Hardware Center
MET IT, in cooperation with Sourcing & Procurement, adheres to Boston University’s purchasing standards. Standardization lowers the total cost of ownership through reduced support costs. By leveraging the buying power of the University, we also are able to receive significant cost savings for our purchases. All standard equipment that we provided is listed and described below. To place a request for equipment, please complete our Hardware Request Form.
List of Equipment
- One Windows OR Mac Laptop
- Windows Standard – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
- Mac Standard – MacBook Pro 14-inch
- Two 24″ Monitors
- Standard Model – ViewSonic VA2456-MHD
- One Set of Dual Mount Monitor Arms
- Standard Model – MOUNTUP Dual Monitor Desk Mount
- One Mouse & Keyboard Set
- Windows Standard – Wired Mouse & Wired Keyboard
- Apple Standard – Magic Mouse & Magic Keyboard
- One Webcam
- Standard Model – Logitech C920x HD Pro Webcam
- One Headset OR Conference Speaker
- Headset Standard – Jabra Evolve 20 MS Stereo
- Conference Speaker Standard – Jabra Speak 510
- One Document Camera OR Writing Tablet
- Document Camera Standard – IPEVO V4K Ultra High Definition USB Document Camera
- Writing Tablet Standard – Wacom Intuos Wireless Graphics Drawing Tablet
- One Docking Station
- Cables and Adapters (One of each as needed)
Laptops
Each full-time MET employee will be provided with a laptop from MET IT. Work laptops are replaced every 3 to 4 years to ensure all equipment remains in warranty.
In addition, MET IT has a small pool of loaner laptops that faculty and staff can request if their current laptop has failed.
Monitors
In order to help with productivity, MET IT provides employees with up to two monitors for their office space. Please note that if you are taking advantage of the flexible work benefits that BU has instituted, you will not be able to gain duplicate equipment for your home office space.
USB Webcam
An external webcam will easily connect to your machine via a USB-A connector. In most cases, this webcam should outperform most built in webcams in terms of clarity. If you should have a built in webcam on your machine, you will want to make sure that you select the external webcam in your Zoom and Teams calls manually. This can be done through the video options when joining a meeting or when you are in the meeting.
Wired Headset
The Jabra Evolve 20 MS Stereo comes with two earpieces and a movable microphone arm. It also includes a built in volume/mute control for easy adjustment. This option is best used for those who want to reduce the amount of background noise during your call or ensure privacy during your call. One thing to keep in mind is the location of the microphone arm when speaking, as well as the fact that your cable has a limited length to it.
Jabra Conference Speaker/Microphone
The Jabra Conference Speaker & Microphone is an ideal way to hold a meeting with 2 or more people (such as a small classroom). The design of the device will allow you to be heard clearly and hear others in the call with no echoing. As this is a more open ended option, you should be mindful of your proximity to the device, your environment and any background noise that could be picked up by the microphone.
Wacom Intuos Tablet
The Wacom Intuos tablet provides you with a method to annotate your slides or write out equations using programs such as OpenBoard. Our standards come in two sizes: small and medium. If you are interested in learning more about how these devices can be used, please take a look at our Handwriting Capture with Wacom Intuos Tablet & Pen page.
Document Camera
For those faculty members who prefer pen & paper for writing out equations for their students, the document camera is the perfect solution for your handwriting capture needs. This high resolution camera comes with an adjustable stand so that you can capture all your notes as a video feed.
Docking Station
Docking stations are useful devices that simplify connecting your laptop to your workspace. These devices can be used with both Windows and Mac laptops. Each docking station comes with multiple USB-A ports to plug in commonly used devices, 2 HDMI ports for dual monitor support, ethernet ports for wired internet connection, and power pass-through so you can power your laptop without using another port. Keep everything you use on a daily basis connected to the dock and when you come in for work, simply connect the USB-C cable into your laptop and you are ready to go.
USB C Hub
This style of USB HUB is similar to the Docking Station mentioned above but with fewer ports. Keep this device in your bag and you will be able to easily connect to classroom displays, connect your webcam or headset on the go, and even connect to the internet via ethernet.
USB A Hub
Unlike the USB C model, this model simply expands a single USB A port on your machine into 4 additional USB A slots. This particular model is useful for those laptop users who don’t have USB C on their machine, or those that have older machines with many display ports/ethernet options already built in.
USB Extender
This handy cable will allow you to extend the reach of one of your USB devices. Please be careful when using this cable as the extension may then lay across walkways and could be a tripping hazard. An example of using this would be wanting to place your camera at a different location in the room or placing your Jabra Conference Speaker/Microphone in the center of the room to pick up as many participants as possible.
Ethernet Cable
This cable allows you to directly connect your laptop to your modem/the campus network. This is most beneficial when your WiFi is slow or unstable.