Review on ⚡ HP A7E32 90W Docking Station for Hewlett Packard - U.S. Market (A7E32UTABA) by Bobby Frazier

I bought this for my HP EliteBook 8570p laptop. This allows me to have a fixed, pre-wired setup that doesn't mean I have to spend fifteen minutes or so plugging and unplugging it every time I take the laptop with me. First, for those of you who may not be familiar with the *hardware* dock (which connects directly to a laptop via an expansion port), they're not small. It occupies about half the footprint of a full-size keyboard and weighs about the same as a full-size external USB hard drive - it actually looks bigger on the list than it really is - it's smaller than the laptop itself. Notice what I said above - it's *hardware. * Docking station. It *NOT* works over USB, it requires a dedicated, dedicated docking station slot on the bottom of the laptop that looks like an enterprise-class hard drive slot somewhere on the server. If you're used to these so-called docking/expansion systems that connect via USB, this seems like a big deal. But it should be - it's *DOCK* - you pop your laptop in, it snaps in place and stays securely in place, and it becomes almost exactly like a real desktop system. The idea is that you can plug a monitor, mouse, keyboard, special USB devices like a large USB hard drive, fingerprint scanners and anything else you might need into your permanent "base station" ready to go. When you go, simply turn off the system, unplug it from the docking station, put it in your bag and take it with you. You don't even have to open the laptop to use it - it has its own power button! If you have an external monitor connected, plug it in, turn it on and you're good to go. It has its own power adapter so your system will charge while connected to the docking station. You can add VGA, DVI, and/or DisplayPort monitors (although I don't know if multiple monitors can be added at the same time). It has its own dedicated Ethernet port. (Gigabit? Don't know.) It also adds four additional USB-3 ports, including a power/boot port for optical media or other boot devices. It even adds legacy interfaces like PS2 mouse and keyboard ports (old -kool KVM anyone?), a DB-25 port for a parallel printer, and a DB-9 serial port. I don't really need a parallel port on a printer right now, but as an embedded controller, microelectronics designer, a serial port will come in handy! The only thing missing is optical digital interfaces, but hey, if you need it, you get it. Anyway, I don't have such a computer. With the right security adapters and/or dongles, not only can you securely attach the dock itself to your workspace, but you can also lock your laptop into the dock itself. The side is that it adds about four inches to the back of the laptop. If you need it, you know what I mean.