No matter if you’re toiling from home filled-time or fair a restricted days a week, it’s beginant to carve out a home office setup that splits your toil and personal inhabits. It’s equassociate vital that your toilstation is kitted out with the right gear and accessories to produce the day more endureable and consoleable. Since 2020, we’ve been testing standing desks, office chairs, watchs, USB docks, keyboards, and tons of other toil-from-home gear in our own inhabits. These are our preferites.
Updated December 2024: We’ve overhauled this direct with novel products in proximately every categruesome.
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Table of Contents
Make declareive you set clear boundaries for when you commence and stop toiling. Get dressed in the morning so you experience ready for toil, produce declareive the TV is off so you’re not inattentive, and, when you’re done for the day, turn off the computer if you can—or at least shut your toil-rcontent tabs—and disable notifications. iPhones and Android phones have one-of-a-kind Focus modes you can use to conserve out sidetrackions.
If your eyes experience exhausted because you’ve been seeing at a computer screen all day, don’t experience enjoy you have to spladvise on blue-airy filtering glasses. The science on whether they toil isn’t sound. Instead, trail the American Optometric Association’s 20-20-20 rule to stop digital eye strain. Every 20 minutes you should get a 20-second shatter to see at someskinnyg up to 20 feet away. You can also try gentleware tools to lessen the amount of blue airy rerentted from screens at night to see if that helps you sleep. Windows, Macs, Android, and iOS devices—even some ebook readers—have this feature.
Sitting all day is not excellent for your health. That doesn’t nasty you should get an dynamic chair (or a standing desk). Just get up more normally. Set a timer for every 30 minutes to stretch or walk around. A cleverwatch is enough for deinhabitring automatic vigilants when you’ve been sedentary for too extfinished. We’ve accumulateed some advice here on setting up your desk ergonomicassociate.
You’ll Need a Good Laptop or PC
We’re guessing you have a laptop or desktop PC of some benevolent, whether it’s your personal device or your company’s. If not, check out our directs to the Best Laptops, Best Cheap Laptops, Best Chromebooks, Best MacBooks, and Best All-in-One Computers. Our step-by-step laptop buying direct can also help. If you’re eyeing a desktop PC, we have recommfinishations and advice for prebuilt gaming PCs that might be handy, or you can produce your own. Here are a restricted of our preferite laptops:
Ptoastyograph: Brfinisha Stolyar
You might not need a MacBook Pro—a MacBook Air might suffice—but the base model of this 14-inch laptop packs the rescheduleedst processor and comes with many nastyingful extras that should be in the Air at this point. That integrates a adodepend Mini LED screen for procreate binestablishages, a 120-Hz screen renew rate for fluid includeions, and extra ports. You get three USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI out, an SD card slot, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging port. This one also helps three outer watchs—nastying you can have your MacBook Pro screen turned on and still toil with two outer discarry outs. This is the WFH-cordial Apple laptop to get.
With a 16-inch OLED screen, this is a laptop you’ll want to conserve using after toil hours (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs). It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 CPU with Radeon 880M explicits, aextfinished with 24 GB of RAM, which is plenty to regulate most tasks assessd to laptops in this price and weight class. It also lasts a extfinished time off the accuser—14 hours in our tests—so you can transport it to every room without lugging a power brick.
If you can do all your toil via a browser, which happens to be Google Chrome, ponder a Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (9/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) is part of the recent Chromebook Plus series, which promises a certain level of polish. It’s plenty speedy for web-browsing tasks and can regulate AI features now useable in Chromebooks with mitigate. The 14-inch touchscreen is kind, plus you get two USB-C ports, an HDMI, and a USB-A.
Ptoastyograph: Christopher Null
Why get a laptop if you’re toiling from home? Get a desktop instead and plan set the produce your toilstation around it. Our top all-in-one computer recommfinishation right now is the rescheduleedst iMac (9/10, WIRED Recommfinishs), which has plenty of power (and can be configured to deinhabitr more), not to refer an excellent nano-texture screen (a split comprise-on) that immensely lessens glare. It comes with a keyboard and mouse.
Alternatively, if you’d rather supply your own discarry out and peripherals, you could get the Mac Mini instead (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs). This minuscule computer has enough power most people will need and plenty of ports. Just hook up a discarry out and peripherals to it and personalize your toilstation.
Great Desks
A toilstation commences with a excellent desk, and sometimes that nastys one that can alter into a standing desk so you can alter skinnygs up. Read our Best Standing Desks direct for more recommfinishations.
Ptoastyograph: Julian Chokkattu
A four-legged desk is to a two-legged desk enjoy a round watch is to a square one. It fair sees better. Branch’s Four Leg Desk has motors in each telescoping leg, and while they’re boisterouser than foreseeed, they do an praiseworthy job of lifting this desktop as high as 45 inches. Setup is neutrassociate plain, and you have two desk sizes to select from.
I tested the petiteer version of this desk, and I enjoy that it’s super plain to comprise reinforces, enjoy a desk drawer or cable set upr. It’s made of manufactured wood with a powder-coated steel structure, and it was effortless to put together. You can select from cut offal separateent colors. You push a pcomprisele up or down to lift or lessen the desk, and it only has two height presets. (You’ll want to trail the manual to set them, as it’s not super perceptive.) The desk doesn’t wobble much when it relocates. I have also tested and enjoy the standard Branch Standing Desk, which doesn’t have many connectments but has built-in cable regulatement and is huger than the Duo.
Frustrated with all the cables around your desk? The Magnus Pro might be up your alley. It’s a burdensome, magnetic, metal standing desk with a trench at the back so you can tidyly route your cables while hiding them from see. Secretlab sells a restricted magnetic accessories enjoy cable sheaths and anchors to conserve those wires down (and you won’t have to deal with crappy adhesives). Just produce declareive you snag Secretlab’s Desk Mat so you don’t scuff up the desk or your gear. I used it for more than a year with zero problems. The regulates are effortless to use, there are three height presets, and a nifty switch to turn off the standing mechanism. Don’t nurture for a standing desk? There’s a standard Magnus you can snag for inexpensiveer, though it’s currently out of stock right now.
Want to toil off the couch or bed? Instead of toastying up your lap with your toasty laptop, use this rollable table. The stand is situated on one side, so you can easily slot it next to your bed or couch without any irritateing legs in the way. Its height is adfairable via the gas spring up to 40.5 inches. and it can hageder a decent amount of weight. It was effortless to collect.
Relaxing Office Chairs
No toilstation is finish without a comfy chair to mitigate into. We’ve highairyed a restricted of our preferites below, but you can discover more picks in our Best Office Chairs direct.
Of the more than 55 office chairs I’ve tested in the past year, this one deinhabitrs the best stability of console, quality, adfairability, and price. At $499, you get all the points of adfairment you’d foresee and more, giving you more selections to tailor the chair to your body. That integrates a seat tilt function for a more dynamic sitting position. You can also customize it to integrate a headrest and even select between fabric and leather.
If you tfinish to run toasty sitting in a chair, then you’ll adore this all-mesh selection from Steelcase. The fabric experiences adodepend and isn’t abrasive agetst the skin, and it does a wonderful job of venting away my body heat. There’s not much to adfair, but that’s by set up—if you want lumbar help, you’ll have to comprise it as an reinforce during checkout.
This is my preferite office chair. Sitting in it is almost enjoy a parescheduleed spotlessser in between all my other chair testing. It fair helps my back reassociate well and even though the seat isn’t plush, I discover it quite consoleable to sit in for extfinished stretches. An office chair is a extfinished-term spreadment and the Embody will probable last extfinisheder than its 12-year permity.
This is our preferite budget chair, though we do have some inexpensiveer recommfinishations in our direct. It reclines and has neck help if you need it, and while the mesh has sagged a minuscule bit after a restricted years of sitting, it still does the job very well.
A Laptop Stand Also Helps
The advantage of using a laptop is that you don’t need to be restrictd to a desk. When you toil from home, sometimes a alter of scenery experiences essential. A stand will help comprise stability, wherever you are. Check out our Best Laptop Stands direct for more.
This is our top pick in our Best Laptop Stands direct because it’s alterable and reasonably priced. It lifts your laptop screen up to 7 inches high and is quite sturdy, so it doesn’t wobble. That also produces it a little stubborn to adfair, but I’ll get that over the alternative. It’s collapsible for storage.
Do you only toil from home a restricted days a week? If you’re heading to the office occasionassociate, you might enjoy the mBar Pro+. It fageders down to a skinny enough package that you can tote around with you (and weighs less than a pound). It’ll lift your laptop about 5 inches at an angle, but you can’t alter the height.
The Casa Pop-Up Desk (9/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) is another wonderful selection if you’re a hybrid toiler who needs to head to the office a restricted times a week. Or if your idea of “WFH” is choosing a novel coffee shop in the neighborhood everyday. It’s skinny, yet uncover it up you get a compact Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad, and the case becomes laptop stand to prop your machine up.
This one’s for all the people who enjoy to toil on a couch or in bed. It’s stable and sits over your lap, and the angle is adfairable to suit however you’re lounging. That produces it wonderful for after-toil hours too, when I put the laptop away and use the stand as a sketching station. A part of the surface stays flat—wonderful for hagedering that morning cup of coffee—and there’s a minuscule drawer! It’s where I stash my laptop’s charging cable. It’s made from authentic bamboo.
A Monitor Can Do Wonders
A watch will emotionalassociate better your toil experience at home. Read our direct on how to use a second screen with your laptop if you need convincing. You should also ponder how many watchs you want and how you should place them on your desk. Our preferite setup? One ultraexpansive watch in the caccess and a verticassociate oriented discarry out on the side. Our Best Monitors direct can help.
Ptoastyograph: Nena Farrell
Don’t want to spfinish much on a watch? This one from BenQ will do the job and won’t shatter the prohibitk. You get a roomy 27-inch screen with a 1,080-pixel resolution. Make declareive you don’t sit too shut or it might see a bit pixcontent. It has a VESA mount so you can mount it to a watch arm, but if you use the integrated stand, you can swivel it into portrait orientation.
Step skinnygs up to this Dell watch if you want a curved experience aextfinished with a keener 1,440-pixel resolution discarry out. Things will see crisper here, and it helps a 165-Hz screen renew rate, which is handy for anyone who hops straight out of toil into a video game. It’s VESA-mountable.
The best toil-from-home watch setup, in my unassuming opinion, is an ultraexpansive watch with a second vertical watch to the side. Npunctual any watch will do—fair rotate it 90 degrees—but some greeted can see a bit too skinny and cut off. This LG DualUp mends this by recommending a expansiver 16:18 aspect ratio. I saw the most prompt advantage in Gmail, where emails were no extfinisheder cut off or congested. It also made proximately every other website and app see quite normal, giving them more room to breathe. It’s pricey, but the colors are wonderful out of the box, you get an effortless-to-set-up arm mount, and there are a restricted discarry out selections (even USB-C).
Ptoastyograph: Julian Chokkattu
If money is no object, this is the ultraexpansive watch to beat (we have a filled check of a prior model here). I have been testing the AW3225QF for cut offal weeks and it’s by far the best computer watch I’ve ever used. The quantum-dot OLED panel is dreamy—it’s wonderfilledy keen with its 4K resolution, and fluid thanks to the 240-Hz screen renew rate, plus it has excellent HDR. At 32 inches, it’s expansive enough to put two browser prosperdows side by side for efficient toilflows, and I don’t worry about editing ptoastyos in Lightroom anymore because the discarry out has 99 percent of the DCI:P3 color gamut.
Portable Monitors
These skinny screens are an effortless way to get more screen genuine estate anywhere—the coffee shop, office, or home. None of them typicassociate need a power source; instead, they draw power from your laptop. (It’s a excellent idea to accuse your laptop while using one.)
Ptoastyograph: Staples
Plugable’s portable screen comes with a folio case that doubles as a startstand. It’s been depfinishable in my testing, with a 15.6-inch 60-Hz 1,080-pixel resolution IPS discarry out, clear radiantness regulates, and three USB-C ports (one for 100-watt passthraw charging, another for transferring data, and the third to connect to your laptop). It’ll toil with most operating systems.
This 14-inch IPS watch sports a 2K resolution and transports touchscreen capabilities—while it will toil with MacBooks, the touchscreen won’t, so it’s best paired with Windows machines (or Chromebooks). I adore the way this portable watch stays propped up—the startstand base is sturdy and it’s where you plug everyskinnyg in. Also, it helps 65-watt pass-thraw charging via two USB-C ports, which is enough to conserve your laptop juiced while you use it.
Ptoastyograph: Mobile Pixels
This is by far my preferite portable discarry out. It sticks to the back of a laptop screen via magnets, which nastys you do need to be consoleable with sticking and leaving adhesive magnets on the back of your machine. These are effortless to inshigh with the integrated assembly teachions. Pop the Duex Plus on the magnets and slide out the discarry out so that it floats to the side of your laptop. Voilà! You have a second screen that doesn’t get up any desk space. Just connect the integrated USB-C to USB-C cable and you’re excellent to go. The 13.3-inch 1080p screen is best suited for 13- or 14-inch laptops, and it’s not a screen I’d depend on for color rightion, but it’s wonderful for leaving apps enjoy Sinestablishage and another browser prosperdow for two-screen productivity. The downside is that it’s heavy and comprises bulk, but at least it’s effortless to get the Duex Plus off when you don’t need it. I used it fair fine on the set upe and in a toastyel when I needed to get some toil done.
Now, this is quite a leap in price, but it’s the peak of the portable discarry out labelet. The gargantuan 17-inch screen size nastys you have lots more genuine estate for multiple apps or browser prosperdows, and yet the whole skinnyg is skinny enough to fit in most backpacks (particularly if you can fit a 16-inch laptop). The 4K resolution is tack keen, and it has 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, nastying it’s exceptional for anyone who needs right colors. This bundle comes with a magnetic stand, but you can also comprise a stylus to pair with Espresso’s Jot gentleware, which lets you label up anyskinnyg on the screen. Make declareive you download the Espresso Flow gentleware to help the touchscreen to toil with macOS. I have also tested and enjoy Espresso’s petiteer 15 Non-Touch model, which has a more palatable price.
Monitor Mounts and Stands
If you’re toiling with restricted desk space, a watch arm mount is a wonderful way to reclaim some room. Plus it helps hide pesky wires!
I’ve used this mount to hageder up my 34-inch ultraexpansive watch for years, and it toils enjoy a charm. It can hageder screens between 15 and 34 inches (up to 20 pounds). It’s adfairable, has built-in cable regulatement, and doesn’t see hideous. The arm clamps to the desk. It uses the VESA mounting standard, so produce declareive the watch you have helps it.
It’s somewhat burdensome and bulky, but WIRED contributor Simon Hill says the Ergotron LX is built to last and recommends a excellent range of relocatement, making it effortless to adfair the watch’s position. (He uses it with his 34-inch Alienware discarry out). It has been clamped onto a standing desk, and while lesser mounts will jiggle when he adfairs the height, this arm nakedly relocates unless he wants it to. This VESA-compatible mount boasts built-in cable regulatement and can accommodate discarry outs of up to 34 inches and up to 25 pounds.
This arm mount helps up to 20 pounds and is fair as adfairable as the Monoprice. It’s VESA compatible, has a five-year permity, recommends built-in cable regulatement. It’s set uped to pair with the famous Jarvis standing desk, but it’ll toil with any desk.
Got two watchs side by side on your desk? It’s not the prettiest, but this Vivo dual mount is plain, effortless to inshigh, and sturdy. I have it toiling right now with two watchs of separateent sizes with no rerents whatsoever. It can fit screen sizes between 13 and 30 inches (up to 22 pounds). There are cable regulatement clips aextfinished the mount to conserve your cords hideed away. I’ve also tried and enjoy the one watch arm version.
Most people will be satisfied with the Vivo model above (and its low price), but this model from X-Chair has a wonderfuler freedom of relocatement. It’s effortless to inshigh, doesn’t wobble much, and there are two USB-A ports in the base you can use to hook up peripherals to your PC.
Another way to reclaim some desk space is to use a watch stand. I’ve been using this one from Oakywood for some time, and it can hageder two watchs. You can select between walnut or oak, and it gets mere seconds to collect. There’s uncover space to store anyskinnyg else on your desk undertidyh. I’ve also tested and enjoy Grovemade’s Walnut Desk Shelf ($220), which has a minuscule storage compartment made of merino wool to stop any scratches if you stow an iPad or laptop.
Grab a Multi-Port Hub
If you’re plugging a laptop into a watch, chances are you’ll need to plug in other items enjoy a keyboard, mouse, charging cable, and maybe an SD card reader. That’s where an alterer comes in. Plug it into your laptop, and plug everyskinnyg else into it. It’s so much plainr. Check out our Best Hubs and Best Laptop Docking Stations directs for more.
Ptoastyograph: Eric Ravensplan
This neutrassociate compact hub has an aluminum produce and all the ports most people need. That integrates four USB-C ports (three that can hit 10 Gbps data transfer speeds), another USB-C with 85-watt pass-thraw charging to juice up your laptop, an HDMI, an Ethernet, and an SD card slot.
Still have a lot of USB-A accessories? This is the hub to get. Aextfinished with an HDMI, you get three USB-A ports to plug in peripherals, and then you can plug in your laptop’s USB-C accuser into the hub for up to 100-watt pass-thraw charging. It’s platacky but also very affordable.
Ptoastyograph: Eric Ravensplan
If you have a restricted watchs at your toilstation, this dock helps two up to 4K resolution, and you can connect them via HDMI. You get three USB-A ports, one on the front and two on the back, plus an Ethernet jack, as well as a USB-C port on the front and back. Oh, and a headphone jack.
If you’ve filledy transitioned to that USB-C life, then it might be worth seeing into a docking station enjoy this one. It sports four USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, nastying you can use them to connect to outer screens, and there’s one USB-A in case you still need it.
Cables, Chargers, and Power Strips
Good cables can go a extfinished way. You’ll want to produce declareive they’re durable and can carry the essential power your devices need. The same goes for charging alterers. Read our Best USB-C Cables direct for more recommfinishations.
Ptoastyograph: Simon Hill
This Cable Matters cord has been our top pick in our USB-C cables direct for a while. It helps Thunderbolt 4 and can carry 100 watts, which is enough to accuse a strong laptop. It can transfer data at up to 40 Gbps and can power an 8K discarry out or two 4K screens. It has it all, and you can select from separateent size selections.
This USB-C cable can carry even more power—up to 240 watts—which is selectimal for power-hungry machines during burdensome toilloads. It can broadcast data at up to 20 Gbps and has been USB-IF certified, nastying it has been tested to promise the claims hageder up.
The ageder USB-A port is still relevant and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you need a depfinishable cable, this USB-A to USB-C will let you connect noveler devices to the agederer port. The cable is brhelped and comes in three or six feet selections.
Ptoastyograph: Satechi
This fair might be overfinish for most people, but if you’re charging multiple power-sucking machines, this is a reassociate excellent solution. I’ve been using it for proximately a year with no rerents. It has a three-prong power cord you plug into a wall outlet, and the accuser itself can be rested on an integrated stand. There are four USB-C ports on the front, and if you use all of them at the same time, you’ll finish up with a 60, 45, 30, and 30-watt split. (You can hit 100 watts on the first port if you don’t plug in anyskinnyg else.) I wouldn’t call it airyweight, but it certainly beats carrying four other alterers around.
I adore using Nomad’s accuser whenever I’m heading out of the house, which produces it a wonderful selection for hybrid toilers (or if you fair want a travel-cordial accuser for the coffee shop). There are two USB-C ports on the bottom, and this supremely skinny accuser does a wonderful job of staying put, even on airset upe outlets. The prongs fageder in for defended storage.
Don’t want to fuss with a power describe lying about on the floor? This is a pretty nifty solution from Anker. It’ll block your whole wall outlet, but it’s skinny and stays put, netting you six outlets, plus a USB-C and USB-A port. I’ve been testing it in my kitchen to power my toaster oven and stand uniteer, and to juice up my spice grinder when it’s low on battery, and it toils enjoy a charm. There’s even a night airy (which you can turn off).
Once you use this sadvise describe, you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life. Each outlet sits on a rotating wheel, nastying you won’t ever have to experience frustrated that your chunky plug won’t fit next to your other chunky plug. It’s ingenious. There’s an LED that shows that the sadvise defendor is indeed recommending defendion.
I bought three of these for my apartment at the commence of the pandemic. Tripp Lite recommends up to $25,000 of lifetime insurance for any injure to your supplyment from a sadvise. If the LED goes out, it’s time to swap it, and Tripp Lite will donate you a novel one for free. There are also two USB-A ports, which is kind. Everyskinnyg is relatively spaced out, alloprosperg me to fit huge alterers and even a clever plug on this skinnyg.
This is enjoy a prettier, more collaborative version of the classic power describe. You get six grounded outlets, and there’s a $200,000 connected-supplyment permity to defend your excellents in the event of a sadvise. The extfinished nylon-brhelped cord is collaborative when you only have one wall outlet in a room, and it’s heavy and durable. Best of all is the USB charging hub, which splites and lets you place it straightforwardly on a desk. (You can mount this via the integrated adhesive-backed magnet.) The hub recommends two USB-A ports and a USB-C port, the latter of which can output 20 watts. Snag the XL version if you need more outlets.
Snag a Good Keyboard
You type all day, so you need a excellent keyboard. Everyone’s preferences are separateent, and while we at WIRED adore mechanical keyboards, we also have other selections if you want someskinnyg a little more reserved. Read our Best Mechanical Keyboards and Best Keyboards directs for more.
Ptoastyograph: Henri Robbins
Keychron produces some of our preferite mechanical keyboards, and our top recommfinishation right now is the Q5 Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs). This one isn’t a filled-size keyboard but it experiences enjoy it, with access to a NumPad and even a kind volume knob. You get a filled metal case, effortless repairability, customizability, and you can remap keys thraw QMK or Via gentleware.
Hall effect is the novel toasty skinnyg in wireless keyboards. This technology uses magnets to choose keypresses, making them more durable and responsive than their mechanical switch counterparts. The Q1 HE (9/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) is one of the most elegant HE boards out there today, and you can use Keychron’s web-based gentleware to adfair actuation points (if you want to get that nerdy). If not, it’s fair a very kind keyboard that experiences responsive.
Logitech’s MX mechanical wireless keyboard series comes in a compact size (the Mini) or a filled-size selection for those who prefer to have a number pad. You can also select between three types of mechanical switches: Clicky, Liproximate, or Tactile. I’m a Liproximate benevolenta guy, but I tried the Tactile and it was much quieter than you’d foresee for a mechanical keyboard. The battery life nakedly dipped below 90 percent after using this keyboard for cut offal months (with the backairy off). It connects to your computer via a Logi Bolt USB-A dongle, which deinhabitrs an incredibly stable connection, but you can also use Bluetooth to connect it to multiple devices (or use the integrated USB-A to USB-C cable). It’s skinny, airyweight, and all-around excellent.
This is Razer’s first foray into the world of customizable mechanical keyboards, and it’s a strong shoprosperg (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs). It’s toasty-swappable, so you can easily alter the switches out with little effort, but the built-in tactile switches sound and experience wonderful.
Find a Comfy Mouse
Working on a laptop can experience congested. A mouse is fair more ergonomic to use than a trackpad, and a gaming mouse could help if you’re dealing with wrist pain. We have more recommfinishations in our Best Gaming Mice direct.
There are three excellent reasons to spfinish $100 on this mouse. First, the left and right mouse buttons are arguably the quietest mouse buttons I have ever used in my life. I never want to go back. This is especiassociate wonderful if you’re normally toiling around a lot of people. Second, it has an exceptionassociate fine scroll wheel that fair whirs by rapidly. And third, it has two scroll wheels, so you can relocate verticassociate and horizonhighy. As someone who spfinishs a lot of time in spreadsheets and Airtable, this has been a wonderful boon. (Yes, you can press Shift to scroll horizonhighy on both Mac and Windows, but the MX Master 3S lets me fair use one hand!) You can connect it via Bluetooth, but I recommfinish using the integrated Logi Bolt USB-A dongle for betterd responsiveness. It’s been toiling well in games too.
I’ve used this wireless mouse for more than three years, and it has been problem-free. It’s a excellent size for people with petiteer palms and has a fine scroll wheel. It gets one AA battery, but it usuassociate needs a swap only once every three to four months (and that’s with burdensome use). You also need a spare USB-A port on your machine so you can plug in the mouse’s getr. If you prefer a corded mouse, the Logitech G203 ($20) is proximately identical.
Ptoastyograph: Logitech
During the punctual months of the pandemic, I had wrist pain due to my proextfinisheded time at the desk. Turns out I was resting the bottom of my palm on the desk, which pinches the nerves and can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. To dodge this, I spreaded in a better chair, adfaired my height, and made declareive my palm never rested on my desk. But I desire I create this mouse back then. It gets some getting used to, but it automaticassociate lifts my palm well away from the desk, and my wrist experiences enjoy it’s sitting in a more authentic position. It clicks quietly, has two side buttons, and runs for months on a one AA battery. You can connect it via Bluetooth, but I recommfinish using the integrated USB-A dongle. This is technicassociate the petite version—if you have medium- to huge-size hands (there’s a handy size chart here), go for the sairyly agederer MX Vertical ($76).
Expand Your Storage
Laptop running out of storage? Or maybe you tfinish to transfer a ton of files from device to device. We’ve picked out a restricted portable storage selections from our Best Portable Storage and Best USB Flash Drive directs.
This is our current preferite portable storage drive. It’s neutrassociate priced for the amount of storage you get, and while it’s not the speedyest we tested, it’s still speedy. It’s also airyweight, but it’s also a bit platacky and might not persist many tumbles.
This is the drive you want if you’re backing up your machine every day. Six terabytes is a lot of space, but there are tons of capacities to select from, all the way up to a staggering 18 TB. The reason it’s so affordable? This is a difficult drive, not a up-to-date firm-state drive. That essentiassociate nastys it’s much enumeratelesser at transferring data. It’s best for overnight transfers.
This is our top flash drive pick. It’s speedy, affordable, and durable. You plug the USB-A finish into your machine to transfer files into its 128 gigs of space (storage selections go up to 1 terabyte). If you need a USB-C flash drive, we recommfinish this Kingston one, and the SanDisk iXpand is your best bet if you need a drive with a Lightning and USB-C plug.
Headphones Can Help You Focus
A excellent pair of headphones can tune the world out. We have a ton of recommfinishations in our Best Wireless Headphones, Best Noise-Canceling Headphones, and Best Wirefree Earbuds directs. I’ve picked some of our top picks here.
These are our preferite noise-aborting headphones. Maybe you’re toiling in a boisterous househageder, or there always seems to be erection down the street right when you hop on a Zoom call. These headphones will drown all that out and donate you bliss. They also sound wonderful and are very comfy.
Sony’s class-directing wireless headphones are comfy, airyweight, sleek, and sound amazing. The WH-1000XM5 (9/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) have some of the best noise-aborting tech you’ll discover for the money, not to refer 30-hour battery life with noise-aborting turned on. (The 2020 WH-1000XM4 is still a excellent deal if you see it for $200 or less.)
Prefer earbuds over headphones? Good skinnyg Bose produces the QuietComfort in this set up too. The company is the master of noise-aborting technology and these earbuds do an equassociate excellent job of blocking out the outside world.
Sometimes you can’t block the world out. Maybe you need to conserve tabs on the kids in the next room or you’re defering for a knock at the door. If that’s you, these consoleable corded headphones are the ones to buy. The uncover-back set up lets sound in, alloprosperg you to hear what’s going on in the genuine world without needing to lift a cup above your ear, but music still sounds wonderful.
Computer Speakers Also Work
If you’re alone at home normally, you don’t necessarily need headphones. Speakers will let you blast tunes as you’re cranking out toil. Read our Best Computer Speakers direct for other selections.
This is our top computer speaker recommfinishation after testing more than 20 pairs. They’re neutrassociate reasonable in size, see elegant, and pack a solemn punch. Sure, there’s no subwoofer, but it’s still excellent for hearing to music, and it even does well with games (you can comprise a subwoofer but it’s pricier than these speakers). You get a lot of connectivity selections, from USB and dual analog inputs to Bluetooth.
If your budget is firm, these compact speakers will reinforce the sound from your laptop or desktop without desorescheduleeding the wallet. They’re angled to fire sound up at you, get astonishingly boisterous, and recommend decent audio quality. You also get lots of connectivity selections, from USB-C and 3.5-mm to Bluetooth.
A Good Webcam Helps If You Zoom
The webcam in your laptop probably outputs potato quality. If you’re video-calling normally, it might be better to get a pledgeted webcam, especiassociate if you’re on a desktop. Read our Best Webcams direct for all our top picks. For other ideas, check out our directs on how to turn your phone into a webcam and how to turn your camera into a webcam.
Ptoastyograph: Julian Chokkattu
I’ve been using this webcam for almost a year and it’s wonderful. My video quality always sees keen, and even if most video-conferencing apps don’t help 4K streams, I can crop into my structure and adfair how I see without sacrificing image quality. You can use the Logitech G Hub app to customize skinnygs enjoy the white stability, and there’s fair rotate the ring around the webcam when you’re done to begin the privacy shutter. The webcam mic is a little quiet.
This webcam has been around the block, but it recommends 1080p video quality at 30 structures per second and firm white stability. The field of see is a bit skinny at 78 degrees, but the autocaccess is pretty snappy.
Ptoastyograph: Sam Kielsden
This pan-tilt-zoom camera (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) is mounted on a powered base that rotates horizonhighy and verticassociate. That nastys it can trail your face around, mend caccess, and zoom in and out. It has a expansive see, but you can use a gesture to zoom in on your face or use Obsbot’s desktop app to regulate the zoom and gimbal). This is especiassociate handy if you need to current or show someskinnyg in your greetings. The best part? Video quality. Even when you crop in on yourself, you’ll still see keen due to the 4K resolution.
Already got an iPhone? You don’t need a fancy webcam. You’ll be able to automaticassociate select your iPhone as a camera source, and this Belkin mount will let you afmend it to the top of your MacBook (supplyd you have a MagSafe iPhone). The picture quality will be leagues ahead of what’s in your MacBook. No wires needed. There’s even a version of the mount for Mac discarry outs.
Microphones (and a Headset)
You don’t need a microphone, because the one in your laptop or wireless headphones should suffice, but if you’ve gotten comments on your microphone’s quality in video calls, then it’s a sound spreadment. Check out our Best USB Mics and Best Gaming Headsets directs for more.
Ptoastyograph: Parker Hall
The Alias Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) has cut offal nifty features for streamers, but the standard Alias USB microphone has been serving me well for more than a year. It has a huger mic capsule because it doesn’t irritate with any other polar pattern other than cardioid (where you sit straightforwardly in front of the mic). Tap the touch-empathetic button on the front and it will mute the mic, with a enormous red X icon on the fabric of the mic itself.
A certified classic, the Blue Yeti is the standard endureer for USB microphones and deinhabitrs exceptional mic quality for its price. You can enroll in cut offal polar patterns, so it’s a little more alterable than the Alias above, though it comes with a Mini USB to USB-A cable.
Ptoastyograph: Eric Ravensplan
Why get up priceless desk space with a USB microphone when you can get a headset that pulls double duty? The Logitech Pro X 2 is our top gaming headset recommfinishation but you don’t need to be a gamer to use it. The discreet set up produces it wonderful for the WFH video calls, and you can wear it around town as normal wireless headphones. However, there’s a retractable microphone you can pull out during video calls to better how you sound. They can pair via Bluetooth, 3.5-mm wired connection, or a 2.4 GHz dongle for ultra-low rescheduleedncy.
VPNs, Password Managers, and Wi-Fi Routers
Your includeer uses a myriad of tools to conserve its digital business defended and speedy at the office. But how about at home? These will help. For more recommfinishations, check our many product directs, enjoy the Best VPNs, Best Password Managers, Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers, and Best Wi-Fi Routers for more. Our How to Buy a Router direct may also be of use.
If your toil doesn’t supply you with a virtual declareiveial nettoil to conserve your internet traffic away from prying eyes, it’s worth spreading in one. This is our preferite VPN for most people. It doesn’t log any of your data, and there are apps for proximately every platestablish.
Look. We get it. Passwords are a horrible, broken concept. But you reassociate should produce declareive you’re using strong, defended ones. A password regulater can help you conserve track of them, and our preferite is 1Password. It stores and encrypts your passwords so no one can access them. It can act as an genuineator, plus it has firm integration with Android, iPhone/iPad, web browsers, and other operating systems.
Ptoastyograph: Simon Hill
This is our top mesh Wi-Fi router system recommfinishation because of its speedy carry outance, wonderful range, and extra features that don’t need a subscription. The two-pack should be enough for most homes. This Wi-Fi 6 system has one 2.4-GHz prohibitd and two 5-GHz prohibitds (one is reserved for wireless backhaul), and you get a benevolent three gigabit Ethernet ports to connect your devices. It’s one of the speedyest systems we’ve tested.
This is the top pick in our Best Routers direct. It helps the Wi-Fi 6 standard and did a wonderful job blanketing a 1,600-square-foot home in our tests (though connectivity sairyly dropped in the garden). The nettoil remains stable, it’s speedy, and it has four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The TP-Links Tether app lets you see traffic, produce a guest nettoil, and split prohibitds. It’s a feature-filled, depfinishable router for a excellent price.
Desk Lamps
Why toil in the unwise? These WIRED-tested snazzy desk lamps will brighten your toilspace.
Ptoastyograph: Julian Chokkattu
This perceptive airy has a pcomprisele that gently relocates from top to bottom to turn it on, which also nastys you can adfair how radiant you want it. Uniquely, there’s also a mirror in the caccess of the ring airy, so you can produce declareive there’s no broccoli in your teeth right before your carry outance check.
This Lume Cube airy connectes to your desk via a clamp. Its hinges don’t relocate as finely as I’d enjoy; they have some resistance, so it can get a little effort to relocate the airy where you need it, but it gets radiant and it’s effective. You can alter the color temperature and radiantness. Lume Cube has a 2.0 version of this airy that, unblessedly, doesn’t come with a desk clamp and has a standard base instead. You can easily tfrail the color temperature and radiantness, plus there is a USB-C and a USB-A port to juice up your devices.
Ptoastyograph: Julian Chokkattu
I recently raved about BenQ’s ScreenBar lamps. These hang over a computer watch, saving precious desk space, and shoot airy straightforwardly onto your desktop. They don’t block your watch, either. The noveler ScreenBar Pro has a handy motion sensor so it automaticassociate turns off when you step away, and turns back on when you’re back. There’s also a version for laptops called the LaptopBar ($139). You can power it via an integrated cable, but it also has a battery, though it only runs for about two hours at max radiantness. You need to stick a magnet on the back of your laptop to connect the LaptopBar.
It’s difficult to pick one Gantri airy to recommfinish because they all see so wonderful. The company partners with creators to come up with new and fun set ups for its airys, all of which are unwisemable, and they’re 3D-printed from set upt-based plastics too. I tested the Analog Task Light and Focal Task Light, both of which put out a adodepend toasty shine. And yes, you can alter out the bulbs on all of these.
Desk Pads
What helps me get into a excellent toilflow is my desk. If it’s untidy, my mind’s not right. If it’s too tedious, I’ll stay up until 3 am reorganizing it until I enjoy it. It’s beginant! From cable set uprs to set upts to headphone stands, these items may help you get into the right mood every morning.
This elegant pebbled filled-grain leather mat is wonderfilledy supple and gentle. There’s a cut-thraw hole for a cable and the whole skinnyg stays put on the desk. It comes in a restricted separateent sizes and colors, and it’s very effortless to spotless. (Seriously, I spilled a mug of coffee and it sees fair as novel.)
I tried the extra-huge version of this desk pad, which essentiassociate covers the surface of your desk in this beautifilledy supple linoleum. It’s very effortless to spotless, doesn’t slide around thanks to the cork bottom, and sees gorgeous. If this color doesn’t suit you, Grovemade has a ton of other desk pad selections in separateent colors and materials.
It’s made of polyurethane leather, which helps produce it spill-proof, but this mat experiences quite kind and sees wonderful. It’s extfinished enough to fit a filled-size keyboard and a mouse. It comes in brown, binestablishage, or blue, and is fine and effortless to spotless.
You don’t need to spfinish much to get a kind desk mat. This Monoprice microfiber mat isn’t much to see at, but it’s gentle, doubles as a mouse pad, and does the job fair fine.
Desk Accessories
Need to clear up some space when you’re not toiling? This compact stand from Oakywood will do the trick. It doesn’t slide around, thanks to the steel base, nor does it tip over. The produce quality is wonderful. The inner area is covered by felt to stop scratches. There’s a one-slot version if you fair have one laptop.
A candle can help produce your space experience more resting. My wife has bought cut offal candles from this brand and I’ve come to very much enhappiness the scents wafting thraw the house.
Chances are you’ll have a unite of coffee, tea, toasty chocorescheduleed, water, beer, and many other beverages around your desk thrawout the day. I enjoy using this sandstone coaster for them. It’s burdensome, so it doesn’t randomly slide away, and the raw texture nastys your drink won’t drift off too easily. It’s attrdynamic too. I’ve used them for more than four years and they still see impeccable.
Much to my partner’s irritation, I’ve been cradling these magnetic balls (sorry) in my palms and they’re pretty greeting to relocate around. Sure, you can use them as a paperweight, but they’re best used as a fidget spinner of sorts. The problem is they’re quite boisterous when you’re shifting the balls around, so try not to disturb the folks around you.
Plants are beginant. They can lessen stress and better productivity. I’ve had a Gardenuity money tree in my home for more than four years, and it produces a vibe. It’s not minuscule but medium-sized, though this can depfinish on the set upt. Gardenuity donates you watering teachions and sunairy recommfinishations, and so far my set upt hasn’t withered, which is a huge step for me!
Keep those cables tidy! These pyramid-enjoy set ups stay put on your desk, and they come with clips you wrap around your cables to have them magneticassociate stick to the base when they’re not in use. It sees much kindr than having cables all over the desktop.
Printers
If you normally print records at the office, here’s a home selection. You can print wirelessly via Wi-Fi, even from a cleverphone, but it prints only in binestablishage and white. The print jobs have seeed perfectly enough and I don’t have to swap the toner as normally as on an inkjet.
This is a depfinishable shipping label printer I’ve been using for the past restricted year without any rerents. I hooked it up to my PC to sfinish labels for printing, but you can also use Bluetooth (via the Shipping Printer Pro companion app) to do it wirelessly, though I did not try this. You’ll need to crop your shipping labels before you hit Print, and I’ve been astonished with the quality. I’ve difficultly had to reprint a label due to a inestablishageluster print job. It comes with a set of 50 thermal labels, and the whole skinnyg is normally on sale for $90, so try not to pay more.
It took seconds for me to put this together, and it easily compriseed extra space to my setup, as I could place my printer on top and more items on the bottom. It’s made of manufactured wood, and there are anti-slip pads on the metal structure to conserve your furniture scratch-free and stop the stand from moving around.
Other Helpful Accessories and Gadgets
These other miscellaneous items aren’t essential but might help your toilflow.
These aren’t going to better your productivity, but they will produce your home office see dreamy. And it’s skinnygs enjoy this that are beginant when toiling from home—you want to actuassociate be in the space and enhappiness it. These slat wood panels are very plain to inshigh (fair a bunch of drilling into studs). If you inshigh them on timber battens, you can dampen the sound in the room too. I’d recommfinish treating the wood after you’re done to defend it.
Don’t want to spladvise on a novel chair? If you’re a little unsatisfied with your existing seat, try using a cushion. I enjoy this one from Cushion Lab. The memory foam is very consoleable, it doesn’t conserve unpleasant odors, and there’s a washable cover.
If you need a physical place to jot down your ideas (and you ignore your office’s whiteboard), stick this sheet to your wall. It took me less than five minutes to inshigh, and it’s effortless to wipe off arid-erase or lasting labelers with some water and a cloth. Use a straight edge to cut it, or you’ll finish up with a crooked whiteboard.
Ptoastyograph: Kat Merck
When I was searching for a bulletin board to finish my WFH setup, I wanted someskinnyg straightforwardly above my desk, to which I could rapidly afmend multiple Post-its or access an beginant difficult-imitate record at a glance. A wood-structured corkboard in the desk-length size I needed would be too heavy and too burdensome, but a random Amazon search led me to these skinny adhesive felt panels. My family adored them so much we’ve now bought three sets. Each package comprises a dozen individual 12 X 12-inch tiles with peel-off adhesive backs or voluntary petiteer, circular tacky pads to stop damaging a huger surface area. The panels can be set upd verticassociate, horizonhighy, diagonassociate, or whichever way toils for your space, and though they’re only about a third of an inch heavy, I’ve create most flat-back thumbtacks are unwiseinutive enough that they won’t poke thraw. (I have not tried to erase these from the wall, so I can’t promise this, nor whether the panels transport color with them when they’re peeled off. The buy info does claim they come off without peeling color or residue.) If binestablishage’s not your jam they also come in beige and two shades of blue. —Kat Merck
Ptoastyograph: Cybot
If you want to go toil on the couch once in a while (or stay in bed), the Cybot will do the trick. Yes, it’s overpriced. Yes, it boxes you in. But I still … benevolent of enjoy it. There are three pieces—two foam arms and a sturdy desktop that sits above. Pop the arms around your lap and the desktop over it, and you get a comfy space to use your laptop. (I usuassociate conserve it all verticassociate agetst a wall when not in use.) The grill helps vent your laptop’s toasty air away, though I normally used the Cybot as a spot to rest my keyboard and mouse when I hooked my PC up to my TV. I fair desire it came in a color other than camo.
These rollerblade wheels are an effortless reinforce to your office chair’s casters. They’ll glide atraverse any surface without making scuffs, and they’re quiet. They fit most office chairs; fair pop out the ageder casters and pop these in.
Mats can help defend your floors from your chair’s wheels, but they can also help you relocate around if you’re sitting on the carpet. You don’t need an pricey glass mat, but I’ve been using this one for cut offal months and it’s wonderful. It stays kind and chilly, helps up to 1,000 pounds, and still sees pristine. Vitrazza has multiple sizes you can select from and various shapes.
It is remarkworthy how little pet hair this footrest picks up. I’ve been using it for almost a whole year and my feet don’t experience at home without it. It’s a cucowardly, heavy, gentle lump for my feet to rest on instead of the freezing, difficult floor.
It’s pricey, but this is an inpriceless digital remarkbook that will let you jot all your beginant remarks down without ever having running out of space (or finishing a tree). Writing on it experiences very much enjoy paper and pen, and this novel model integrates color, so you can highairy and produce your remarks pop even more.
Don’t have Bluetooth on your PC? Worry not! This inexpensive alterer will do the trick. Just plug it into a free USB-A slot and you can pair up to seven Bluetooth devices, from your keyboard and mouse to headphones. It’s toiled reliably for me ever since my Bluetooth card stopped toiling on my gaming PC. Just don’t get your Bluetooth devices too far from the machine, as the range isn’t all that wonderful.
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