e-skills UK Guide

Using a PC on the move

Top tips on how to use your PC when travelling

The whole point of having a laptop PC is to travel with it. This guide will discuss important tips that will enable you to be safe and effective whilst travelling. We suggest that you also read other related Guides that touch on this area - Keeping Laptops & PCs Safe and Secure, Securing your Data whilst Travelling and Accessing Email Remotely.

By using your laptop effectively you will save money by using your time wisely. Luckily these tips are very cheap or free! 

Please note that these tips are not ordered according to their importance, so feel free to pick and choose those that suit your individual circumstance.

Tip 1 Carrying the laptop

This may seem an odd tip but anyone that has been carrying laptops for a while soon realises that they can become extremely heavy over long-ish journeys.

Invest in a good laptop bag that not only protects the PC but enables you to carry it safely and securely along with your other business equipment. It may be an idea to invest in a rucksack type design that enables you to carry the PC on your back. Try and get a generic rucksack that does not advertise that you are carrying a computer. Minimise the weight of any additional equipment you carry, especially mains chargers that can be left in the office if you are travelling for a short while (see tip 4). Take care when placing the rucksack on your back and don’t strain by lifting it awkwardly.

Tip 2 Getting files consistent between the laptop and another PC

Some people will only use a laptop and will not have a separate desktop PC back in the office. Others will use a laptop for travelling and have a desktop PC for other use. This is especially the case if you need to run more advanced software on your office PC and only use your laptop for email and presentations.

A problem this introduces is how to manage files between the two computers. It can be very frustrating to leave an important file on the desktop PC and not have access to it when out travelling.

If you run a secure network it is possible to share files and directories so that files can be copied across. If you don’t then you may need to use a memory stick, which is used to store data on a small pen sized gadget. The files can be copied to this device and then plugged into the other computer.

Most of the common operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, offer some basic file synchronisation tools. Windows XP supports a virtual briefcase which can be set up to contain the documents you use when travelling. These are copied to the briefcase which is then copied to your memory stick and onto your laptop computer. Once you have finished the work simply reverse the process and the files will all be synchronised.

If you use email on the move synchronisation can be a bit more involved, depending on the email system you use. Again we covered this in more detail in the Accessing Email Remotely Guide. The simplest technique would be to only use your laptop for email, but if you need to use both a PC and laptop then consider using “webmail” on your laptop. This gives you access to email via a browser connection.

Another technique would be to use a full email application on both the laptop and office PC but configure the laptop to leave messages on the server after downloading. This way you will always have you master set of emails on your desktop computer. It means marking some previously read emails as “read” but this system does work. 

You may wish to consider purchasing a third party tool to help with the file synchronisation:

ALWAYSYNC

GOODSYNC

SMSYNC

Tip 3 Security on the move

We cover this topic in quite some detail in the Securing your Data whilst Travelling on Business and Securing Laptop Data Guides but it is worth reiterating the importance of keeping your laptop secure. One of the most useful tools is a locking device that enables you to “chain” your laptop to an immovable object such as a desk or wall bracket. This will deter the opportunist thief who may see an unattended laptop as an opportunity. Use file synchronisation or other technologies to back up your data so if it does get lost or stolen you have backups of vital files.

Consider when and how you use your computer on the move. Is it really a good idea to sit on an isolated train using your equipment by yourself? Maybe you are better off using the time to think through other aspects of your business or maybe switch off altogether!

Finally don’t leave your bags unattended in a public area or you may find they have been removed by security staff and possibly destroyed in the process. 

Tip 4 Laptop batteries

Battery technology has come on a long way since the early days of laptop computers. You can now get a good 8 hours of battery life from most laptops which means that you could leave a charger at home or in the office to save carrying the additional weight. Use the various settings on your laptop to preserve battery power such as shutting down the DVD drive if you don’t need to use it and using an auto power down if the laptop is idle for any length of time.

Make sure that you charge your laptop as part of your nightly routine. In the past charging batteries that were not fully discharged used to cause problems with battery capacity, but modern charging technology has removed this problem. If you do see a need to use the laptop for extended periods without a mains supply then you may wish to speak to your supplier about buying another battery with a larger charge capacity.

Tip 5 Connecting to a network

We have covered this task in more detail in the Remote Data Access and Sharing Data Guides but it is worth emphasising some of the top tips again.

When you are travelling you may be visiting premises that allow you to hook into their network. This is probably going to be a wireless network which is increasingly becoming standard. Some of these wireless networks will be unsecured, meaning that you can simply pick up the network automatically and then carry on working. Others may be secured and require you to enter a pass key available from the IT people at that location.

 Other companies may offer you a wired connection port, which means that you will plug in a wire to your laptop. You will probably need some assistance from the resident IT people to configure this type of access.

There are many wireless hotspots around the country that enable you to connect your laptop to the internet, notably from coffee shops and airport lounges. These can be costly to use and you need to ensure the connection is officially sanctioned or you may be subjected to hacking or other unauthorised access to your laptop from a rogue wireless link.

Tip 6 Is dial up access still worth it on my laptop?

When travelling with your laptop you will mostly be connecting via wireless and WiFi hotspots. That is until you visit a hotel or company that has neither and you need to connect your laptop. In this emergency situation having a dial up account may be useful. Consider what you will be doing and where and if necessary invest in a dial up account. You may be able to get an account with a set number of free minutes that will cover emergency access, so it may cost you nothing.

Tip 7 A consistent desktop

One investment that may be worth making is to standardise the look and feel of your laptop desktop to be the same as that on your desktop. This can be as simple as putting the icons in the same place and having consistent favourites in the internet browser pull downs. This can save a lot of time hunting for websites or applications.

Tip 8 Sharing data with customers and colleagues

When you visit a client with your laptop you may be given data that has been loaded onto a memory stick, DVD or even a floppy disk. Think long and hard about the data on the device and consider if it has been infected with a computer virus – it is surprisingly common. Always ensure that your antivirus protection is up to date and working correctly on your laptop and scan any files that you are given to be doubly sure.

Tip 9 Keeping your laptop up to date

If you only rarely use your laptop for business you need to make sure that it has been fully patched and updated each time you take your computer out and about. It can be very frustrating to visit a customer site, connect to the network to do some work and find that you spend 30 minutes downloading patches and software updates. At least once per week boot up your laptop and update these files to prevent this happening to you.

Commercial suppliers

We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.