Best Docking Stations for Chromebooks Android Central 2019
A docking station for your Chromebook can turn a portable device into a genuine desktop replacement. Usually, you'll find plenty of ports used to handle exchanging data between devices of some sort or another, as well as a display connection so you can plug standard peripherals in and a way to power the other devices being connected. If you need to get your Chromebook connected, these are the best docking stations.
- A bit of everything: WAVLINK Universal Laptop Dock
- Life in 5K: Diamond Ultra Dock
- Small Footprint: Pluggable UD-Pro8
- Carry Along: EUASOO USB C Hub
- Hi-Speed Charging: Pluggable USB Mini Docking Station
- The Big Dog: HP USB-C G4 Docking Station
A bit of everything: WAVLINK Universal Laptop Dock
Staff pickDual HD video, 6 USB ports, Ethernet, and even a dedicated EGPU port make this docking station from WAVLINK a jack of all trades. Designed for use with Chromebooks in mind, this dock should serve the needs of almost everyone who needs one.
Life in 5K: Diamond Ultra Dock
Your Chromebook doesn't support output in 5K, but your next one could. This dock from Diamond supports a single 5K display or dual 4K displays as well as plenty of USB ports and audio outputs, and we'd have to call it future proof.
Small Footprint: Pluggable UD-Pro8
Initially designed for Windows tablets, this small docking station from Pluggable supports everything you need to turn your Chromebook into a desktop while still having ports leftover for you to attach other essentials like SD Card readers. It's also nice and small, so it doesn't need much real estate on your desk!
Carry Along: EUASOO USB C Hub
Don't let the name fool you — this USB C "hub" from EUASOO has all the features of a much larger (and less portable) dock from other companies. And it all works great with your Chromebook!
Hi-Speed Charging: Pluggable USB Mini Docking Station
This small dock includes the basics like USB and video connections and also sports an 85-watt charging circuit through the USB C port to satisfy all the power needs you'll have with one port and one cable.
The Big Dog: HP USB-C G4 Docking Station
Designed for HP's line of business Chromebooks, this docking station has the ports and video connections you expect as well as advanced network functions like Wake on LAN and Mac Address Through support. For the Enterprise or serious user, this is a perfect tool.
Do you need a docking station?
Docking stations are usually associated with a desktop environment, as they are one of those things that generally stays put when you're on the move. They do a great job at it, too — our staff choice, the WAVLINK Universal Laptop Dock, provides you with a full desktop experience by simply connecting a single USB cable. The most significant difference between a dock and a hub, outside of devices like the EUASOO USB C Hub, is how power is handled; hubs tend not to power your Chromebook while a docking station will.
All of the products on this list work great to enhance or expand your Chromebook, but you might be better served with a more portable hub if you don't spend much time in one place. Chromebooks were designed to be mobile, after all!
Take a look at the Best USB-C Hubs for Chromebooks and see which style serves you better before you spend any money and you'll be glad you did!
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