Home laptop setup

[Clippy]

Curious as to laptop users setup at home.
i.e Do you use your laptop as a stand alone unit or do you use it together with an external monitor, mouse and keyboard?

If so, are the peripherals connected to the laptop directly or via a docking solution?

Reason for asking is I'm looking to buy a new laptop and my current Dell Latitude is used with external peripherals as described above via a docking solution which makes life so much easier when needing to use the laptop as a stand alone unit.

However, the new laptops I have been considering are more consumer/home use types and hence don't come with docking solutions (I believe).

Hence, may have to revert back to buying another Dell Latitude.

[DiscoStu]

I found the whole docking station thing a total polava, so I bought one of these.

It just plugs into your router / any network switch (must have a wired ethernet connection).

Then you can plug all your external devices into it. I've currently got a couple of printers and external hard drives running on mine, and with a wireless networked laptop you can access all your devices without having to be plugged into them

Edit: Oops, just re-read your post. Obviously it won't support monitors

[PAH]

Edit: Oops, just re-read your post. Obviously it won't support monitors

But there are usb to monitor gizmos available that might!

I find the idea of a docking station a bit pointless unless you have a works laptop that you regularly take elsewhere. At home I prefer to use the laptop for plonking it on my lap, and have a PC in the 'office' room for all the other stuff, such as printing/scanning.

Anyway, a docking station is pretty redundant now everything they offer can be provided (albeit maybe not as efficiently) via USB.

[FarmerPalmer]

I have a consumer standard (non-docking) laptop and have a monitor, keyboard and mouse at client co, and a KVM switch back at HQ, so I can switch between laptop, company desktop, server, and any client PC I'm working on.

[VectraMan]

I used to switch keyboard, monitor and mouse between the desktop and laptop, but then I found this:

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

That lets you share keyboard and mouse between two machines just by moving the mouse (i.e. it makes it one big desktop). Much better than arsing about with KVM switches.

But I only tend to use the laptop for internet in front of the TV, or on the occasions I need to test something under Vista.

[thelace]

Whether you use a docking station or not, I would certainly advocate use of a full sized mouse and keyboard, preferably with a proper monitor, for all of you that do a "reasonable" amount of time on your laptops.

I've had to refer 3 laptop users for physiotherapy in the last year as they were heading towards RSI from using laptops without peripherals. This is both very painful and completely unnecessary.

All three cases cleared up (mostly after a good rest combined with physio), though one did need to go onto steroid injections.

[ThomasSoerensen]

Whether you use a docking station or not, I would certainly advocate use of a full sized mouse and keyboard, preferably with a proper monitor, for all of you that do a "reasonable" amount of time on your laptops.

I've had to refer 3 laptop users for physiotherapy in the last year as they were heading towards RSI from using laptops without peripherals. This is both very painful and completely unnecessary.

All three cases cleared up (mostly after a good rest combined with physio), though one did need to go onto steroid injections.

In your opinion, would a laptop with a 17 inch screen, a full size keyboard and an external mouse be sufficient for an ok working position?

or is a proper external screen and keyboard required for proper posture?

[thelace]

Hi Thomas,

It's not the equipment in itself that's the whole cause. Though it's true that smaller keyboards and mouses (mice?) can bring their own problems. It's the whole interface.

The typical "sit upright in a typists chair with desk space to rest your wrists, the screen at nose height and at arms length" is widely considered to have the least impact ergonomically on the human body. That's not to say NO impact, but the least impact.

The important thing to remember is continual rest breaks (every 20 mins), to change your position, to get up and have a wander/put the kettle on/change CD/whatever because this allows both your body (and your eye muscles) to move around and stops fatigue setting in!

If you work for a Clientco, they should provide you with a DSE (Display Screen Equipment) Assessment (used to be a VDU Assessment) and what you learn from that you can apply at home!

[VectraMan]

The typical "sit upright in a typists chair with desk space to rest your wrists, the screen at nose height and at arms length" is widely considered to have the least impact ergonomically on the human body. That's not to say NO impact, but the least impact.

Is that middle of screen at nose height? With a laptop on a desk you're going to be looking downwards too much I'd have thought, but then people often setup their desktop displays too low.

[thelace]

Middle of screen at nose height works best, that's why a decent monitor on a stand (can be part of the docking station) works well.

I know it's very easy to slouch both at home and in front of your PC at work, but just try sitting in the "correct" position for a couple of days and see if you feel any less fatigued?

'elf and safety lecture over!