Desk space is always at a premium and, for some reason, I haven't seen many people loading up their monitor similar to mine.
Why do this?
I don't like to go overboard with my spending, but I think a monitor is a good place to splurge if you're going to be sitting in front of it all day. Unlike computers, display tech doesn't move that quickly. A high resolution monitor can give you more room to work, and should last for years without going obsolete.
Some of the features that do differ with newer and higher end monitors are the IO ports and built in features.
For a minimal cost, you can add a USB hub, camera, speaker, and backlight to the monitor you have and keep your desk tidy.
Adding these on and around the monitor gives you a setup that looks clean from the front, with no permanent damage to your nice screen. Additionally, unless you have a huge fancy office where you sit facing the door, the back of most monitors for most people will always be right against a wall, making it the perfect place to hide all this mess.
An added benefit to doing this instead of mounting some accessories to the wall is that if you have or decide to get a standing desk, the accessories will all adjust up and down with you.
Overview of my setup
From the desk, this looks like a regular monitor. You can see a small soundbar at the bottom, and a webcam at the top of the screen.
Around back, this monitor does include a built in USB 3.0 hub, but if yours doesn't then that can be added as well. I have a cheap light strip running around the perimeter to reduce eye strain as well.
The breakdown
I use a Dell U2718Q as my main monitor, and I do think that a 27" 4k screen is a great upgrade if you can afford it. It's discontinued now, but that's sort of the point - these are small add-ons you can use for whatever monitor is sitting on your desk right now without breaking the bank.
Webcam
The webcam is the most basic of the add-ons, and isn't anything revolutionary. Webcams have always included a small clip to mount on top of the screen. I've been using this Anker C200 for over a year now and I've been happy with it for the price.
Speakers
The soundbar below the screen is one of my favorite additions. I have separate speakers in my office for music, so this is just for work calls and the occasional short video. The Dell SB521A I'm using (or the upgraded SB522A) are billed as only being compatible with a small selection of monitors, but the connection points are just very strong magnets and the sound comes over USB.
I attached some mini corner braces to the bottom of my monitor and this snaps right onto those. The short USB lead has no problem reaching a hub on the back of the screen.
I know many people love the look of dedicated bookshelf speakers, but I don't need that much sound for my setup and would rather prioritize the desk space.
Lights
A small LED light strip around the perimeter of the monitor is the finishing touch for me. Not only does this provide ambient light and reduce the strain of looking at a bright monitor against a dim wall, but the light bouncing off a lightly colored wall will also help add some soft lighting to make you look better during video calls.
I think it's worth it to look for a COB lightstrip that has a continuous strip of light instead of one with individual nodes that might be uneven, since the strip will be positioned pretty close to the wall. I use a cheap Zigbee light strip from Aliexpress with adjustable color temperature, but I see that there are now some dedicated options with full color support like the Hue Gradient PC LED Lightstrip. If you don't have a smart home hub, there are plenty of options with control right on the switch as well.
I have seen many people that prefer a screen bar like the BenQ Halo, but I'm worried this would look cluttered with the webcam stacked on top of it, and can't personally justify the price.
USB Hub - and tying it all together
As I previously mentioned, my monitor does have a USB hub built in, so I plug everything into that. This is what pulls it all together. Even if you don't have a fancy Thunderbolt dock or if, like me, you're frequently moving between a personal laptop, work laptop, and old computers that don't have USB-C, you can move a single cable over that will connect your webcam, speakers, and any other USB devices like a keyboard and mouse that are plugged in to the hub.
I currently have mine running to a UGreen USB switch that lets me move between 2 computers with the press of a button, but before that I was using this great TSUPY USB Hub. It has a long USB cable which, again, can easily move all your peripherals between devices without having to plug in 5 cables or dongles, and adds an SD card reader behind your monitor as an added bonus.
To finish it all off, attach your kit to your screen with 3M VHB or a similar double sided adhesive, and voila! Obviously you should do this at your own risk and there is always some chance of residue or damage when you try to remove something. For me, since the back of my monitor never sees the light of day, that's a risk I'm willing to live with.
Comments
Post a Comment