I would like to connect my laptop to a docking station that contains 3 USB ports (for keyboard, mouse and headphones), one HDMI port (for an external display) and one Ethernet port (for connecting to a router). It would also be good to be able to charge the laptop through the docking station.
I am confused by the different options:
- On one hand, there are cheap docking stations, that cost less than $30, and are not tied to any particular laptop brand (here is one example for illustration);
- On the other hand, there are docking stations sold by the laptop producers and tied to a specific laptop family, which typically cost around $200.
Do I really need to buy a docking station specialized for my laptop brand? Is there anything that should be “compatible” between the docking station and the laptop?
