Docking Stations Buyers Guide
One cable. A complete desk setup. Learn what to look for when choosing a docking station, from laptop charging and dual displays to compatibility, ports and cable types.
Before you buy: check these 4 things
Get these right first and choosing the right docking station becomes much easier.
What is a Docking Station?
If your desk is a jungle of cables and wires that stresses you out, a docking station can solve that.
Think of a docking station as a central connection point between your laptop and everything else on your desk.
Your monitors, keyboard, mouse, Ethernet connection, storage devices and other peripherals can all remain connected to the dock.
When you arrive at your desk, you connect the laptop to the docking station rather than plugging each device in individually.
What are the benefits of a Docking Station?
A dock can simplify your entire workstation. Instead of connecting everything separately, compatible devices can be brought together through one central hub.
Less desk clutter
Keep most of your cables connected permanently and out of the way.
Faster setup
Connect your laptop and get straight to work without reconnecting every peripheral.
More connectivity
Add displays, Ethernet, USB devices and connections your laptop may not have built in.
Better hot desking
Give employees a consistent desk setup without carrying chargers and adapters between desks.
How much Power Delivery do you need?
One of the first specifications to check is the docking station's power-delivery capability.
A USB-C or Thunderbolt dock may be able to charge your laptop through the same cable used for data and displays — but only if the laptop, dock and cable all support the required power level.
Start by checking the wattage of the charger supplied with your laptop. Your docking station should provide a suitable level of power for the computer you intend to use.
Everyday office laptops
Common for general office notebooks used for email, documents, web applications and everyday software.
Higher-performance laptops
Useful for more powerful business notebooks and systems running heavier workloads.
High-power systems
Some newer USB-C systems support higher USB Power Delivery levels.
Important: some high-performance laptops and mobile workstations still require their own dedicated power adapter.
Dual and multiple monitor setups
Multiple monitor screens can be particularly useful for spreadsheets, data entry, coding, design, video editing, document comparison and research.
A docking station can make a dual or multi-display setup far easier — but display support is one of the areas where compatibility matters most.
Check whether the dock supports one, two or more independent external monitors.
1080p, QHD and 4K screens place different demands on the dock and host connection.
Check for HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C.
Graphics hardware, USB-C or Thunderbolt capability and operating system can affect display support.
Don't assume every dual-display dock works the same way
Different docking stations use different methods to drive external displays. Always check the docking station specification against your particular laptop and operating system.
| Display Technology | Windows | macOS | ChromeOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DisplayLink | Supported | Supported* | Supported |
| DisplayPort MST | Commonly supported | Check carefully | Model dependent |
| Thunderbolt | Compatible PCs | Compatible Macs | Device dependent |
| HDMI | Yes | Yes | Compatible devices |
Which ports do you actually need?
Once charging and monitor support are covered, look at everything else you connect to your workstation.
They can use the same physical USB-C connector, but the capabilities behind that connector can differ. Check the specification of both your laptop and docking station rather than relying on connector shape alone.
Docking stations make hot desking much simpler
Instead of every employee setting up monitors, Ethernet, keyboards, mice and chargers each morning, each workstation can have its equipment permanently connected to a dock.
Employees arrive, connect their compatible laptop and start working.
A few final things worth checking
Two docking stations can look almost identical while behaving very differently. Before buying, check the smaller details too.
Before choosing your docking station...
Match the dock to the laptop first, then build the rest of your desk around it.
