Your laptop computer by no means has sufficient ports–particularly if it is the Macbook Air this information was written on. That forces you to hold an array of dongles so you may plug the whole lot in. Luckily, there’s a greater method. USB hubs can increase the quantity and type of ports obtainable, and USB docks allow you to flip a laptop computer right into a full-blown workstation with one plug. After testing a number of totally different USB hubs and docks, these are one of the best we have discovered for various wants.
In search of different house workplace gizmos and devices? We have got a lot of guides that may assist, like our Best Work From Home Gear, Best USB Flash Drive, and Best Portable External Storage Drives roundups.
Replace Might 2023: We added the Anker 568 and Anker 778 docks.
Particular provide for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This consists of limitless entry to WIRED.com and our print journal (if you would like). Subscriptions assist fund the work we do day by day.
Do You Want a Hub or a Dock?
There is a gray space between USB hubs and docks since they technically do (largely) the identical factor: add extra ports and connectors to your pc. Nonetheless, there are some slight variations and it is value understanding them before you purchase one.
USB hubs are smaller, cheaper dongles that may add additional USB ports, SD card readers, show outputs, or a headphone jack. These usually do not provide additional energy, so that you is likely to be unable to cost devices plugged into them. They’re additionally transportable sufficient to throw in your laptop computer bag to make use of at house and on the go.
USB docks are sometimes bigger, costlier, and are designed to spend most of their time in your desk. They usually include their very own energy provide, to allow them to cost different units, and have a number of monitor outputs and Ethernet connections. For those who regularly use your laptop computer at a desk, a dock can allow you to shortly join it to a keyboard, mouse, screens, and some other peripherals you want concurrently.
