Opinion
I really only cottoned on to the amazing properties of the USB-C port in the last year. Sure, my five-year-old phone has one, but that’s just for charging and data transfer, right? -- just like the prior standard, microUSB. Wrong-o!
I’m surprised at how slow I was in taking full advantage of USB-C. It finally hit home when I realized my Dell laptop, which has the standard round-pin charging port, could also be charged through its USB-C port. I have two laptops on my desktop, and so I used a single multi-port USB-C charger to power both of them -- one “charging brick,” instead of two.
A multi-USB-C charging brick that can charge laptop computers
Then I clued in to the usefulness of port extenders -- also called “docking stations” or “hubs.” These are not new concepts, having been around for more than a decade but in the past had proprietary connectors, and so were expensive. Now, the USB-C port has universalized and commodified them. You can get one for as little as $30
Example of a $30 USB-C hub (lacks Ethernet)
It’s especially important for my thin and light HP X2 G2 tablet-style laptop, as it has only two ports: one USB-A and one USB-C. That C port is how it gets charged, leaving just a single USB-A to handle everything else. But! Attaching the port extender changes all that: now the USB-C handles most things, leaving the A port for peripherals like CD-burner or thumbdrive.
USB-C port connector attached to my X2 computer: external keyboard, external display, ethernet, and power
The port extender I use with the X2 is a generic one that has no brand name on it. Above is an in-situ photo of it. Nevertheless, it offers the following ports:
- HDMI - for one external monitor
- PD (power delivery) - for charging the laptop
- Ethernet - for wired network access (more secure than WiFi)
- USB-A (3x high-speed) - for other peripherals, such as external keyboard and external hard drive; with an adapter, they become USB-C ports (see image below)
- SD and microSD - for memory cards
When I take the X2 with me, I just unplug one wire.
These USB-C adapters plug into USB-A ports and cost a few dollars each
For my Dell laptop, I have it elevated on a laptop stand from Wavlink, which integrates eight ports into itself.
Not All Work Fully
So, the two port extenders I have work effectively. No complaints.
Not so for the one I bought most recently. I bought it because it looked cool and was on sale. Once it arrived from Amazon, however, there were warning signs.
The box, in which it came, had been previously opened. I had been shipped a used item, which is perhaps why it was on sale.
I hooked up peripherals to it, such as ethernet, power delivery, and external monitor. Except that the external monitor wouldn’t display anything. This unit has four display outputs: two HDMI and two DisplayPort. None worked with my external monitor. Not good for a $180 device.
So, I was happy when Amazon took it back, postage-free.
What About Thunderbolt?
Whereas USB-C is now ubiquitous (welcome, Apple customers!), Thunderbolt is more rarefied -- and more powerful. Being more powerful, it can handle several monitors at very high resolution, such as two to four 4K-resolution monitors (depending on the model); being more powerful, Thunderbolt docking stations cost a lot more, you’re looking at $200 to $400. (In the Apple world, it is called Lightning.)
This $400 dock handles four monitors, with two HDMI and two Thunderbolt-DisplayLink ports
It uses the same connector as USB-C, but has a lightning bolt icon next to it.
Given the usefulness of regular USB-C port extenders, I suggest only buying a Thunderbolt-compatible one if (a) your computer supports it (most don't), and (b)you need to attach several 4K monitors, or transfer data a very, very high speed -- which most of us don’t need to do.
As for my phone, I've been able to attach an external hard drive and USB-C headphones -- in addition to the charging and data transfer.
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