Hub vs. Docking Station! Which one do you need?
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
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2:30 Hubs also have downside that they tend to reserve some power to themselves. For instance my HP hub tends to "steal" 20W from PD power supply, so when I plug in 87W power supply, my PD tester displays only 67W available. However at least On the other hand they can run without external power supply compared to docks.
In the olden days, a docking station was a tray (second part of laptop) with a port-replicator and high speed connectors where you put your laptop on it without touching any cables. The hub is the cheap hack for outdoors.
The docking station can contain the missing items like optical disc writer, additional harddisk, additional and more powerful powerbrick to enable the laptop to be extra portable.
Nowadays, the cables are even more of a chore. Regression.
The main and most important difference is that the dock has an independent power supply. Thus, along with the greater number of expansion possibilities, the laptop port is not energetically overloaded and is not at risk of serious damage due to energy overload. This difference is very important to highlight. Furthermore it's possible to use all the dock ports at the same time, but if you do this on the hub your equipment will suffer damage.
Docks also keep your laptop permanently charging, which is not great for the battery life of a laptop. Hubs don't do that. Once in a while, it is a good idea to disconnect your battery from the power supply and let it discharge. It's good for the lifespan of the battery and to keep it from swelling and causing internal damage to your laptop.
As they are now, docks tie your battery to being permanently charged if you need your devices, which isn't always a great idea to keep it permanently plugged in. I have a hub that I use and it's caused no issues to either my laptop or my devices, even when the ports are fully hooked in.
Thank you! This is the best video I've found to educate this old girl on this subject.
Thank you for uploading this informative video. I've been researching hubs and docks, other videos are stumbling over their words, makes me nervous to listen to them.
1st VERY IMPORTANT - Docking Station need connect to the "POWER" that possibly distribute to the connected device needed, which "hub" cannot. That's the reason "Docking Station" is not portable.
Great video! It point to something that we all need to know. How ever, would be a good adding to explain that a Hub, "echos" the data signal from the computer to all of the Hub ports, which in turn produces what is call signal collitions. This can couse a slower and degraded data signal. This is where switches came into picture on the 80s. I asume that docking stations are the same. Well done, anyways!
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Oh my goodness a basic explanation about everything ❤❤❤
From movies to tech reviews, is there anything you can't do, Gal Gadot? (Yes yes, I know it's not actually her - can't believe I have to even clarify)
Me neither 。
Thanks Loved your explanation.
I have hub and lives on my desk. But, I be looking for that Docking station. I think my weak laptop GPU may thank me in the long run. 🎉
thank you so much for this! Im a Mac newbie and you helped sooo much in my decision making
Glad I could help! ❤️
You can connect like 8 monitors to that doc if you use usb-c adapters
Well presented! for me The main difference is the dock needs an external power supply, the hub doesn't
Thanks for the good analysis. Exactly what I was looking for.
Thanks for the explanation. I would like to see how bottle necked a hub would be with peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse while connected to a display and charging at the same time.
Great video.
One additional point: With the USB C Hub you can also charge you Laptop. There is a 100W power suply as well. So you also need to connect only one cable to your Laptop - same as the docking station.
Another advantage of the Hub is, you can use it for your mobile device (such as Samsung DEX) ;-)
Sorry im a newbie. Just got a one port usb-c port MacBook not tb. Will a usb-c hub be able to power an external 3.5 HDD and monitor if the MacBook has 30w battery?
you have a really clear voice
that caldigit is a Caldigit thunderbolt 3. The newer is Thunderbolt 4 with 18 ports from year 2022. Both use a AC adapter which must be plugged in.
I think that for my personal ideal use, the Hub would be best. I want to be able to simply take my fordable smartphone, a portable and lightweight hub, a tri-folding Bluetooth keyboard, and a pair of Augmented Reality Smartglasses like the NREAL air, and BAM, instant ideal computer anywhere i go that isn't bulky like a laptop.
I have two different hubs, each has several ports including HDMI out. 1 plugs into my laptop with a USB-C connector, the other with a USB-A connector. Neither will provide an HDMI signal to my projector, but plugging directly into my laptop, I do get a good HDMI out signal. What is a likely reason for the problem?
Great video, I’ve been debating on which one to get and this helped me out
So glad to hear that! ❤️
Does the Caldigit’s dock support anything above 60Hz? 🤔 Perhaps lower resolution such as 1080p or 2K resolution offers higher Hz options?
really good question! i am also looking for an answer to this question
@@Xolerik707 Well in that case Anton, I hope someone is here to save us and help us find an answer! ☺
Nice! I'm travelling the next month so my Hub is no problem!
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*"My MSI Titan Pro has Thunderbolt 3 and I want to connect a HUB to handle multiple 7-10 USB 3.1 devices however I'm finding most hubs use USB-C thus my question. If I were to plug the USB C connector of a HUB device into my Thunderbolt 3 port, will it all still work and if so, will it work just as efficient or better than if I had a USB C port on my laptop which I don't?"*
❤️ The presentation, info and the presenter. So clear, informative and helpful in deciding between the two.🙏🏻
Thank you! ❤️
@@MarinaTech My absolute pleasure. Keep them coming 👍👍
A good video, I am setting a new work desk at home, I do have Lenovo tb docking and usb c hub but… the Lenovo tb docking has a weird layout which is hard to hide it, and it has 2 usb-c ports only, I would like to have 4 and I do not care all those hdmi and DP ports, there are 4… my most important concern is… usb-c docking is not cheap, they are around US$150+…
With MacBook 2021 m1 model , I hardly require any hub or dock, sd card Hdmi are all built in , just need few usb c to usb 3.0 converters
There are some devices unlike the older macbooks that actually make sense to only have 1 usb C port like a celphone or a tablet.
So many people misunderstand the difference between Hub, Network Hub, Switch, Network Switch, Gateway, Wireless Gateway, Port Replicator, and Docking Station... Even Dell has it wrong, as they often call their Port Replicators Docking Stations.
- Hubs only have Serial/USB/Lightning/FireWire/ADB/Other connector types or Network connector types, generally a single series of related ports.
-- If it is a Hub with Network ports (ex. RJ-45 ports) and no intelligence in it, it is called a Network Hub.
-- If it is a Network Hub has modest intelligence built into it, it is instead called a Network Switch.
-- If it is a Network Hub OR Network Switch also has a modem and/or WiFi/Wireless built into it it is instead called a Gateway or a Wireless Gateway.
-- If it is a USB Hub or other type of Hub they are generally un-powered, and generally quite portable.
- A specialized type of Hub with single connector in and multiple same connector out with the ability to switch between them is also called a Switch. A good example is for Video 1 In and 4 Out, or 4 In and 4 Out (either Composite, Component, VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, or HDMI), in which case it is a Video Switch. Gamers love these for multiple console connections.
- Port Replicators has functions of a Hub those plus several other ports, like display, video, network, sound ports, Wifi, Bluetooth, etc (older ones also had serial and parallel)... Some have built in multi-card readers (CF, SD, etc...). Many of these have independent power supplies to power all the devices off of them and as pass through for powering the host device. Many but not all of these are still technically portable, but not as portable. They are better as a method to easily detach a notebook from a desk full of connections, with all connections going to the port replicator, and just disconnect the one wire.
- Docking Station (nickname/short name is just Dock) has functions of Port Replicator plus other functionality along with independent power... some have screens or stands and power pass through. In older days thy had built in drives (Floppy, CD, DVD, Blu Ray, Optical, Tape Drive) they are not generally portable. Many of these were also specialized and computer or company specific as they predated the USB, FireWire, Lightning, and ADB interfaces. A few were built into monitor stands.
These days, for computers Docking Stations are as not popular, and a port replicator can do most of what a older Docking Station can do and are more generic. A recent exception is Android devices... a dock with keyboard, mouse, and possibly a stand or a larger screen works good for some people.
If people do not know what to get these days, unless maximum portability is the goal then they almost certainly would benefit best from a Port Replicator.
One note: there's no point in mentioning the USBs on the hub as 3.0 while mentioning the ports on the dock as 3.1 (even the 5Gbps ones), because if it was to follow the USB-IF nomenclature mess, both are wrong (since they renamed everything to 3.2), but if it is about passing the most information, then what matter's is the true capacity (USB 3 5, 10 or 20 Gbps)
Muito legal ver que você tem canais para gringos e outro para brasileiros! Sucesso Marina! 🇧🇷🌏
Obrigada!!! ❤️
One is 7 times the cost. One is a Thunderbolt 3 @ 40Gbps, the other is Type C at 5Gbps. There are also Thunderbolt 3 "hubs" that are at 40Gbps speed.
Thanks for this great comparison, Marina! Unfortunately the CalDigit TS3 Plus is currently unavailable, hopefully it will available again soon.
Hi Chris! So glad you liked it. Yes, the TS3 was unavailable for a while but I believe they did that cause they were planning a new one. 🙌🏻 Here is the link for the TS4 in case you're interested. www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-station-4/ ❤️
@@MarinaTech Thanks :)
Caraca, ela grava os vídeos em Inglês e Português! Adorei!
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100% dock at home for a base workplace. Hub if the tech you bought was a bad decision since it lacks ports 😊.
Is the docking station only for laptops, or, can it be used on PC desktops? If so, how does it connect to the pc, is it by a USB port? Thank you!
Usb-c port, it is slightly smaller than a USB port, you can google what a usb c port looks like and make sure you computer has that port. But there are also docks with regular USB cables
Marina, you are one pretty lady and very knowledgeable. I just hit the subscribe button, keep them coming, thanks! 😎
Thank you so much! ❤️
may i know where to buy all arms? looks to good for the setup, regards
does the hub allow you to dual monitor extender?
A very informitive vid..though..am I to Assume..Once inputting ethernet into the rj45 plug..internet then is enabled and passed through the rest of the plugs/slots ?...(thanks in Advance )
So are you saying it only passthrough charges on MacBooks?
Type c is usb 3.1 or 3.2, 3.2 gen 2
Thanks 😊
does the anker do 1440p 144hz through hdmi or dp
Thanks
What s the brand of docking station ma'am.
*"Something I always wondered, when using a HUB or a Docking Station, having let's say 5 USB 3.1 cables plugged in, while running 2 HDMI 4K Monitors, and lets say your Ethernet cable is plugged in all running at the same time, doesn't that seriously bottleneck down even when connected to a Thunderbolt 3 in contrast to plugging them in separately around your laptop?"*
You never mentioned that with hubs, all of the devices connected are powered directly by your computer which can drastically lower battery life whereas with a dock they typically have their own power supply and they power the ports with that supply, so it wouldn't draw much (if any at all) power from your computer for the connected devices. Charging your laptop aside.
One downside to a dock is that is constantly charges your laptop and you can't turn off this charging if you need to use your devices. This is a MAJOR pitfall because it will keep your battery always charging when plugged in and cause overvolting/overcharging which will lower your battery's lifespan significantly. This is why I typically prefer hubs to docks, because I can use my devices and disconnect my charger from the laptop for a bit so as to let it discharge and not cause battery damage by having it constantly charging all the time.
great explanation. I have found that using J5craft unpowered docking station will tend to 1: overheat which causes screen a freeze 2 drain battery life 3, slow my computer.
I def need a powered Docking station, but don't like the idea of constantly charging my laptop.
Usually there are some softwares that keep a battery in certain percentage
Not sure about Windows machines, but the Mac OS prohibits overcharging. My M1 Mac is always plugged in while being used as a desktop. That also lessens the Battery Cycle Count, which extends battery life. It's possible newer Windows laptops also has that function as they always in competition.
Thank you so much for your sharing this video.
Can you recommend a hub or solution that has a Thunderbolt 2 input /output (used with my G Technology 4TB external drive) and SD card input.that works with high speed SD cards..(my 2013 iMac has built in ports for these connectors and I am looking at buying a M3 iMac.
I appreciate this video and I have a question for you.
I just bought a Belkin 5 in 1 dock which has a power brick and supposedly powers my M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch.
The MacBook has MagSafe charging.
Should I use the MagSafe charger WITH the power from the dock or is this asking for trouble. I have not been able to find anyone to answer this question.
It will not charge from both places at the same time, so there’s no need to use the MagSafe cable
That was really helpful, thank you. :)
if a usb HUB has a PD , means that if i connect a usb charger to that, it get powered? (like a powered usb hub with DC)???.
What happen if i connect that hub to a usb c with no PD (i dont want PD to my notebook) ? can damage the port or the notebook?
and what happens if i connect a powered usb hub to that hub ?? thanks!!
I have a Mac book and an iPad Pro, I wonder why I settled for Acasis "hub" with SSD when there were so many lame products to choose from Anker.
Can a macbook air 2020 M1 with a dock support 2 monitors? Do all docks support this feature? Please suggest me a solution! Thank you
M1 Macs doesn't support 2 monitor except Mac mini. There's some docks that can do the trick to have a second monitor but it's meh. So even if you have a hub or a dock, you won't be able to use 2 monitors on M1 Macs
@@nicolastremblay1102 You seriously can't use two monitors on an M1 Mac? Damn, I can use 3-4 on my 9-year-old Windows laptop.
@@FlyboyHelosim I don't remember why there's a limitation on M1 but on M1 Pro/Max/Ultra you can have like 4 or 6 monitors if I'm not wrong
@@nicolastremblay1102 Oh right, I assumed you meant the entire range.
Hello Marina, the Amazon CalDigit link is not working. thank you for the video.
Oh thanks! ❤️
temporarily maybe use a powerbank when on the go.
This is a very informative video. Thank you Marina!
Glad it was helpful! ❤️
A Docking Station with WiFi connectivity to the internet and wireless connection to the laptop would be very useful.
Is there such a beast?
I don’t think there’s a dock with a WiFi chip built in, but you can buy a usb adapter and plug it to the dock. Wireless usb adapter are pretty cheap and quite small
@@MarinaTech
Thanks!
great video!!!! Thanks for that
i need to know if the dock station has internet speed because my pc dont have ethernet port
Excellent video!
Question: I know the CalDigit connects via usb-c. Can I connec it to my desktop PC via usb-a using a transformer to usb C to usb A? Will the monitor work?
No because the Caldigit TS3+ only works on Thunderbolt. The TS4 can be used on Thunderbolt 4/3 USB 4 and USB C ( with some limitations )
I got an alienware m15 r6 and a 32 inch dell monitor that has newer hook ups.I already had a veiw Sonic but it only has vga or dmi🤷♂️....I got a adapter for the older monitor to make it a hdmi...The video cable that came with my Dell is to big so I've just been using the hdmi to run it...can I run both without a dock?
I don't have USC c but my laptop comes with 3.0 A port . Can I use a doc
Madam
Everybody talk about . How connect dock.
If I want to disconnect dock . Windows taskbar Go to right side of taskbar click above arrow near time.
And click disconnect.
It is right ?
Let me see if I get her comment right regarding the hub and charging. If you run a line through USB-C to help charge the laptop you 1st need to plug in the power supply into the wall and into the computer in order for this to work. Is it just me, or does this seem pointless to do through USB-C if your going to plug in your power supply anyway, or did I completely hear her wrong?
I have a nitro 5 with USBC but the USBC does not support display port. does that mean i can never use 3 monitors? and im limited to my HDMI cable only?
Thanks.... I have a question - Can a hub with ethernet port, or a dock be connected to ethernet and power supply to be used as a storage device/NAS (its not connected to any PC directly, only data transfer is via Router). Can this be done? if not then cant it be done using google chromecast attached to it with file server app installed in chromecast??
My router doesnt come with a USB port and I dont want to invest in a dedicated NAS yet.
Nice video! Can you please put a link to the violet color iphone [13 pro max] case at @1:16? Thanks
Love your set up! very nice!
Your cal digit link goes no where?
This was really helpful. Thanks.
Great explains. Now i know what i need. Thanks 😘
Awesome video and by the way your voice is nice I like your voice
Thank you so much ❤️
can you transfer data and charge the device at the same time?
Well, yeah. Otherwise what's the point?
I am looking for the full power to USB 3.2 ports and nothing else. I don't need the ethernet or card readers or old USB ports. Just give me full power Thunderbolt to 10 USB 3.2 gen 1, or 5 USB 3.2 gen 1 and 5 USB 3.2 gen 2. All these hubs and docks are shipping with all kinds of ports that a lot of people don't need or require. I am also suspicious of hubs and docks that use the word "compatible" in descriptions. Pretty much all types of ports are now type-c - so what does "compatible " then mean? Does it mean you are able to plug one in that port.
Looks to me that the market is flooded with overpriced products and garbage.
The speeds is the most important part in my opinion.
Can I use a usb type c hub or docking station but my port is USB type 3.1 gen 1 is it possible or no? I am using a windows laptop thank you for your response
this is not entirely true... and USB Hub is only that, a device to expand the USB slots... from 1 to many (depends on the hub), on the other hand, the docking station not only have more USB ports but another types of ports like HDMI, LAN, DVI, card reader, etc...
In fact, the Anker device she showed can be used as a dock
The only reason why the Anker device does not allow two 4k displays to be attached are that one is USB-C and the other one is thunderbolt.
In fact, let me rephrase everything she just described:
- The cal digit one only works on m1 macs and Intel machines. (Or upcoming ryzen ones) and contains its own ac2dc power converter. And it can drive two monitors because thunderbolt just has plain more bandwidth.
- The Anker portable dock has 1x USB 3 Type A, 2X USB 2 Type A, 1x USB-C, 1x USB-C PD, 1x HDMI, 1x Display Port, and SD card slots. It can and will charge your laptop just fine. Just buy a second power adapter for your usb-c laptop. It would have been built to drive two 4k60 monitors if USB3 had the bandwidth to drive them.
File Transfer Speeds: USB 3 10Gbps bandwidth + dedicated display port bandwidth. Thunderbolt has enough bandwidth to transport PCIe 3 4x iirc. Of course the cal digit one is faster. It would be the same speed if you bought a thunderbolt device of the same size as Anker.
OK, just out of option I came to this video... how wrong I was, She provided me more info then any "pro" channel, thank You I have made a choice thanks to You! subbed :)
Glad I could help! Welcome to the channel! 🫶🏻
Great review and clear differences thank you!
Hi Marina thank you for the video! I have a brand new Asus vivobook, but none of the hubs Inc hdmi I've bought from Amazon to get my display working to my separate monitor have worked. Any thoughts? I've tried several hubs that c have hdmi on them and USB c to connect to the laptop.
Have you tried Anker? I also just purchased a new Asus Vivo Book as well and purchased an Anker hub that works great but I haven't tried the HDMI port yet.
@@thomasfinnigan8340 No I gave up, so confusing to buy these hubs then they don't work. Think it's a usb c thing
I think that you need to check if your laptop supports HDMI video output via USB. Not all laptops do; my new HP 14 series doesn't. Many of the Amazon adverts for hubs/docking stations don't mention this so I may be wrong
Wouldn't keeping your laptop charged at 100% at all times affect battery life?
New laptop and chargers have overload protection and all that jazz
It will degrade your battery. My mom has killed 3 laptop batteries that way over the years. I consider a 15 minute battery life dead.
Yes keep lithium batteries between 20 - 85 percent charge to expand their lifetime.....
That is not an issue in macs, it will affect other types of batteries
@@no408mercyis that like when Apple said there wasn’t an issue with their phone batteries, but were then sued and forced to replace phone batteries for free?
Very helpful. thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
am looking for triple monitor (DEL) display hub for mac 2019 intel. Any suggestions pls
would a hub be used on a laptop with 1 port/ users want to have devices in one spot (when home and tons of ports when out and about (lots of ports on laptop)?
will the usb c/a port (on the hub) be powerful enogh to charge a tablet?
I bought a hub. The thing that killed the hub for me was the 30Mhz refresh rate. That's unusable. If anyone wants a nearly new USB-C hub, reach out to me.
Great video, Keep it up! new sub. and you have a nice voice.
Thank you so much! Welcome to the channel! ❤
Wow ! This is wonderful! Thank you for the video. Maybe you can review/compare the ORICO DOCK vs CALDIGIT as the price difference is LARGE.
Plus THERMALS! Would love to see TEMPERATURES measured on these DOCKS. Nobody seems to care when your thunderbolts are a potential fire hazard. :(. Please! :)
Or at least measure TEMP on a busy CALDIGIT plugged in to like 5 devices.
Just one “tiny” thing, I’m pretty sure it’s Cal Digit as in California Digital not Call , great vid though thnx
Thank you!!! 😘
Thank you
Great video, keep it up!
Thank you so much!
I like the framed target on your wall... :)
Yay! Glad to hear that! ❤️
Lol the apple products that are DELIBARATELY in the frame lol
essas coisas são tão interessantes!!!
❤️❤️❤️
You look like Gal Gadot 😳 stunning beauty 🙌🙌🙌🙌
Thank you! ❤️
Agreed
Check your eyes bro
Like the way you HOLD my Hub/Dock in your hands 🙊
Bro is starving
They say the perfect woman doesn’t exist... after watching this video, I disagree. You have everything: intelligence, looks, kindness and personality...
❤❤❤
@@MarinaTech 🥰😋 if you haven’t already, find someone who values your rare collection of traits. Honestly, I’m surprised you even responded to my compliments. Stay humble... there’s not many people left like you ❤️
Its like Gal Gadot can speak English normally. ❤❤❤
Gal Gadot is handing out tech advice! 😅
Hi Marina, you sure have answer to my beginner question, lol! I want to video record with my samsung phone and record the audio with a seperate condensor mic, best if I could directly store all that on my laptop. Is that possible? And is it a hub i need to do this? thank you so much
i choose hub
I would start a video with:
"if you own a laptop or even Mac Book really"
Fewer ports...
Question Marina. NO one can answer. It surely can't be that hard. Got a new Samsung Galaxy Book pro. I'm not able to hardwire it because there's no place for the jack. I need an adapter, but not sure what kind. The one I got off Amazon has 4 extra ports, but I'm still having to use the wifi which defeats the whole purpose of this adapter. It plugs into a USB port and it doesn't function like it should (sometimes the mouse doesn't work, other times the cooling unit won't work). I was told I needed to stop using the USB port and get an adapter for the Thunderbolt 4 port that I have. I'm not sure exactly what I need. Can anyone help?