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Port replicators connect laptops to peripherals via serial, parallel or USB ports. They are similar to docking stations but less expensive and smaller. They allow users to connect to more than one device at a time and are popular for connecting laptops to the internet.
Port replicators are handy devices that allow you to connect a laptop or notebook computer to peripherals such as a printer, monitor, keyboard or scanner quickly and easily. The key functionality of these devices is their ability to connect laptops and peripherals via serial, parallel or USB ports.
Many people use port replicators when using their laptops both at the office and at home. These computer users can connect that laptop to the replicator along with their printer, monitor, keyboard or scanner. The result is instant home office setup with no cable tangles in the process.
Laptop users who want to connect their laptops to larger monitors or keyboards than those that come standard on their laptops will find this feature appealing. These devices also allow you to connect to more than one device at a time. Laptops might have only two USB ports or a single serial port; port replicators, on the other hand, commonly have a handful of each type of port, allowing the user to connect to a monitor, printer, keyboard, and scanner, all at the same time.
Port replicators are similar to docking stations. The two devices share some of the same functionality, but the docking stations are more versatile as they have ports for portable storage devices. Port replicators, on the other hand, specialize in standard port connections, such as serial, parallel, or USB; as such, they are usually less expensive and smaller than docking stations.
Another key difference between these devices and docking stations is the way your laptop is connected to each. Port replicators actually sound more like docking stations when this item is defined, as a laptop is physically plugged into some sort of clamp on the port replicator, whereas a docking station only requires a cable connection. Laptops connected to port replicators are in direct physical contact; laptops connected to docking stations can be located as far away from a cable and/or its extensions as possible.
One of the most popular functions performed by port replicators is connecting laptop computers to the Internet. These devices commonly have Ethernet or at least dial-up capability, allowing users to come home, relax, connect and surf, without the electronic hassle that would normally be associated with such activities.
