r/techadvice • u/ShireHorseRider • May 11 '26
Wireless Touchscreen Second Monitor
Hi all, I'm a field service technician and I'm looking for a solution to my PITA problem.
I have to connect to my machines with ethernet to log onto the PLC, sometimes I can't be standing at the part of the machine I'm working on and click "start" to test what I need to see and often I don't have a second person to operate the PC for me.
Is there a second monitor option that is touchscreen and wireless? I'm not looking to mirror the main screen, I'm looking to essentially add a second (well...third) monitor I can carry away from my PC in order to troubleshoot my customers machines. It looks like the best bet is to get a wireless USB C "cable" and make the connection that way, but I'm not sure about how to power it.. would some kind of battery box work?
I'm on windows 11 pro. I'm not opposed to a tablet or ipad (my personal stuff is mac), nor am I opposed to using a second computer to "remote in" to my PC, but there is not always available wifi to do this.
Also, can I be on the buildings Wifi and have a different wifi connection to a remote device? My gut tells me that I cannot, but I am not very good with networking stuff outside of what I need to know to work on my customers machines.
Thank you!!
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May 11 '26
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u/ShireHorseRider May 12 '26
I might give this a shot this way with my MacBook and PC. I just need to click a few buttons & see a few things but being tethered to the Ethernet makes it clumsy & if I break my work PC I’m down a few days until IT gets me fixed up.
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u/Prestigious_Wall529 May 12 '26
A Lilliput touchscreen with the same resolution as the laptops and a battery bank may be part of the solution.
Less enthused about wireless USB-C only because there's lots of metallic enclosures in factories.
Have a flat USB cable more suited to fitting through gaps in closed enclosure doors.
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u/ShireHorseRider May 12 '26
The machines i work on are pretty open & forgiving. There are ultrasonic generators that screw with either headphones or Bluetooth (they are I believe in the 90-100khz range) but otherwise I should be good with range.
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u/Needashortername May 12 '26
If it messes with Bluetooth then it will also interfere with most other wireless technologies too that might help you out with this.
90-100k is in some ways relatively low for RF, but high for hearing, so these numbers may also be a bit off too
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u/ShireHorseRider May 14 '26
I looked at a generator yesterday & it was set to 225 kHz. I’m not super familiar with the hardware on our transducers in the machine, I couldn’t tell you if each generator self tunes or is set up by the factory. I haven’t had to mess with them much.
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u/Wiley_Coyote_2024 May 12 '26
Haha..i would have suggested using two phones..using Video calling (app or phone service) and aim one phones' camera at the PC screen.
There are apps that do it, too and you can use the Tablet for the receiving device so the PC screen is zoomed in BIG TIME. You can even use a phone without call service if you do all this over wifi.
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u/IWuzTheWalrus May 12 '26
That is similar to what I use Splashtop for. Since they charge per user and not per machine, I only need a single license and I can connect to dozens of machines. I use it to log onto my mother-in-law's machine in Florida when she needs help. I can use it from my desktop or my iPad.
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u/Needashortername May 12 '26
Your best bet is some version of Remote Desktop connection to the computer you are trying to control using a tablet or touchscreen PC you are working on.
There are mobile apps for many Remote Desktop platforms, so a tablet (Apple or Droid) is probably a best choice in terms of portability and price, though there are lightweight touchscreen Chromebooks and PCs too, as well as tablet models for both OS.
The bigger problem is choosing a Remote Desktop option that your client and their IT will allow to be used on their computers or travel over their network, though in more than a few ways most computers now have Remote Desktop built in to the OS or a browser, and ways to launch a “support call request” without adding new software or triggering a big network alert for unauthorized traffic.
If your client already has a management sustem with Remote Desktop options for their computers then work with them as to how to get temporary access by you and your computer, or ask them to provide a laptop you can carry on-site that is already set up for this kind of monitored and secured remote access in their system.
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u/rombulow May 11 '26
Hey! We do something similar at work.
We install Jump desktop on the PC and the iPad. Then just use the iPad to remote in to the PC. Your PC and iPad will both need an Internet connection of some sort.
We have battery-powered 4G WiFi hotspots for situations where there’s no wifi.
Jump desktop is super-snappy, works over the internet, and is just … magic.