The Best Laptop Docking Stations We Tested and Reviewed (2024)

Figuring retired the close connections you request for your setup tin beryllium daunting, and the confusing, arcane USB terminology lone makes it worse. You tin cheque retired our explainer connected parsing USB presumption successful our Best USB Hubs guide. For the abbreviated version, present are the basics you should support successful mind:

Check your ports' speeds, and don't trust connected mentation numbers. For a batch of confusing reasons, ports labeled arsenic USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 tin each person the aforesaid velocity or wildly antithetic speeds. For this reason, docking presumption manufacturers person precocious started opting to adhd speeds (usually written similar “5 Gbps”) straight onto idiosyncratic ports. Use these ports for transferring dense amounts of data, and slower ports for things similar your keyboard and mouse.

Thunderbolt is champion for lightning-fast information transfers, oregon high-res displays. Thunderbolt is similar a supercharged mentation of USB, and it adjacent uses USB-C ports. However, Thunderbolt ports are susceptible of transferring monolithic amounts of data. This makes it perfect for things similar moving uncompressed video files around, arsenic good arsenic things similar 4K (or adjacent 8K) displays oregon lower-resolution monitors with other precocious refresh rates.

Keep successful caput your powerfulness needs. Most laptop docking stations volition person immoderate signifier of powerfulness connector and USB Power Delivery (or USB-PD) that tin nonstop powerfulness done to your laptop. You'll besides sometimes spot this referred to arsenic “passthrough charging.” Most devices you link volition necessitate their ain powerfulness arsenic well, particularly if you privation to link monitors oregon complaint your telephone and tablet. If you program to link a batch of power-hungry devices, marque definite your docking presumption tin grip your powerfulness needs.