Do you also have to work from home in the coming weeks because of the corona outbreak? Not everyone can call on the advice to work at home as much as possible, but fortunately for a lot of people this applies in this digital era. If you usually work on location, chances are that you have not yet set up an ideal office. You can work from home with the following items comfortably and efficiently.
Sit-stand desk and desk chair
Although almost all of us prefer to buy a new monitor, mouse or notebook, if the base is not good, the end result will never be. A good desk and a nice desk chair are then important considerations. A sit-stand desk is adjustable in height so that you can alternate sitting and standing while working. Changing work posture is healthy and ensures mental fitness during the day.
The Dutch Innodesk ErgoDirect is electrically adjustable in height and has a large worktop in which all cables can be conveniently hidden. Optionally, you can link the desk to the smart Work & Move software that monitors your performance throughout the day and ensures that you switch between sitting and standing sufficiently often.
An alternative to an entire desk is the (much cheaper) Adjustable Sit-Stand Desk Riser. This consists of a platform for your mouse and keyboard and a second for the screen, which can be raised or lowered together with one hand. This way you can also turn your current desk into a sit-stand desk.
At least as important as a good desk is a good chair. In addition to comfort and good support for the back and legs, the chair should also encourage you to keep moving. Legs with wheels and a height and depth adjustable seat are then mandatory. The range of office chairs that promise maximum comfort and meet all health and safety requirements for a good workplace is large, which makes it difficult to make a good choice. For example, look at the range of Desko, a web store that also trades in second-hand office furniture.
Instead of working standing up at a high desk, you can also add a DeskBike and work while cycling. This ensures good blood flow to the legs. It is important that height and resistance are adjustable. With a connected meter or smart app you know exactly how many kilometers you have pedaled under work.
Light and air
Nothing beats natural daylight, but even then additional lighting is often needed. Good light supports you during work and study with the correct brightness and light color. Dyson, known for the bagless vacuum cleaners, also makes lighting. The Dyson Lightcycle is an ultra-durable LED light that automatically adjusts to the time of day, your age and your activity. The lamp knows where your house is and uses that information to display light at any time of the day with the ideal brightness and light color for that moment.
The Lightcycle can be controlled both with buttons on the lamp and via an app. There are profiles for study and relaxation, for example, and you can add new ones yourself. The design makes it possible to move the lamp from very low to very high and 360 degrees. And there is also a USB charger.
Another important aspect of the ideal office is the climate. And besides fresh air, it is about the right temperature. Especially warm weather, as we experience more and more, makes working or studying difficult. Also from Dyson is the Pure Cool Me. A compact one-person air conditioner that also filters the air with an anti-allergen HEPA filter. The airflow is easy to control by hand and can be controlled with the small remote control. There is also a timer function, but a smart app like the more expensive Dyson coolers is missing.
Laptop and accessories
The computer is of course central to the office, and because the laptop is the new PC, we opt for that. Notebooks usually offer much more usage options than a traditional PC in a large system cabinet. For this article we assume that you already have a computer. But if you are really ready for something new, then definitely read our buying guide for laptops. You then know what to look for and you will find an overview of recent models that have appealed to us in recent times.
A laptop can easily be expanded with numerous handy peripherals, especially if it is used at a fixed workplace. Then you can think of an ergonomic keyboard and mouse like the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop, or an innovative and above all creative keyboard like the Logitech Craft. A mouse or trackball also makes operating a laptop so much easier. Logitech has been the only company in this field for many years that makes very high-quality and innovative products for office use, such as the MX Master 2S and MX Vertical (75 euro) mice and especially the MX Ergo trackball, all of which can be found on the aforementioned Logitech site.
The latter is wireless, rechargeable, and can be tilted to your own preference and comfort. In addition, all of the top mice have familiar functions, with the difference that they lie quietly on the table and thus make operating the computer an extremely quiet activity.
If you use the laptop in combination with a separate keyboard and mouse, use a stand so that the screen of the laptop is at the correct height. There is a wide range of such standards, some very stylish and others especially practical.
The wafer-thin Ultrastand is especially interesting because it is attached to the laptop. So you always have these at hand. The Ultrastand is available for different brands and models of laptops. Another standard that is generally usable, foldable and fitted with a document holder is the Ergo-Q 260.
Second screen
The best extension for a laptop on the desktop is a larger display. Windows 10 also offers more and better support for using multiple monitors. Need really much and good image, then Philips 499P9H the new standard. This 1.20 meter wide superwide LCD screen offers a whopping 49 inches of continuous image, that is 5120 x 1440 pixels. Even the largest spreadsheet now fits with yet another document next to it, all in one view.
There is also a USB-C hub, a network port, integrated speaker and a folding webcam that is compatible with Windows Hello, so you can log in to your PC without having to enter a username and password. Thanks to the integrated KVM switch, you can also connect the mouse and keyboard directly to the screen and thus switch between two connected systems.
A little too much of a good thing? It can certainly be less exaggerated and also cheaper. Take a look at our monitor buying guide to find a display that fits your needs.
Webcam and headphones
Working together is the new way of working and a good camera and headset are of course required. If you do not have a webcam or one with poor image and sound, the Logitech Brio is a real upgrade. The Brio makes razor-sharp images in 4K quality, which although not yet supported by every communication app, but which makes it possible to really zoom or to sit in front of the camera with more than one person.
If you like to listen to music while working, then the wireless headphones Bose QuietComfort 35 II a good choice. You listen to music while the excellent noise-canceling filters out all disturbing ambient noise. If you want to communicate in addition to listening, take a look at the PLT Voyager 8200 from Plantronics. The Voyager 8200 is a noise-canceling headset with an integrated microphone that can simultaneously connect to a PC and smartphone, so you don’t miss a call.
The operation for volume, stopping the music or starting a conversation is done via the large buttons on the outside of the earcups.
If you want to know more about the best headsets of the moment, take a look at our best headphones buying guide.
The Apple offering
A device that is increasingly used for business purposes is the tablet. The offer is also very clear, for Android enthusiasts there is the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Windows users have the Microsoft Surface Pro and Apple users opt for an iPad Pro. The latter is perhaps the best choice due to its high-quality material and more than excellent screen.
Extra attractive is iPad OS, a special iPad version of Apple iOS with numerous new features that should make the iPad a real alternative to the notebook. iPad OS offers more options for multitasking, virtual desktops, a business Dark Mode and the option to use the iPad as a second screen next to another Mac.
The 11-inch iPad Pro especially comes into its own in combination with Apple products such as the Apple Pencil and a Smart Keyboard Folio. But the Logitech Slim Folio Pro keyboard cover is also a nice accessory.
The iPad is also a great companion next to a real Mac like the iMac. Because an iMac Pro is only really for professionals, the ‘regular’ iMac remains the best choice for most workrooms. The 27inch-iMac has a beautiful 5K retina display, built-in speakers with good sound and 802.11ac Wi-Fi (figure 17). While Apple is unworkably economical with ports with the Macbooks, that is no problem on the iMac and even a second 5K monitor can be connected via one of the USB-C ports.
Stable network
What is especially necessary to work well and to be free to sit somewhere else in the office, is good wifi. At the same time, you do not want all those buzzing, flashing and heat-producing network devices in your office, which fit better in the meter cupboard. To still have a good WiFi connection everywhere and even to connect some devices with a cable, the AVM Fritz! Powerline 1260E an ideal solution.
The set consists of two units that you plug into the socket (one near the router and one in the office), which automatically establish a high-speed connection via the mains. In addition, the 1260E offers gigabit network ports and WiFi AC up to 866 MBit / sec, fast enough also for audio, video and gaming.
More tips for a stable home network? Also read the articles An optimal home network in 14 steps and 15 solutions for all your WiFi problems.
Print and scan
The ideal office also has a printer that can also serve as a scanner and copier for all devices in the house. The printer must therefore be easily accessible via the network via both LAN and WiFi and for mobile devices also NFC. The choice between a laser or ink printer is less easy to make. Laser remains ideal for high-volume printing, but ink still has an advantage in photo printing. Black and white is clearly no longer good enough, color printing is so much nicer.
To reduce paper costs, we opt for a printer that can also print on both sides. The Canon i-SENSYS MF633Cdw offers all this, print in excellent quality and the replacement toners are also affordable. The latter in particular is a hidden cost item for many printers. Of course there are many more printers. So be sure to read the article How to find the best printer.
Your office is now ready, but you are not there yet. Because you also need the right software. That is why we would like to refer you to this article full of homework tips.
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