The working from home thread: tips and advice

Drawers under the desk mean the desktop height is too large for clamps.

ah the white drawers completely threw me, didn't see them at all! screwing into the desk is probably a bit of a drastic approach.

jealous

Nice setup!
If you replaced the monitor stand with a VESA stand like this:

You could add an arm or add a tripod head directly to the top of the pole to attach the camera.
Maybe an articulated mike boom arm also

I've looked at that exact stand but decided against it as it didn't really make a huge difference for the spend (stand and mount) whereas I already owned this tripod and only need a £15 boom arm.

What I really wanted I couldn't find... a cheap VESA shim to sit between the existing stand and monitor and to provide an extra place for a mount point for the camera.

That would be a neat option, is your monitor mount attached by VESA screws? I've mostly had Dell monitors with their own quick release.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kensington-Mount-Plate-SD3600-Dual-Dock/dp/B01ABSLMHK

A bit of DIY needed perhaps, but £8.09 for 2 screw VESA mounting plate.
You would need to come up with a tripod screw adapting solution, but you could also fold the mounting plate at 90 degrees to create a shelf.

You could use the slots or drill a new hole and screw in your tripod boom extension arm.

Some other choices available, the term to search for is VESA bracket for docking stations.

Where I hesitate is hanging a few grand of camera equipment off a DIY mount.

The tripod works extremely well today. So unless an alternative is near perfect, I probably wouldn't do it.

Thats fair enough.

Could fashion a very secure camera mount to something like this.

However your tripod is likely to be more stable than the monitor which is definitely another consideration.

My current set up.

-2 x Dell 25 inch Ultrasharp 2560x1440 res monitors
-PC is an older gen i5, 16gb ram, GF1050ti
-Logitech MX Keys Keyboard and MX master mouse
-Creative Pebble 3 usb c speakers
-Plantronics Voyager Focus UC headset - this is amazing (good sound, comfortable, noise cancelling, excellent mic quality, auto switches Bluetooth between mobile and computer softphone)
-Razer Kiyo webcam with built in ring light
-Some Amazon unknown brand LED ‘architect’ desk lamp. Brightness/colour temp adjustable, pretty good as a bounce light off the wall for video calls
-Tonor USB-c mic
-Amazon Echo Show 8 - music/podcasts/YouTube
-Canon X Mark 1 calculator in red
-Belkin wireless charging pad
-USB3 SD card hub stuck to the table
-Flexispot 140x70 table
-Humanscale freedom chair
-Adidas Adissage massage sliders

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Here's mine - weekend project is sorting the cables out

Edit - can't really see the cable chaos on the first pic

You would sort out the cables on company time if it was in the office so why not when you are working from home?

So I can do it totally inefficiently and get frequently distracted

What's the plant on the right?

One of these https://hortology.co.uk/products/pachira-aquatica-indoor-money-tree

Headset win!

I also have some Plantronics Voyager 8200s, which are also excellent, pretty much as good as the Sony WH-1000 series in NC and sound, but much more sophisticated boomless mics and the same dual Bluetooth switching and auto pausing videos on the computer when calls come in, or you take the headphones off.

Bit too warm to wear all day at the desk though.

This is my set up at the moment,
Amazon special desk (it used to be in the bedroom so wanted something that took up the smallest amount of space),
Dell company laptop, 2 X Dell monitors
Wireless sonkir mouse and keyboard
Wired headphones. Can't use the Mike on the laptop as going in via VDI means a slight lag and God awful feedback.

All the above was purchased with certain £ thresholds set by work. The challenge I have with the desk is the top of my legs scrape the underneath the drawers so I need to lift it by about an inch.

I'm in the process of doing up the spare room so keen to get a standing desk and either the one from Costco or flexispot once the white frames come back in stock.

I'm in the living room so the music is courtesy of Absolute Classic Rock via Sonos Beam

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I need to backlight my monitor, finding myself falling asleep at around 430pm when it goes dark.. good options?

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Disabled toilet crossed with Terminator T1000

Something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Semlos-Reading-Bedside-Brightness-Dormitory/dp/B07ZJ9RZCN/ref=sr_1_25_sspa?adgrpid=53906211260&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA5IL-BRAzEiwA0lcWYi0-wjutH5qLPqUdRP_fH4s8VP1sSrl--VLF71AZw5iV8PcQsH44RRoC_O0QAvD_BwE&hvadid=259038685352&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006693&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5187384791427151828&hvtargid=kwd-303287048855&hydadcr=21779_1759322&keywords=usb+light+strip&qid=1606482404&sr=8-25-spons&tag=googhydr-21&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzVkcyMEpJS1RPVlZYJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTk4OTQ4N0k4UVpINjhYMzJUJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3OTQzODgzRURONjdBM0QzRVYmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

You could stick it under the shelf, or stick it behind the monitor, or both.
USB powered.

Any ideas for improving laptop screens when used outside? (don't use it outside is the obvious one)

Keeps your hands warm too.

I should've specified I want to keep working on my tan. :@)

Keeps your hands warm too.

You win

is that string shelving?