Laptop Docking Station

Owned by Dan Jakubiak
Last updated: Jul 18, 2024 by A.J. Newman
2 min read

A laptop docking station – also known as a dock – can be used to combine multiple cables into a single connection to your laptop. Docks range from simple USB hubs to large hubs that contain many different ports. 

At UConn, standalone docking stations have been replaced by monitors with docking functionality built-in. If you plan on using a dock setup, ITS recommends using one of these monitors. To learn more, see Connecting Dell Monitors to Computers.

This guide covers ThunderBolt docks. Both the laptop and dock must support the ThunderBolt protocol to benefit from this technology. Look for a lightning bolt icon on both the connector and laptop port to ensure the protocol is supported. If only one of the devices supports ThunderBolt, you will have varied results.

Your laptop dock may connect to your monitor(s), keyboard/mouse, ethernet, speakers, and USB flash drives while communicating with and charging your laptop using a single USB-C cable. 

Below is a diagram showing a conventional laptop-dock setup.

(See Identifying Common Cables.)

Troubleshooting

  • If you are having trouble connecting your dock, if your monitors are not receiving an image, or if your laptop is not being charged, follow the steps below:

    1. Double check that your dock has a lightning bolt icon as shown above.

    2. Double check that your dock is connected to a laptop port that also has the lightning bolt icon.

    3. If your laptop is not charging, ensure that your dock is plugged into a wall outlet. Otherwise, your laptop is using its own battery to power the dock.

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