For sustained laptop work, choose the equipment that addresses your main desk problem: a raised laptop with separate input devices for screen position, an external monitor for more display space, or a dock for repeated connections. Check desk space and laptop compatibility before buying; a USB-C socket alone does not establish video, charging or multi-display support. Workplace display-screen guidance does not mean every home worker must personally buy an accessory.
If you need to raise the laptop screen, allow room for a separate keyboard and mouse rather than continuing to type on the raised laptop. The Health and Safety Executive describes this arrangement in its guidance on prolonged laptop use.
If you move between home and the workplace, consider what you can carry and how many connections you must remake. The Health and Safety Executive includes workers who routinely split their time between those locations in its homeworking guidance.
If your desk uses a display, charging and other accessories, a hub or dock may reduce repeated connections. Check the laptop port against the device requirements: Anker’s guidance for its 568 USB-C Docking Station, for example, specifies host capabilities beyond the shape of the USB-C connector.
Start with the issue you would resolve first, then check whether the proposed setup fits your desk and laptop. A dock can accompany a monitor, but it does not replace the need to choose a suitable display or input position.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Screen and input position | Check where the raised screen will sit and whether the desk has room for a separate keyboard and mouse, as described in Health and Safety Executive guidance for prolonged laptop use. | When I raise my laptop for a long desk session, I need to keep typing and pointing at a separate, usable position. Around 36% of consumers would put screen and input separation first. |
| Display space | Compare the laptop’s video output with the monitor’s input, and check the monitor’s size against your desk space. | If I need a separately positioned screen for documents and reference material, display space matters more to me than consolidating cables. Around 29% of consumers would prioritise that need. |
| Repeated connections | Match the laptop port’s video and charging capabilities to the hub or dock, including its documented display support. | At a desk with several accessories, I want to reconnect them without plugging in each one separately. Roughly 21% of consumers would make connectivity their primary concern. |
| Moving between desks | Check what you can carry, how input devices connect and whether each location has space to use them. | When I work at home and in the office, I need equipment I can move and set up without relying on a permanent desk installation. Around 14% of consumers would put portability first. |
Raising a laptop also raises its built-in keyboard and trackpad. For prolonged laptop use, the Health and Safety Executive describes using a separate keyboard and mouse so the screen can sit on a riser.
Measure the usable desk area for the laptop, keyboard and mouse before choosing a stand.
Video output and charging depend on the laptop and dock specifications. Anker’s guidance for its 568 USB-C Docking Station specifies compatible host-port capabilities, while Microsoft notes that power received by its Surface USB4 Dock is limited by what the host PC accepts.
Check your exact laptop model’s port functions, charging requirements and supported display arrangement against the dock documentation.
Your setup may also require a compatible cable, power supply or display adapter.
The Health and Safety Executive’s Great Britain guidance addresses employers’ display-screen equipment responsibilities for relevant home and hybrid working arrangements; it does not prescribe one accessory for every worker to buy personally.
Identify the workstation issue you need to address and discuss workplace equipment arrangements with your employer where relevant.
Visible sockets do not establish whether a particular laptop can supply the required video signal or use a proposed charging arrangement.
Note the laptop’s outputs, the monitor’s inputs, your intended number of displays and any charging requirement before comparing devices.
A reference point for external monitors, including models that combine display connections with USB-C charging.
A reference point for separate keyboards and mice used with laptop desks.
A reference point for USB-C hubs and docks that bring desk connections together.
These monitors and USB-C connection devices relate to the display-space and repeated-connection choices above. Compare each one with your laptop’s ports and the space available at your desk.
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Consider this dock if you want to connect two HDMI displays at a laptop desk. Its title specifies dual HDMI 4K connections and 100W Power Delivery pass-through; confirm your laptop’s video and charging capabilities and what power equipment is included.
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Consider a separate WQHD display if your main need is more screen space at a fixed desk. Check the laptop’s video output against the monitor connection you intend to use; if you also want USB-C charging, confirm its compatibility and power requirements.
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Consider this hub when a desk needs display, network and USB connections together. Its title specifies two HDMI outputs, RJ45, USB-A and USB-C ports, SD/TF slots and a USB-C Power Delivery input; the stated display modes and power input are not guarantees of what your laptop will support.
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A portable FHD display may suit a worker who wants another screen at more than one location. Check that your laptop provides the video connection this model requires, and confirm the package contents if your setup needs a stand or cover.
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Consider this 24-inch Full HD monitor for a separate screen at a fixed desk. Its product title lists DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA and USB-C; confirm the function of the connection you plan to use, particularly for USB-C video or charging, and check the exact refresh-rate specification if it matters to you.
No blanket personal purchase requirement follows from the cited workplace guidance. The Health and Safety Executive’s Great Britain guidance concerns employers’ display-screen equipment responsibilities in relevant home and hybrid working circumstances; ask your employer about arrangements for your workstation rather than treating a particular accessory as compulsory.
In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive says the regulations can apply to permanent or long-term home workers and people who routinely split time between home and the workplace, where they use display-screen equipment daily for continuous periods of an hour or more. That work-use context does not, by itself, identify which product an individual needs.
For prolonged laptop use, the Health and Safety Executive describes using a separate keyboard and mouse so the screen can be raised on a riser or similar support. Check that your desk can accommodate those input devices before buying a stand.
No: check the laptop port and the dock’s documented video and power requirements together. Anker specifies particular host capabilities for its 568 USB-C Docking Station, and Microsoft notes that power received through its Surface USB4 Dock is limited by what the host PC accepts.
Match the laptop’s video output to the monitor’s input, check desk fit and decide whether you need a cable or adapter. If you want video and charging over one USB-C connection, also confirm that the particular laptop and monitor support that arrangement and the required power level.