100% Custom Docking Station and USB HUB

In recent years, notebook interfaces have shown a trend of USB-C dominance, basically equipped with 1 to 2 USB-C ports, while the number of other interfaces is getting smaller and smaller, and many times it cannot meet the requirements of multiple devices for work.

The most common solution to the problem of insufficient device interfaces is to expand a USB-A/USB-C interface to more various interfaces through a docking station or USB hub. However, because of different specific needs, we need to customize functions. Next, we’ll cover the basics of custom docking stations and USB hubs to help you figure out what you need and customize the product that’s best for you.

What is a Docking Station & USB Hub?
A docking station, also known as a port replicator, is an external device designed for laptops. By duplicating or even expanding your computer’s ports, you can conveniently connect your laptop to multiple accessories or external devices such as USB devices, network cables, audio playback devices, power adapters, printers, and external displays. USB Hub refers to the USB port that can be expanded into multiple USB devices, such as portable hard disks, USB flash drives, mice, keyboards, etc.

Awareness and Selection of Various Interfaces for Docking Stations and Hubs
1. USB-A Interface
USB-A interface is now the most popular interface in all digital 3C devices, which can be seen everywhere in daily life, and can be simply divided into USB 2.0 (480Mbps) and USB 3.0 (5Gbps) according to the USB data transmission protocol.

USB 2.0 is slow because of the speed; the theoretical upper limit of the transfer speed is about 50MB/s, but it will not interfere with the 2.4GHz frequency and will not make the BT keyboard and mouse drift and disconnect like the USB 3.0 interface. It is mainly used to connect wired keyboards and mice or wireless BT adapters, USB flash drives, and other devices that transmit data below the order of GB.

USB 3.0 is an advanced version of USB 2.0. because of the naming of the USB-IF Association, many manufacturers prefer to use USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.2 Gen 1; in fact, they are all USB 3.0 interfaces in our mouths. The application of the USB 3.0 interface is similar to that of USB 2.0, but the data transfer speed is faster, the theoretical upper limit is about 480MB/s, and it can be used to connect devices such as mobile hard disks with a data volume of more than GB.

2. USB-C Interface
USB-C interface is the most popular interface in the future digital 3C equipment, with the dual ability of high-power charging and high-speed data transmission, and has occupied an absolute advantage in notebooks and mobile phones and other devices, according to the USB data transmission protocol, it can be simply divided into USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen2*2 (20Gbps), and USB4 (40Gbps).
According to the PD protocol of charging protocol, the mainstream charging power supports 20V 3A (60W) and 20V 5A (100W). The USB-C port on the USB-C docking station for the laptop is often a high-power charging and data transfer port that only supports one function, so you need to ask customer service or check the details page carefully.

3. Other Mainstream Interfaces

• DP/HD/VGA interface, mainly used for the transmission of video and video signals, we only need to check the maximum resolution it supports, for example, HD 1.4 supports up to 4K 30HZ signal transmission, HD 2.0 is 4K 60HZ, DP1.4 supports up to 4K 60HZ. This function supports multi-screen simultaneous display or different displays for different notebooks, which can greatly improve work efficiency for video workers or designers.
• The 3.5mm interface is very common, and the headphones and headset interfaces used by everyone are of this type. It is mainly used for the transmission of audio signals. (3) The card slot of the read-write memory card on the docking station for desktop computerusually has two specifications: SD card and TF card, mainly photographers and designers will use this kind of interface more to quickly return the image from the camera, there are two points to pay attention to, one is the transmission speed, divided into UHS-I and UHS-II, and the other is whether the TF/SD card slot supports simultaneous reading and writing, many docking stations only support reading and writing one, and there is the principle of first inserting and first reading.
• The network port is very simple, and the laptop direct connection network cable will still be more stable and reliable than the wireless connection, it only has a 100 Gigabit network port / Gigabit network port distinction, it is recommended to choose the Gigabit network port, after all, anything can be slow, but the network speed must not be slow.

5/10Gbps, USB, USB-C, DP, HD, VGA, 3.5mm audio, SD/TF, and RJ45 ethernet adapters are common interface features. You just need to confirm the features you need, and it would be best if you could provide high-definition drawings. After receiving your drawing requirements, we will do a product design and development process analysis with the engineering department to understand the various links and key points of USB hub or docking station customization. Establish objective and quantifiable evaluation criteria, such as customization cycles, cost budgets, quality control indicators, etc., and rigorously evaluate the different stages of the Docking Station and USB hub customization process. Combined with the opinions of professionals such as electronic engineers, product managers, and supply chain management experts, it is necessary to enhance the scientific and reliable customization process.

RSHTECH is a 14-year-old manufacturer of computer peripherals, mainly focusing on computer peripherals such as docking stations and hubs. There are many years of overseas export and product manufacturing experience. In the past, we have also developed and designed many private model styles, you can click to view the USB hub and docking station custom cases. For more customization needs, please contact us.