What is USB C Docking Station and Why Should You Use It?
You Should get a USB C Docking Station Right Now! Here’s Why.
USB C docking station is one computer accessory that is soon to become the most popular computer peripheral. Why? Because newer laptops reduce the number of ports on them and now come with only 1 USB type C supported port.
Universal Serial Bus or USB was first released in 1996 as an enhanced medium of data and power transmission. Since then, many variants of the USB connector and many different versions of USB standards have been released.
The USB type C is the latest and most advanced version of USB connector to-date. With its concept being made public back in 2014, the USB C connector has become popular among common people only recently.
What is USB C?
Before we can count the benefits of having a USB C docking station, let’s look into what USB C is.
USB C is the latest member of the ever-growing USB family. It has now become the most efficient medium of data and power transmission. And is quickly taking over its predecessors.
While some people are still confused about its features, it is not hindering USB C’s popularity. Many companies have already started replacing the conventional USB ports with the newer and better USB C supported ports.
What’s New About USB C?
USB type C is winning over electronic devices and their manufacturers very rapidly. The reason for this is everything new that USB C has to offer. Here is a list of USB C’s most prominent features, making it stand out from the obviously stuffy USB crowd.
1. Flippability
Gone are the days when you inserted a USB connector in its port. And it never connected in the first go. Then you would flip it and try connecting it again, failing once more. Finally, you (now frustrated) would flip it back, and this time, only if you were lucky, the cable would connect.
With USB C, this frustration is no more. You can insert it either way, and it would connect in the first go. Yes, you read that right. You don’t have to keep flipping the connector for it to connect, pick it up, and plug it in the port.
2. Thin, Easy to Plug-in Connector
The USB C has its idiosyncratic, very tiny connector, which can easily connect to smaller devices, such as smartphones and gaming consoles, like the Nintendo Switch. This thinness of the connector also secures its presence when the thinner the device increases its popularity.
3. Higher Power Transmission
USB C is USB 3.1, supported by default. This means that USB C is capable of carrying power up to 100 W. And can recharge bigger devices such as laptops. With power transmission up to this level, USB C connectors are also popular as fast chargers for smaller devices like smartphones and tablets.
4. Greater Data Transfer
A USB 3.1 supported USB C can transport data at 10 Gbps. That’s 10 Gigabytes per second, which is much faster than all of its predecessors. Hence, USB C finds great use in mobile phones, computers, and hard drives, owing to its prompt data transmission.
What is USB C Docking Station?
Now that we know a few things about USB C let’s see what a USB C docking station is.
A USB C docking station is like a port replicator that increases the computer’s connectivity and compatibility with other devices when connected to the computer.
Laptop computers are getting attenuated with every newer version. But the computer manufacturers are not only reducing them in thickness and weight. They are also shrinking the number of peripheral ports with every new version of the laptop.
Tech giants Apple and Google both released their computers, the Apple MacBook Pro and the Chromebook having only USB C supported ports. Hence, these laptops were inherently incompatible with the most common peripherals, such as a mouse and keyboard with a USB type A connector.
But a docking station, with its ability to connect multiple USB connectors of different types, made these USB C supported laptops compatible with all the common external devices.
Benefits of having a USB C docking station
1. Enhances Your Computer’s Compatibility
Do you want to buy that latest version of a laptop, but its lack of compatibility with your devices deters you from doing so? Well, a USB C docking station is here to solve your problems. It enables you to get that latest laptop without having to worry about your peripherals’ connectivity.
A USB C docking station connects to a laptop’s USB C port. Then it allows you to connect several other devices having various USB connectors.
Depending on its type, connecting a USB C docking station to your laptop will make it compatible with other connectors. For example, the 3.0 and 2.0 versions of USB A, USB B, HDMI, VGA, power display, and other types of connectors.
2. Allows You to Connect Multiple Devices
It would be best to consider getting a USB C docking station because of their ability to connect multiple devices to your computer. There is very rarely a laptop that has more than 2 USB ports. And even when a laptop has multiple ports, they are not always compatible with the devices you want to connect.
We often find ourselves in situations where, for example, one of the ports are occupied by an external hard drive. A keyboard occupies another one, and there is no place left to connect a mouse. Now you are left with the task of deciding what device you want to keep and which one needs to go.
USB C docking station, with its multiple USB ports, eradicates this problem. It allows you to connect multiple devices to your computer simultaneously. So, you don’t have to choose between either of your devices.
3. Increases Screen Space
It’s often difficult for people to switch between windows and tabs while working on something. This is why many people prefer using multiple screens. The latest laptops with only a USB C port and no HDMI or power display port do not allow you to enjoy increased screen space.
But by connecting a USB C docking station to the USB C port of your laptop, you can enjoy greater screen space as most USB C docking stations allow you to connect one HDMI and one power display connector. This way, you can take advantage of both multiple screens and your new, advanced laptop.
4. Offers Convenience
USB C docking stations offer immense convenience when you have to use the same computer when working from home and when working from your office. Having a docking station will eliminate the need to disconnect all the external devices when you have to take your computer back to the office and then connect all the devices back again once you get there.
All your home-use and office-use peripherals can stay connected to their respective docking stations. In this way, you only have to carry a laptop while going to the office and returning home.
5. Charges Your Device
With all the benefits that a USB C docking stations have to offer, another positive aspect is that it charges your device. As soon as you connect a USB C docking station to your computer, the docking station starts charging your computer. Hence eliminating the need to use an external charger.
Furthermore, a USB C type docking station almost always has a USB A supported port so that you can charge your phone too. In this way, a single device-the USB C docking station puts two other wired accessories, your phone, and laptop charger, out of business. Moreover, acting as a charger also reduces the number of accessories that you must carry while traveling.
6. Cleaner Desk Space
No one likes a web of cables lying haphazardly on their desk. A USB C docking station helps you organize your cables by providing you with a single point to connect all your peripherals. Therefore, along with numerous other benefits, having a USB C docking station will help you avoid having a tangled, articulate web of cables that looks impossible to unravel.
Conclusion
USB C connector is a relative innovation in the world of USBs. Previously, only devices from high-end brands came with a USB C type supported port. Due to its popularity and a great number of benefits that it has to offer; USB C is slowly but surely taking over all electronic devices.
We are stuck in an era of transition and are a long time away from when all of the peripherals will come with USB C connectors. Right now, we have laptops with USB C ports and peripherals with older type and version USB connectors. This is a serious dilemma because it reduces our device’s compatibility.
In a situation like this, owning a UCB C docking station has become imperative. This is because it allows you to connect multiple devices while occupying a single USB port itself. It also makes your device compatible with a wide variety of other connectors from USB type A to HDMI connectors.
So, in a time like this, the most sensible thing to do would be to own a USB C docking station. This is because a USB C docking station is set to see an increase in its popularity soon when more and more laptops will have USB C supported ports.
