Guides

Docks and USB-C hubs

What a dock does, USB-C and Thunderbolt, laptop compatibility, dual monitors, MacBooks, DisplayLink, hubs, HDMI and charging, KVM docks and powered hubs.

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Docks and USB-C hubsWhat Is a Laptop Docking Station, and Do You Need One?A laptop docking station connects desk peripherals through one connection to your laptop. It can be useful when you regularly reconnect a monitor…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsIs a Thunderbolt Dock Faster Than a USB-C Dock?A Thunderbolt dock comes with certified minimums, and a USB-C dock comes with whatever its own spec sheet says. USB-C only names the connector, so a…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWill This Docking Station Work With Your Laptop?Check it from the laptop outward. First find out what the laptop's port can carry, then write down every monitor and device that will stay on the…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWill a Dual-Monitor Docking Station Extend Both Screens?A dual-monitor docking station can extend your desktop across two screens when the laptop, dock and video connection support two independent displays…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWhich MacBook Docking Station Supports Your Monitors?Choose a MacBook docking station by your Mac model, external display count and charging needs. A regular dock cannot raise the Mac's native display…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWhat Is a DisplayLink Docking Station, and Do You Need One?A DisplayLink docking station adds external monitors through USB using a chip in the dock and software on your computer. It can suit a laptop whose…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWhat Can a USB-C Hub Do for Your Laptop, and Where Does It Fall Short?A USB-C hub turns one USB-C port into several, commonly USB-A, HDMI, a card reader and a charging input. What each of those ports can actually do is…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsIs It a Hub or a Docking Station, and Does the Label Matter?The label matters less than the spec sheet, because makers don't use the two words the same way. In USB-IF's own definition, a hub carries only USB…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsHow Do You Read the HDMI and Charging Specs on a USB-C Hub?Read the HDMI line for the refresh rate as well as the resolution, since "4K" on a hub can mean 4K at 30Hz. Read the charging line for two numbers…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsWhich KVM Docking Station Works With Two Laptops?Choose a KVM docking station that supports both laptops, your monitors and the power each laptop needs. It lets two computers share monitors, a…Read the guide →Docks and USB-C hubsPowered vs Bus-Powered USB Hub: Which Do You Need?Choose a powered USB hub when your connected devices need more power than the computer's USB port can supply. A bus-powered hub draws from that port…Read the guide →

Office chairs

All office chairs guides →
Office chairsWhat Should You Look for When Choosing an Office Chair?An office chair has to fit two things at once, your body and the desk you already own. Compare the seat-height range, seat depth and seat width first…Read the guide →Office chairsWhat Makes an Office Chair Ergonomic?An ergonomic office chair fits your body and desk through adjustable seat height, seat depth, back support and armrests. The label alone does not…Read the guide →Office chairsWhat Order Should You Use to Adjust an Office Chair?Start at the floor and work up: seat height, then seat depth and the backrest, then the armrests, and only then the monitor and the things you reach…Read the guide →Office chairsWhere Should Lumbar Support Sit on an Office Chair?Lumbar support should meet the inward curve of your lower back while you sit back with your feet supported. Its position depends on your body and the…Read the guide →Office chairsShould You Choose a Mesh or Leather Office Chair?Choose by fit first and material second. Mesh lets air through and flexes under you; leather and leather-look covers sit over foam padding that air…Read the guide →Office chairsWhich Office Chair Features Matter Most for Long Workdays?For eight-hour days, the chair has to support more than one position. OSHA's workstation guidance says that "working in the same posture or sitting…Read the guide →Office chairsIs a Weight Rating Enough When Choosing a Big-and-Tall Office Chair?No. A weight rating is the manufacturer's upper limit for the load, and you should stay under it, but it says nothing about whether the seat is wide…Read the guide →Office chairsWhat Should You Check in a Cross-Legged Office Chair?A cross-legged chair is a wide, often armless seat built so you can fold your legs under you. Check that it still works when you sit normally: the…Read the guide →Office chairsDo You Need a Built-In Footrest on an Office Chair?For desk work, the footrest you may need is a separate one on the floor. It solves a specific problem: the chair has been raised to suit the desk and…Read the guide →Office chairsHow Do You Choose an Office Chair Mat for Carpet or Hard Floors?Choose a chair mat rated for your floor surface and, for carpet, its pile depth. Many plastic carpet mats use grippers, while hard-floor versions use…Read the guide →Office chairsWhat Office Chair Works Best in a Small Space?In a small room the chair that works is the one that fits under the desk and rolls back far enough for you to stand, not the one with the smallest…Read the guide →

Standing desks

All standing desks guides →
Standing desksWhich Specs Matter Most When You Buy a Standing Desk?Four numbers do most of the work: the lowest and highest height the desk reaches, the depth of the top, and the free space underneath. OSHA's…Read the guide →Standing desksIs an Electric Standing Desk Better Than a Crank Desk?It depends on how often you will change height. A sit-stand desk only helps while you keep moving it, and CCOHS notes that some users drift back to…Read the guide →Standing desksHow High Should Your Standing Desk Be?High enough that the keyboard sits at your elbows while you stand with your shoulders relaxed. OSHA's purchasing guide gives a standing range of 36 to…Read the guide →Standing desksHow Small Can a Standing Desk Be Before It Gets Uncomfortable?Width can shrink a long way. Depth cannot, because the monitor has to stay far enough from your eyes. OSHA asks for a desk deep enough to hold a…Read the guide →Standing desksWhen Does an L-Shaped Standing Desk Make Sense?It makes sense when you have two kinds of work that each need a surface, such as a computer on one side and paperwork, drawing or a second machine on…Read the guide →Standing desksWill a Standing Desk With Drawers Leave Room for Your Legs?It can, but the drawer takes space from the same gap your thighs use when you sit. OSHA wants 20 to 28 inches of height under a desktop, and a drawer…Read the guide →Standing desksShould You Buy a Standing Desk Frame and Add Your Own Top?A frame on its own makes sense when you already have a top you want to keep, need an odd size, or want a particular material. A complete desk means…Read the guide →Standing desksIs a Desk Converter Enough, or Do You Need a Full Sit-Stand Desk?A converter is enough when your current desk already suits you for sitting and the converter can carry your equipment. It lifts the keyboard and…Read the guide →Standing desksIs a Rolling or Folding Standing Desk Enough for Everyday Work?It depends on what sits on it. A laptop needs little surface, but an external monitor needs depth, and OSHA's guidance asks for room to put a monitor…Read the guide →

Monitor arms

All monitor arms guides →
Monitor armsHow Do You Choose a Monitor Arm for Your Monitor and Desk?Choose a monitor arm by matching the VESA pattern, screen weight without its stand, desktop thickness and mounting clearance. Then confirm that its…Read the guide →Monitor armsDoes a VESA Label Mean Any Monitor Arm Will Fit Your Monitor?No. It means the monitor and the arm share a standard mounting interface, and that is where the promise stops. VESA's Flat Display Mounting Interface…Read the guide →Monitor armsShould Two Monitors Share One Arm, or Should Each Get Its Own?That depends on how you split your time between the screens. If you use both about equally, they sit side by side and meet in the middle, a…Read the guide →Monitor armsWhat Kind of Arm Can Hold an Ultrawide or a Heavy Monitor?One whose spec sheet names your screen's weight and, for a deep curved screen, its depth as well. Ergotron's HX arm with its very heavy-duty pivot…Read the guide →Monitor armsDo You Need a Monitor Arm, or Will a Stand Do?If the screen only has to go up a little and the desk has depth to spare, a riser or an adjustable stand does the job. An arm starts to pay off when…Read the guide →Monitor armsDesk Mount vs Wall Mount Monitor Arm: Which Fits Your Setup?Choose a desk-mounted monitor arm for a sit-stand setup when the desktop supports the mount: the screen moves with the desk. A wall-mounted arm frees…Read the guide →Monitor armsWhy Does a Gas-Spring Monitor Arm Drift Up or Sag?Because the spring's tension does not match the screen's weight. A gas-spring arm holds the monitor up by pushing back against its weight, and an…Read the guide →

Cables and desk layout

All cables and desk layout guides →
Cables and desk layoutWhere Should Each Desk Cable Go, From the Laptop to the Wall?Sort the cables by where they run. Short leads between devices stay on the desktop, the power strip and adapters go under the desk in a spot your legs…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutWhich Under-Desk Cable Organizers Fit Without Taking Your Legroom?Measure the space your legs need before you buy anything for under the desk. OSHA's minimum clearance is 20 inches wide, 17 inches deep at knee level…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutWhy Do Cables Snag When a Standing Desk Moves, and How Do You Stop It?Every time a standing desk moves, the distance between the desktop and the floor changes, so any cable that connects the two needs enough length at…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutWhich Comes First When Setting Up a Desk, the Chair, the Keyboard or the Screen?The chair comes first, then the keyboard and mouse, then the screen, and everything else last. Each step sets up the next one. The chair decides where…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutHow Do You Work at a Desk on a Laptop All Day and Still Take It With You?A laptop's screen and keyboard are joined, so raising the screen to a comfortable height lifts the keyboard with it. For long sessions at a desk…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutLaptop and External Monitor Setup: Where Should Each Screen Go?Put the screen you use most directly in front of you, with the laptop beside it if the external monitor is your main screen. If you use both equally…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutHow Should You Arrange Two Monitors So You Aren't Turning Your Head All Day?It depends on whether one screen does most of the work. If it does, that one goes straight in front of you and the second sits beside it for glances…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutHow Do You Set Up a Home Office Starting From an Empty Room?Start with the room, not the furniture. The window decides which way the screen faces, the outlets decide where the desk's power comes from, and the…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutShould Your Power Strip Go in a Cable Tray or a Cable Box?It depends on where the power strip is going to live. If it can be fixed under the desktop, a tray holds it off the floor and, on a sit-stand desk…Read the guide →Cables and desk layoutSmall Desk Setup: How Do You Fit a Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse?For a small desk setup, reserve space for the keyboard and mouse close to you, a readable monitor at a suitable viewing distance, and clear legroom…Read the guide →