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The original was posted on /r/selfhosted by /u/gamb1t9 on 2023-09-01 15:42:07+00:00.

Hey folks,

Right now, my desk is a bit of a cluttered mess with both my bulky gaming PC and my work-provided laptop. But I’m in the process of switching jobs, and the new company doesn’t insist on supplying hardware, which got me thinking about how to tidy up my workspace. Ideally, I’d like to get both of these boxes out of my office area. I’ve started to wonder if RDP is the solution to all my problems.

Here’s what’s been bouncing around in my head:

I could roll with the hardware my new company offers. This way, I could set up the laptop in a spot with easier access to Ethernet and better ventilation inside my home.

On the other hand, I’m contemplating virtualizing my entire work setup on my own hardware. The perks are quite appealing – hassle-free backups with versioning, stellar performance thanks to my beefy server, and the added bonus of not contributing to more electronic waste from my company.

In both scenarios, I’d use a low-power client, probably a NUC or mini PC, to connect to my workstation, maybe even attach it discreetly to the back of my monitor for that sleek, minimalist look.

I’ve used Parsec in the past, which worked well for me over the internet, I guess it can be even better in LAN.

I’m in the IT field, so I’m not looking for anything too fancy – just the usual tools like text editors and browsers, nothing resource heavy. It’s absolutely essential that whatever solution I choose supports 100% keyboard input compatibility because, well, coding demands nothing less.

Has anyone out there tried using RDP or VNC in this way for work? Are there any downsides I might be overlooking? And what’s your take on virtualizing the entire workstation environment? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

ps.: sorry for the wording, used chatgpt to correct gramatical errors, got a little carried away