Working from home tips Forum

[tbp140]

Anyone have recommendations for a standing desk? I used to have one at work but now that I'm WFH, my back hurts all the time, even though I stretch almost every day.

[notinbiglaw]

I wall mounted the monitors to free up space on desk

G915 low profile mechanical, tactile version. This keyboard is a game changer for me. Tactile, low profile, easy to use. This replaced a Corsair cherry mx brown keyboard. Macro keys you can program. G815 wired version is fine. I suspected the wireless would be a gimmick but it was only $50 more. There is a tenkeyless version that’s basically same but no macro keys and no numpad. I very very strongly recommend this keyboard.

More budget option: Corsair K70 with cherry MX brown.

More budget: Logitech G810 with tactile switches. Logitech uses cheap key caps on which the paint/sticker started to fade off for me after a few months of use but it’s a purely cosmetic issue

G502 light speed mouse with light speed pad. Wireless charging, programmable buttons.

Alternative: Logitech MX Master. Logitech MX master is a true office warrior mouse, heavy, but extremely precise and versatile. It’s the mouse I travel with.

I recommend having two external monitors. I personally have 3 mounted on the wall

24” 1080p in portrait mode.
2x27” 1440p in landscape

I think wall mounts or monitor arms are very nice to have. Just frees up a lot of desk space.

I recommend going for IPS panels for office work. Stick with reputable brands and stay away from anything that says gaming

1080p in portrait because once you read a pdf on a portrait monitor you will dread reading it any other way.

1440p 27” because 1080p is a bit too low res at 27” and if you put two docs on a 1080p, the user interfaces occupy a large % of screen real estate.

Most (non-Mac) work issued laptops aren’t designed to drive more pixels. Some of them will drive a third high res monitor fine but it’s a hit or miss situation even if the laptop comes with the necessary ports. TB3 docks that drive multiple monitors just haven’t really worked for me. Either the dock or the laptop itself overhears and you will likely see the cursors lag and everything just get sluggish. The only consistent solution I have found to drive 3 or more external monitors with high resolution is to have an external GPU enclosure but that’s at a minimum $500 investment and seems a bit too much.

[franny90]

any other monitors (brands) people like? does anyone have experience with a curved monitor?

[The Lsat Airbender]

any other monitors (brands) people like? does anyone have experience with a curved monitor?

Curved is good for ultra-wide aspect ratios (allows for uniform focal length, i.e. your eye muscles don't have to do extra work while reading this sentence). If you have a curved monitor, that's one more reason to mount it on an adjustable arm, because that'll allow you to fine-tune the distance from your eyes to the screen.

Personally I don't have much brand loyalty with displays, since prices and quality fluctuate constantly, but I currently use an Acer (ultrawide, curved, 3440x1440p) and like it a lot. Along with my laptop's screen, I feel I have plenty of space, although sometimes I'd rather have a proper second monitor than the laptop.

(This has probably been mentioned upthread, but HDMI can't handle more than roughly 2560x1440 pixels. Something else to consider re: ultrawide/curved monitors. I use a docking station to bypass this limitation.)

[GuyApollo]

What size monitor do you all recommend? I’ve been looking at this one but I’m concerned it may be overkill (49 in. ultra wide). At the office we had a similar curved monitor but smaller, not exactly sure about the dimensions.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ul ... ccessories

[soft blue]

Seems remarkably expensive. You could get 3 32 inch monitors for $1200 or 3 27 inch for $450. (Monoprice is a super reputable brand). Realistically, that's more than enough screen real estate for you.

[sparty99]

What size monitor do you all recommend? I’ve been looking at this one but I’m concerned it may be overkill (49 in. ultra wide). At the office we had a similar curved monitor but smaller, not exactly sure about the dimensions.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ul ... ccessories

Why the hell would you get a 49 inch monitor let alone at that price? I have 25 inch and it feels big.

[mwells_56]

What size monitor do you all recommend? I’ve been looking at this one but I’m concerned it may be overkill (49 in. ultra wide). At the office we had a similar curved monitor but smaller, not exactly sure about the dimensions.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ul ... ccessories

Super ultrawide monitor technology is still new enough that the price doesn't make sense yet. Get two 27" monitors instead; you'll save a hell of a lot of money and you'll just have to deal with a bezel in the middle. I have a 27" Dell 1440p 155hz monitor and it was like $300. Get two of those and you're in for $600 plus if you want to get a dual monitor arm for like $50 or so, and you've still only spent about half as much as a 1080p 49" ultrawide.

If you're gonna go ultrawide, I'd go for a 34" or so. They're much cheaper than the 49" models and you can still comfortably pull up two documents side-by-side.

[mwells_56]

I wall mounted the monitors to free up space on desk

G915 low profile mechanical, tactile version. This keyboard is a game changer for me. Tactile, low profile, easy to use. This replaced a Corsair cherry mx brown keyboard. Macro keys you can program. G815 wired version is fine. I suspected the wireless would be a gimmick but it was only $50 more. There is a tenkeyless version that’s basically same but no macro keys and no numpad. I very very strongly recommend this keyboard.

More budget option: Corsair K70 with cherry MX brown.

More budget: Logitech G810 with tactile switches. Logitech uses cheap key caps on which the paint/sticker started to fade off for me after a few months of use but it’s a purely cosmetic issue

If a numpad isn't important to you, I'm rocking a refurbished Corsair K63 wireless with Cherry MX Reds for like $45 on Amazon. Not sure if that deal is still available but if it is it's an absolute steal.

[lomp123]

Is there any advantage to using a PC over plugging the firm's laptop into a work station? I'm starting remotely in the fall and am wondering whether it is worth it to keep my old PC or to just roll with the laptop.

[polareagle]

Is there any advantage to using a PC over plugging the firm's laptop into a work station? I'm starting remotely in the fall and am wondering whether it is worth it to keep my old PC or to just roll with the laptop.

I mean, your firm is not going to (or at least definitely should not) let you just work on your personal computer. The security issues there are gnarly (and you might have to turn over your laptop if you ever get accused of malpractice and are ordered to preserve documents).

You *may* be able to use citrix or something similar on your private computer to run a virtual machine for work, but it'll be slower and buggier than just using your work laptop with VPN.

(Unless my firm is just overly security conscious and you all are out there just using personal computers.)

[Anonymous User]

Is there any advantage to using a PC over plugging the firm's laptop into a work station? I'm starting remotely in the fall and am wondering whether it is worth it to keep my old PC or to just roll with the laptop.

I mean, your firm is not going to (or at least definitely should not) let you just work on your personal computer. The security issues there are gnarly (and you might have to turn over your laptop if you ever get accused of malpractice and are ordered to preserve documents).

You *may* be able to use citrix or something similar on your private computer to run a virtual machine for work, but it'll be slower and buggier than just using your work laptop with VPN.

(Unless my firm is just overly security conscious and you all are out there just using personal computers.)

Yeah my firm lets you use your personal computer, but it has to be connected to the firm network through Citrix. If you leave your work laptop plugged in the office, you can actually access your work laptop remotely with access to all your work files. But if you don't leave the work laptop plugged in, you have to use a basic version of Citrix, which doesn't have all the functionalities of the normal laptop.

[Anonymous User]

Is there any advantage to using a PC over plugging the firm's laptop into a work station? I'm starting remotely in the fall and am wondering whether it is worth it to keep my old PC or to just roll with the laptop.

I mean, your firm is not going to (or at least definitely should not) let you just work on your personal computer. The security issues there are gnarly (and you might have to turn over your laptop if you ever get accused of malpractice and are ordered to preserve documents).

You *may* be able to use citrix or something similar on your private computer to run a virtual machine for work, but it'll be slower and buggier than just using your work laptop with VPN.

(Unless my firm is just overly security conscious and you all are out there just using personal computers.)

My somewhat unsubstantiated theory is that this is significantly impacted by whether you have a corporate department. At my old full-service firm with a big M&A department, we had a TON of security and I basically didn't open my personal laptop for years. At my current litigation-only firm, people seem to be significantly less concerned. However, agreed with this post that you should assume you're not going to be able to use your personal computer (and also that using Citrix sucks).

[Elbble]

If cost isn't an issue, is it better to have one ulrawide (34''+) or the usual dual monitor setup? Pros/cons?

[stoopkid13]

My somewhat unsubstantiated theory is that this is significantly impacted by whether you have a corporate department. At my old full-service firm with a big M&A department, we had a TON of security and I basically didn't open my personal laptop for years. At my current litigation-only firm, people seem to be significantly less concerned. However, agreed with this post that you should assume you're not going to be able to use your personal computer (and also that using Citrix sucks).

FWIW, a partner at my old full-service firm told us that most of the firm's cyber-security protocols were for the corporate groups--not litigation.

[mwells_56]

If cost isn't an issue, is it better to have one ulrawide (34''+) or the usual dual monitor setup? Pros/cons?

I personally like having 2 monitors. I think it's easier psychologically to compartmentalize two screen than one large screen. It's a total personal preference thing. I'd head to a BestBuy or Micro Center near you and check them out, see if you like it.

[Bulldog99]

Does anyone have any recommendations for noise cancelling headphones that also contain a microphone? I have heard the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 have some connectivity issues with PCs.

[Joachim2017]

Can anyone recommend a specific arm/mount for a widescreen monitor? My monitor is a Samsung but I assume there are generic mounts/arms available that will fit them based on the size (my size is curved 34").

[The Lsat Airbender]

Can anyone recommend a specific arm/mount for a widescreen monitor? My monitor is a Samsung but I assume there are generic mounts/arms available that will fit them based on the size (my size is curved 34").

I got an Amazon-brand one, works fine. They are indeed standardized unless your monitor is exceedingly heavy and/or old.

[HarrisonK]

Has anyone here mounted monitors on their wall? I'm building a desk with three monitors (probably all 27" or 32") and I'd love to get them off the desk. I'd be happy to work with monitor arms but there aren't any good options for 3 monitor monitor arms. That said, I'd probably have to get 3 individual monitor arms and I think that would look silly on the desk. Accordingly, I thought mounting the 3 monitors directly on the wall in front of the desk would be the way to go. I'm worried about the necessity of placing the mounts on studs. To the extent that studs are generally 16" apart, I'm wondering if a 16" gap between the 3 monitors will be too much to align the 3 monitors perfectly together. How have you addressed this issue?

[blair.waldorf]

Can anyone recommend a printer they’ve liked for use at home? It doesn’t have to be super fancy, just decent enough to get by. I prefer to read things on paper and mark things up by hand.

[stoopkid13]

Has anyone here mounted monitors on their wall? I'm building a desk with three monitors (probably all 27" or 32") and I'd love to get them off the desk. I'd be happy to work with monitor arms but there aren't any good options for 3 monitor monitor arms. That said, I'd probably have to get 3 individual monitor arms and I think that would look silly on the desk. Accordingly, I thought mounting the 3 monitors directly on the wall in front of the desk would be the way to go. I'm worried about the necessity of placing the mounts on studs. To the extent that studs are generally 16" apart, I'm wondering if a 16" gap between the 3 monitors will be too much to align the 3 monitors perfectly together. How have you addressed this issue?

I used this for 3 27" monitors. I don't think it will fit 3 32" screens, unless you put one of them portrait.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006J ... UTF8&psc=1

[lawdude31]

Does anyone have any recommendations for noise cancelling headphones that also contain a microphone? I have heard the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 have some connectivity issues with PCs.

I have used the 700 with both PC and iPhone without any issues.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone recommend a printer they’ve liked for use at home? It doesn’t have to be super fancy, just decent enough to get by. I prefer to read things on paper and mark things up by hand.

I really like the Brother HL-L2350DW. It was easy to set up, prints really quickly and is two sided.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone recommend a printer they’ve liked for use at home? It doesn’t have to be super fancy, just decent enough to get by. I prefer to read things on paper and mark things up by hand.

I really like the Brother HL-L2350DW. It was easy to set up, prints really quickly and is two sided.

I have an HP color laser/scanner which has worked great. Fast, quality printing and good scanning, including a document feeder tray. I also like marking up by hand and it has made that very easy. (Model is MFP M281fdw.)