Docking station
USB-C hubs in comparison: the best multiport adapters for new laptops
USB-C hubs are true all-rounders for modern laptops with USB-C sockets.
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USB-C hubs connect the monitor, internet cable, power supply, mouse and keyboard to the laptop or tablet. But which multiport adapter fits your notebook?
Lighter, thinner, faster – that is the top priority of many computer manufacturers when it comes to new laptop models. On the one hand this is nice and on the other it is annoying: In order to save space, manufacturers are increasingly foregoing popular connection options such as HDMI or USB-A sockets. Instead, they rely on the flat USB-C connector with Thunderbolt or USB 3.1 Gen. 2 protocol.
This is useful in many ways because the Thunderbolt or USB 3.1 interface can not only transfer files from the USB stick, but also connect image signals to the monitor, Internet, power or input devices such as mouse and keyboard. In many cases, however, you need adapters because the Ethernet or HDMI cable, mouse and keyboard naturally do not fit into the oval USB-C port.
Because most new laptops only have two to four USB-C sockets, a multiport adapter, so-called USB-C hubs, is necessary for working from home. They connect the laptop to power, internet and screen at the same time via USB-C and also offer additional connection options for mouse, keyboard, USB sticks, external hard drives and, in some cases, microSD cards.
USB-C hub: the standard version
There is not much to consider with most USB-C hubs. Simple devices like this one 7-in-1 dock are available from 25 euros. Compared to higher quality devices, it differs in data throughput, because the manufacturer unfortunately only uses the USB 3.0 protocol.
Means a maximum bandwidth of 5 gigabytes per second. Depending on the size of the files, this is pretty slow. If you want to pull 4K video material onto your laptop via a USB connection, you should therefore ensure that the USB-C port supports at least USB 3.1 Gen.2.
And people with a 4K screen should also stay away from the USB hub. Although it connects a 4K screen to the laptop via HDMI, it does so with a maximum refresh rate of 30 Hertz. And that’s a nasty feeling even for simple office work.
The USB-C hub is therefore suitable for everyone who connects a full HD screen as well as a mouse and keyboard to the laptop via a USB-C hub and who transfers small data such as Word or Excel documents from a USB-A stick want to transfer to the laptop.
USB-C hub for 4K at 60 Hertz
On the other hand, a more sophisticated one is almost twice as expensive USB-C hub from Dockteck. Again, the manufacturer relies on USB 3.0 for the USB protocol, so you move data just as slowly as with the cheaper hub. To do this, it transmits image signals with a significantly higher bandwidth, which enables a maximum of 60 Hertz with 4K resolutions. 60 Hertz is completely sufficient for office work, but gamers who connect a gaming laptop to the screen will not be happy with it.
Compared to the first 7-in-1 USB hub, the Dockteck hub offers two more practical functions: First, you can connect USB-C chargers with up to 92 watts of power to the hub. This leaves a USB-C port on the laptop free. Second, it offers an ethernet port for wired internet. Practical for all home office workers who have had enough of poor WiFi.
12-in-1 docking station
It goes one step further Docking station from Nimaso. Unfortunately, it also only uses USB 3.0, but you can connect two monitors with up to 4K resolution at 60 Hertz to the laptop via HDMI. On top of that, it offers a jack plug for headphones or a microphone and an old VGA connection in case you have to connect an outdated projector or monitor to a new USB-C laptop.
USB-C hub with USB 3.1
Photographers and videographers know the annoying wait until high-resolution photos or videos from the SD card land on the computer. You should use a USB-C hub that works with the USB 3.1 protocol. Compared to USB 3.0, it offers a maximum data throughput of 10 gigabytes per second, ideally twice as fast.
One of the few USB-C hubs with USB 3.1 is offered by the manufacturer CallDigit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have as many connection options as the 12-in-1 hub, but it still has many conveniences that you wouldn’t want to miss in the home office. This of course includes an Ethernet connection for a wired Internet connection, a USB-C and a USB-A socket with 3.1 protocol and up to 10 gigabytes of data throughput per second, a USB-C port for charging the laptop, a microSD and an SD card reader as well as an HDMI and a DisplayPort socket with enough power for 4K up to 60 Hertz.
USB-C hub with Thunderbolt 3
Only Thunderbolt 3 offers even more data throughput than USB 3.1. Unfortunately, the interface is therefore particularly expensive and the USB-C hubs that offer it are particularly rare. Premium manufacturer Corsair still has one USB-C hub with Thunderbolt 3 port on offer. Up to 40 gigabytes of data per second squeeze through the interface. You can only use it if your laptop also has Thunderbolt 3. This is the case with most premium models such as MacBooks from Apple or the top models of the Dell XPS series.
The other connection options of the Corsair USB-C hub are also convincing: It offers two USB-A sockets with USB 3.0 (up to 5 gigabytes of data per second), two HDMI plugs (4K at 60 Hertz), and two USBs -C sockets (with USB 3.1, 10 gigabytes per second), a Thunderbolt 3 socket (40 gigabytes per second), a jack plug for headphones or a microphone, an SD card reader and of course the Gigabit Ethernet socket for the Internet.
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