated, I went back to the product page and combed through the specs. That’s when a tiny detail in one of the product photos caught my eye. I zoomed in… and there it was: a note that said your USB-C port must support DP Alt Mode or have the little Thunderbolt icon for video output.
And mine? Didn’t.
I felt so embarrassed—how had I never learned this? It hadn’t come up in any of my coursework or cert prep. But honestly, this was one of the best hands-on lessons I’ve had so far.
Determined, I went back to Amazon and ordered a new splitter—this time one that connects via USB-A. I waited again, plugged it in… and it worked like a charm! Both monitors lit up, extended display working perfectly.
I was so proud of myself. Not just for fixing it, but for sticking with it and learning something new in the process. Now I always check for DP Alt Mode or Thunderbolt compatibility when working with USB-C and video output.
Lesson learned: sometimes the best way to really understand tech is to dive in, make the mistakes, and figure it out as you go.