Docking stations and multiple monitors: getting it right

A proper docking station, rather than a pile of separate cables, lets a laptop connect to monitors, network, keyboard and mouse with one cable, and makes hot-desking or working from home far less fiddly. Match the dock to the laptop's actual port type (USB-C or Thunderbolt) and check its power delivery is enough to charge the laptop while docked.

Coach's tip: label docks and cables per desk if several people hot-desk — mismatched docks cause more "my second screen doesn't work" calls than almost anything else.