Little helpers: TOP 5 laptop accessories

Chieftec DSC-901 is a multifunctional 9-in-1 USB hub or, in other words, a docking station for a laptop. Made of aluminum and connected via USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1. For the hub to work to its full potential, the laptop's USB port must support Power Delivery charging and an HDMI video signal.

Otherwise, only a portion of the ports will work on the hub: two full-size USB Type-A (each with a speed of up to 5 Gbit/s), Internet Ethernet (1 Gbit/s) and an SD/microSD card reader (0.5 Gbit/s). In addition to the HDMI digital video signal with a resolution of 1080p @ 60 Hz or 4K @ 30 Hz, the hub can also output analog audio via a 3.5 mm Mini-Jack connector.

The USB Type-C connector on the hub allows you to charge your laptop through it. Charging power up to 80 watts is supported, and the charger that comes with the laptop is used or purchased separately. This makes it possible to connect with one single cable, while all peripherals are connected to the hub. If you only need USB ports and HDMI video output, you can safely buy a simpler hub - Chieftec DSC-501.

Totolink A3002RU is a wireless router with four external directional antennas. Two advanced radio broadcasting technologies have been implemented: MU-MIMO and Beamforming. MU-MIMO technology allows multiple parallel data streams to be transmitted over one antenna, thereby increasing Wi-Fi throughput.

In turn, Beamforming technology is able to analyze the architecture of the room and, taking this into account, broadcasts a directed radio signal. As a result, the loss of speed and range is reduced than would be the case with omnidirectional transmission in different directions. But it’s worth considering that Beamforming is only supported in Wi-Fi 5 mode, also known as AC.

The maximum Wi-Fi speed reaches 867 Mbps at 5 GHz and another 300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz. The WAN input port for wired Internet is gigabit, and there are four more similar LAN outputs. USB is also provided for connecting an external drive, which turns the router into a network file storage. But if you have a large home or office, it is wiser to opt for the Totolink T8 Mesh System.

OfficePro LS111 is a laptop stand that performs four functions at once. Firstly, the intake of cool air by the ventilation grilles located at the bottom of the laptop improves. Secondly, the angle of the keyboard is adjusted for more comfortable typing of large volumes of text in order to avoid the occurrence of diseases of the joints of the hands.

Third, the laptop can be raised to eye level so you no longer have to bend your back and neck excessively. This reduces muscle fatigue and thereby increases productivity. Simply put, you can sit at your laptop longer without harming your health. The stand folds flat for easy portability.

Fourthly, the stand can be used as a table for working with a laptop while lying on the sofa. Thanks to this, the laptop will not get buried in clothes or bedding and overheat. The stand is made entirely of metal and complemented with silicone pads that prevent slipping. If you only need to raise the laptop a little, you can limit yourself to a stand that is half the price - OfficePro LS530.

Canyon GaN H-100 is a relatively compact and lightweight (7x7 cm, 200 grams) charger with an impressive power of 100 watts. It can quickly charge not only a smartphone, but even a laptop. You can connect four gadgets at the same time: two via classic USB Type-A ports with a power of 30 W and the same number via the newfangled Type-C with 100 W.

The smart controller supports both popular fast charging technologies: Quick Charge and Power Delivery. The first is used primarily in smartphones, helping to avoid overheating and rapid battery wear. The second one is intended more for laptops; it manages to charge the battery even during active use.

It was possible to achieve an optimal balance between compactness and power through the use of GaN semiconductors. A chemical compound called gallium nitride is much more efficient than traditional silicon transistors. Reliable protection against short circuits, voltage surges, overheating and overload is implemented. By the way, there is an even more compact single-port charger Canyon GaN H-65.

WD My Passport is a series of compact external hard drives with a capacity of 1, 2, 4 or 5 terabytes with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface. There are three body colors to choose from: scarlet red, sky blue and elegant black. The USB port is soldered directly into the internal 2.5-inch HDD, which makes it possible to minimize the size of the drive as much as possible.

The sequential read and write speed is the same - 150 MB/s, which is the limit of the capabilities of a 2.5" HDD. Connects to desktop PCs via a USB Type-A cable, while laptops may require an adapter to Type-C. And for Apple MacBook you need to install a driver NTFS for macOS, which can be done through the WD proprietary application.

With its help, it is proposed to configure automatic backup of important files from the PC to an external drive. And then encrypt the contents of the drive using the ultra-secure AES-256 algorithm. It will be possible to access the files only after entering the password. If writing speed is more important to you than capacity, take a closer look at an external SSD - SanDisk Extreme Portable V2.