Docking Stations are Dead

by | Jun/20/2013

Top level executives and owners often express frustration because they want to upgrade their notebook computer, but they don’t want to have to buy another docking station. The good news is that you can forget docking stations forever.

The whole point of a docking station was that you could drop your notebook into the dock, and the notebook would automatically connect to your desk’s monitor, printers, etc.

Now, you don’t need a docking station at all. On your desk can sit a single USB cable. When you return to your desk, all you need to do is plug that single USB cable into your laptop computer. All of your other devices will spring to life.

The way this happens is that your single USB cable connects your laptop to a powered USB hub. You can plug one or more monitors into that hub using USB graphics adapters. If you run out of USB ports on the first hub, just cascade to another hub by connecting a USB port on the first hub to a second hub. You can connect all kinds of USB devices including full size keyboards, vertical mice, USB external hard drives, USB DVD drives, USB microphones, USB speakers, printers, scanners, a USB Ethernet or Wi-Fi dongles, a USB connection to your smartphone and tablet, and so on.

Save your money—you don’t ever need a docking station again.