Docking Station Finder

Docking Station Finder Connect This With That. Back Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Let's start with your computer. Which port are you connecting to? USB 3.0 USB-C Thunderbolt 3/4 Now, which operating system are you using? Windows macOS Since you're running macOS, can you tell me if your Mac uses an Intel processor or an Apple silicon (M1/M2) CPU? Not sure? You can check by clicking the Apple icon at the top-left of your screen, choose About This Mac, and inspecting the Processor or Chip fields, or by referring to Apple's support guide. IntelCorePre-2020 models M1M2First generation M1 ProM1 MaxSecond generation Almost there! Let's look at the display (monitor, TV, projector, etc.) you want to connect. Select which video port you'd like to use, as well as any other display and feature preferences down below. HDMI DisplayPort (DP) DVI VGA USB-C Number of Displays Select number of displays Any 1 2 3 4 Maximum Resolution Select maximum resolution desired Any 1080p 1440p 4K Additional Features Laptop Charging Ethernet SD Card Reader 3.5mm Audio USB-A Ports USB-C Ports Thunderbolt ports If you're using a Mac with the M1 chip, please note that these systems are limited to a single native external display through any Thunderbolt docking station. For connecting more than one display, please refer to our USB-C or USB 3.0 docks which use DisplayLink USB graphics technology, or see our blog post and video to learn more about these solutions. Our USB 3.0 and USB-C docking stations use DisplayLink USB graphics technology which requires the manual installation of the DisplayLink Manager App on macOS in order for the device to function as expected. More information can be found on our product pages, or detailed instructions for macOS 11 and 12, as well as macOS 13 are available in our knowledgebase. See results Looking for something specific? Check out our other products below! Audio Bluetooth Data Storage Docking Stations Hardware Development Tools Power Devices and Batteries Thunderbolt™ 3 USB Graphics Adapters USB Hubs, Cables, and Switches USB Peripherals Video Port Adapters and Cables Plugable Performance Legacy USB 3.0 on Laptops × What it looks like USB 3.0 is the standard thin rectangular USB port called a Type-A connection. Be careful, not all Type-A connections are 3.0. Look for a USB icon (trident tipped with a circle, triangle, and square) with the letters SS (SuperSpeed). If you don’t see an icon, look in the port, you should see blue. What to expect A USB 3.0 connection has a maximum bandwidth of 5 Gbps. That should be more than enough to drive multiple displays, and peripherals. It is worth noting that a USB 3.0 port will not supply charging power to your laptop, so you’ll still need your own power cord. What if I'm not sure Still have questions on connections? No worries, this stuff can get confusing. Just email us at support@plugable.com. Proceed USB-C on Laptops × What it looks like The newest connection type, USB Type-C (USB-C) is a thin oval-shaped port. This one can get tricky. Just looking at the shape of the port might not be enough, as not all USB-C ports are the same. Just because a laptop has a USB-C port, doesn’t mean that the port supports video and charging. What to expect USB-C ports are designed to deliver a lot of performance. Depending on your computer, a USB-C port is capable of charging--so you don’t need an extra power cord--and data-transfer speeds between 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps. That’s more than enough power to drive extra screens and peripherals. It’s worth noting that not all USB-C ports support video (Alt Mode) or charging (Power Delivery). Some USB-C ports support data transfer only, so you'll want to double-check with your computer manufacturer. What if I'm not sure Still have questions on connections? No worries, this stuff can get confusing. Just email us at support@plugable.com. Proceed Thunderbolt 3/4 on Laptops × What it looks like The newest connection type, Thunderbolt 3 and 4 share the same thin oval-shaped port. This one can get tricky. Just looking at the shape of the port might not be enough, as Thunderbolt 3/4 ports share the same Type-C connection as USB-C. Look for the Thunderbolt icon (lightning-bolt tipped with an arrow). If you see a trident topped with a circle, triangle, and square it’s a USB-C port. If no icons are present, you may need to check with the manufacturer. What to expect With Thunderbolt 3, you always know you’re getting incredibly fast 40 Gbps data-transfer speeds. That’s going to give you enough power to drive even the most high-end monitors and external drives, not to mention any other peripheral you need to connect. With Thunderbolt 4, you can rest assured that the port suppports two 4K displays by specification. Thunderbolt 4 shares many of the other benefits of Thunderbolt 3. What if I'm not sure Still have questions on connections? No worries, this stuff can get confusing. Just email us at support@plugable.com. Proceed HDMI on Monitors × The most common video connection, HDMI carries a high-resolution digital video signal with support for audio. HDMI can be converted to DVI by using a separate adapter, or specialized cable. Proceed DisplayPort on Monitors × A connection common on high-definition monitors, DisplayPort carries a high-resolution digital video signal with support for audio. Proceed DVI on monitors × DVI or Digital Video Interface supports resolution of up to 1900x1200. Look for a large rectangular port with a grid pattern and a “plus” shaped pinhole. Remember, DVI is video only. You’ll still need to account for audio. Proceed VGA on Monitors × The oldest of the video connections, VGA is a trapezoid shaped port capable of carrying an analog signal up to 1920x1200. Remember, VGA is video only. You’ll still need to account for audio. Proceed USB-C on Monitors × For monitors with a USB-C input, these still appear as a thin oval-shaped port, just like a USB-C port on a computer. Depending on the monitor, this connection can support additional features, such as power to the host and data transfer (through a USB hub on the monitor). Certain USB-C monitors may also rely on the USB-C connection to power the monitor itself (bus-powered). Proceed Number of Displays × How many external monitors are you looking to connect to your configuration? Choose between 1, 2, 3, or any number of displays. Are three displays not enough for you? Take a look at our USB graphics adapters, which allow you to drive additional monitors over a USB connection (up to six on Windows, up to four on macOS). For example, we're able to add an extra two displays to one of our dual display USB 3.0 docks—video demo available! OK Maximum Resolution × What is the maximum resolution you're looking to drive through your docking station? You'll want to double-check the monitors that you own, to see if they are standard 1920x1080 (1080p) office monitors, or perhaps fancy 3840x2160 (4K) displays. For any monitor resolution in between, make sure to select the the maximum resolution one step higher than what is listed. For example, a 2560x1080 display is only supported on docks that support 2560x1440 or above. You'll want to also pay attention to the refresh rate supported. For those with high-refresh rate gaming monitors that supports up to 144Hz, please be aware that our docks only officially support up to 60hz. OK