The USB docking station and other devices

The USB port has rapidly become an essential port in any computer. Many different uses have been found for this port, including turning it into other types of ports, but more on that later. The USB docking station is perhaps the ultimate example of what a USB port can do. It is a device which turns a single USB port into a one that supports serial, parallel, PS/2, Ethernet and extra USB ports. Depending on the device you buy you may get all or some of these features present. It is a versatile device which has great potential, especially if you are someone who is always out in the field.

Another small accessory you should have is the usb extension cable. There is nothing very dramatic about this one, except that it allows you to extend the distance between a USB device and its port to 16 feet. This extensibility allows for a lot of things including positioning devices in strategic locations and connecting devices across a room etc.

The usb serial adapter is sort of a “one trick” version of the docking station, in the sense that it converts a USB port into a serial port. However, it can connect up to 16 serial devices from one single USB port and therefore proves its worth many times over. It supports all serial devices without a problem, even modems. Best of all, for those of you who do remember this issue,you don’t have to worry about IRQ, DMA or other resource allocations to get this device working.