Working from home can be hard, especially for beginners. There’s no doubt about that. However, it doesn’t have to be hard. The 9 gadgets below will introduce you to simple solutions even to complex problems you might be having while working remotely from home.
We made sure to curate this list and present to you the most important things you need in order to enhance your work from home lifestyle. Every item on this list aims to make things easier or better for you when working remotely.
Jump to 9 Essential Work From Home Gadgets
- Wrist rest
- Webcam
- USB hub
- Conference speaker
- Lap desk
- Cable management box
- External portable hard drive
- Ergonomic Chair
- A good VPN
Let’s get started with the 9 essential work-from-home gadgets to boost your productivity and health!
1. Wrist rest
Most remote workers use a computer for a significant amount of time each day. This ranges anywhere from 5 to 10 hours on a daily basis. During this time, your wrist might start to get tired from typing and moving the mouse around, which eventually leads to pain. One of the leading causes for Carpal tunnel syndrome is computers, affecting 4 – 10 million Americans.
Purchasing a wrist rest can help you a lot with this. Allowing your wrist to rest on a soft surface while you move your computer mouse will make all the difference. Reduce the pain and risk of developing serious health issues to maximize your productivity.
Our wrist rest recommendations:
- Glorious Gaming Wrist Pad/Rest on Amazon
- Gimars Keyboard and Mouse Wrist Pad on Amazon
- BRILA Ergonomic Memory Foam Mouse Wrist Rest on Amazon
2. Webcam
Many people who work remotely attend various online meetings. For this, a web camera is often required. While most modern laptops come equipped with a camera, and some companies allow you to connect via your smartphone, PC users still need a way to be seen. This is where a web camera comes in.
Purchasing a webcam allows you to video chat with clients, coworkers, higher-ups, attend meetings, and even connect with family. This multi-purpose gadget will certainly make working from home just a bit easier.
Our webcam recommendations:
- Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam from Logitech
- Razer Kiyo from Razer
- LOGITUBO Webcam on Amazon
3. USB hub
The USB port is the most common connection for devices such as a keyboard, mouse, pen drive, and other electronics.
This gadget is most useful for laptop users. Due to surface limitations on laptops, most laptops have no more than 2 USB ports for you to connect to.
However, a USB hub expands this and creates more ports for you to connect more devices. The USB port is the most common connection for devices such as a keyboard, mouse, pen drive, and other electronics.
Our USB hub recommendations:
- Plugable USB Hub on Amazon
- Anker AH241 USB 3.0 Aluminum 13-Port Hub on Amazon
- VAVA USB C Hub on Amazon
4. Conference speaker
Why spend on purchasing a speaker and a microphone separately when you can combine the two in one gadget? Make your online meetings easier by purchasing a conference speaker. This handy tool allows you to hear and speak at once.
Most conference speakers have robust controls to quickly mute microphone, mute audio, manage volume, and much more. With the ease of this gadget, you’ll never dread setting up for a remote meeting ever again.
Our conference speaker recommendations:
- Jabra Speak 510 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker on Amazon
- TONOR Conference USB Microphone on Amazon
- Kaysuda USB Speaker Phone on Amazon
5. Lap desk
(Source: Urban Hideout)
Imagine that you’re tired and simply don’t want to get up from the bed. We’ve all been there. Forcing yourself and enduring the pain is an option, but you certainly don’t have to if you have a lap desk.
These gadgets allow you to stay productive even from the comfort of your own bed. Put your laptop, phone, lamp, notebook, and anything else on the desk and start working right away. Lean back and get comfortable while not having to sacrifice a single minute of productivity.
Lap desks come in many different models and sizes, allowing you to pick the perfect one.
Our lap desk recommendations:
- Aitmexcn Laptop Bed Table on Amazon
- HUANUO Lap Laptop Desk on Amazon
- Sofia + Sam Multi Tasking Memory Foam Lap Desk on Amazon
6. Cable management box
Cables are hard to keep organized. This issue should sound similar to PC users. Leaving these cables out in the open is also harmful and often dangerous, especially if you have a pet around the house. Exposed cables are more prone to damage such as spilled liquids, ripping, and more.
By purchasing a cable management box, you can easily protect your cables from harm and organize them to make your life easier. Clean up that dangly mess and enjoy the feeling of neatly — and safely! — kept cables.
Our cable management box recommendations:
- Changsuo Cable Management Box on Amazon
- Yecaye Cable Organizer Box on Amazon
- Bluelounge CableBox on Amazon
7. External portable hard drive
(Source: The New York Times)
Some remote jobs require you to handle large sets of data, graphical assets, videos, and software. This often leads to full storage, forcing you to delete things you might want to keep normally. If you purchase an external hard drive, this won’t happen again.
By connecting and using one of these gadgets, you’re able to store more data and even take it with you wherever you go. This is a good long-term purchase, as you can easily take what you made at home back to your workspace.
Our external portable hard drive recommendations:
- LaCie d2 Professional 8TB External Hard Drive on Amazon
- WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive on Amazon
- Toshiba (HDTB410XK3AA) Canvio Basics on Amazon
8. Ergonomic Chair
Whether you work on a PC or a laptop, you should definitely invest in a good, comfortable chair. Sitting in front of your desk for extended periods of time will strain your body without a doubt, and often leads to unhealthy habits such as bad posture. Oftentimes, this can be fixed by something as simple as a good chair.
Good chairs create a comfortable spot for you to sit on, correct your posture, and sometimes even encourage you to get up from the bed.
Our chair recommendations:
- Hbada Office Task Desk Chair on Amazon
- BestOffice PC Gaming Chair on Amazon
- OFM Essentials Collection Bonded Leather Executive Chair on Amazon
9. A good VPN
Many remote workers struggle with accessing content from foreign countries, as well as proper protection when working online. With a great VPN, you can find a solution to both of these issues.
A VPN provides effective protection against online tracking by masking your location and IP address to somewhere else. Use this to unlock region-locked content and ensure that no website can identify you and collect your data while browsing.
Find our VPN recommendations from this list.
Final thoughts
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