Choose accessories for the problem at your workstation: a raised laptop generally calls for a separate keyboard and mouse, while a fixed monitor suits a regular desk and a portable display makes sense when the second screen must move with you. Add a dock or adapter only after checking the laptop’s display, connection and charging requirements. If you are an employee in Great Britain, check any applicable display-screen equipment assessment and your employer’s equipment process before paying personally; the Health and Safety Executive says workers cannot be charged for equipment that an assessment identifies as necessary.
If raising the laptop screen also raises its keyboard and trackpad beyond a comfortable input position, consider whether a riser with a separate keyboard and mouse addresses the issue before adding another display. The Health and Safety Executive advises separate input devices when elevating a laptop screen for prolonged use.
A fixed display serves a regular desk differently from a portable screen that travels between locations. Consider where you actually need a second screen and how you will connect it each time; where a display-screen equipment assessment applies, discuss both home and workplace arrangements with your employer.
If you use display-screen equipment daily for continuous periods of an hour or more as part of your normal work, check your assessment and any action it identifies before buying accessories yourself. The Health and Safety Executive sets out this assessment threshold for Great Britain; Northern Ireland workers should use the guidance of the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and their employer.
Start with the whole workstation and the task you do there, then choose the screen, input and connection changes that address it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Workstation assessment | Check your work pattern, desk arrangement and any applicable employer assessment. Ask what action the assessment identifies before purchasing equipment personally. | I want an accessory that addresses my actual setup, rather than buying a standard home-working bundle. |
| Screen and input position | Check whether the screen can be positioned suitably while the keyboard and mouse remain comfortable to use. For prolonged laptop use, the Health and Safety Executive advises separate input devices when the screen is raised on a riser. | Raising my laptop screen should not leave me typing and using the trackpad at an awkward height. |
| Second-screen location | Decide whether the screen will stay at a dedicated desk or travel between locations. Check its size, carrying burden and how it can be positioned at each desk. | A fixed monitor makes sense for my regular desk; if I need a second screen elsewhere, I need one I can carry and set up there. |
| Connections and charging | Check the exact laptop’s video output against the monitor or dock requirements. Confirm charging and any required software with the device documentation or employer IT team; USB-C connector shape alone does not establish these functions. | I want to connect my display and peripherals without assuming that a dock or USB-C cable will work with my laptop. |
Raising the screen also raises the built-in keyboard and trackpad. For prolonged laptop use, the Health and Safety Executive advises pairing an elevated screen with a separate keyboard and mouse.
Plan where those input devices will sit before choosing a stand; a stand does not add screen space.
Video, power and software requirements vary. Lenovo specifies DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery requirements for its ThinkVision M14 portable monitor; DisplayLink also identifies driver and software checks for relevant Windows setups.
Compare the exact laptop port with the display or dock requirements, and check employer IT guidance if you use a managed work laptop.
For workers covered by the relevant Great Britain display-screen equipment requirements, an assessment determines what action is needed. The Health and Safety Executive says workers cannot be charged when that action includes providing necessary equipment.
Ask for the assessment outcome and your employer’s equipment process first. Working from home alone does not establish that a particular accessory is required.
Portability matters when you regularly carry a display. At a permanent desk, screen size and positioning may matter more; for example, Dell lists height, pivot, swivel and tilt adjustment for its fixed UltraSharp U2724D monitor.
Decide where the display will actually be used before choosing between a portable model and a fixed monitor.
Dell’s UltraSharp U2724D illustrates a fixed-monitor option for a dedicated desk.
Lenovo’s ThinkVision portable displays are examples for work locations where a fixed second screen is unsuitable.
Logitech offers separate keyboard and mouse options for setups where the laptop screen is raised.
These options cover docks for connecting a desk setup, portable second screens for changing locations and a fixed monitor for a regular desk. A dock does not replace the need to check screen position or separate input devices.
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Consider this dock when you need to reconnect displays and peripherals at a regular desk. The product name specifies dual HDMI 4K outputs and 100 W Power Delivery pass-through. Check your laptop’s display compatibility and the required external power adapter, including whether it is supplied.
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A portable second-screen option for work locations where a fixed display is impractical. Check your laptop’s USB-C video capability and confirm which cable or adapter you would need for the intended connection.
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This portable-display option is relevant when your second screen needs to move between desks. Check that the exact laptop port supports the required USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode connection, and confirm how you will position the screen at each workspace.
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A fixed-display option for a dedicated desk, with a 32-inch 4K HDR Mini LED specification in its product name. Confirm the exact model’s brightness and connection specifications before relying on them, and check that your laptop has a compatible video output.
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A dock to consider when a regular desk needs display and peripheral connections. Its product name specifies a 4K 60 Hz HDMI output, USB-C and USB-A ports, and SD/TF readers. Check the host laptop’s video output and confirm the dock’s power-input and laptop-charging arrangement before buying.
No particular accessory follows automatically from working at home. In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive says the decision should follow an assessment of the workstation, work and individual requirements where display-screen equipment rules apply. Check what your current setup allows you to position comfortably before choosing equipment.
Ask whether a display-screen equipment assessment applies to your work, whether it covers your home and workplace arrangements, and what action and equipment process it identifies. In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive says workers cannot be charged for equipment an assessment identifies as necessary; that does not make every personally chosen accessory reimbursable.
A stand on its own is not the complete positioning solution when raising the screen leaves the built-in keyboard and trackpad too high for sustained use. For prolonged laptop use, the Health and Safety Executive advises a separate keyboard and mouse so the screen can be elevated.
No: check the exact laptop port’s video and power capabilities against the accessory’s requirements. Lenovo specifies DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery requirements for the ThinkVision M14’s one-cable arrangement, while DisplayLink-based equipment can also require software and driver compatibility checks.
No. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland provides its own display-screen equipment guidance and identifies home workers among the workers its rules can cover. For an individual work arrangement, check that guidance and your employer’s assessment process rather than assuming a Great Britain procedure applies unchanged.