Docking stations allow professionals to expand their digital workspace with a multi-monitor setup when in the office, but retaining the portability of business notebooks.

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Targus has announced a new laptop docking station allowing users to connect up to four 1080p monitors from one laptop. The new USB-C Universal QUAD HD docking station is powered by the DisplayLink DL-3950 chipset, and features four HDMI 2.0 ports for external monitors, as well as four USB 3.0 ports for connecting peripherals, and a Gigabit Ethernet port for network access. Like most docking solutions, the dock-attached devices can be attached to one system simply by plugging in one cable.

As low-voltage and ultra-low voltage (ULV) processors found in business notebooks have increased in efficiency over the last few years, many professionals work exclusively from their laptop instead of having a dedicated desktop when working on premises. While notebook performance has increased, docking stations have become increasingly important tools. These docking stations allow users to expand their digital workspace with a multi-monitor setup when in the office, but retains the portability which business notebooks supply.

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Multi-monitor setups are often popular with stock traders, as the amount of visual information needed for stock trading is quite high, as financial data terminal applications were among the first applications to feature extensive multi-monitor support. Similarly, programmers and video editors working with multiple files at once will benefit from multi-monitor workspaces, as will system administrators who need to keep a close watch on the performance metrics of systems in deployment.

Lower-level employees also benefit from multi-monitor setups. Workers in call centers often need to access large amounts of information from knowledge bases, or run Remote Desktop applications to support customers, while keeping their call management software at the forefront.

The USB-C Universal QUAD HD (DOCK520USZ) is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, as well as OS X (10.10 or later), Android (5.0 or later), Chrome (R51 or later), and Linux (specifically Ubuntu, interoperability with other distributions is likely, though not guaranteed). The dock is priced at $274.99, and will be available "through authorized resellers and at targus.com this holiday season." Of note, the dock itself can be mounted to one of the monitors through the use of a VESA mounting adapter, sold separately.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

The Targus SB-C Universal QUAD HD docking station can drive four 1080p monitors, and features four USB 3.0 ports for external peripherals, and a Gigabit Ethernet port for network access.

Multi-monitor setups are often popular with stock traders, programmers, system administrators, and other professionals.

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