Dock/Home Office Setup

i have a bit of an issue and it's to the point of driving me insane!

Problem: Two Dell laptops personal is XPS 9550, work is a latitude 5450. I am trying to setup my home office and looking for minimalist / hidddn wires. Have two 24" monitors that need hooked up, keyboard and mouse.

I want to get a dock looking at dell ones my options are the dual USB type C (which would power my XPS), and I believe this comes with a wall ac adapter, but the latitude doesn't have type c though. This means I need a power pack or continue what I do now, which is daisy chain XPS Power pack into dell power companion which has an adapter for latitude.

I don't want to bring my power pack from work home as it's not always the same days I work at home and forgetting it likely means having to drive 45 mins to office. Yes I could buy another one or ask work, but looking for minimal wires.

second option is USB 3.0 dell dock. This doesn't power either laptop though, which means only one laptop can charge at a time and again MORE wires!

The only thing I've come up with so far is to get an HDMI splitter and a VGA splitter one for each monitor. Run one split into the USB-C dock and other leave hidden on desk and when work laptop is home plug everything including power pack daisy chain into the actual laptop .

Please please please if anyone knows of a device or idea to use one dock everything plugged into it with the ability to power BOTH laptops(not at same time) HELP!!

I'll reiterate since I rambled a bit:


Two laptops, different power port sizes. Need a dock or solution that allows either to be running with power and hooked to two screens with minimal (optimally 1 wire) plugged into laptop and everything else plugged in to something that allows for clean, neat wire management.


Thanks in advanced

 

You're going down the wrong path.l and pursing the wrong ideas.

The way to achieve what you want (minimalist, clean desk) isn't to eliminate wires. You achieve that by properly cleaning up and routing the cable that you have.

This is what I would do, if I were in your position:

1) Buy a spare AC power adapter for your Dell Latitude for about $20 from Amazon or eBay.

2) If you want to share one keyboard, mouse, and monitor between multiple computers buy a KVM switch. Two-port KVM switches cost about $80-$100.

3). Buy what are called Velcro tie wraps, for neater cables. A roll of 100 8" wraps costs $7.

4). Buy an under-desk cable management rack from Ikea for $25.

5) Optionally, buy a hole saw bit, and the corresponding size of desk grommet, to give you more options to route cables.




If you want more ideas, go on YouTube and look up a guy named randomfrankp. He does a series called Room Setup Tour every week, where he highlights the best desk and room setups that people submitted that week. And at least one each week has a setup with absolutely no wires showing. I'd suggest getting ideas from that, on how to route and hide cables.

It doesn't matter how many cables you use for your gear, as long as they are all cleanly and neatly routed so they are hidden.


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I appreciate the response.

I don't think that's gonna solve my isssue though, I will check out the YouTube videos for ideas.

Few reasons this won't work for my desired approach.

1.) KVM switch is going to require me to still have to physically plug everything in to the computers. I don't want to do this as I do it at work currently and nothing is worse than have to rip 7 connections out to just go show someone your screen or run to a meeting. Furthermore, the dell XPS has two USB ports, a USB c port and one HDMI port in terms of inputs. Not enough ports for two monitors etc. I need a dock for that computer plain and simple.

Obviously there will be some wires and I was planning to route them and clean it up. I'd like to stay away from drilling holes as I have a wood worker building me a top and I'd rather not cut a hole into it. Down the road it may turn into a work bench where I don't need wire holes.

Hopefully that provides a bit more info.

Like I said thanks for info, just providing some more info so hopefully it clears up why I'm thinking those options won't work for what I am trying to do

 

If the KVM cables are a concern, then look into virtual KVM software like Multiplicity 3. It allows you to control one computer remotely via software. So if you set up your Dell Latitude E5450 as your "secondary" computer to be accessed by Multiplicity, then the only cable going to that laptop is power.

What are the specific model numbers of your monitors?

If the monitors both have DisplayPort 1.2, and at least one of those monitors supports something called DisplayPort MST (Multi-Stream Transport), then you can dasiy-chain those monitors.

If those monitors are compatible, then you end up with only one cable going into your laptop. And the dasiy-chaining cables between the two monitors are easily hidden.

Those monitors may also support USB hub functionality over a single cable. But again, it depends on the specific model(s) of those monitors, so please post those model numbers so I can do research.

In fact, could you post a picture of your current setup?

I'm a giant cable routing nerd, so I am quite familiar with getting a "clean" desk. Check out my setup, in this Imgur album ( link).

I could achieve even fewer cables with a wireless keyboard and mouse. But once you go mechanical keyboard, you can't go back to some crappy membrane-based keyboard (which all wireless keyboards are).

I could also remove those speakers (or buy smaller speakers), and hide the cable-routing on the side desk (the "work" battlestation) for the USB charging cables. But I never look under the desk, so it doesn't bother me.

 

I actually don't have a setup currently. I am building the desk myself and having a top made by a guy who is going to be building custom cabinets for my parents, I'm in the purchasing phase and trying to visualize it all before I get started.

The model of monitors are 23MP47HQ

They aren't top of the line but two cost me $170 and I don't game anymore so these are strictly for internet browsing and work. To my knowledge no displaylink hookup.

Also not sure as I haven't had a chance to look at the software, but I am not interested in anything that requires my home computer talking to my work one. I'd like a separation of church and state there

Thanks

 

USB3.0 Dock since the small lag for the display output won't be an issue if you're not gaming. Power adapters for both laptops. Monitors, mouse/kb connected to the dock. That leaves you with a whopping 3 cables (2 if you go with a single power adapter). Route everything else neatly behind the desk with velcro ties, etc.?

The other crazy option is two docking stations with a KVM switch between the two. The USB type C dock for the XPS and the classic dock for the Latitude. In the end, this will be more cable management behind and under the desk, but the desk itself could have the latitude dock on it and only the cable from the USB type C dock coming out for the XPS.

That's about the two "neater" options cable wise I can think of.

 

Thanks. The two dock could be an option, if I can find a latitude dock on the cheap.

But more then likely as you've mentioned the real option sadly looks like a powerless USB 3.0 dock and having to get two more power adapters. :/. One for the dock, one for xps(I already have), one for latitude.

Doubtful but is there a product that is two charger cords out of one pack?

 

Actually, as long as the Latitude adapter has enough amperage to supply, you could just use a tip adapter to the XPS. As far as I know, all Dell laptops use 19.5 V power supplies. I have a tip adapter to make my M6700 adapter compatible with the XPS, so as long as you wouldn't want to charge both at the same time, it would work ith the adapter which could sit in a drawer when you're not using it.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/VicTsing-Connector-Converter-Elitebook-Precision/dp/B00JR4E4CK Dell sells one, but you can find others online relatively easily.

 

I have something similar as I mentioned in my previous post. The dell power companion has two adapters for both sized tips. By daisy chaining my xps adapter into the companion I can charge the latitude just fine right now.

not the issue that I'm currently trying to solve however.

Again, two laptops, looking for a one wire hookup to either that would possibly also charge either one. This doesn't need to be both up and running type of thing.

If I am using home computer Monday morning and need to do work a simple switch of a cord and now my work computer is hooked up and running

 

Update: Here is my current plan, and I think it should work just want to verify before I purchase the stuff

I am going to get the Dell WD15 USB Type C dual display dock. This comes with a 180w power adapter.
I am then going to by a VGA splitter and an HDMI splitter.

My thought is HDMI splitter into monitor 1, VGA splitter into monitor 2. One HDMI splitter to dock, One VGA splitter to dock. Dock to personal laptop, this charges it and all's well.

Work Laptop when in use not as clean Second HDMI splitter to actual laptop, Second VGA splitter to actual laptop, daisy chain my current power adapter to power companion to charge.

This isn't ideal but my thought is the work laptop won't be there all the time so it's only when using it there will be a slight mess. I can keep the hdmi and VGA plugged into splitter and just hide the cables until they are needed, the same goes for the power hookup.

Otherwise it's a simple dock sitting on desk.


Thoughts?