Open Thread: Bauhn 8-in-1 Laptop Dock
This post is an open thread and contains affiliate links.
By day, I work in a job where much of my day consists of software technical support. I’m troubleshooting devices and trying to get them functioning, when at all possible. In practice, it means I’m restarting and resetting a lot of devices, with some configuration thrown in for good measure.
Hardware is less my responsibility, although I try to chip in there when I can. One problem I sometimes run into is the infamous “how can I connect X to Y?” dilemma. A user comes to me trying to input or output between devices but can’t figure out how. Sometimes the solution is simply a matter of me digging out a specific cable and handing it off. Other times I have to improvise more complicated solutions, which may or may not work.
Laptops are notorious for these challenges compared to desktops, as many laptops only have a few ports, and newer laptops may not have certain connections that older ones did. For that reason, it’s nice to have something that can bridge tough connection gaps, which is what docks do. I actually have a couple on hand myself.
Imagine my surprise, then, to see no less than Aldi selling a multifunctional dock. I really shouldn’t be surprised — the grocer seemingly sells everything, after all — but this feels niche even for Aldi.
What We Know:
The Bauhn 8-in-1 Laptop Dock is (Product Code: 711664) an Aldi Find, meaning stores get a single shipment. Once that shipment is depleted, stores won’t get any more until they come back, which might be next year or not at all. If you can’t find them in stores, you’re out of luck for now.
At the time of this post, the dock goes for $19.99. This is on the lower end of prices for laptop docks online.
This dock is designed to work best with laptops with a USB-C charging port. If you have a different kind of charging port, like a round plug that goes into your laptop, this port isn’t ideal for you. You might still be able to use some of the features through the USB-A connection, but there will be limits. One of the best features of a dock like this is that it can also charge a laptop, but that happens through the USB-C connection. Something to keep in mind.
Here’s the official information on the dock from Aldi:
- Connects USB-C, USB-A, ethernet, and HDMI devices plus memory card reader/writer
- USB-C port supports up to 100W power delivery 3.0 pass-through charging*
- Universal SD/MicroSD/TF card compatibility
- Gigabit ethernet up to 1000 Mbps
- HDMI port supports 4K at 30Hz video resolutions backwards compatible to 1080P, 1080i, 720P resolutions
- USB 3.0 port supports data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps, backwards compatible with USB 2.0 at 480 Mbps
- Ethernet port supports up to 1 Gigabit ethernet, backwards compatible with 100 Mbps/10 Mbps ethernet
- SD/TF slot compatible with SD, SDHC, SDXC, MicroSD, and TF memory cards. Supports SuperSpeed reading/writing
- Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 or DisplayPort Alt Mode over USB[1]C port
From the Aldi information and the box, the primary connections are USB-C, USB-A (3 of them), ethernet, HDMI, and two different memory card readers (SD and TF).
There are some ports of interest that I don’t see listed. There is no VGA port, for instance, which some older monitors and projectors still use. I also don’t see a 3.5 mm port or any other dedicated audio outside of the HDMI.
What We Don’t Know:
We haven’t tried out this specific dock, so we don’t know how well things connect or how durable it is. We’ve created this open thread for users to share their experiences.
Have you tried out this dock? Let us know about it in the comments.
it’s AWESOME, bought one in a different town than my home town and wanted to buy a second one right away but it isn’t available at our local Aldi 🙁 🙁 🙁
Saw these on sale for only $5 at one of my local Aldi stores (I live equidistant to two locations) and couldn’t pass it up, especially considering I was needing to replace one of these that got lost on a business trip recently. I bought one and the build quality seems pretty good – aluminum and plastic. Port selection is great for the modern age. Every port worked on mine except for the HDMI output; my laptop detected that a monitor had been plugged in but nothing showed on my monitor despite working just a few minutes earlier (and after) using a different USB C hub from a different manufacturer. I did not try it with other monitors or laptops to confirm. I ended up donating it to my church because they needed one and I went back to the store this morning and luckily they had ONE left! This one is the same situation: everything works except the HDMI out. This makes me think it’s something with my laptop and/or monitor, but it seems odd since both work together with my other USB C hub. Either way, even if the HDMI output doesn’t work, for only $5 I couldn’t be more thrilled with this little hub!
I have used this as a portable dock, and also as a part of my home office setup in addition to the existing docking station that I use.
It has worked brilliantly in both situations, and I have had zero problems with the HDMI output. For reference I run four large monitors for my home network (my wife shakes her head and refers to it as NASA Command Center and asks me how often my software department needs to land a space shuttle). This has been an excellent solution, and it is hard to believe this is an ALDI home brand item for less than 20 bucks, when most similar options are four or five times more.
I set mine up to be a way to plug my laptop in and have instant access to a second monitor, an ethernet cable, and a mouse/keyboard setup. This turned my laptop into a desktop setup with exactly one plug! The only downside to this is that the 6-inch USB-C cord attached to the dock has to be the cord plugged into my laptop. There is a USB-C port on the other side, but it can only charge the laptop. I’m going to get a USB-C extender so I can get this dock off my desk. Other than the short cable, this is a great purchase! No issues with the HDMI port as another comment mentioned.