A docking station is a piece of hardware that allows a user to convert their portable laptop into a desktop computer by adding more ports to it. Don't confuse it with a USB hub which is typically more limited in scope. It works by allowing a user to connect their laptop to other hardware typical of a desktop PC, including a monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, and external drives. While this, naturally, reduces the portability of your laptop, it does offer the significant advantages provides by a desktop computer, including more comfort and increased visibility provided with a larger screen. And with docking stations as easy to unplug from as they are to plug into, they provide a laptop owner with the best of both worlds.