Full-featured USB4 docking station: what you need to know?
In an progressive digital world that requires ultra-high-speed data transmission, improved technologies are needed to bridge the gap. In order to achieve this goal, a full-featured USB4 docking station is used. It combines various office conversion functions, including fastness and versatility, which completely changes the expansion of data transmission and one-to-many devices.
In an progressive digital world that requires ultra-high-speed data transmission, improved technologies are needed to bridge the gap. In order to achieve this goal, a full-featured USB4 docking station is used. It combines various office conversion functions, including fastness and versatility, which completely changes the expansion of data transmission and one-to-many devices.
The fully functional USB4 docking station will make office operation convenient and simple, because this product is not only a docking station, but also a powerful connection base station. In this article, we will explore what a full-featured USB4 docking station is.
What is a docking station?
Docking station, also known as Port Replicator, is an external device designed for laptops. By copying or even expanding the port of the notebook computer, it can make a convenient one-stop connection between the laptop and multiple accessories or external devices (such as power adapter, network cable, mouse, external keyboard, printer and external display). The functions of the docking station include connecting external displays, expanding USB interfaces, wired network connections, expanding audio interfaces, charging functions, data transmission and storage, etc.
Type of docking station
The current docking stations mainly include 4IN 1, 5 IN 1 , 6IN1, 7IN1, 9IN1, 10IN1 and more comprehensive 15IN1. Regardless of the number, the interface mainly includes video interface (HDMI/DP/VGA), USB interface, Type-C interface, charging interface, SD/TF interface, network cable interface, 3.5mm headphone jack.
VGA interface: connect old-fashioned monitors, projectors and other devices, supporting 1080P 60Hz;
HDMI interface:
HDMI 1.4, bandwidth 10.2Gbps, supports 4K 30Hz;
HDMI 2.0, 18Gbps bandwidth, supports 4K 60Hz and 2K 144Hz;
HDMI 2.1, 48Gbps bandwidth, supports 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz;
Network cable interface: the mainstream is Gigabit network port, RJ-45 interface, transmission speed up to 1000Mbps, 125MBps;
SD/TF interface:
It is mainly to read the camera SD card/car recorder TF card. The mainstream transmission speed of docking equipment is generally SD 3.0, with a transmission speed of 80MB/s; the high-end part is SD 4.0, and the transmission speed is 300MB/s;
USB interface:
USB3.0: (also known as USB3.1Gen1, USB 3.2 Gen1): 5Gbps (625MB/s), supporting 4.5W power supply;
USB3.1: (also known as USB3.1Gen2, USB 3.2 Gen2x1): 10Gbps (900MB/s), supporting 100W power supply;
USB3.2: (also known as USB 3.2 Gen 2x2): 20Gbps, supporting 100W power supply;
USB4: The maximum transmission rate is 40Gbps (5000MB/s) and supports 100W power supply.
At present, the USB interface on the market is mainly USB 3.0, up to the USB4 version.
DP interface:
DP1.4, bandwidth 32.4Gbps, support 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz;
DP2.1, bandwidth 80Gbps, support 16K 60Hz, 8K 120Hz;
PD fast charging interface:
PD is currently the mainstream standard fast charging protocol. The maximum power supported by USB-C is 15W (5V/3A) by default. If PD 3.0 protocol is supported, it can reach 100W (20V/5A), and the latest PD 3.1 can reach 240W.
5. Network connection: If your environment does not have Wi-Fi signal coverage, the docking station can provide a wired network interface (Ethernet port) to connect your laptop to the network.
Product features
The speed has no attenuation. Due to the use of hardware protocol conversion, after the pci device is connected to the notebook, the data of the pci bus has no attenuation and delay. Different types of docking stations can be plugged in half-length cards and full-length cards, half-height cards and full-height cards, 32-bit pci cards, 64-bit pci cards, and pci-x cards. Different models of docking stations can be plugged in 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 or even 13 pci cards.
It is small and easy to carry. Especially for the single-slot pci docking station, the full-length type is only 341x138x43mm, and the semi-length type is only 341x138x20.37mm, with a silver all-aluminum shell, good heat dissipation and light weight. The single-slot docking station weighs less than 1 kg, and the double-slot docking station weighs only 2.4 kg. The docking station has a built-in dc-dc circuit, which can realize the DC power supply of the PCI card, which is especially suitable for field operations.
What is USB4.0?
USB4.0 is the latest interface standard, which is the fourth-generation USB interface standard in the world. Compared with the traditional USB interface, the transmission speed of USB4.0 is higher, up to 40Gbps, which is twice that of the previous generation USB2. USB4.0 is based on Thunderbolt 3 protocol, uses Type-C interface, and supports USB/DP/PCIE functions. USB4 and DisplayPort 2.0 are integrated, and the USB Type-C interface can be converted to DP2.0 mode to transmit audio and video signals. The transmission speed of USB4.0 is 40Gbit/s, supports three-stage voltage 5V/12V/20V, and the maximum power supply is 100W. The new Type C interface allows forward and negative blind insertion. USB4.0 is designed to provide a fast and efficient data transmission and power supply solution, while supporting video output and multiple device connections to meet the information communication needs of modern personal computers and mobile devices.
USB4, also known as USB 4 (formerly known as USB 4.0), is the latest generation of universal serial bus standards. It was released in August 2019, based on the Thunderbolt 3, the Thunderbolt 3 specification, and Intel exempted the Thunderbolt 3 specification from copyright fees in the same year. Therefore, Thunderbolt 4 Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are very similar. It stipulates the use of USB-C connectors as the interface standard and provides a number of improvements, including faster data transfer speed and better product naming.
Based on the advantages of USB 3.2 2x2, USB4 retains the USB-C connection, but the minimum throughput is 20 Gbps, and it is possible to achieve double throughput. It also improves compatibility with Thunderbolt standards, allows tunneling DisplayPort and PCIExpress to better support higher resolution displays through USB, and requires the use of USB Po. Wer Delivery.
USB 3, also known as Super Speed USB (SS USB), is the third major version of the USB universal serial bus standard. The first USB 3.0 specification was released in November 2008 and was subsequently replaced by USB 3.1 (2013) and USB 3.2 (2017). USB 3 can be quite confusing. After several iterations, the whole standard has produced huge changes in performance parameters.
Use
The notebook docking station is an external device that can provide more interfaces and functions to expand the use capacity of laptops. Here are some common uses:
1. Extended connection interface: Many modern laptops have only a few USB ports, HDMI interfaces, etc., and the docking station can provide more interfaces, allowing you to connect more external devices at the same time, such as mice, keyboards, printers, monitors, etc.
2. Multi-screen support: Some advanced docking stations support connecting laptops to additional monitors. In this way, you can work on the main display and consult data or perform other tasks on the auxiliary display.
3. Data transmission speed enhancement: Some docking stations are also equipped with high-speed USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, which can provide faster data transmission speed. This is especially useful for users who need to frequently copy large files or process a large amount of data.
4. Charging function: Some types of docking stations also have charging function, which allows you to charge multiple devices at the same time (such as mobile phones, tablets, etc.) through a hub, which is convenient and space-saving.