USB Docking Station

  • Thread starter Thread starter Meanie
  • Start date Start date
M

Meanie

I'm looking for a laptop USB docking station which allows monitor plug-in
and 5.1 component speaker input. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you
 
I'm looking for a laptop USB docking station which allows monitor plug-in
and 5.1 component speaker input. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you
Click to expand...

What do you want to do with it?
 
Flasherly said:
What do you want to do with it?
Click to expand...

Replacing my desktop with a laptop but still like the option of using my
bigger monitor and using my 5.1 surround sound speakers. Those are the main
focal points. The rest would be using my wireless keyboard and mouse.
 
Meanie said:
Replacing my desktop with a laptop but still like the option of using my
bigger monitor and using my 5.1 surround sound speakers. Those are the main
focal points. The rest would be using my wireless keyboard and mouse.
Click to expand...

While there are USB2 to VGA or USB2 to DVI display adapters,
they're not "fully functional". You can render a desktop
that way, but playing movies or games on a display hosted
that way, isn't going to happen. The image update rate
over USB2 is too slow for much more than a slide show.

Doing USB to audio isn't a problem, but the cheapest audio
solutions are stereo (and you know that any company
throwing in audio, will use the cheapest chip they can get,
so you get stereo).

The receiver for the wireless, could be plugged straight into
the laptop, or could be plugged into the dock.

*******

If you wanted to do such a thing, higher bandwidth interfaces
would be USB3 or Thunderbolt.

DisplayLink makes the DL-3000 chip, and that helps solve the
USB2 bottleneck. You'd want a dock with something like this
in it. It's not the resolution that impresses me, as much as the
possibility of higher data rates for doing screen updates
(faster than a slide show).

http://www.displaylink.com/usb3/index.php

Someone reviews the USB3 version here, and seems to like it.

http://www.everythingusb.com/targus-usb-3.0-dual-video-adapter-21477.html

But for that to work for you, you'd need USB3. And on a laptop
that doesn't have it, you could always install an ExpressCard USB3
adapter. If there is no ExpressCard slot (like on my laptop),
then there's no way to add USB3. USB3 on a PCCard wouldn't
work very well.

DisplayLink did their own dock prototype here, and you can
see it's chock full of fun. But it's the laptop end that
needs to be fixed, to play with stuff like this.

http://semiaccurate.com/2011/09/29/get-two-1080p-displays-from-a-single-usb3-port/

And the odds of your laptop having ThunderBolt are about zero.
In the example here, Thunderbolt uses PCI Express x4, and you can't
get that in an ExpressCard form factor. So unless the
motherboard in the laptop has ThunderBolt, is isn't happening.
For most people, USB3 is about the best they can hope for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)

On my laptop, the built-in VGA connector is the best way
to get the second monitor connected. It's only slightly more
work, than connecting up USB. There's no way to get 5.1 audio from
my laptop, to anywhere else. I'd need a USB dongle with 5.1 sound
to do that. And the wireless receiver for a keyboard and mouse,
could be plugged right into the laptop. So rather than a dock,
the only thing that would work for me, is "bits and pieces".
My laptop just doesn't have the expansion capability needed.

(USB audio dongle)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232028

Paul
 
Replacing my desktop with a laptop but still like the option of using my
bigger monitor and using my 5.1 surround sound speakers. Those are the main
focal points. The rest would be using my wireless keyboard and mouse.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't it be better to buy a laptop with the connections you want?
 
Rodney Pont said:
On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:44:16 -0500, Meanie wrote:

Wouldn't it be better to buy a laptop with the connections you want?
Click to expand...
Are you referring to having the inputs to hook everything up? Yes, the
laptop will have everything. The reason for a docking station is to
eliminate the need for plugging and unplugging these devices when I want to
mobilize the laptop. With a docking station, you leave all the connections
intact (monitor, speakers, other peripherals) and only use a single USB
connection from dock to laptop.
 
Are you referring to having the inputs to hook everything up? Yes, the
laptop will have everything. The reason for a docking station is to
eliminate the need for plugging and unplugging these devices when I want to
mobilize the laptop. With a docking station, you leave all the connections
intact (monitor, speakers, other peripherals) and only use a single USB
connection from dock to laptop.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call a USB device a docking station, I don't think it has
anywhere near the bandwidth. To me a docking station is something that
plugs into the laptop and has access to the busses in the computer.
There are USB sound cards available but I think you are out of luck on
the graphics front.
 
I wouldn't call a USB device a docking station, I don't think it has
anywhere near the bandwidth. To me a docking station is something that
plugs into the laptop and has access to the busses in the computer.
There are USB sound cards available but I think you are out of luck on
the graphics front.
Click to expand...

Toshiba is big on that - accessorizing a lap sleekly with its
proprietary docking station. Building a docking station under more
general terms, and it basically turns to the sky's the limit once USB
networking is established.
 
I wouldn't call a USB device a docking station, I don't think it has
anywhere near the bandwidth. To me a docking station is something that
plugs into the laptop and has access to the busses in the computer.
There are USB sound cards available but I think you are out of luck on
the graphics front.
Click to expand...
Yes, either a special connector that brings out all the signals (which are
then broken down into USB, video, serial etc) or perhaps a box that has
connectors that matchup with those on the laptop, so everything can be
plugged and unplugged in one motion (and I don't know if that last
actually exists).

If it was all USB, then you wouldn't need a "docking station", just a
USB cable, and then a box to do the actual circuitry.

That said, wikipedia claims there are units that do all the expansion via
USB, so who knows. It can't really be a good thing, even if the original
Macintosh was supposed to expand via a high speed serial bus.

Michael
 
Rodney Pont said:
I wouldn't call a USB device a docking station, I don't think it has
anywhere near the bandwidth. To me a docking station is something that
plugs into the laptop and has access to the busses in the computer.
There are USB sound cards available but I think you are out of luck on
the graphics front.
Click to expand...
As I understand it, laptop manufacturers no longer make actual docking
stations due to poor sales. Then I learned of the USB docking stations and
thought it was basically the same as the older laptop specific DS with
exception to the USB instead of a direct serial input of old.

This is one DS which caught my eye...
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/47...sal_usb_3_0_docking_station_review/index.html
 
Meanie said:
As I understand it, laptop manufacturers no longer make actual docking
stations due to poor sales. Then I learned of the USB docking stations and
thought it was basically the same as the older laptop specific DS with
exception to the USB instead of a direct serial input of old.

This is one DS which caught my eye...
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/47...sal_usb_3_0_docking_station_review/index.html
Click to expand...

The "single-connection-and-fanout" method works fine, as long
as the connection has plenty of bandwidth. If your laptop has a
USB3 (blue colored) connector, then I say, go ahead and shop
for one. Check to make sure, if there is a video output option,
that the very latest (USB3 type) video chip is inside the dock.
I gave an example of one in a previous post.

If your laptop has a USB2 connection only, that is suitable
for lower bandwidth devices. I wouldn't run video through a
USB2 connection, unless you were a salesman and did Powerpoint
slides on the display, with relatively low bandwidth needs
when they're displayed. For any other usage, "USB3 or better"
is required. Thunderbolt is another potential interface
for that sort of thing, but I haven't been keeping track
at all of that ecosystem. It's a Mac thing for the most part,
with Mac pricing.

Paul
 
As I understand it, laptop manufacturers no longer make actual docking
stations due to poor sales. Then I learned of the USB docking stations and
thought it was basically the same as the older laptop specific DS with
exception to the USB instead of a direct serial input of old.

This is one DS which caught my eye...
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/47...sal_usb_3_0_docking_station_review/index.html
Click to expand...

I forgot about USB 3!! That does have the bandwidth. That sounds like
it would fit your needs provided you go make a coffee after switching
it on :-)
 
I forgot about USB 3!! That does have the bandwidth. That sounds like
it would fit your needs provided you go make a coffee after switching
it on :-)
Click to expand...

That resembles me. In fact, I'll might just go make some more coffee
without ever having switched it off. Microwave the water, of course,
at first for a 6-year-old $1000 La Pavoni espresso compressor-style
piston apparatus (haven't even had to change the rubber in yet -- but
-- to be honest(er), I got it from somebody's basement for six, new in
the box).

But, before I do ... that Toshiba unit's link mentions around $200US
for the DS. (I've built computers for that with a little help from
Ebay. Does look sleek, all in shiny black, though ... reminds me when
I ran Toshiba laps, too, except they were all white, actually, but
dull and an offset white. Let me put it this way - I consider my La
Pavoni comparatively the value these days. ...least to mention my
grinder and roaster, at their costs, to consider.)
 
Back
Top