Ask HN: What remote work setup do you use while traveling?

[geophiler]

I'm about to begin working fully remote -- 100% away from an office -- and am curious to what hardware setup has worked for people before.

I have a laptop and monitor with a docking station for my home office, but I'm interested in how to take a similar setup with me on the road.

I generally prefer(need) another screen since I routinely deal with geospatial data alongside database tables.

My team pretty much has the software side of the remote work down well, so I'm mostly concerned with the hardware setup side of things and how to make my work station super mobile without sacrificing too much connection speed or screen space.

[MalcolmDiggs]

FWIW: I used to use 3 screens (main one in the middle, and an extra desktop to the right and left)... and could have never envisioned going without at least one external monitor. Then I went fully remote for a few years, and switched entirely to to a Macbook (first the Air, then the Pro Retina).

I never looked back. Instead of many screens I just make generous use of OSX's multiple-desktops feature (which they call "spaces" http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14155). Instead of turning my head to look at the screen to my right, I 3-finger-swipe to the right. Instead of looking to my left, I 3-finger-swipe to the left. Etc. It's not exactly the same of course, but it works well. Surprisingly well actually.

I say that all to say, you might want to give minimal a try at first. You can always add on more gear later. But who knows, you might like it!

Oh, and I use a Tmobile hotspot, but they're all good.

[itazula]

Good idea about using Spaces. For me, using that and creating multiple tabs within Terminal really helps. When I use my iPad as a second monitor, however, I use it for displaying a Dotcom-Monitor dashboard I created, so that it is always visible.

[geophiler]

I had completely forgotten about this feature for Macs (having recently come from a PC work laptop)!!

Spaces is exactly the kind of efficient travel setup I didn't even know I was looking for. Thanks so much for sharing!

[itazula]

MacBook Air 13", power adapter, Personal Router (NEC Aterm WM3600R, for WiMAX), short USB cable to charge my personal router, iPhone 5, Sony CP-EL Li-Ion battery to charge my iPhone when necessary, short USB cable (with iPhone connector), OTP password generator, notebook, and pen. Sometimes, I use a Wi-Fi spot (Starbucks is especially good for that), and don't need my personal router, but I always have the latter, just-in-case. Power becomes an issue after a few hours because my MacBook Air is old. It isn't as easy as you might think working on-the-road. Will you be leaving your laptop out in the open when you need to go to the bathroom? Noise can be a distraction when working in, say, a Starbucks that is near a residential neighborhood, as opposed to one that is near a corporate setting. Telephone / WebEx meetings are impossible in public settings.

[geophiler]

Environment for working is something I research before traveling (making sure there's ethernet in the hotel room or finding a spot beforehand where I can take scheduled calls).

I guess I'm really more concerned about the screen setup. Are there any foldable or portable monitors (~13") that work well when traveling?

Anyone ever tried using an Android tablet as a second screen for desktop?

Added: The personal router is a good idea, but usually just tether my Android to my MacBook if I need to supply my own data.

[itazula]

Whenever I need a second screen, I use an iPad connected to my laptop using Avatron's Air Display software. It works well for my needs.

[geophiler]

I was hoping not to invest in an iPad (considering the price and way over qualified) just to use as a second monitor on-the-go. I'll look into an Android tablet while using a similar application since you've had luck working off a tablet as a 2nd screen.

[itazula]

Being able to hang a tablet off of your laptop's screen (like the way that kickstarter project mentioned by someone else does) would be nice. By the way, my laptop bag has a convenient pouch for a tablet.

[sejje]

I find I can work quite well with a wifi hotspot (mine is ATT and I'm very, very surprised that latency and transfer speeds are non-issues) and my laptop.

However, that's basically my home setup as well, just with normal home internet service.

I have a power adapter to give me a power plug in the car for the laptop. The hotspot can usually go over a day and charges with the same cord as my phone, if I need to charge it up.

Maybe you can use virtual desktops instead of multiple monitors. They come standard in Ubuntu linux, which I run, but there's a good program for windows that does the same thing.

Edit: I'm a web developer, if that matters.

[geophiler]

I find that when coding, one display works fine (just my MacBook). But much of my day is comprised of moving between ArcGIS and Excel, so two screens work MUCH better when comparing tables within Arc and Excel.

What are the benefits of using a personal wifi hotspot over tethering your phone to you laptop (other than, I guess, going cordless)?

[itazula]

When I talk on my phone, I usually step outside and leave my laptop where it is. As an additional note, public wi-fi spots sometimes require going through a proxy. I use ssh a lot, and even using software like corkscrew doesn't always get me through the proxy. Having my personal router lets me forgo that obstacle.

[huwshimi]

You should check out this Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/753230753/packed-pixels...

They're making a portable high res multi-monitor setup that looks like it might suit you.

[geophiler]

Interesting! So I guess there aren't any other tablets that support miniDisplay as the method of screen extension for Macs?

[PackedPixels]

None that we're aware of and certainly none with our mounting system.