Ask HN: Tell about your work from home setup What room do you use in the house? Do you have a special desk? What monitors do you have? Keyboard? Mouse? Do you work from a laptop? Do you move around the house? What other equipment? Microphone? Webcam? |
I've had dedicated office space in and out of the house, and I've had corners of the bedroom. Any of the above were fine with me, but some people prefer having dedicated space for specific things. Nothing special about my desk or chair, but I did splurge on my Realforce Topre keyboard and Shure Aonic 50 headphones.
Kensington Orbit trackball has been the easiest on my RSI, and fits great on my current desk's keyboard tray, where I wouldn't have room for a mouse. Logitech Brio 4K webcam. Teams and Zoom can both blur the background pretty well even without a green screen, but I have thought about adding some lighting. I have a USB mic for recording audio, but my headphones work fine for conferencing.
My current experiment is adding a NUC with a third monitor for status dashboards so I can keep them visible at all times. Still tweaking the setup, but I think I like it.
I use an Apple keyboard with touch Id, and a Logitech Mx Master3 mouse. I have a Blue microphone for video conferences. This is mounted to the desk behind the monitors on a boom, and hangs over the monitors but out of the scree area. I also have a Logitech webcam, since the laptop is off to the side.
I use OWC thunderbolt dock for 2 monitors, and a second thunderbolt to dual HDMI for the other 2. Works like a charm.
I don't move around the house much, since my setup is so custom.
If I travel for a few days, I'll bring the laptop and a small Asus USB-C portable monitor.
If I travel for longer periods of time, I have a pelican Air case that I am able to fit 3 monitors into. These are 24" QHD monitors, so all running 2560x1440 resolution.
I'd like to upgrade those 2560x1440 monitors to 27", but might need to get a new pelican air case, or get more careful with monitors in the existing case.
"Most" of my work is fine on the Mac, but some requires windows. I have a "company" PC laptop for this purpose, but also have my own "PC" Desktop with an 8 core i9, very fast nVME disk, and lots of memory.
I use both of the PC's via Microsoft Remote Desktop, so I can pretty seamlessly use Mac, Windows, and Linux as needed.
I've found that the M1 Mac actually runs Arm Windows pretty well, and I've even run a CAD program, Altium Designer, using it.. again, with impressive performance, given that it is emulating x86.
I'm extremely happy with the M1 mac.. pricey, but so far, well worth it.
I spent a ton on this set up, but I am glad that I did because the whole pandemic and work from home ended up lasting a lot longer than even I thought it would. I have no intention of ever going back into an office.
Do you have a special desk? I use a standing desk from IKEA.
What monitors do you have? Just some random 27inch screen. Nothing special.
Keyboard? I used Microsoft's Ergonomic keyboard for a long time. However, I recently wanted to get some lightweight keyboard for traveling and bought Apple's tenkeyless Magic Keyboard, which works great. It also seems to be pretty much the only regular keyboard that doesn't make my forearms burst into fire since I was grown so used to ergonomic keyboards. Maybe it is due to its low profile. I don't know. Nowadays, I pretty much use the Magic keyboard solely.
Mouse? Logitech MX Master 3. I have been looking for some vertical mouses.
Do you work from a laptop? Yes.
Do you move around the house? Occasionally.
What other equipment? Noise-cancelling headphones.
I’m on a Macbook Pro with dual monitor setup, Kinesis Advantage ergo keyboard, and Logitech trackball for mouse.
For me, it isn't anything about the setup that specifically makes WFH work. It is about making it your own. My advice has always been to look around at what everyone does, and then feel free to accept/reject all the advice because WFH is about finding what works for you, not matching what works for someone else.
I have a storage room in my basement that I have my home office, music studio, and home gym in. No carpet, just a rug under my desk/chair.
> Do you have a special desk?
I have a custom desk made from a 72"x24" slab of IKEA countertop supported by iron pipe.
> What monitors do you have?
I have two ViewSonic 1440p monitors mounted on each side of a mounted 16" 2021 MacBook Pro. Three screens total.
> Keyboard? Mouse?
Apple Magic Keyboard and Mouse.
> Do you work from a laptop?
Yes, see above.
> Do you move around the house?
When I'm not working on something warranting multiple screens (e.g. sitting on a conference call), I'll set up at the coffee table in my living room or in the kitchen.
> What other equipment? Microphone? Webcam?
- Blue Yeti microphone for when I need peak voice quality (giving training sessions, recording screencasts, etc).
- I use the webcam built in to the MacBook.
- USB-C docking station with power-passthrough.
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface into a pair of M-Audio studio monitors for when I need to get loud.
- Multiple mobile device stands.
- Coffee mug warmer
Pre-covid I had a 28" 4K monitor on each of the 2 desks and I connected my laptop to it. In the first lockdown I ordered a beefy desktop machine and combined both monitors on the same desk. I also bought a mechanical keyboard, a conference room mic, external webcam and new noice cancelling headphones soon after.
Every 2-3 months I switch the whole setup to the other desk, just to have a change of scenery. After this switch I "feel" more productive for a few days for some reason.
The office is 2 floors up and I did not put a coffee machine or fridge in there so I can at least get some of my daily steps on the stairs for coffee/food/toilet runs.
Had to move from central London to a suburb to afford a house with a dedicated cabinet. One of the best decisions I made at the beginning of the pandemic. I am sure my mental health has improved a lot with the option to "close" the cabinet at 6 PM and disconnect from my work till morning.
> Do you have a special desk?
A basic standing desk I bought on Amazon. It is okay. But now I am thinking to buy a new solid one. Standing desks tend to be wobble, and it can be not very pleasant.
> What monitors do you have?
iMac M1 24". I have LG 5k 24" as well on the table. But I turn it on only to connect to the iPad or when I have to present something online.
> Keyboard?
Ultimate Hacking Keyboard[0] 60 v1 with a palm rest. One of the best purchases at the beginning of the work from home/isolation trends.
> Mouse?
Apple Magic Trackpad. Do not like mouses.
> Do you work from a laptop?
Used to. But with the shift to the work from home situation, I switched to iMac—a more prominent display, quiet, better ergonomic.
> Do you move around the house?
Yes, but only for meetings. I usually make calls (Zoom, Google Meet) from my iPhone to move around. The second reason I do so, by the way, is the terrible Bluetooth stack on the current Apple Silicon machines and the inability of Google Sevices to work reliable anywhere except Google Chrome in the latest version.
> What other equipment?
- iFi ZEN DAC[1] for music
- BenQ WiT e-Reading Desk Lamp[2]
- Apple AirPods Max + AirPods Pro
> Microphone?
Nope. I am using the one in my headphone or iMac's ones.
> Webcam?
iMac or iPhone cameras.
[0] https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/
[1] https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/
[2] https://www.benq.eu/en-uk/lamps/desklamp/wit.html
Edit: formatting
In the past, I used the cottage in our backyard as a dedicated office (this was glorious!) but a few years ago started renting it out for extra income (this is also really great!). That meant that I moved my space into the house, first as a corner of my bedroom, later in a dedicated office room. What I've learned for myself is that it is good to have a dedicated desk for when I'm in that mood, but that it really helps to be able to grab my laptop and migrate. This became especially true when my partner moved into my dedicated office space. Sometimes it's nice to work in the same space, other times I like to sit in the front window of the house. Likewise, sometimes I need the second monitor and the beefy system on my desk. In the office we both have matching motorized standup desks - she likes to stand for part of the day more than I do. She really likes a pistol-grip style mouse, I'm happy with whatever mouse is available. We are an all Apple household, and we've found the built in microphones and webcams to be perfectly sufficient.
Major addition to our office in the past two years was an investment in a color laser printer / scanner. Totally worth every penny.
Biggest work-from-home productivity move is having kids old enough to be in school and/or able to keep themselves busy. The cats still walk on my keyboard or demand loves, but overall they are pretty good co-workers.
I had many setups after 30 years wfh but this is my favourite one so far. Always only had laptops though.
I never really used a desk or special chairs; couch or standing are best for me.
What room do you use in the house? A spare bedroom that I've claimed for my office. I'm a messy desk person so it makes it easy to hide it when friends come over, and it's nice to have a quiet space.
Do you have a special desk? The biggest L shaped desk that was reasonably affordable and didn't look like crap. Having worked on tiny improvised desks most of my career it's nice to spread out a bit.
What monitors do you have? -A 27" 16:9 2k@144hz is my center monitor, the higher res and refresh rate is pleasant even when not gaming. -A 24" 16:10 dell monster that I stole from an old job and you will have to pry from my dead hands. I have some extra video cables hooked up for it to double as a lab monitor. -A 17" 1080@144hz recycled panel from a gaming laptop that died. Good for background listening or meetings that you're half focusing on.
Keyboard? Mouse? Currently have a steel series keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is meh for typing and I've purchased one better suited for my typing habits. The mouse has like 13 macro buttons that are quite useful for hotkeys and turbo/toggle bindings.
Do you work from a laptop? I have a work issued laptop that lives downstairs. Typically use it for about a hour or so every workday. It provides a bit of a break in the day, and I often use it to attend meetings while lounging on the couch (no cam, of course)
Do you move around the house? Yep, it's critical to walk away from problems every now and then, gives you space to think. Often when I switch between my laptop or desktop I work on different tasks to fully get my brain to switch.
What other equipment? Microphone? Webcam? We don't use cameras in meetings often (very lucky). However, I fully endorse getting a good wireless headset for your PC with range to spare. It lets me pace or grab things from the kitchen while not missing anything.
I get a lot of comments about being in an unfinished basement so I recently bought a green screen and some ring lights to try and improve my picture. The webcam on my laptop is too grainy for OBS to use the green screen, so looking to buy a new webcam.
It is a pretty clean and simple setup.
I work from a laptop (MBP and ThinkPad P14s). I just use the built-in webcams.
Work desk: Matting StandUp desk. I like it because it is manual and doesn't require cables.
Chair: Varier Variable Balans. Nice to sit in weird positions and fidget on as much as I like.
-jarvis sit stand desk which is great
-dell 4k monitor which is great
-airpods max which are heavy but block out the light rail
-webcam is a cheap mirrorless panasonic which works way better than any other webcam I've had
-apple magic keyboard and mouse
-working on changing apartments but it seems like everything in the south bay is next to a highway, a train, an airport, or multiple
But I have a nice window facing desk. While the days are currently quite short, it's still a great view.
office: macbook + external keyboar/mouse + 2 external displays
32 inch 1000$ monitor (not all 4K is made equal), cheaper 24 inch older dell side monitor
Large desk
Mac m1
HHKB keyboard, Logitech coardless basic mouse
Kitchen chair, Purple seat pad, 3' x 2' desk from World Market, M1 MacBook Pro, clip on ring light for meetings, Magic Mouse. I use the built-in microphone and webcam on my laptop.
>> What room do you use in the house?
In a house with a few (unneeded) bedrooms, so one of those makes for a decent-sized office.
>> Do you have a special desk?
Not really - Ikea Alex/Karlby worktop job, same as all the YouTubers use. This whole setup is basically your stereotypical YouTuber/streamer rig (though I do neither of those myself). In fairness to those folks, the Karlby-Alex combo does make for a very simple and effective desk. Good size, very stable (this 180cm worktop weighs a good 30kg by itself). Never had much interest in standing desks.
I do have a second desk set to the right-hand side of the main one; simple Ikea table with a large roll of paper on a reel pulled across it, padded underneath, lamps overhead. The idea is to use that as a scratchpad/brainstorming space to swivel back and forth from, though frankly it hasn't seen much action yet.
>> What monitors do you have?
Triple monitor setup for work, just about. Main monitor is an Acer 27" 1440p 144hz IPS, very nice. Also have the 15" laptop screen to one side, sitting on a simple metal stand to raise it to usable height.
And in the only moderately original aspect of this whole setup, a 10" touchscreen propped up at an angle in front of the keyboard, below the main monitor (that gap the BendDesk folks were targeting with their curve). That's very useful for breaking out extra IDE windows for search results, debug output, etc, and/or keeping IM tools handy. Haven't been using the touchscreen aspect much yet tbh, though there's definitely potential with that positioning.
Ultimately I'm looking towards a 32" main monitor, but my desired specs (4k, IPS, 144Hz) are only barely available at that size yet, plus gaming on one would need serious PC upgrades.
In the short term, a 16" monitor in a vertical orientation is the next experimental addition.
>> Keyboard? Mouse?
Gamer gear again, hooked to a KVM between my work laptop and my LED-laden-fishtank of a desktop. In fairness, better brand gamer peripherals tend to be very good for general use as well, as long as you can live with tasting the LED rainbow.
Specifically my mouse is a Logitech G903 - excellent wireless mouse, easily the best I've ever owned.
My keyboard is a Fnatic Ministreak (more obscure brand tied into esports, but a very nice keyboard). It's a TKL ("tenkeyless"/65%, i.e. no number pad) - I never used the numpad much, and I like the reduced width to keep my mouse hand in closer. Mechanical keyboard with MX Brown keys - great to type on, not very loud as those go, but still too noisy to ever use back in the office, more's the pity.
>> Do you work from a laptop?
Work-supplied laptop, yeah, though I only ever use it docked with proper peripherals - apparently unlike the entire rest of the world, I've never been a fan of laptops.
>> Do you move around the house?
No, never got in the habit of that for work. I do have a "sitting room PC" downstairs; rigged up a monitor arm to hold a 24" monitor out in front of an armchair, running off a nice little Intel NUC that's barely bigger than my fist, wireless mouse and keyboard on a lapboard. Quite proud of that setup, clean and efficient.
>> What other equipment? Microphone? Webcam?
One of those giant Corsair mousepads that extends across the desk, in keeping with the YouTuber stereotype. Actually pretty good - makes for decent mousing, plus it pads the keyboard impacts somewhat.
Chair is a Secretlab Titan Evo, because of course it is (served me well, good mid-priced chairs in fairness).
Corsair wireless headset, serves me well for mobile sound. Microphone is entirely adequate for calls, but as always with wireless gaming headsets, it's definitely not something you'd use to make proper recordings.
Webcam is just the dodgy built-in one on the laptop for now, Logitech C920 would be the weapon of choice if I ever get around to replacing that.