Tech Files
Port Replicators
So you’ve finally taken the plunge and spent big bucks on that laptop computer. Great! Now you can take your PC along on business trips, check your e-mail on the train, or just work in a coffee shop, watching the world go by instead of staring at your cubicle walls.
As nice as it may be to imagine using your laptop to create spreadsheets out in the wilderness somewhere, the more realistic scenario is this: you use your laptop as your work PC, tote it home in the evenings, use it there, and then take it back to the office the next morning.
While it’s certainly nice that you can do this, you might get a little tired of plugging your portable into the various peripherals at each work location. Your laptop computer is all about convenience and portability, so shouldn’t it be as simple as possible to set up when you get where you’re going? Of course it should. That’s why we have port replicators.
A port replicator is a flat rectangular device that contains common PC ports, such as serial, parallel, USB, network, and PS/2. It usually connects to the portable computer through either a proprietary connection or a USB connection.
By plugging your notebook computer into the port replicator, you can instantly connect it to non-portable components such as a printer, scanner, monitor, or a full-sized keyboard. Port replicators are typically used at home or in the office with the non-portable equipment already connected.
Once connected to the port replicator, the computer is able to access any devices attached to it; there’s no need to connect each individual device to the PC. As you might imagine, this saves time and prevents the tangled cords, frayed nerves, and headaches involved in plugging and unplugging multiple devices each time you move your laptop to a new location.
So, while a port replicator won’t bring you any closer to checking your
e-mail from a beach chair at Waikiki, it can at least make it easier to use
your laptop in those less exotic locales.