This one lacks the SD card reader, extra charging port, or headphone and microphone jacks of our new pick, but it has a couple of extra USB 3.0 ports and supports up to three monitors. Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station for $150: This was previously our top pick for multi-monitor setups, and it's still a great, slightly less expensive option.It is still fairly inexpensive, though, if you just need a cheap dock. It has two HDMI ports for dual-monitor setups, but it doesn't come with its own power supply and it has fewer USB 3.0 ports than many of our other more modern picks. Plugable UD-3900C Dual Monitor Docking Station for $120: This was our top pick for a while, but it's looking a little long in the tooth.Here's a selection of some of our favorites, past favorites, or just alternatives to our picks above. They're fine! We get into the nitty-gritty for specific use-cases to find the best, but that leaves a bunch of devices that are great options, even if they don't make our top picks. We test a lot of USB hubs and docks and, quite frankly, most of them are … fine. Many laptops come with their own USB-C charging cable anyway, and if you don't already have your own, you can check out our guide to find one here. However, the USB-C PD port on the rear supports up to 75-watt input, which it can pass onto your laptop. The only downside is that it doesn't come with its own power supply like most of our other picks. With all these features, it would be a strong contender for one of our favorite docks already, but its low price really brings it over the finish line. That said, you'll need both plugged in for the dock to work, and your two USB-C ports should probably be on the same side of the laptop, so make sure yours are before picking this one up. The dock uses two USB-C plugs that run through a small plastic sleeve to line them up for some popular laptops like the Macbook Air, but you can pull the sleeve back to separate the plugs to fit other laptops. While no SSD is included, you can plug in your own to give your dock its own storage to offload files from your laptop. Most interestingly, it also has an NVMe SSD slot in the bottom. A hardware switch on the back lets you turn the dock on or off, and a small strip of rubber on the top makes sure your laptop doesn't slide around on top. On the rear, it adds an Ethernet port, five USB ports (two USB-A, two USB-C, and a third USB-C for charging), and three monitor outputs (two HDMI and one DisplayPort). This dock sits neatly under your laptop and elevates it a little ways off the desk, for a more ergonomic angle. It's tough for USB docks to stand out-most of them are simply boxes that add extra ports to your laptop-but Satechi managed to make one that really breaks the mold. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). We also added Honorable Mentions section with Plugable UD-3900C, Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station, Satechi Triple 4K Display Docking Station, and Plugable Dual Monitor Horizontal Docking Station. Update November 2023: We added the Satechi Dual Dock Stand, Plugable Dual 4K Display Horizontal Docking Station, Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station 13-in-1, Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Media Pro Dock, and OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock. Looking for other home-office gizmos and gadgets? We've got a number of guides that can help, like our Best Work-From-Home Gear, Best USB Flash Drive, and Best Portable External Storage Drives roundups. After testing several USB hubs and docks, these are the best we've found for different needs. USB hubs can expand the number and kind of ports available, and USB docks let you turn a laptop into a full-blown workstation with one plug. That forces you to carry an array of dongles so you can plug everything in. Your laptop never has enough ports–especially if it's the Macbook Air this guide was written on.
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