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DisplayLink USB monitor detected by laptop, but the monitor doesn't get signal

in flag
stranger_anon

I've gone through a bunch of similar questions (and there certainly are quite a few), but none seem to have quite the same issues that I am having. Hence this question.

I am trying to connect two external monitors (one Acer, one Dell) to my Dell Inspiron 15 7537 running Ubuntu 20.04. As the laptop has only one HDMI connection, I purchased one VGA to USB connector that runs on DisplayLink, as I understand DisplayLink is supposed to support Ubuntu. When I connect the DisplayLink monitor, I can see that it gets detected -- I see it when I open Settings, though it has a wrong name for some reason. The laptop seems to think both external screens are Acer for some reason. In reality, the one connected through DisplayLink is Dell. However, it is not getting any signal.

Screenshot showing three detected displays

As the monitor is clearly detected, it is no surprise it can be seen in xrandr and lsusb outputs as well.

~$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 16 x 16, current 5760 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
XWAYLAND14 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 600mm x 340mm
   1920x1080     59.96*+
XWAYLAND15 connected 1920x1080+3840+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 340mm x 190mm
   1920x1080     59.96*+
XWAYLAND16 connected 1920x1080+1920+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 600mm x 340mm
   1920x1080     74.91*+
~$ lsusb -d 17e9:
Bus 003 Device 011: ID 17e9:4300 DisplayLink Displaylink USB3.0 Display

I have checked that I am using the open source drivers, and not NVIDIA proprietary ones. Software & Update -> Additional Drivers Finally, I tried to look for my xorg.conf file, but couldn't find one. I did find xorg.confi.failsafe file, but I don't know if that is being used. Is there any way to check?

~$ cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.failsafe 
Section "Device"
    Identifier  "Configured Video Device"
    Driver      "fbdev"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Default Screen"
    Monitor     "Configured Monitor"
    Device      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
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mondotofu avatar
cn flag
mondotofu
I have a DisplayLink setup for my laptop as well. Do you have the latest drivers for Debian/Ubuntu from their website? I'd also forgo the X Org configuration. Logout and login at the gdm page with Wayland. It's the future anyhow.
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in flag
stranger_anon
@mondotofu, Yes, I have installed the latest drivers from their website already. I think I am already using Wayland. At least my $XDG_SESSION_TYPE is set to wayland. I also cannot see the option to use Wayland at the login screen.
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mondotofu avatar
cn flag
mondotofu
X.Org and Wayland are mutually exclusive. If you are running Wayland you should be able to see it with **ps -ef | grep wayland** . If you don't see it, then log out and log back in with Wayland with the little cog icon at the bottom right.
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in flag
stranger_anon
Understood. Yes, I am using wayland then.
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mondotofu avatar
cn flag
mondotofu
The one thing that puzzles me is your Alternative Drivers. Do you think you need them? Also, do you have DVI cables ? Is that an option for you? I know that the DisplayLink drives DVI output through at least one of its ports. I never use the VGA cable to attach my Acer monitor.
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in flag
stranger_anon
Do you mean for NVIDIA, the nouveau driver? I can't deselect that in that menu without checking something else. DisplayLink doesn't recommend NVIDIA drivers though. I don't have a DVI cable, and neither my laptop nor my monitor has a DVI port.
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mondotofu avatar
cn flag
mondotofu
Oh. I thought you had a docking station. That DisplayLink software works really well with USB connected docking station that forwards the signal from its built-in VGA, DVI, HDMI ports to the monitors that you want to set up. I'm not sure you need DisplayLink to use a USB to VGA cable.
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mondotofu avatar
cn flag
mondotofu
See what Dell has for a docking solution. I use a Lenovo docking station for my Lenovo laptop. I found it deeply discounted online.
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