Working from Home - Essential Equipment for the Home Office
Ian Messenger
As the 2nd winter of the COVID pandemic approaches, I thought I’d take a moment to share some of my Work from Home Essentials. Some of these are “nice to have” and some of them are “lessons learned”.
I’ve broken this post into sections:
Power
Display
Peripherals
The biggest challenge I've faced working from home is reliable Power. Living in the country, power cuts can be frequent. Here are a few things I’ve found to help.
CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD UPS System
APC UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector with USB Charger
GOLABS Portable Power Station R150
This battery backup has a capacity of 1000VA/600W with five battery backup & five surge protected outlets, It has more than enough run time to power 2 external monitors during a brief power outage - the longest power outage I’ve experience where I’ve needed both monitors was 30 minutes.
USE: Battery backup for 2 External Monitors
Approx. CAD $210 - https://amzn.to/3kDRwPb
This is a smaller battery backup and, given its size and pricetag, isn’t going to keep the lights on. It is a niche product that does very well to power low-drain devices for up to 4 hours. I use this as a dedicated UPS for the modem/router and ethernet hub in order to keep my WiFI and Internet connection running. I’ve ran the battery till exhaustion and managed over 4 hours. Of all the work from home products, this is the one I feel gives the most value!
USE: Dedicated Battery Backup for Modem/Router
Approx. CAD $80 - https://amzn.to/3wLEROZ
Not another battery backup surely? Yes. This is a portable UPS that has one outlet, one USB A, and one USB C. I actually have 2 of these power stations which I use to power lamps during prolonged outages - note the word ‘multiple’ as the power station only has 1 AC outlet. During the Christmas Day 2020 8 hour power outage, there was an enough power to last the whole outage (with some left over).
Aside from providing power to lamps, they are also good for keeping devices (laptops, cell phones, etc) charged.
USE: Battery power to run AC powered lights/lamps, charge devices, etc
Approx. CAD $220 - https://amzn.to/3CnajVe
Now that the power is taken care of, we have to be productive. At the beginning of working from home, all I had was my 14” laptop screen; a far cry from dual 24” monitors I had in my office. When working with multiple browser tabs, Word, and Excel open at the same time, I needed multiple Displays.
Samsung LS24R350FZNXZA 24" LED-Lit Monitor
Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station
When working with standard Office applications, there isn’t a need for an ultra-high end monitor. I wasn’t planning on doing any major video or photo editing (aside from my lecture recordings). At $149.99, this 24” monitor had a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, suited my needs, and was at a price point where I could buy multiple for the price of just 1 of the higher end models. I bought 3.
USE: Viewing things
Approx. CAD $149.99 - https://amzn.to/3kBo5NS
While having 3 monitors is great and has increased my productivity by reducing the need to switch between windows, most laptops (esp. corporate laptops) don’t come with 3 HDMI (or combination of other) display ports. A workaround was to purchase an external display adaptor - 1 HDMI cable connects the adaptor to your laptop and the monitors plug directly into the adaptor. Not the most exciting work from home accessory but a functional one.
USE: Using 3 monitors at the same time
Approx. CAD $260 - https://amzn.to/3HovR7y
A standard corporate laptop doesn’t come with the highest quality video conferencing kit built-in. When creating your home office, and effective work from home, you need to step up your game with some key peripherals.
Logitech C922x Pro Stream Webcam 1080p Camera
Jabra Evolve 75 Bluetooth Headset
10.2 Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand
Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo
Most built-in laptop webcams aren’t the greatest, topping out at 720p and not doing great in less-than-ideal lighting. An external webcam is a must. This model does 1080p, face tracking, workis great in low light and with Zoom/MS Teams.
Uses: A better video conferencing experience
Approx. CAD $95 - https://amzn.to/3wMrEW7
The ability to get up and walk around while on a call cannot be overstated. The Jabra 75 has great noise cancelling features and I find the battery lasts for a full 12 hour day of calls. A bit pricy but it works every time. I use it with Zoom and MS Teams with no issue.
USE: Hearing things and speaking to people who are not in the same room.
Approx. CAD $385 - https://amzn.to/3oumQRF
If you have a good webcam (like the one above), you don’t want to be let down by poor lighting. This tripod mounted ring light is bright enough that it can be placed on the far side of your desk and still provide an improvement.
USE: A better video experience
Approx. CAD $60 - https://amzn.to/3ca9Smb
Not much to say about this one. It is an external mouse and keyboard. Better than typing on the laptop keyboard.
USE: Typing and pointing
Approx. CAD $30 - https://amzn.to/3FiczP8