Belkin USB-C 11-in-1 Multiport Dock - One Cable; All the Ports

By now you should have everything you need for your work-from-home, hybrid office.

We're all agreed, right? Being chained to your laptop for multiple hours a day is not a practical solution. At the very least, you deserve a full-sized, external keyboard and a mouse.

Preferably, you've also set up a larger monitor - if not two. And obviously, there are major benefits to a hard-wired ethernet connection over the choke-point of your home Wi-Fi network.

That's just the beginning. The basics. How's your laptop set up for external storage? I bet there aren't exactly limitless USB slots available and chances are no card reader either.

While it's true many of these devices can be plugged in when you get your laptop back to your desk - either directly or via a combination of external hubs and adapters - probably not all of them at once.

And certainly not via just one cable.

The Belkin USB-C 11-in-1 Multiport Dock doesn't take much explanation; it's an elegant-looking, compact, well-constructed stand to raise your laptop (and its screen) to a slightly more ergonomic angle. But its real beauty is all at the back; ten very useful ports and slots you can leave connected to a wide range of external devices - everything from monitors, storage drives, keyboards and mice to speakers and that all-important Gigabit ethernet connection.

Not only is this Multiport Dock compact enough to be practically invisible when placed beneath your laptop or tablet, but the sheer number of connectivity options also brings a desktop level of accessibility to your device, even if it only has a single USB-C input.

In fact, my laptop boasts just two USB-C's and a headphone jack. Yet once connected to the 11-in1 Multiport Dock I can leave the lid closed - instead using an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. The freedom of full-sized USB-A ports and card readers means I'm no longer constantly unplugging and plugging in a host of accessories and adapters.

While many hubs and similar peripherals offer an HDMI connection, only a few are retro-fitted with a VGA connector and I've never come across one that has a DisplayPort slot as well. There are certain limitations to how many monitors you can connect at which resolutions and refresh rates - and monitor configurations are also dependent on whether you're Windows or MacOS - best to consult the helpful guide on the Belkin website if you're planning some ambitious, multi-screen array.

The Multiport Dock supports up to 100W of pass-through charging, although 15W is required to power the docking station itself - that's good news though as it guarantees superior data transfer speeds, up to 5Gps - essential if you're planning to use this accessory to plug in an external backup drive.

It's hard to imagine a connection option not on offer here... maybe an extra USB-C port would be nice - not that I've personally had the need for it.

Perhaps one of the Belkin USB-C 11-in1 Multiport Dock's most useful attributes is easily overlooked; it's also a laptop stand. I'm a relatively recent convert to the concept of laptop stands and rises - it wasn't until I tried them that I began to appreciate how they could enhance my everyday computing experience. By simply raising the back of your laptop - even a little - the keyboard becomes more comfortable to type on and the screen is lifted to a better height. And there's one more benefit you may not have considered but yet again, it's especially relevant in my case.

Although my laptop is quite powerful, especially since I upgraded its SSD, when it's being pushed to its limits - gaming for example - things start getting pretty hot and the cooling fans really start to kick up a gear. In circumstances like these, having your computer sitting on your lap is about the worst place for it. Not only does it end up overheating you as well but your legs will inevitably block any cooling vents or grilles built into the underside of your device. Therefore, using a stand like the 11-in-1 Multiport Dock on a flat surface creates a decent buffer underneath your laptop giving it more breathing room and yes, actually helping it work better.

The only big downside of this particular design is the length and position of the connecting USB-C cable - at just over 16cm, the cable is nowhere near long enough to connect to your laptop if the required slot is on the right-hand side - opposite to where it is on the dock itself. Admittedly, most laptops I've used recently seem to locate their Thunderbolt USB-C slots on the left but if you're using this accessory with an iPad for example, the sole USB-C input is halfway along the right edge - assuming you're working in landscape, which is likely if you're connecting it to this dock.

While my laptop does charge from its lefthand port, it'll only connect to external displays from the righthand one, again making it somewhat incompatible. Or almost. Although Belkin has designed the 11-in-1 Multiport Dock with a long rubberised strip on top to rest your device on and two shorter rubber strips underneath to act as non-slip feet, guess what? It all still works pretty much just as well upside-down. That means I can then plug into my righthand port after all - although I don't get the benefit of the passthrough charging capability. That's more a limitation of my laptop than of the dock though.

And that's why I love this docking station; it takes the limitations of my laptop and eliminates them completely, providing a full desktop experience and effectively making me forget I'm using a laptop at all.

    

Click here for more information on the Belkin USB-C 11-in-1 Multiport Dock.