Australian-based Alldock is making its U.S. debut this fall with its signature product, a modular docking station designed to simplify charging and reduce clutter for families and individuals who regularly need to charge multiple devices in their home. The company’s eponymous docking bases are available in two sizes in a selection of attractive materials and also include a modular approach that allows them to accommodate a variety of devices, including mounts for Apple Watch, FitBit, or Pebble watches.
We received the $129 base model of Alldock for review — the Medium White Base with White Top — which supports charging up to four devices in any of twelve different placements using a four-port 9.6 amp USB power distribution hub. The larger models provide a six-port 14.4 amp hub to charge up to six devices simultaneously.
Other than the dock itself, the Alldock packaging includes only a power cable and a single cable management strap, so you’ll need to supply your own charging cables for whatever devices you plan to use it with. Alldock provides full-speed 2.4 amp charging for up to four or six devices simultaneously.
By itself, Alldock simply provides a way to keep your charging cables tucked away and prop up your devices while charging. Cables hide within the Alldock base, protruding through any of the twelve holes at the bottom of each of the four rails (the large version includes an extra rail for a total of fifteen holes). Wider holes provide room for old-school 30-pin Dock Connectors or other similarly large adapters, and a notch to the side of each hole allows you to hold each cable in place when not connected to a device.
The base Alldock unit doesn’t act as a typical Lightning dock in that you’ll still need to grab the end of the cable and plug it into your iOS device before setting it down in the dock.
For more dock-like use, Alldock sells One Hand Docking adapters for $15 – $20 each, which include a plastic mount that snaps on underneath the top plate to hold the charging cable in place within the Alldock base. Each adapter also includes a 14-inch charging cable to connect to the USB hub. Alldock also sells an Apple Watch mount for $40 which screws onto the side of the Alldock and holds the standard Apple Watch magnetic charger. Bundles are also available which include combinations of One-Hand Docking adapters and/or an Apple Watch mount for lower prices than purchasing the items separately.
The medium-sized model of Alldock will handle up to a 10.5” iPad Pro in portrait model, but if you’re using the larger 12.9” iPad Pro you’ll need to spring for the larger model, which can accommodate the smaller iPad in landscape mode as well.
