Originally Posted by
pseudoswede
If you picture a 4K monitor split into four equal parts, I want the laptop to use the bottom half of the 4K monitor (and "split" into two 1080p "monitors"), and I want the home computer to occupy the two upper halves.
Plenty of monitors can do split screen in some format. Getting 4-way split screen the way you're talking about seems odd - you'd do much better with just treating it as two 32:9 (3840x1080) widescreens on two cables, but the large TV-size ones that can do 4-way split (the one I've used is the Dell U43xxQ series, which sadly doesn't do top/bottom PBP so you'd have to do it that way)
I would like these four equal parts to be the equivalent to four 21" monitors, but ideally four 24" monitors due to my ageing eyes. I for the life of me cannot figure out what size 4K monitors would be the close equivalent.
Since you're doing a 2x2 layout with the same form factor, it's just division. A 43" would be the same as 4x 21" monitors, a 48-49" (pretty common 4K TV size, uncommon for 16:9 monitors) would be ~24"
For monitors, 49" ultrawide is a common size and usually does 5120x1440 resolution, and is roughly the same as 2x 27" QHD monitors next to each other.
Countless Google searches talk about utilizing Remote Desktop to connect to my home computer to occupy the top half of monitor, but my laptop will be connected to my corporate VPN, so that is not feasible (and I don't want to expose an RDP port to the internet).
I do the reverse; depending on how your work machine is configured, you probably can do it despite the VPN, as even with a full rather than split tunnel, you need to have the local route. Doing the reverse that I do requires local admin privileges, but using the work machine to get to your personal one just requires that they be on the same LAN subnet.
I have no problems using two separate mice/keyboards for each computer, but I've been told that many 4K monitors now have built-in KVM switches. I also have an unopened Logitech multi-device mouse that can be used across different computers.
Most higher end ones have USB switching for the K/M part of KVM, but will typically involve some lag when you switch. I'm also not sure how convenient it is when used with PBP (in some cases there is a software control, but in cheaper ones, switching will be little buttons an the OSD.)
Using one on remote desktop can work well, but there is also
https://github.com/debauchee/barrier which is the free/open source replacement of the now-commercial Synchrony - which is KVM over IP, and works really well.
Originally Posted by
Need
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell...or-accessories also does.
Don't see any particular advantage over the LG (although I've looked at the LG's specs for about 30 seconds total), and quite a bit pricier new - but it is frequently on sale via Dell Outlet (
https://outlet.us.dell.com/ ) for around the same $600
Originally Posted by
CarlTheWebmaster
I get this if 100 percent of the network traffic on the work laptop goes through the VPN, but (almost?) every VPN client I've ever used lets you bypass local IP addresses, for example to connect to a local printer. Is there really no way to connect over the local LAN to the home desktop?
It almost always possible to get to local resources, because it has to be able to get to the local LAN to reach the local gateway. There are tricks to make that more difficult with IP routing, or with hypervisors, but I've never seen anyone actually bother to do it on a regular employee laptop, as it's going to be super-fragile to network changes.