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    Is there an accessory that would allow me to keep all my cords plugged in?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by Mikozee, Feb 21, 2011.

  1. Mikozee

    Mikozee Notebook Guru

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    Confusing title, I know. Let me explain.

    My laptop has 8 cords (USB, VGA, Ethernet, etc.) plugged in at all times. As you can imagine, having to unplug and replug these cords every time I need to take my laptop on-the-go becomes a bit of a hassle.

    I'm looking for some type of accessory that would allow me to keep all of these cords plugged in and still allow me to utilize them while I am home. That way I don't have to keep plugging and unplugging everything every time I go out. Even if this accessory takes 4 USB slots to power, that's still a lot easier to handle then 8.
     
    Mikozee, Feb 21, 2011
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  2. alexUW

    alexUW Notebook Virtuoso

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    Ya, it's called a Docking Station.

    Though I hear the VGA slots on docking stations don;t work very well since limited by USB port.

    Here's an Amazon search:
    Amazon.com: laptop docking stations
     
    alexUW, Feb 21, 2011
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  3. davidfor

    davidfor Notebook Consultant

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    alexmuw has pointed you to some Docking Stations and pointed out the limitation of the USB connected one. But, there are other Docking Stations that connect to a special socket in the laptop. They will provide VGA and network and other connections at the same speed as the laptops internal components. The laptops with the socket and dock tend to be business laptops and the dock will be specific to the laptop or possible a range of laptops.
     
    davidfor, Feb 21, 2011
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  4. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    i got two usb port replicators, they are okay as an average dock, provided you are not constantly transferring huge files across the usb ports/ethernet ports on the dock whilst watching high resolution movies at above 1440x900 resolution. Otherwise it will lag. This is one reason i can't wait for usb 3.0 version to come out with the higher bandwidth.
     
    lead_org, Feb 21, 2011
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  5. KimoT

    KimoT Are we not men?

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    You can get a decent USB dock with audio and Ethernet. That would bring you down to 3 connections (VGA, USB, and power). Best you can do on a laptop without a dedicated docking port.

    Here are some examples from Newegg ( Targus, Kensington, and HP models). I would avoid docks with video...the output is horrid on USB 2.0 connection speed.
     
    KimoT, Feb 22, 2011
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