A home office offers many benefits, from eliminating the time-consuming commute to enabling a more relaxed working environment and allowing more freedom in creating specific work conditions. The designated workplace doesn’t necessarily have to be a single desk anymore. High-tech audio equipment lets you work hands-free and roam from room to room as you make your conference calls and all the modern gadgetry augments the collaboration with your colleagues instead of hindering it.
But, there’s one catch – you have to like your home office, otherwise, you’re not going to want to spend much time there. That’s why it’s a smart decision and a worthwhile investment to set up a home office that is comfortable, functional, and stimulating. A well put-together workspace like that is essential for productive work from home and the addition of modern gadgets and devices can further inspire your creativity and productivity.
High-quality Wi-Fi
The number one must-have in a home office of any size or type is a strong and fast Wi-Fi network. It can be challenging to get high-speed internet if your router is placed in another part of your home so installing a multi-router Wi-Fi system is an excellent solution for all telecommuters.
This system allows you to have one router only for your office which will ensure great connectivity for your computer and any other smart gadget you might have in your home office.
Air Control
The indoor air quality in your home office is an important aspect of your work as it can easily become compromised due to the lack of proper ventilation, low humidity control, mold, dust mites, and even your office equipment. Printers, photocopiers and other devices can emit nanoparticles of inorganic gases and paper fabrics that pollute the air.
Fortunately, there’s now a wide choice of small air purifiers on the market that can help you improve your home office air and your health. Options include air purifiers with a cyclonic separation method that pumps in the air and captures 99.97% of pollutants in the process. Other devices can help control humidity by monitoring the indoor air quality and advising you when to open the windows, and can even detect VOCs that come from cooking and cleaning products.
Essential Computer Equipment
A good laptop or desktop computer is an essential piece of office equipment but it makes it much easier to do everyday business when you have some high-quality additions.
To start with, a wireless mouse is a great pick for several reasons – it has an ergonomic design that’s very comfortable for prolonged use, its buttons functions can be optimized as well as the scroll wheel speed. Also, most users report they feel less wrist and hand fatigue at the end of the workday.
A Bluetooth keyboard is another essential piece of equipment and you can choose whether you want the number pad included or you prefer a more compact design without it. It’s also wireless so if you have a small home office, it’ll help with minimizing clutter.
If your work requires you to often have video conferences and meetings, a high-quality webcam is a must, especially if you’re not using a laptop. There are excellent models with stands for monitors and tripods, plug-and-play options, and enhanced controls and filters for power users.
Even though most of your work is digital, you’ll still have to do some printing so it’s worth considering high-quality printers with automated double-printing that will help in cutting down paper waste and preserving the environment. Double-sided printing is a convenient feature that aids your efficiency as it’s no longer necessary to turn pages over to print on the alternate side. It’ll also save you money as you’ll be using less paper and you’ll have more time to focus on other important tasks while the printer is working.
Smart Earbuds
Research has shown that one of the major distractions while working is noise and when you’re working from home, and you have a housemate or family members and pets, there are certainly going to be many noisy distractions. Smart earbuds can be very efficient in blocking out surrounding noise while amplifying the ones you want to hear. As they’re mobile, you can freely move and talk hands-free. It usually has about a 15-meter range to connect to your smartphone for calls, large built-in storage, and the option to track your activity if you go out for an errand, a run, or lunch.
Additional options can include activating Siri or Google by tap touch controls, “intuitive gesture sensitivity” which means using hand gestures or nods to give commands and using voice commands to make a call, dictate a message, or search the web.
One of the greatest challenges of working from home is setting up a home office that has all the right tools and gadgets so you can get your work done easily, be efficient and productive. Even if you don’t have a dedicated room or the space is limited, by incorporating these high-tech devices, you can have a highly productive home office set-up.