Essential gear that makes working from home much easier
These tech tools and software make it easier to stay productive from home. BRAD CHACOS reports
Laptops work great on the road or in the office, but now that so many of us have been suddenly thrust into working from home, you may be realizing that your tiny notebook isn’t optimal for being pounded on for eight hours straight. Yes, it can
get the job done. But with a little help, your laptop can get the job done so much better.
We’ve rounded up a list of gear and services that can make working from home just a little bit easier, because the less added stress in your life right now, the better. You won’t find big, pricey, obvious stuff here; you already know that if you can devote extra space and cash toward a proper desk and an office chair, you’ll be more comfortable. Instead, we’re focusing on more affordable accessories that can help smooth off some of the rough edges of full-time laptop life.
A mouse
Yes, your laptop has a trackpad. But even the best trackpads feel cramped and suboptimal during extended sessions. And frankly, the trackpads on most laptops suck. Enter the humble mouse.
Any mouse will be better than using your trackpad all day, and all you need to do is plug it into your notebook’s USB port. Amazon’s own basic mouse costs just £5.49 from fave.co/35VlXaW. The popular M525 sculpted ergonomic mouse from Logitech (£26.50 from fave.co/3cssHzz) was made to fit comfortably in your hand, and it can work wirelessly for up to three years before you need to swap out the batteries. Features like that are well worth its asking price.
But there’s no reason to stop at basic mice. If you don’t mind getting a bit more adventurous, spending more on a premium specialty mouse can pay dividends. I’ve been using Razer’s DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse (£34 from fave.co/2yV8xQn) for years; its long cable, customizable profiles and fast, sensitive optical sensor
provide tangible benefits even outside of games. The Logitech MX Master (£99 from fave.co/3ctK431) offers superb design and sublime features. “The MX Master 3, in particular, raises the bar, transforming the mouse from a simple input device to a multi-function tool that can dramatically enhance productivity,” we said in our review.
Executive editor Melissa Riofrio at our sister publication PCWorld swears by the Logitech Pebble M350 wireless mouse – £20 from fave.co/2WrNz4v. “The Logitech Pebble MX350 is easy for me in every way,” she told me. “It’s compact, so I can tote it easily from kitchen counter to dining table or desk. It doesn’t need much space to mouse effectively, and because it’s optical it can handle uneven surfaces like my slate-topped coffee table. The mouse buttons and scroll wheel work smoothly, and they’re quiet, so I’m not bugging family members working or studying nearby. Installation is dead-simple using a USB
dongle or Bluetooth. For just £20 on Amazon, it’s a very affordable way to make mobile computing a lot more comfortable.”
A keyboard
Again, yes, your laptop already has a keyboard. But again, most of them aren’t the best for extended typing sessions. They’re built with portability concerns in mind rather than marathon workdays. For a more comfortable experience, consider investing in a desktop keyboard instead. Your hands will thank you.
Microsoft’s specialized, incredibly popular ergonomic keyboards can be found starting at around £59 via the company’s online store (fave.co/3crmvb6), and it offers several standard keyboard-and-mouse bundles as well, both wired and wireless. This wired keyboard and mouse combo costs only £24 from fave.co/2T3neI1 and it’s loved by users.
Headphones
Whether you just want to jam your tunes in peace or need to call into video meetings without annoying everyone around you, headphones are a must. Be mindful of what’s needed to connect the cans to your computer, however. Many simply use a 3.5mm audio connection, while others demand a USB port. Make sure your laptop can handle what you buy.
Our top recommendations include AKG’s Y500 wireless headphones (£129 from fave.co/35WSKN1),
1more’s Triple Driver in-ear headphones (£87 from fave.co/2T0j8A6) and Sony’s WH-1000XM3 noisecancelling headphones (£241 from fave.co/2AoZjwa).
And if you don’t mind looking like one of the Borg, you can find single-ear Bluetooth hands-free headsets pretty cheap, such as the New bee LC-B41, which is £19 from fave.co/2AgrSf1.
In a pinch, though, the free headphones that came with your phone should work with your laptop just fine – at least if they use a standard connection. If yours came with an iPhone and only packs a Lightning connection, you’ll need to get a Lightning-to-3.5mm adaptor (£9 from fave.co/3fLW8i8) or a Lightning-toUSB adaptor (£16 from fave.co/2y1tSqU), depending on what your laptop requires. Bonus: Most headphones that come with phones also include a microphone that you can use for calls.
Webcam
By this point, if you need a webcam to work from home, you know it. Now for the bad news: everyone else has already realized it too, and the best webcam models,
such as Logitech’s superb C922 (priced £189 from fave.co/2T0KLcF), are expensive. But all isn’t lost.
On page 76 we explain how to turn an Android phone into a webcam, and on page 84 we show how to use a DSLR, GoPro, or camcorder as a webcam. If you own an iPhone, see page 80.
External storage
A lot of laptops only pack in limited storage capacities. It’s not unheard of for ultra-thin laptops to offer a meagre 128GB SSD. If you need to suddenly shuffle a bunch of work files around your personal files – or just want to keep those work files separate from your personal files – consider an external drive. These simply plug into your computer’s USB port and appear as mass storage in Windows, though some especially hefty options require you to plug into a wall socket for power, too. (They’re typically labelled as ‘external desktop’ drives.)
If you need to supercharge your computer’s storage to fit everything, then our top recommendations include. Western Digital’s 5TB My Passport Portable Hard Drive (£109 from fave.co/35Vyxah), SanDisk’s Extreme PRO 1TB Portable SSD (£219 from fave.co/2xWZkq8) and Samsung’s 500GB T7 Touch Portable SSD (£129 from fave.co/2xYvLEF).
A second monitor
Multiple monitors are a must for true multi-tasking. If you have the space, connecting a second display to your desktop or laptop lets you have many more programs open and visible at once (or dedicate a
screen to YouTube, Twitch or Twitter – you know, for your mental health).
Again, many people have realized this, and monitors are selling for more than they used to. Fortunately, you can still get a basic 1080p display pretty cheap. HP’s 24in 24f Ultraslim Full HD Monitor monitor costs £119 from fave.co/2Z5KI2K, for example, while ViewSonic’s 24in VA2456-MHD will set you back £157 from fave. co/3csIhvl. If brightness and viewing angles matter to you, consider spending a bit more on a display with an IPS or VA panel rather than TN, like BenQ’s GW2480T (£192 from fave.co/3cwnfvy). TN displays tend to be a bit duller and need to be viewed straight-on, but they’re generally cheaper (and slightly more responsive, if you’re a gamer). For basic office work anything works,
though. With the speed at monitors are selling these days, you may need to shop around, but you’ll find something, somewhere.
Once you’ve got another display in hand, our guide to setting up multiple monitors can help – for details see the July issue of Tech Advisor.
USB hub
All these accessories don’t come free; each demands a crucial port to connect to your PC, and those ports are limited, especially in notebooks. That’s where USB hubs come in. USB hubs (also called USB adaptors) plug into a single USB port on your computer, then split that into a slew of different connections – even SD card slots in HDMI ports in some cases. USB adaptors vary wildly in price and capability, so be sure to shop for what you need. On the low end, Sabrent’s
hub (£13 from fave.co/2Lr01ep) turns one USB 3.0 port into four. I own it and love it, though it may not work for devices with heavy power draws, like external storage or blinged-out gamer keyboards. On the higher end, Anker’s USB-C (£49 from fave.co/2WsyFLm) hub transforms a single USB-C connection into another Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port with 100-watt power deliver, a standard USB-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card reader, and an HDMI port that can support 4K monitors at a sluggish 30Hz, or lower resolutions at higher refresh rates. A wide range of options exist between the two.
Laptop stand
Using your laptop or a table or counter? Get it up to eye level to stop straining your neck all day. Ergonomics matter. That said, laptop stands work best if you’re also using an external keyboard and mouse, so you’re not lifting your arms while you’re lifting your eyes.
Sounddance’s aluminium desktop stand costs £43 from fave.co/3fDk5Iq and works with any laptop with a 10- to 15.6in screen. Alternatively, you could opt for Simplehouseware’s Metal Desk Monitor Stand Riser with Organizer Drawer (£27 from fave. co/3cv40Cy), which also works with laptops and includes a spacious under section for storing paper, pens, notebooks and other materials.
If you don’t want to spend money on a stand, you can also just pile books up to get your notebook off your desk, though that’s obviously a much more precarious situation – especially if you have children that might bump into the table and send things flying.