Are you frustrated by the lack of ports on your notebook? Or perhaps the port spacing is just not working out for the devices you got. The simple solution is to invest in a portable multiport dock such as the ATEN UH3239 USB-C Multiport Mini Dock.
First Impressions
ATEN markets the UH3239 USB-C Multiport Mini Dock with Power Pass-Through as a portable, versatile and flexible 6-in-1 adapter for USB-C PCs or laptops.
The UH3239 is an aluminium enclosure housing dual USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a USB-C PD port, an HDMI port along with an SD card and a MicroSD card slots. It is a plug-and-play device compatible with all major operating systems including Windows, macOS X and iPadOS.
In Use
The first thing I noticed is how small and lightweight the UH3239 is, it is perfect for throwing into my work bag to go. There is a 55cm cable attached to one end so make sure you don’t get that tangled in something and damage it.
The great thing is that it is plug-and-play, no drivers required. My Windows machines automatically detects the UH3239 and it is ready to go quickly without fuss. When my brother was over last week and needed some USB-A ports on his MacBook Pro, it was plug and play.
There were a few features of interest that I was keen to test out, the first and foremost is whether I need to power the dock in order to use portable storage devices. Let’s face it, what good is portability, if you have to be constantly tethered to power?
I am pleased to be able to say, the UH3239 works happily as a standalone, without the need to be tethered to a power point. Why do things halfway? I had two USB 3.0 HDD (mechanical) as well as a micro-SD *and* an SD card all hooked up concurrently and being accessed. Yes the ports will take a hit on the speed when I was test copying from all of them at the same time. But the important point is, I can have all of these hooked up and available without issues and without the need for external power.
In speed test, I threw six files totally 12.2GB in a read test coming from one of my external drives, and via the UH3239 it took 1 minutes 30 seconds with a speed of 7790.953 Mb/min. The direct connection to my laptop doing the exact same copy took just a second longer with a speed of 7668.317 Mb/sec. The timing is close enough to say having the UH3239 in between does not affect the performance in the file transfer.
While I don’t have a 4K monitor to test against, the UH3239 is rated to support resolutions up to 4K HDMI (3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz). It has no issues with my 1440p monitors using the HDMI port.
Gripes
None really. But I’d love an angled USB-C connector so if I threw it into my bag still attached to the notebook, I have more of a chance of everything surviving without damage.
Conclusions
I haven’t thought about just how much I liked having a little mini dock until the ATEN UH3239 USB-C Multiport Mini Dock landed in my review queue. Partly because I have everything set up with the very extended #WFH periods (585 days by official count of days in lockdown). Now that I am able to head back out on the road, this RRP$89 device is so very handy to have in the bag.
The ATEN UH3239 USB-C Multiport Mini Dock is widely available including from Amazon, which have it at sub $80 at the moment.
DRN would like to thank ATEN for their continued support.
Specifications
Computer: USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Male Cable
Device: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Female (Blue)
Power: 1 x USB Type-C Female ( (supports USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port data transfer) ) Support Power Delivery 2.0 for laptop charging up to 60W, power profiles include 5V, 12V, 15V, 20V (additional USB-C power adapter needed)
Video Output: 1 x HDMI Female (Black)
Humidity: 0 – 80% RH, Non-condensing
Operating Temperature: 0 – 40°C
Storage Temperature: -20 – 60°C
Flash Memory: Supports SD V1.0/ v1.1/ v2.0/ V3.01 and V5.0 SD (Capacity up to 2GB) SDHC (Capacity up to 32GB) SDXC (Capacity up to 2TB)
Dimensions (L x W x H): 13.30 x 3.60 x 1.10 cm (5.24 x 1.42 x 0.43 in.)
Housing: Aluminum
Weight: 0.08 kg ( 0.18 lb )
Cable Length: 55cm
Computer Connections: 1
Power Consumption: DC5V:15WBTU
Video Resolution: 3840 x 2160@30Hz