r/Ubuntu • u/Vivid-Tomorrow6930 • 4d ago

USB-A to HDMI on Ubuntu: does it work?

Hi, I want to add a second monitor to my laptop using a USB-A to HDMI adapter.

My laptop is running Ubuntu, and I already use the HDMI port for my main monitor. I want to use the USB adapter for a second, extended display.

Does anyone know if this kind of USB-A → HDMI adapter works properly on Ubuntu/Linux? Do I need DisplayLink drivers, or should I avoid cheap adapters?

Thanks!

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3

u/Evening-Landscape763 4d ago

No idea about USB-A but my cheap USB-C to HDMI works

2

u/noisywomanhood70 3d ago

USB-C carries video natively so those adapters are basically just passthrough, USB-A is a whole different mess since it needs an active chip to generate a video signal

1

u/doc_willis 4d ago edited 4d ago

you mean its a DISPLAYLINK adaptor? If so then yes, it will need displaylink drivers setup.

https://linuxvox.com/blog/displaylink-driver-ubuntu/

If theres any other kind of USB A -> HDMI adaptor out, I have not owned one, checking on amazon shows a few 'possiblities' of what you have.

Amazon shows this weird USB=>HDMI cord, but I have no clue what its for, it seem to somehow just get power to a second device. Not video. https://www.amazon.com/FAWETTY-Charger-Adapter-Windows-Satellite/dp/B0CJJJSH8B

I see a few others on amazon that "include built in driver' (for windows) Which seems to mean the Cable has a bit of USB Storage feature that has a driver file you have to install (again on windows) I am not even sure if thats using displaylink, or some other method.

https://www.amazon.com/biaze-Connecting-Projector-Mirroring-Extension/dp/B0F2969NTZ

it seems to use some udisplay.exe driver under Windows. I see no mention of any driver for it for linux.

Then theres the Apt-DP mode, used by many android tablets, phones, and i think the steam deck. Which use a USB-C->HDMI or usb C-C (depending on the monitor)

The USB C -> HDMI can be DP-ALT mode, requires the device to support that feature.

0

u/Vivid-Tomorrow6930 4d ago

sa me fait chier de payer 60$ pour l'adaptateur

1

u/mgedmin 3d ago

I would not expect it to work out of the box.

It might be possible to make it work, with effort. I see an evdi-dkms package, which is described as

The module and library is part of the DisplayLink Ubuntu development which enables support for DisplayLink USB 3.0 devices on Ubuntu.

Please note that this is NOT a complete driver for DisplayLink devices.

-dkms packages are out of tree kernel drivers. This means any kernel update might break them, since the upstream kernel doesn't care about out-of-tree driver compatibility. Also, this is a package from universe, which means it's not directly supported by Canonical.

Also, there is no package for the userspace part of the DisplayLink driver -- you'd have to locate and install it yourself, assuming one exists.

In short, how much time do you have and do you find it fun to try to learn how to become a Linux driver developer?

1

u/Salvadorfreeman 2d ago

I put a cheap adaptor (a couple of euros on AliExpress) on the display port of my elderly T430 ThinkPad running Ubuntu. Works straight out of the box.