One laptop, two monitors, one problem: how do I get the image on both screens? Easier than expected thanks to the HDMI splitter!

Squatting at the kitchen table in front of the laptop is 2020: By now, even the last employee should have set up a comfortable home office workplace. And little offers more comfort in the workplace than a lot of screen space. It is logical that most home office workers connect their laptops to a screen. And because more is better in this context, there are quite a few who need two screens at the same time. It becomes problematic if the laptop only has one HDMI or USB-C port.

Don’t worry, it’s still possible to connect two monitors to the laptop. This is possible via HDMI or USB-C splitters, which turn one input into two. But before you rush to buy such a splitter, you should check which and how many outputs your laptop offers and how many and which inputs the monitors to which you want to transmit an image have. Then you have to decide which type of connection you want to use to connect the laptop and screens and which splitter you need.

Connect two monitors: HDMI splitter

If your laptop has an HDMI output and both screens have HDMI inputs, then a simple HDMI splitter is all you need to quickly and easily get an image on both monitors. Make sure both the splitter and the HDMI cable support 4K at 60 frames per second.

This should give you enough data throughput for smooth image playback. Most office monitors only offer a refresh rate of 60 frames per second – regardless of the resolution. But if you have a 4K monitor and the splitter only offers a data throughput of 30 frames per second, working on the PC quickly becomes awkward and uncomfortable.

USB-C-Dongle

Manufacturers like to use USB-C 3.2 Generation 2 for particularly modern and flat laptops. Computers not only receive data via the interface, they also forward image signals or charge themselves. What saves a lot of cable clutter on the one hand is a problem on the other: If you connect the laptop to the monitors via USB-C, all USB-C ports are quickly used up and the notebook may no longer be able to be charged.

A USB-C dongle prevents this scenario. Note that it has two HDMI inputs if you want to connect the laptop to two monitors. Alternatively, you can connect a USB-C dongle with only one HDMI input to an HDMI splitter. However, this option is only advisable if you already have a dongle.

DVI-Splitter

If both monitors only have DVI inputs, you have two options: either, you use a DVI splitter. Then to connect both monitors to the laptop, the laptop either needs a DVI input or you need a DVI to HDMI cable. Alternatively, you can also buy two DVI-HDMI cables for the monitors and connect them to an HDMI splitter for the laptop if the laptop has an HDMI input.

Which option you choose is up to you. However, it makes more sense to buy two DVI-HDMI cables and connect them to the HDMI splitter, because HDMI is more widespread than DVI and you will be able to do more with the cables and splitters in the future than with the DVI splitter.

Here you will find a detailed overview of the individual monitor connections.

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