Hey folks! I'm putting together a home office setup similar to what I have at work, which includes two monitors, a keyboard, and a mouse all connected to a docking station. I currently use a Dell WD19S docking station at the office, which connects seamlessly to my work laptop via USB-C.
Here's the catch: I also want to use my personal laptop, a 2016 HP Envy 13 that only has USB 3.0 ports and no USB-C. It's got 3 USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI output, and a power supply port.
What would be the easiest way to set up this docking station so that I can charge and connect my HP laptop to the same monitors, keyboard, and mouse, while still having the simple one-cable setup for my work laptop? I'm flexible with having an extra cable for power if needed. I plan to use it for coding and web browsing, so no high-resolution gaming or intensive video editing—probably just 1080p or 2k resolution for the monitors.
Appreciate any tips or suggestions! Have a great weekend!
2 Answers
Just a thought: if your HP laptop can’t charge over USB, you might end up needing two cables regardless. You could use a docking station with HDMI and USB connections, plugging one cable into the dock for peripherals and the other into the power supply for charging. It would keep you from constantly swapping cables around, but it won’t be a single-cable solution.
It sounds like a KVM switch could really help you out! Some of them are designed to connect a USB-C laptop and a USB 3.0 device, allowing you to switch between them. Just keep in mind that not all KVMs support charging, so you'll want to check the specifications. If charging your HP is important, make sure you factor that into your decision. But this way, you can have both laptops connected and just switch inputs as needed!
That's a good point! I’ll look for KVM switches that support charging. Thanks for the heads up!
Yeah, I’m okay with a two-cable setup, as long as it’s easier to manage. Thanks for the advice!