Power Brick vs Docking Station

I have a Dell laptop. I was thinking about buying a docking station for it so I could connect an actual mouse to it for my grandkids to use. They have not mastered the mouse pad on the laptop. However, someone suggested that I get a Power Brick instead. I have used a docking station years ago, but have no experience with a power brick. I don't really even know what a power brick is. Can anyone help me determine what would best fit my needs?

 

I'm unsure about what they mean by power brick; I'd say it would be a port replicator they're referring to. Make sure it works fully with your model, often a more powerful PSU is needed/supplied - if it's for use by children, I'd look for one that incorporated a locking mechanism.

 

That explains a lot. I am sure that the power replicator must be what he was talking about, but I would have never figured that out on my own. I will check into getting one that works with my laptop. Thanks so much for your assistance.

 

No problem, I'm happy to help

 

You don't need anything to connect a mouse to your laptop. A regular USB mouse will plug into your Dell just fine. I have one on my Dell right now.

Usually a power brick is just the power supply, the brick is the transformer that's half way down the power cable. Perhaps your friend was trying to tell you to just use the regular power supply and plug the mouse directly into the side of your laptop.

A Dell docking station is a port replicator with some added features. It's very handy if you want to connect multiple devices to your laptop with one quick connection. We use them at the office to attach Ethernet, mouse, standard keyboard and dual monitors. We can close the laptop and leave the laptop screen off while still using the laptop as a workstation. At the end of the day it's one button to disconnect and go. That is what a docking station is designed for.

Depending on the age of your grandkids, I find the smaller travel mouse to be easier for them to manipulate. I just taught my 3 year old to use the mouse for a game and she can only do it with the smaller travel mouse. At the store there are usually 10 wireless options and 1 or 2 wired options. I prefer wired for this.