Over the last couple of years, laptop docks have undergone tremendous changes. Gone are the days when a dock would let you connect your external monitor and a few peripherals to create a desktop-like experience. Now, laptop docks come with advanced features such as dual HDMI connections, Thunderbolt 3 high-speed connection, and USB-C Power Delivery to charge the host laptop on the go.
Docks with Power Delivery feature charges the host laptop using the same USB-C connector and doesn't need an additional charger. Taskpaper 3 7 5 – simple to do lists. Here, the USB-C cable acts at the bridge between the dock, peripherals, and the host laptop by transmitting both power and signal.
DockCase Adapter redefines the regular design of a dock, creatively finding a way to lighten docking burden without. A functional case-shape dock for your original MacBook Pro power adapter, brings back USB A and HDMI port to your MacBook Pro, plus surpisingly server as a standalone. USB-A 2.0.1; USB A 3.0.2: Type-C Female.1; HDMI 2.0.1. For example, if a dock has a USB-C port for the host (30W), two USB-A 3.0 ports (2 x 4.5W), and a USB-A charging downstream port (7.5W), the power adapter should budget at least 46.5W. The dock's upstream Type-C port that connects to the host should be capable of performing data and power role swaps, and it should request to be a PD power. Download cDock for free. Customize your dock on macOS 10.10 and above. CDock - Unleash your Dock Small program to customize your dock on macOS 10.10 and above. There are several dock styles included and users can also create their own custom docks.
While most notebooks and compact laptops can do with a power output of 60W, though some power-hungry laptops need a little more. App pier 1 4 3 download free.
So, if you are in the market looking for good docking stations for laptops with USB-C Power Delivery, here are the best ones. But before that,
- Have a MacBook Pro? Here are the best USB-C to HDMI Cables for Mac users
- Looking to save desk space? Here are the best vertical laptop stands
1. Dell WD19 130W Docking Station
- Power Delivery: 90W
- Ports: 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0B, 1x USB-C Multifunction DisplayPort
- Gigabit Ethernet: Yes, 1
- SD Card Reader: No
Dell WD19 130W Docking Station
The Dell WD19 dock is for those who are looking to benefit from the massive 90W PD output. You will be able to connect your laptop, and also have enough to power your keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals. Like most docking stations nowadays, it offers an ample number of ports, and one of the interesting features is the inclusion of two DisplayPort connectors.
It has a flat design and saves desk space. Besides that, the ports are cleverly arranged, and you'll be able to use most of them at the same time. Even if your monitors do not have HDMI ports, you can attach an adapter to get the work down.
However, check the compatibility of the laptop with the dock beforehand. Alternatively, you can also check out the Dell WD15 dock. This dock also supports 4K displays.
2. Plugable UD-CAM
- Power Delivery: 85W
- Ports: 4x USB 3.0 Ports, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Gigabit Ethernet: Yes, 1
- SD Card Reader: No
Plugable UD-CAM
One of the primary benefits of Plugable UD-CAM is its size. It's small and can be easily attached to the back of the monitor. Yeah, the dock comes with a VESA mount. Cool, right? Secondly, it delivers a whopping 84W of power to any compatible laptop or tablet works and should be enough to sustain some laptops like the Apple MacBook Pro. It comes with HDMI 1.4 connectors, and with the right HDMI cable, you should be able to stream 4K content at 30Hz without any issue. Or, if you drop the resolution a notch, you will be able to watch at 60Hz.
But, the UD-CAM docking station has more USB-A ports. While this may not be much of an issue if you have more USB-A compatible devices, you might want to consider this point if you have more USB-C devices.
Another issue is the use of the HDMI 1.4 ports, which will allow you to watch 4K on only one device. The mini size of the docking port also means fewer ports. You won't find a dedicated SD-card reader. And it comes with a dedicated power adapter which is almost as big as the dock itself.
However, if you want to extend the display to a single monitor and want to reap the maximum benefits of the USB-A peripherals, this is the one you should have.
Also on Guiding Tech 5 Best 4K IPS Monitors Under $500 Read More3. Cable Matters USB C Dock for Windows
- Power Delivery: 80W
- Ports: 2x DisplayPort, 5x USB-A, 1x USB-C
- Gigabit Ethernet: Yes, 1
- SD Card Reader: Yes
Cable Matters USB C Dock for Windows
If you want a dual-monitor setup for your Windows machine, you should check out the Cable Matters USB C Dock. It lets you connect up to two 4K monitors, and the ample number of USB-A ports allows you to connect other peripherals like keyboards and mouse. Like most laptop docks, it only allows you to stream 4K at 30Hz if you connect both the monitors. If you are happy with a single display, the refresh rate rakes up to 60Hz.
Other than the above, the other USB-C PD port supplies power to up to 18W, which can be considered decent for charging smartphones and tablets while supporting 10Gbps of bandwidth. However, this docking station doesn't have any HDMI ports, and all the display connections are via the two 4K DisplayPort connectors. The only thing you have to keep in mind is to attach Active DisplayPort to HDMI cables.
If you must know, these active cable helps connect a DP output to a display with HDMI outputs. At the same time, do make sure to use USB 3.2 Gen 2 cables to get the most of the USB-C PD port. This dock also bundles a Dynamic bandwidth switch, which lets you switch between HD and 4K. Switching to the HD setting will enable high speeds on the connected peripherals.
The vertical design of the laptop dock ensures that it doesn't occupy much space on your desk. Alternatively, you can also place it horizontally if you are not happy with the vertical look. There are neat rubber paddings at the belly to keep the dock in position.
4. Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station
- Power Delivery: 60W
- Ports: 2 X HDMI, 1 x DVI/VGA , 1 x USB-C PD, 1 x USB-C 3.0, 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- Gigabit Ethernet: Yes, 1
- SD Card Reader: No
Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station
The Plugable USB-C Triple Display 4K Docking Station is the one for you if you want a triple display connected to your laptop. The best thing about this docking station is that you can run 4K content on two connected monitors. The USB-C port supplies power at 60W and should be good enough to charge laptops like MacBook Air. While the dock will work with high-end laptops like MacBook Pro, you'll have to compromise on the charging speed.
This Plugable dock uses two display technology—Alt Mode and DisplayLink—to run three displays simultaneously, which is a tad rare in this department.
The dock is cleverly designed and has a vertical design. Not only is it easy to configure all the wires, but the vertical design also occupies less space.
This dock is quite popular on Amazon and has more than five hundred users reviews. However, do note that you need to check your laptop's compatibility with the dock. It should have Intel SkyLake (6th generation) Core i3 processor and either one of the following GPUs— AMD Radeon HD 8650, Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVidia GeForce 7xxM. Air radar 5 2 5 qt.
Also on Guiding Tech 5 Best Ultrawide Monitors With USB-C for Ultimate Productivity Read More5. Kensington SD4820P USB-C Docking Station
- Power Delivery: 60W
- Ports: 1 x HDMI v2.0, 2 x DisplayPort++, 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen2, 1 x USB-A 3.1 Gen2, 4 x USB-A 3.1 Gen1
- Gigabit Ethernet: Yes, 1
- SD Card Reader: No
Kensington SD4820P USB-C Docking Station
Last but not least, we have the Kensington SD4820P USB-C Docking Station designed for compact laptops and notebooks. It supplies 60W of power to the host laptop and can connect up to two external displays natively. You can either use the DisplayPort++ (dual mode) connectors or the HDMI connector to hook your external displays. Other than the upstream USB-C port, there another USB-C port with a power rating of 5V/3A.
Like the Cable Matters laptop dock, this one also comes with a dynamic switch that lets you switch between 2-lane and 4-lane setting. When you switch to the 2-lane setting, the speeds of the connected peripherals will go up. https://qvkp.over-blog.com/2021/01/qr-factory-2-9-16-professional-qr-code-creator.html. However, the display of the monitors will switch to 1920 x 1080p.
The Kensington SD4820P has received its share of good reviews over the years. At present, it enjoys an average rating of 4.3-stars out of 5 out of the five hundred reviews on Amazon. As per Fakespot's estimate, around 80% of the reviews are genuine and can be trusted.
Also on Guiding Tech #Buying Guides Click here to see our Buying Guides articles pageGet the Power!
So, which of these docking stations will you get for your laptop? If you have a Dell laptop, it's safe to go with the Dell Wd19 provided it suits your requirement. If not, the Kensington SD4820P looks like a good option if you want multiple displays.
Next up:Getting a clean desk setup is nearly limiting if you have multiple monitors on your desk. Take a look at the article below to discover some great affordable monitor arms.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read Next6 Best Monitor Arms Under $200Also See#Buying Guides #Amazon US
Did You Know
The first Morse code transmission happened on May 24, 1844.
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-->To enable fast, seamless connections between desktops and mobile devices to external equipment, Windows 10 supports single cable docking and wireless docking. Interoperability is the key goal of the docking recommendations included here. These recommendations comprise both system and dock recommendations to ensure that a user can confidently dock their desktop system devices and their mobile system devices.
A dock is a device that is intended to enhance the productivity of a system. At a minimum, a dock has the following capabilities:
- Contains a display-out option or a built-in monitor
- Allows the user to connect to external peripheral devices
The dock manufacturer is responsible for properly advertising and marketing the type of display and peripheral devices that are supported by the dock.
Wired docking
A wired docking configuration uses a single connection to a dock. The connection is either through a cable or a device to an adjacent dock attachment. The dock provides ports for input devices, such as mice and keyboards, and for output devices like displays and printers. Better docking equipment provides a power connection, for both use and charging of the device, and a wired network connection.
Wired docking features to consider:
- Use of a single cable from the device to the dock
- Support for phone, tablet, and laptops
- Wired or wireless mouse and keyboard input
- Multiple connections on the dock
- Monitor outputs using HDMI, DisplayPort, or both
- A power connection to the device
- An Ethernet port
Overall recommendations
The device-to-dock connection should be USB Type-C. The introduction of the USB Type-C connector allows us to truly reach a single-cable solution that supports docks, displays, data devices, and power for the majority of portable systems (phones, tablets, and laptops). We expect the largest changes in the wired docking space to be around USB Type-C alternate modes, with minor changes coming with updates of graphics standards.
USB Type-C introduced the concept of alternate modes (protocols other than USB over a symmetrical and reversible Type-C connector and cable), but because this technology is still 'young,' we expect to see other alternate modes defined in the future. As more alternate modes are added, we will continue to reevaluate our USB Type-C recommendations.
Dock 1 0 4 – Customize Your Dock Adapter Switch
Currently, we are recommending that DisplayPort over Type-C be used as the alternate mode for docks and displays. Although we do allow docks and displays to use other USB Type-C alternate modes, these devices must be able to fall back to the DisplayPort over Type-C alternate mode to ensure interoperability. For example, Thunderbolt 3 docks and displays must still work when the dock or display is connected to a system that only supports DisplayPort over Type-C alternate mode.
Additionally, Windows 10, version 1607 supports Indirect Display over USB, so any dock that supports Indirect Display over USB must also have a fallback to DisplayPort. Indirect Display is a simple user-mode driver model to support monitors that are not connected to traditional graphics processing unit (GPU) display outputs. An example would be a USB dongle connected to a PC that has a regular Video Graphics Array (VGA), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), or DisplayPort monitor attached to it. The Indirect Display interface works over all USB ports, including Type A and Type-C (with and without alternate mode). For more information about Indirect Display, see Indirect Display Driver Model Overview.
Dock 1 0 4 – Customize Your Dock Adapter Connector
As HDMI and DisplayPort protocol specifications mature, our recommendations will change to take advantage of new features.
Wired docking system recommendations
All systems should meet at least the minimum hardware requirements and the Windows Hardware Compatibility Specifications. In addition to these requirements, we recommend that systems work with docks built to the wired docking recommendations. This section covers what additionally is needed on the system side.
Dock 1 0 4 – Customize Your Dock Adapter Cable
System connection to the dock | The system should include at least one USB Type-C port that supports USB Host or USB Dual Role/USB On-The-Go (OTG). All USB Type-C ports should include support for the following:
For systems with multiple USB Type-C ports, we recommend that all ports support the specifications above. If the specifications are not supported by all of the included USB Type-C ports, we recommend that these ports be visually differentiable to the user as defined in the USB-IF Trademark License Agreement under the section 'Logo Guidelines for USB Type-C Products and Cables that Support Alternate Modes.' If you plan on including an alternate mode other than DisplayPort over USB Type-C alternate mode, review the fallback requirements in the Overall recommendations section above. For more information about implementing USB Type-C, see Developing Windows drivers for USB Type-C connectors on MSDN. |
RAM | The system should have at least 2 GB of RAM. |
Flash storage | The system should have at least 16 GB of nonremovable flash memory. |
Audio/video latency | Audio or video latency should not exceed 80 milliseconds. |
Wired dock (device) recommendations
The end goal of these docking recommendations is to maximize compatibility and interoperability. For docks that support other USB Type-C alternate modes (such as Thunderbolt 3), we strongly recommend they also support the following specifications in addition to ensure interoperability with all systems. These recommendations are in addition to the Windows Hardware Compatibility Specifications.
Dock connection to the system | We recommend that the dock connect to the system by using USB Type-C. At a minimum, the dock's USB Type-C connector should support the following features:
If you plan on including an alternate mode other than DisplayPort over USB Type-C alternate mode, review the fallback requirements in the Overall recommendations section above. |
Dock (downstream) I/O ports | The downstream device I/O ports between a dock and other peripheral devices should always interoperate with any system that meets the system docking requirements.
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Power | For the power input to the dock, we have the following recommendations:
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Power budget policy | A dock's power budget is the total amount of power that the dock can provide to the connected host and connected devices. The dock can receive its power budget from a combination of internal sources and external sources (for example, a battery and a power adapter, respectively). A power budget policy is required to allocate power in a consistent manner if the total power requirements of the connected host and connected devices exceeds the dock's power budget, such as if a 30W charger is connected to the dock that is connected to a PC that is requesting 27W, while a device is requesting 15W. The following are recommendations for the power budget policy:
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Display output | The connection from the dock to an external monitor should be provided by at least one digital connector that is at a minimum either HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 (supporting DP++). However, if the device is a docking display (that is, the dock and the monitor are in the same device), it is optional to include an additional display output to enable a multimonitor experience. The resolution supported should at a minimum be 1080p, regardless of whether the display is externally connected through an external video port or is internally connected to the display. If you plan on including an alternate mode other than DisplayPort, review the fallback requirements in the Overall recommendations section above. |
Audio output | If the dock has one or more 3.5 mm audio output jacks, a minimum of stereo outputs need to be supported at 16 bits / 44.1 kHz format. Audio support in the dock must comply with the USB Audio Device Class 2 specification and implement jack insertion detection as outlined in the specification. |
Audio/video latency | The audio and video latency of devices attached either through USB (or for audio through a 3.5 mm jack) should not exceed 40 milliseconds. |
Touchpad (optional) | If the dock has an embedded touchpad, the touchpad needs to be a precision touchpad (PTP). We recommend that IHVs follow the PTP implementation guide to create PTPs that are on par with traditional laptop PTPs. The Device Integration, Experience Customization, and Module Design for HLK Requirements sections in the implementation guide describe the best practices for creating a touchpad that is superior aesthetically and experience-wise. |
Wireless docking
Like a wired dock, a wireless dock has ports for input and output peripherals. Tinyalarm 1 9 72. The connection to the device is wireless only. The dock does not provide power or a wired network connection to the device.
Wireless docking features to consider:
- A wireless connection from the device to the dock
- Support for phone, tablet, and laptops
- Wired or wireless mouse and keyboard input
- Monitor outputs using HDMI, DisplayPort, or both
Wireless dock discovery
Windows 10 will discover, pair, connect, and manage docks.
Recommendations
- Include Wifi-Display (Miracast) extensions in receiver firmware.
- Support WSB and MA-USB.
- Support WiGig for enterprise class docking equipment.