Laptop dock setup in Exeter
Professional laptop dock setup services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60
Typical Duration
30 mins-1 hr
Location
Exeter, Devon
Laptop docking station professionally set up with all your peripherals. Monitors displaying properly, keyboard and mouse connected, cables managed neatly. One cable to plug in, everything works instantly.
The Desk Setup That Actually Works
Working from home? Plugging and unplugging five different cables every time you want to use your laptop somewhere else gets old fast.
Docking station fixes this. One cable. Everything connects. Monitors, keyboard, mouse, charging, ethernet - all through one plug.
💡 Pro tip: The best docks charge your laptop while connected, so you only need one cable for absolutely everything. No separate power brick cluttering your desk.
Why People Struggle With This
It should be plug-and-play. Often isn't. Wrong resolution, monitor not detected, laptop won't charge, or it all works for 10 minutes then stops.
| ✅ Properly Set Up | ❌ DIY Confusion |
|---|---|
| Works first time, every time | Hours of troubleshooting forums |
| Monitors at correct resolution | Fuzzy display or wrong aspect ratio |
| All features working | Half the USB ports don't work |
| Tidy cable management | Spaghetti nightmare under desk |
What You Get
🔧 The Full Service
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Connect | Dock plugged in, all peripherals connected properly |
| Configure | Display settings optimised, everything detected |
| Tidy | Cables managed so desk looks decent |
📦 You're Left With
- One-cable connection working perfectly
- Monitors displaying at full resolution
- USB devices all recognised
- Charging working (if your dock supports it)
- Tidy desk setup
Pricing Guide
| What's Involved | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Single dock + 1-2 monitors | 1 hr | £60 |
| Complex setup or troubleshooting | 1.5 hrs | £85 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Dock and cables not included - you supply those.
Perfect For You If...
✅ You work from home regularly - proper desk setup makes a difference
✅ You've bought a dock but can't get it working - so common
✅ You're sick of cable faff - plug/unplug dance gets old
✅ You want dual monitors - productivity boost is real
Why Choose Us for Laptop dock setup in Exeter?
One cable connects everything
Monitors working at full resolution
Proper cable management included
Works with Mac or Windows laptops
What to Expect
Step 1: Check What You've Got
Look at your laptop ports, what dock you have (or recommend one), what monitors and peripherals you want connected.
Step 2: Physical Connection
Dock positioned sensibly, everything plugged in properly, power sorted. This is the easy bit.
Step 3: Configuration & Testing
Get your laptop recognising everything, set up displays properly (extended not mirrored, correct resolution, right monitor order), test USB ports, ethernet, etc.
🔧 DIY Tips
Want to set up a dock yourself? Here's the basics:
🔧 Before buying a dock
- Check what ports your laptop has (USB-C? Thunderbolt? USB-A only?)
- Count how many monitors you want to connect
- Check if you need ethernet (WiFi is fine for most people)
- Verify your laptop supports charging via USB-C if you want that feature
🔌 Connection basics
- Plug dock into power first
- Connect monitors to dock
- Connect keyboard, mouse, ethernet, etc
- Finally, plug laptop into dock
- Wait 10 seconds for everything to detect
🖥️ Display setup
- Windows: Right-click desktop > Display Settings > Extend these displays
- Mac: System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement > Uncheck "Mirror Displays"
- Drag monitor icons to match physical position on your desk
- Set correct resolution for each monitor (usually automatic)
⚠️ Common DIY mistakes
- Buying wrong type of dock for your laptop
- Not updating laptop drivers first (especially Windows)
- Mirrors displays instead of extending
- Cables not fully seated (click usually means it's in properly)
- Powering on dock after connecting laptop instead of before
💡 Pro trick: Label your dock cables (monitor 1, monitor 2, etc) so if you ever unplug stuff, you know what goes where.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
💼 Work providing the dock? Some companies are funny about who sets up work equipment. Check with IT first, but usually they're happy for someone else to do the physical setup.
Mac or Windows? Both work fine with docks, but MacBooks can be fussier about which docks they like. USB-C docks generally work with both, Thunderbolt is better for Macs.
Monitors not matching? If your monitors are different sizes or resolutions, I can set them up so the cursor moves between them naturally. Small thing but makes a big difference day-to-day.
Want monitor arms? I can fit those too - makes adjusting screen position much easier and frees up desk space. Different service but I do both in one visit if you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the point of a docking station?
One cable plugs into your laptop and suddenly you've got dual monitors, keyboard, mouse, ethernet, charging - everything. When you're done working, unplug one cable and off you go with your laptop. No faff with multiple cables every time.
Will my laptop work with a docking station?
Most modern laptops do, but you need the right type of dock. USB-C/Thunderbolt docks are most common now. I can check what your laptop supports and recommend a suitable dock before you buy anything.
Can I use my existing monitors?
Usually yes. Most docks support HDMI, DisplayPort, or both. As long as your monitors have the right inputs (they probably do), we can make them work. Might need a cable or adapter but that's usually cheap.
Why isn't my second monitor working?
This is the most common issue - usually it's display settings in your laptop, not the dock itself. Some laptops default to mirroring or don't detect the second screen automatically. I sort this out as part of the setup.
How many monitors can I run from a docking station?
Depends on your laptop and dock. Most setups support 2 external monitors plus your laptop screen (3 total). Some newer docks and laptops can do more, but 2 external monitors is the sweet spot for most people.
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