Portable computers not so portable...

July 23, 2009 2:15 PM

LaptopSetUpFilter: Between my wife and I, we have two laptops that spend unequal amounts of time in different rooms. We can't seem to figure out a system where laptops and cords and everything else get strung around between two rooms. Advice/personal experiences requested.

I have a laptop with a shot battery that requires a cord most of the time - I'm getting a new battery as soon as I have a little cash, but otherwise, it's tethered to the wall.

My wife has a laptop with a shot battery and a screen that won't stay up. We're waiting for a little more cash to get her a new laptop.

Our main problem is what to do with them? We like to sit on the couch with them, but that involves getting them away from our desk - climbing underneath the desk, moving the wires, and pulling everything out to the living room. And then we bring them back when we want to do work. This electronic cha-cha-cha is really getting annoying, and I'm thinking, there has to be a better way to do this. Is there?

I'm looking for advice as to how the Hivemind manages their laptops, as well as advice as to our situation. Even if we both get laptops that will stay up and have full batteries, how do we deal with moving them in and out of various rooms of the house without dragging cords all over the place?

I feel like there's got to be an easier way to do this... how do people keep a laptop mobile within a house without all the headaches I seem to be experiencing? Does one just leave it in the living space, and only bring it into the office to work (or vice versa)?

posted by SNWidget to technology (21 comments total)

My roommate and I invested in extra power cables that lived where we used our laptops the most: the dining room table and the sofa.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:17 PM on July 23 [1 favorite]

Well one solution is to get more chargers. Then you just have to locate your chargers to the appropriate locations and plug your laptops in wherever you go.
posted by the_ancient_mariner at 2:18 PM on July 23 [1 favorite]

I apologize for the me too response, but your problem is obvious.

More AC adapters.

They'll probably cost you less than a couple of batteries.
posted by imjustsaying at 2:22 PM on July 23

Yeah, I have a static bedroom charger and a portable living room / patio charger. It's the easiest way.
posted by youcancallmeal at 2:23 PM on July 23

Yeah, last time I bought a laptop an extra AC adapter was the one "feature" I absolutely insisted on getting. And unlike batteries it's much more practical to look for them used to save money.
posted by XMLicious at 2:25 PM on July 23

I'm not sure why the concept of buying more AC adapters hadn't come to me... clearly, my in the box thinking was preventing from maximum laptop enjoyment.
posted by SNWidget at 2:25 PM on July 23

Not only do we have multiple chargers, but we have matching laptops, so with three chargers sprinkled through the house and decent batteries, we're all set.
posted by advicepig at 2:27 PM on July 23

An extension cord or two would be cheaper than buying extra AC adapters.
posted by torquemaniac at 2:30 PM on July 23

torquemaniac: I'm trying to avoid stringing power cords all around our apartment. When I was single, living alone in a studio apartment, sure, who cares. I've got a nicer place now, and we have people over all the time. I'd prefer not to have extension cords from the office to the couch.
posted by SNWidget at 2:31 PM on July 23

Buy more AC adapters. Put one at each place where you're likely to use the laptop.

If your wife isn't sure she's going to buy the same brand of laptop as she has now, you can get "universal" laptop power supplies for a bit more money that will work on a wide variety of (non-Apple) brands. Staples carries one that's not bad, I think made by Targus. It's about $70.

For older laptops you can frequently pick up off-brand power supplies for very cheap, online. However if you go this route, I'd plug them into a switching power strip and turn it off when they're not in use — I've found some of the cheapo ones get very hot. Also this saves a certain amount of energy if you do it consistently.
posted by Kadin2048 at 2:34 PM on July 23

We use multiple AC adapters for that purpose in our house.
posted by Obscure Reference at 2:34 PM on July 23

A couple of carefully-placed extension leads could minimise the hassle of unplugging and replugging the existing power leads. Extension leads are cheap and will not be obsolete when the current laptops die -- although "universal" laptop chargers should retain their usefulness.

(But I have three power leads for mine, one recycled from my previous similar model. One upstairs, one downstairs and one permanently in the laptop's carrying bag.)
posted by Idcoytco at 2:39 PM on July 23

For some reason, I never realized that having multiple A/C adapters was so common - I just always carried around one, and it was a royal pain in the ass.

Thanks for the enlightenment, HiveMind.
posted by SNWidget at 2:47 PM on July 23

...I'd prefer not to have extension cords from the office to the couch.

I meant from behind the desk to the desktop to simplify the hooking/unhooking portion of your move.
posted by torquemaniac at 2:48 PM on July 23

torquemaniac: Of course you did. Clearly, as I couldn't see the genius of buying another AC adapter, I didn't read yours well either. That's a good idea as well. Thanks!
posted by SNWidget at 2:50 PM on July 23

If you can find docks for your laptops that makes desk work even simpler, you just plonk the laptop down on the dock and you're ready to go. Adding a separate keyboard and screen to a dock makes the ergonomics much better for prolonged work.
posted by anadem at 3:28 PM on July 23

Please, if you do opt for multiple adaptors (which seems like the best solution), go for the power strip with an on/off switch even if you're not buying the hotter, off-brand adaptors. Alternatively you can just unplug them from the wall each time which is what I do. Even the good ones will draw power when left plugged in!
posted by Pomo at 3:41 PM on July 23

Yep, we did this for a long while before buying new laptops in our house. We must've had at least four or five different AC adaptors strategically placed throughout the house (plus a spare - happened to catch them on sale at one point). It made life SO much easier.

Kind of pathetic, huh?
posted by dancinglamb at 4:27 PM on July 23

In case anyone was wondering, I went on eBay and picked up another AC adapter for 10 bucks or so. I'm going to keep one in the living room that will travel with me, and keep a stationary one here in the office.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious, everyone.
posted by SNWidget at 7:42 PM on July 23

When I did this for my last laptop, the non-OEM adaptor may or may not have been the cause of 4-month-later motherboard power issues. Can't swear to causality, but I'm inclined to pay more for the adaptor next time I buy.
posted by aimedwander at 8:49 PM on July 23

Not only do we have multiple chargers, but we have matching laptops, so with three chargers sprinkled through the house and decent batteries, we're all set.

Yeah, definitely consider getting matching models when you do upgrade. It'll be a lot nicer when you don't have to worry about which charger for what computer.
posted by 6550 at 10:27 AM on July 24