Working from home is not a new concept. Freelancers across the world have been working not just from the comfort of their cribs, but also when travelling. Many have been able to set up their own desk spaces in separate apartments. Or have converted their bedrooms into a complete office space.
Adding cubicles or partitions is not necessarily required to get an ‘office’ theme at home. But some of the simplest elements like desks, chairs and equipment complete the package. There are indeed more important points that you need to keep in mind when working from home, but it’s equally important to select the right products for a proper workspace.
An ideal workspace at home consists of a desk that can either be compatible to accommodate a large desktop PC or a laptop. If you’re comfortable on a laptop, an external display and a portable mouse will be useful. A light bar added just above the monitor will also help you focus on your work during the night. If you attend a lot of meetings, then choosing the right webcam makes the difference between a noisy and distorted video call and a crystal clear one.
In this buying guide, we list the essential products and devices that you can choose from. Starting from desks, chairs, keyboards and mice and even lighting for your room or desk. Products from brands like GreenSoul, Dell, Red Gear, Logitech, Amazon Basics and Wipro have been included.
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This would be the first stage of setting up your workspace at home. It's important to decide the kind of desk you want to get. The dimensions of the desk are critical depending on the layout of the desk that you have in mind. How many desktop monitors will you be using? Will the CPU be placed on the desk or below out of view?
If there aren't many accessories or computing products that will occupy space, you can opt for a regular study desk like the one we've listed below. You can even contact a local carpenter to design a custom desk big or compact enough as per your requirement.
Standing desks are also now in demand. Staying seated during long work hours is detrimental to the health as well as the posture of a person. The motorized desks allow users to adjust the height of desks. You can set the desk at a normal height and sit for a while. Most motorized standing desks come with preset buttons allowing you to program three or four levels of height. These do, however, come at premium prices.
The seats
The most used component of a work-from-home setup is the chair and you must choose the right one. The right posture and comfort will allow users to concentrate on their work easily.
We've listed a few chairs that are best for ergonomics while some provide better utility. Not everyone may be comfortable to have an office chair. Some users might want to have large executive chairs with cushioned seats. Others might want to get a gaming chair for reclining seats.
The tools
We now come to the core devices that will make up your workspace: the tools. These can range from keyboards, mice and desktop monitors to USB hubs, lighting accessories and storage drives.
We've listed out some of the best devices in the market that will allow you to work, manage and complete your tasks smoothly. The right desktop monitor will help reduce eye strain and can also help with multitasking between apps. Mechanical keyboards are known for their responsive keystrokes.
When working from home, you can't entirely rely on cloud storage services. Often it becomes easier to transfer files onto large external storage drives that you can carry with you.