Laptops have lengthy rivaled desktops when it comes to energy. However these slim and moveable machines lack one thing their tower-shaped cousins are inclined to have in abundance: ports. Docking stations allow you to plug in displays, mice, keyboards, storage units and extra utilizing only a single port in your laptop computer. And if you happen to’re somebody who relocates with your laptop typically, a docking station makes it simpler to get all of your equipment related once more whenever you’re again at your desk. We examined out greater than 15 extremely rated docking stations and thought of monitor help, quantity and kind of ports, design and worth that can assist you decide which one is the perfect docking station on your house or workplace setup.
Desk of contents
Finest docking stations
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Host connection: 2 x USB-C | Energy supply to host: 75W (USB-C) | USB-C: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 2 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 | Aux 3.5mm: No | SD Card: No
The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is totally different from all the opposite docks we examined in two respects: it doesn’t require an influence supply and it goes beneath your MacBook as an alternative of beside it. You would nearly classify it as a hub, however I feel the excessive variety of ports earns it docking-station standing.
It plugs into the 2 USB-C ports in conjunction with a Mac, which permits MacBooks with M1, M2 or M3 Professional or Max chips to function twin displays in prolonged mode. Sadly, MacBooks with commonplace M1 or M2 chips, can natively solely energy a second exterior show in mirrored mode. The brand new MacBook Air with the M3 chip can solely energy two shows in prolonged mode with the laptop computer lid closed. You probably have a Mac with a regular chip and want two displays, you will want a docking station that helps DisplayLink {hardware} and software program, such because the Kensington SD4780P, which is our high choose for Chromebooks.
Because the Twin Dock works with out energy, it’s quite a bit simpler to arrange than different docks with transformer packing containers and DC cables. I discovered it made essentially the most sense to simply use the MagSafe connector on the laptop computer, however you can too provide energy to the dock utilizing the non-data USB-C port and it’ll go 75 watts to your machine.
Each the 4K and HD displays I examined seemed nice and labored properly in prolonged mode. There are two USB-Cs for a webcam and mic, plus two USB-As which may very well be used for a dongle mouse and a streaming mild — that’s possible sufficient ports for conferencing or perhaps a primary video creator setup. The dock is finally restricted by the truth that not one of the USB-C connections are Thunderbolt and there are solely two USB-A sockets to work with. But it surely’s a terrific selection for extending productiveness in a means that tucks beneath a MacBook, neatly transferring the cords to the again of the machine and out of the way in which. It even has an SSD enclosure beneath it.
- Distinctive design enhances MacBooks
- Can energy two displays on Macs with M1 Professional or M2 Professional chips
- Good number of ports
- Simply two USB-A ports
- No Thunderbolt ports
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Host connection: Thunderbolt 4 | Energy supply to host: 96W (DC) | USB-C: 3 x TB4 | USB-A: 2 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0 | Aux 3.5mm: Sure | SD Card: Sure
It’s as if Satechi referred to as me up and requested for the design of my excellent docking station. They didn’t, to be clear, however the Thunderbolt 4 Multi-Display manages to get proper what so many docks nearly do. First off, there are sufficient downstream USB4 ports to deal with a wide range of setups, whether or not you want a Mr. Universe-style monitor array or simply need to run a USB-C keyboard similtaneously your webcam and nonetheless have a port left over. You additionally get twin HDMI 2.0 connections, an Ethernet jack, two USB-A ports, an SD card slot and a headphone jack.
That’s solely a complete of 10 downstream ports however for most individuals they’re those that supply essentially the most versatility. The trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports can help as much as 8K displays at 60Hz and 40 Gbps knowledge transfers. They will even ship 15 watts of energy if you happen to simply must cost your cellphone when you work.
You may as well hook up your screens by way of HDMI. MacBook customers might want to set up the DisplayLink driver to work round Apple’s prolonged monitor limitations. With the software program, even M1 and M2 MacBooks can hook up two exterior displays in prolonged mode. Home windows laptops and M2/M3 Professional and Max chips can have as much as 4 prolonged displays related — two by way of the Thunderbolt ports and two via the HDMI connections (once more utilizing DisplayLink tech).
Along with the goldilocks multiport choice, the association of these ports is sort of logical. From this slim and smooth slab, a bunch connection lives on one aspect, permitting for one neat line to your laptop. Connections which might be more likely to keep put (displays, DC energy, Ethernet and Thunderbolts) are throughout again, whereas the jacks you’ll most likely swap up extra typically, such because the USB-A for thumb drives, the three.5mm jack for headphones and the SD card reader, are within the entrance. Proper subsequent to these is a useful on-off swap, so you possibly can simply flip off all of your peripherals at evening to cut back your energy draw.
The dock delivers on the promise of its intelligent port choice and association. My twin prolonged displays seemed nice and achieved the marketed refresh charges and resolutions, the information transfers had been smoking fast and I used to be capable of (lastly) totally join my very primary setup with out compromise: Two displays, a webcam, streaming mild, microphone, keyboard and mouse. I did discover my 4K monitor had the slightest lag when the second monitor was plugged in, but it surely was minor and solely noticeable when displaying the webcam video.
One minor criticism is the DisplayLink and Thunderbolt branding throughout the entrance and high. They distract from the in any other case elegant look of the high-end aluminum exterior. One not-so-minor concern is how heat the unit obtained as I used it over the course of a pair days. At instances, it was almost too sizzling to carry my hand on comfortably. I by no means seen any opposed efficiency results because of this, but it surely’s doable that might change into a problem in the long run. As for worth, it’s listed at $300; that’s not the most costly dock we’ve examined, but it surely’s definitely not the most cost effective. However for the efficiency and considerate design, it’s a Thunderbolt dock that may very well be price it for lots of people.
- Glorious array of ports
- Ports cleverly organized
- Can help as much as 4 exterior displays
- DisplayLink driver permits for twin prolonged displays on standard-chip MacBooks
- Lay-flat design can take up a number of desk house with out a mount
- Unit runs highly regarded
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Host connection: Thunderbolt 4 | Energy supply to host: 98W (DC) | USB-C: 2 x TB4, 3 x 3.2 | USB-A: 5 | Monitor: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 | Aux 3.5mm: 1 x audio combo, 1 x audio in, 1 x audio out | SD Card: SD and microSD
There’s quite a bit to understand about CalDigit’s TS4 docking station: It has a sturdy, upright design with a bunch connection on the rear and a whopping 5 downstream USB-C ports, two of that are Thunderbolt 4, the opposite two are USB 3.2, which may help transfers of as much as 10 Gbps.
Up entrance, you get an SD and a microSD card slot together with a headphone jack, two USB-C and a USB-A connector. In again, there’s room for 4 extra USB-A units and two 3.5mm jacks, one for audio in and one for audio out. One space the place the dock could really feel missing is in show inputs. It solely has one DisplayPort 1.4, but it surely has loads of TB4 ports, which you’ll simply use to outfit a full command middle (if you happen to don’t have a USB-C monitor, there are many adapters).
The multi-gig Ethernet jack can deal with as much as 2.5Gbps, so if you happen to’re paying for a screaming-fast web plan, this dock can assist you reap the benefits of it. The TS4 can ship as much as 98W of energy to your laptop computer, although like all docking station, the wattage goes down when different objects are additionally drawing energy.
The TS4 labored equally properly with my MacBook Professional and the Dell XPS13 Plus and was even appropriate with a Chromebook. I examined learn/write speeds on a Samsung T7 SSD by way of a Thunderbolt port and obtained 734 MB/s learn and 655 MB/s write speeds on the Mac and 1048/994 on the Dell. In comparison with the opposite docks, that was within the lower-middle vary for the Mac and the quickest general for the PC. On PC, it additionally dealt with a 1GB folder switch to a flash drive quicker than another dock and delivered the quickest connection speeds over the Ethernet. It’s the one unit that allow me plug in each single peripheral I had readily available directly. Should you’ve obtained plenty of tech you need to use concurrently (and cash isn’t a priority), that is the one to get.
- An abundance of ports
- Compact, upright design
- 2.5Gbps Ethernet port
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Host connection: USB-C | Energy supply to host: 100W (DC) | USB-C: 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 5 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort 1.2 | Aux 3.5mm: 1 x audio combo | SD Card: No
The Kensington SD4780P Dual 4K sometimes requires a DisplayLink driver, however any Chromebook made after 2017 helps the connection from the soar. Discovering a docking station that works with ChromeOS is hard; of the 12 items I examined, solely 4 related in any respect with the Acer Chromebook Spin 514, and a type of 4 couldn’t run two displays. The SD4780P makes use of a USB-C host connection, via which it gives a most energy supply of 100W and was capable of run each the 4K and HD screens cleanly.
It permits for a variety of USB-A peripherals via 5 such ports, however there’s solely a single downstream USB-C, so I wasn’t in a position to make use of each a webcam and mic on the identical time. Meaning you’ll want to make use of your Chromebook’s built-in ports in order for you greater than a type of kinds of units arrange. The plastic construct makes it look a bit of low cost and I’m not loopy in regards to the lay-flat design, however the host port is within the again, which is able to make your setup neater. If all you’re in search of is a solution to get a number of further displays and use your wired USB equipment, this can be a good choose for Chromebooks.
- Works properly with Chromebooks
- 5 USB-A ports
- Requires a driver for non Chromebooks
- Only one downstream USB-C
What to search for in a docking station
Initially, take into account what it’s good to plug in. It will possible be the deciding issue whenever you go to truly purchase a docking station. Do you want three screens for an expanded work view? A fast solution to add photographs from an SD card? Are you trying to plug in a webcam, mic and streaming mild, whereas concurrently benefiting from quicker Ethernet connections? Are you hooking up a gaming laptop to a number of shows and peripherals? When you’ve settled on the kind of ports you want, you may additionally need to take into account the technology of these ports as properly; even ports with the identical form can have totally different capabilities. Right here’s a short overview of the connectivity totally different docking stations supply.
Monitor ports
Exterior displays sometimes want one in every of three ports to hook up with a PC: HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C. HDMI connections are extra frequent than DisplayPort and the cables and units that use them are typically extra reasonably priced. The preferred model of the DisplayPort interface (v1.4) can deal with larger resolutions and refresh charges than the commonest HDMI model (2.0). All the show docking stations with HDMI ports that we advocate right here use model 2.0, which may deal with 4K decision at 60Hz or 1080p as much as 240Hz. The DisplayPort-enabled docks help both model 1.2, which permits for 4K decision at 60Hz, or model 1.4, which may deal with 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz.
You may as well use your dock’s downstream (non-host) Thunderbolt ports to hook up your displays. In case your exterior show has a USB-C socket, you possibly can join instantly. You probably have an HDMI show or DisplayPort-only monitor, you should utilize an adapter or a conversion cable.
In fact, the variety of displays you possibly can join and the resolutions/charges they’ll obtain depend upon each your laptop’s GPU and your displays — and the extra displays you plug in can deliver down these numbers as properly. Make sure to additionally use cables that help the bandwidth you’re hoping for. MacOS customers ought to needless to say MacBooks with the usual M1 or M2 chips help only one exterior monitor natively and require DisplayLink hardware and software to help two exterior shows. MacBooks with M1 Professional, M2 Professional or M2 Max chips can run a number of displays from a single port.
USB ports
Most docking stations supply a number of USB Sort-A ports, that are nice for peripherals like wired mice and keyboards, bus-powered ring lights and flash drives. For quicker knowledge switch speeds to your flash drive, go for USB-A sockets labeled 3.1 or 3.2 — or higher but, use a USB-C Thunderbolt port.
Sort-C USB ports are available in many various flavors. The Thunderbolt 3, 4 and USB4 protocols are newer, extra succesful specs that help energy supply of as much as 100W, a number of 4K shows and knowledge switch speeds of as much as 40Gbps. Different USB-C ports are available in a spread of variations, with some supporting video, knowledge and energy and a few solely capable of handle knowledge and energy. Switch charges and wattages can fluctuate from port to port, however most docks record the wattage or GB/s on both the dock itself or on the product web page. And once more, reaching the quickest speeds will depend upon elements just like the cables you utilize and the units you’re transferring knowledge to.
Practically each dock accessible right this moment is a USB-C docking station, connecting to a pc by way of USB-C, typically Thunderbolt, and people host ports are almost all the time labeled with a laptop computer icon. Additionally they permit energy supply to your laptop computer: accessible wattage varies, however most docks are rated between 85 and 100 watts. That needs to be sufficient to maintain most computer systems powered — and it additionally means you gained’t must take up an additional laptop computer connector for charging.
Different ports
None of our presently recommended laptops embrace an Ethernet jack; a docking station is an effective way to get that connection again. Everyone knows objectively that wired web is quicker than Wi-Fi, but it surely would possibly take operating a primary pace comparability test to essentially get it on a intestine degree. For reference, on Wi-Fi I get a few 45 megabit-per-second obtain pace. Over Ethernet, it’s 925 Mbps. Should you pay for a high-speed plan, however solely ever join wirelessly, you’re most likely leaving a number of bandwidth on the desk. Each docking station I examined consists of an Ethernet port, and it may very well be the connector you find yourself getting essentially the most use out of.
Simply two of our favourite laptops have SD card readers, and if you happen to want a fast solution to add recordsdata from cameras or audio recorders, chances are you’ll need to get a dock with a type of slots. Of the docks we examined, about half had SD readers. For now, most (however not all) laptops nonetheless embrace a 3.5mm audio jack, however if you happen to want wired headphones and need a extra accessible place to plug them in, many docking stations will present.
If you’re counting up the ports on your new dock, do not forget that most corporations embrace the host port (the one which connects to your laptop) within the whole quantity. So if you happen to’re in search of a dock with three Thunderbolt connections, make sure to examine whether or not one in every of them will probably be used to plug in your laptop computer.
Design
Most docking stations have both a lay-flat or upright design. Most docks put the extra “everlasting” connections in again — corresponding to Ethernet, DC energy, monitor connections and some USBs. Up-front USB ports can be utilized for flash drive transfers, and even appearing as a charger on your cellphone (simply be sure the port can ship the facility you want). USBs within the rear are finest for keyboards, mice, webcams and different belongings you’re more likely to all the time use. Some docks place the host port up entrance, which could make it simpler to plug in your laptop computer whenever you return to your desk, however a bunch port in again could look neater general.
How we examined docking stations
We began out by taking a look at on-line evaluations, spec sheets from varied manufacturers and docking stations that our fellow tech websites have coated. We thought of manufacturers we’ve examined earlier than and have favored, and weeded out something that didn’t have what we take into account a contemporary suite of connections (corresponding to a dock with no downstream USB-C ports). We narrowed it right down to 12 contenders and I examined every dock in a house workplace, utilizing an M1 MacBook Professional, a Dell XPS 13 Plus and an Acer Chromebook Spin 514.
I plugged in and evaluated the standard of the connections for 12 totally different peripherals together with a 4K and an HD monitor, a 4K and an HD webcam, plus USB units like a mouse, keyboard, streaming mild and mic. I plugged in wired earbuds, and transferred knowledge to a USB-C flash drive and an exterior SSD. I ran primary pace assessments on the Ethernet connections in addition to the file transfers. I judged how straightforward the docks had been to make use of in addition to the varied design elements I described earlier. I made spreadsheets and had sufficient wires snaking round my work space that my cat stayed off my desk for 3 weeks (a brand new document).
As new docking stations come out and we discover fashions worthy of testing, (there are a pair from Ugreen we now have our eye on), we’ll replace this information accordingly.
Different laptop computer docking stations we examined
Plugable TBT4-UDZ
After I pulled the Plugable TBT4-UDZ Thunderbolt 4 out of the field, I used to be satisfied it could make the lower: It has a sensible upright design, a sexy steel end, and the host connection is TB4. Whereas there are many USB-A and monitor ports, there’s only one downstream USB-C. A contemporary dock, notably one which prices $300, ought to allow you to run, say, a USB-C cam and mic on the identical time. In any other case, it’s fairly limiting.
Anker 575 USB-C
At $250 (and extra typically $235), the Anker 575 USB-C might make for a great finances choose for Home windows. It carried out properly with the Dell XPS 13 Plus, however had bother with the third display screen, the 4K webcam and headphone jack when related to the MacBook Professional. It’s fairly compact, which implies it could get wobbly when a bunch of cables are plugged in, but it surely has a wide selection of ports and was capable of deal with my primary setup properly.
Belkin Join Professional Thunderbolt 4
Belkin’s Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock is a contender for a Thunderbolt 4 various. It has almost the identical ports because the AD2010 (minus the microSD slot) and a sexy rounded design — but it surely’s $90 extra, so I’d solely advocate getting it if you happen to discover it on sale.
Acer USB Sort-C Dock
Acer’s USB Type-C Dock D501 prices $10 greater than our Kensington choose for Chromebooks, but it surely performs equally and is price a point out. It has almost the identical ports (together with the fairly limiting single downstream USB-C) however each the Ethernet and knowledge switch speeds had been quicker.
Docking station FAQs
Are docking stations price it?
Docking stations are price it if in case you have extra equipment to plug in than your laptop computer permits. Say you’ve gotten a USB-C digicam and mic, plus a USB-A mouse, keyboard and streaming mild; only a few fashionable laptops have sufficient connections to help all of that directly. A docking station could make that setup possible whereas additionally supplying you with further ports like a gigabit Ethernet connection, and supplying energy to your laptop computer. Nonetheless, if you happen to simply want a number of further USB sockets, you is perhaps higher off going with a hub, as these are usually cheaper.
How a lot does a laptop computer dock value?
Laptop computer docking stations are usually larger and dearer than easy USB-A or USB-C hubs, due to the broader array of connections. You could find them as little as $50 they usually can get as costly as $450. An affordable worth for a dock with a wide selection of ports from a good model will common round $200.
How do I arrange my laptop computer dock?
Most docking stations are plug and play. First, join the DC energy cable to the dock and a wall outlet. Then search for the “host” or upstream port on the dock — it’s nearly all the time a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and sometimes branded with an icon of a laptop computer. Use the offered cable to hook up with your laptop. After that, you possibly can join your peripherals to the dock and they need to be prepared to make use of along with your laptop computer. Just a few docking stations, notably those who deal with extra complicated monitor setups, require a driver. The directions that include your dock will level you to an internet site the place you possibly can obtain that companion software program.
Does a laptop computer cost on a docking station?
Practically all docking stations mean you can cost your laptop computer via the host connection (the cable operating from the dock to your laptop). That functionality, plus the upper variety of ports is what separates a docking station from a hub. Docks can go on between 65W and 100W of energy to laptops, and almost all embrace a DC adapter.
Are all docking stations appropriate with all laptops?
No, not all docking stations are appropriate with each laptop computer. In our assessments, the Chromebook had the largest compatibility points, the Dell PC had the least, and the MacBook fell someplace in between. All docks will record which manufacturers and fashions they work with on the web product web page — make sure to additionally examine the technology of your laptop computer as some docks can’t help sure chips.
What are some widespread docking station manufacturers?
Kensington, Anker, Pluggable and Belkin are respected and well-known manufacturers making docking stations for all laptops. Lenovo, Dell and HP all make docks that may work with their very own computer systems in addition to different manufacturers.
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