The previous posts in this series:
I’ve finished reconfiguring my home office! I changed some of the connections as things came together.
A first sketch of the hub I wanted
Based on how I wanted to upgrade my home office, I needed a 6-port USB-A hub. It was the simplest hub for the job.
An improved sketch of the hub I wanted
I did some reading and research, and learned a few things that led me to change my port choices. Here’s what I ended up with.
The final configuration
Here’s the final configuration after buying all the hardware and making some needed changes.
For the webcam, I chose Reincubate’s Camo app. Works great. I liked it so much that I paid for the full version.
Camo wants the iPhone connected directly to the laptop. The laptop has only USB-C ports, so…I bought a Lightning-to-USB-C cable for this.
That decision necessitated connecting the microphone to a hub USB-A port. I was concerned about the microphone needing a direct laptop connection, but it turns out to work fine going through the hub. Yay!
The iPhone-and-microphone port changes allowed me to ditch both of the USB-C-to-A adapters. That’s a win!
An unforeseen addition to this menagerie: I bought an Apple Watch Series 7. Its charging cord uses a USB-C port, and it’s convenient to charge it at my desk. (I wear it overnight so it can track my sleep, so overnight charging isn’t possible.) If I do that, it’ll use a hub USB-C port. Or I could plug my Anker 511 20W USB-C charger in an office receptacle and call it a day. (That’s a sweet little charger, BTW. And they just improved it with a new version that’s smaller.)
The trackpad and headphone need a USB-A port to charge. I decided that when it’s needed, I’ll unplug the ring light or microphone cable. It’s only a minor inconvenience because I charge the trackpad ~monthly and the headphones ~bi-weekly.
One last thing. Mounting the iPhone to the external display’s top? I use a Marshall CVM-5 camera mounting clip. It’s a neat gizmo.
Seek Nuance 