You can quickly and very cheaply add portable storage to your laptop setup.Īudio: Many people use wireless Bluetooth headphones and speakers, but if you want to connect wired headphones or speakers to your laptop, then you need a 3.5mm audio jack on your hub. If these are important to you, look for SD-, MicroSD- and TF-card slots on the hub or adapter. Memory cards: Fewer laptops these days include memory-card slots – certainly none from Apple. But 1Gbps Ethernet will be speedy enough for most. Much more expensive adapters use the latest 2.5GBASE-T or 5GBASE-T ports that provide multi-gigabit speeds capable of up to 5Gbps over existing Cat5e or better cabling. If so, you want a hub with an RJ45 Ethernet port – and make sure it’s a Gigabit Ethernet connection for faster data transfer.
For example, the 12in iPad Pro will charge at full speed at around 40W.Įthernet: Even with Wi-Fi so prevalent you still can’t beat the speed of a wired Ethernet connection, still found in hotels and of course from your router. Check out ourīest USB-C Chargers roundup for a selection of recommended PD chargers. Remember that for most you will need a separate wall charger to supply this pass-through power – your laptop charger should suffice. The best docks will offer enough power for the connected devices as well as the laptop, but a well-powered hub might be enough if you don’t use all the ports at the same time. 85W and over will power most laptops at full speed. In which case, you should look for a hub with an extra USB-C Power Delivery (PD) port so you can continue to power your laptop while using the adapter. Power: Some laptops and most tablets have just one USB-C port, so add an adapter and you have nothing left to charge your computer at the same time. VGA: This is quite an old video port rarely found on modern displays, but if you are moving between offices a lot (or have an old monitor), then the option might be useful to you. Wired Internet is also not present, but, fear not, Plugable has a longerħ-in-1 USB-C Hub that drops a USB-A port for Gigabit Ethernet.
There’s just one USB-C port, so look elsewhere if you need more of the newer USB standard. There are a generous three USB-A ports that can also provide power pass-through to charge other devices. The 87W power is more than you get from most hubs.Īt 88g, it’s lightweight, and, as with many hubs, features a short integrated cable so works well as a portable travel device. Pass-through charging is especially handy if your laptop or USB-C device has just one USB-C port.
You can use the HDMI 1.4 port to output to a 4K (at 30Hz) or Full HD 1080p monitor or projector. I will gladly come back and purchase items from the company when I have need for their products.The compact and very affordable 7-port Plugable USB-C Multifunction Hub has seven ports from one integrated USB-C connection, including a 4K HDMI output for adding an external display, power pass-through (at an impressive 87W) to charge connected devices, three 5Gbps USB-A ports, and SD and microSD slots. I have bought other components (USB-C to USB) from this company and they work well. It’s light-weight, small, very portable and multi-functional and there pricing is where it needs to be. Overall Review: If you need a small device that has all of these adapters, I can’t think of a better unit. Very pleased with the unit.Ĭons: I have tried to come up with something I don’t like but it so far I can’t find anything
The price is very fair as I would expect to pay more. Will work with a multitude of devices tablets, computers, video equipment. Simplifies things while traveling and taking it to and from work. The USB ports, SD and micro SD make it handi for getting media a number of different ways on one device. Hooked up the USB-C from my computer to the HDMI Port on the Television and worked great. Etched-in designations on the back makes it simple to understand.
Pros: Having one multi-use adapter instead of needing several keeps things simple.