How Does Mac Pro Docking Station Charge the Battery?
What is mac docking station?
Business laptop users can often benefit from the convenience provided by the designers’ mac pro docking station. Thanks to it, frequent traveling with the notebook is not a problem, after returning with one “click” the computer returns to its desk, without the need to laboriously connect other devices – power, mouse, keyboard, printer or external monitors.
What are the users whose equipment is not equipped with such facility?
We will tell you right away that they are not doomed to plug in a dozen or so USB cables each time! Universal docking stations are a substitute solution (albeit not entirely, more on that later) of the dedicated docking station.
Mac pro docking station is a very convenient, fast, relatively inexpensive solution (comparable to the price of other docking stations), but not without its drawbacks.
Let’s start with the minuses this time. Only one downside, actually. The key here is the word “universality”. Versatility requires designers to adapt the device to work with a large number of devices. Most of the connected devices work on the USB port. It is not a major problem, video ports using Display Link technology also work well on most devices. The question of power remains.
Docking stations charge the battery without an additional power source
Dedicated mac pro docking station through their connection port are able to charge the laptop battery without connecting an additional power source, universal stations are not able to do this.
A large number of variants of power supplies supplied with laptops, different voltages and powers mean that the user of the docking station, in addition to connecting one cable that supports network ports, video and USB will always have to connect an additional cable supplying power to the computer.
When we are ready to accept this inconvenience, we can start to enjoy all the advantages of a universal station. (edit: at the moment, this difficulty is also becoming less and less important thanks to the station connected via the USB-C port. Thanks to which universal docking stations are now becoming full-fledged docking stations with capabilities that do not differ from dedicated models)
Advantages of mac pro docking station
There are many advantages, the more devices we have to connect, the more advantages are :-).
Universal docking stations come in many types, but generally we can divide them into two types. The first are extensive USB hubs. They usually have several USB sockets, an Ethernet (LAN) port, and that’s all. This solution is sufficient for many users who mainly want to relieve the burden of connecting a mouse, keyboard, network or printer each time.
Additional video ports are a much more interesting solution
Here, the undisputed leader is Display Link technology – this solution allows you to connect to the mac pro docking station also external image sources, such as monitors or TV sets. It is very convenient – having a small notebook or even a netbook, by attaching it to the universal docking station with one move.
We change it into a full-fledged computer, with a comfortable keyboard and a large monitor. The latest trend is USB-C stations that require a laptop port to use them.
USB-C technology, also known as 3.1 and sometimes also equated with Thunderbolt3, enables what USB 2.0 / 3.0 stations could not, i.e. transmitting audio and video signals via a cable and powering the connected device.
Thus, when buying a mac pro docking station that supports charging our laptop. We can resign from the original charger and the docking station will be the only cable required for connection. 1 and sometimes also equated with Thunderbolt3. It enables what USB 2.0 / 3.0 stations could not do, i.e. transmitting audio and video signals via a cable and powering the connected device.
Choosing a universal laptop docking station
There are many different types of universal stations on the market. Companies such as Kensington, Targus and Belkin specialize in production. Many mac pro docking station manufacturers, such as Dell, also brand them under their own brand. Sometimes offering special amenities for computers of a given type. Below we present photos of several such devices.
Kensington SD400V universal station
So, what to consider when choosing? Mainly with the look 🙂 and number of additional ports that we require. The devices have a different number of USB ports. A different number of video outputs and a more or less advanced housing design. It often results in quite significant price differences.
Before buying, it is worth considering what the station will be used for. Perhaps we do not need two ports for external monitors and we only need one or three USB ports instead of six. More complex mac pro docking station are able to transmit a video signal in higher resolution or to more monitors. It may be important in more professional applications.
The housings of these devices also differ significantly from each other. For example, Belkin offers the Ultrabook Dock housing. This allows the computer to be conveniently positioned “in the air” as if on a stand. Kensington, on the other hand, prefers stations in standing enclosures.
Docking station are placed next to the computer
Dell focuses on elegant and simple in form stations placed next to the computer, but also has extensive products such as the DS1000 mac pro docking station. Which also serve as the basis for an external monitor.
As you can see, the choice is considerable, but if we choose the right device for our needs. Each of the branded devices of one of the above-mentioned manufacturers will surely meet our requirements. We recommend SZLANGPAI products. A manufacturer with extensive experience in the production of docking stations.
Many years ago, Dell E-Port stations set a new standard in this category. Today Dell offers a large number of technically refined mac pro docking station.
