All the equipment you need to turn your home into a home office.
The pandemic changed the way we live and work, and the most pronounced impact has been on working from home. A large percentage of workers now report to work from their spare bedrooms, living rooms, or kitchens, trading out the traditional office environment for one that wasn’t strictly designed for effective work.
While many have made their homes into comfortable working situations, many more struggle to find the best home office equipment for turning a home into a welcoming workplace. Whether for increasing comfort, unlocking efficiency, reducing distractions, or enhancing capabilities, here is a selection of products that should be high on your work from home equipment checklist.
Creating a new work from home setup or looking for ways to improve your existing home office? Read our guide for practical tips and principles.
The best home office equipment
From computers to scanners to purpose-made furniture, your work from home equipment checklist should include a range of items that will encourage a productive office environment. This guide will help you sort through the “nice to have” and the “truly essential” to set your focus on the things you absolutely need for the optimal home office.
Computer
Few work-from-home jobs can be done without a computer of some kind. A modern Windows PC or Mac computer will allow you to complete your tasks efficiently, and many of the best options come with built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers, allowing you to cross a few more items off the work from home equipment checklist. Though the growth of web apps that run right in your browser means compatibility is less of a concern than in decades past, take care to ensure that any essential applications will run on your computer of choice.
Form factor is also an important consideration. While a desktop PC will give you potentially extra power and configuration options, most modern laptops are more than capable of handling standard office tasks, plus they give you the freedom to work from the porch or couch. If you’re working in a shared space, or a space that converts from office work during the day to something else at night (a kitchen table, for example), a laptop will also make clean-up easier.
Monitor
Even a moderately sized computer monitor can dramatically improve the ergonomics and efficiency of your workspace. Whether you use it as a primary monitor for a desktop computer or as a second monitor for a laptop, a good monitor will give you plenty of screen real estate and reduce the need to slouch or strain to see what you’re working on. Some monitors even come with built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers.
Desk
Unless you’re making extra use of a kitchen table (or your lap), a desk is essential for holding all of the things that make up your home office. A standing or convertible desk can help you stay limber throughout the day, while a desk with drawers will help you stay organized. A good desk should be solidly built, fit your general decor, and hold all of the devices and materials you need ready access to.
Chair
A chair is, perhaps, the most personalized work from home office equipment purchase you will make. First and foremost, it should be comfortable, since it will support you for many hours to come (even if you opt for a standing desk, it’s best to keep a chair on hand for breaks).
An adjustable chair will allow you to get your perfect fit and make it easier for you to create a workspace that is ergonomically appropriate. Even if you purchase the rest of your equipment online, you should prioritize trying out your chair in person if at all possible — many office equipment stores offer floor models that will allow you to feel how a range of chairs suit your body. Whether you try in person first or not, look for a retailer with a generous return policy in case you discover what was comfortable at hour one becomes unpleasant at hour five.
Digital storage
For when you need to take your work with you — perhaps back to the office — a portable storage solution is invaluable. It’s easy to find portable drives that will hold all of the files you need while making travel easy for all but the most storage-intensive professions. Note that portable drives with internal hard disks typically offer more storage at a cheaper price, but they are often both slower and more fragile than solid-state drives.
Noise-canceling headphones
Home is many things, but quiet is not always one of them. Between children, pets, garbage trucks, noisy neighbors, and beyond, there can be a lot of noisy distractions.
Did You Know?:The ScanSnap line of document digitization devices is built to help you digitize your world with the push of a button, from sensitive tax documents to important photographs and beyond.
ANC headphones tend to be more expensive but are invaluable for anyone who deals with distracting noise in their workspace. They also make great travel companions for flights or other noisy environments.
Web cameras
Even if you’re using a laptop with a built-in camera, it may not offer the highest-resolution view (or the most complementary angle). Purchasing a standalone webcam may give you a better picture, and it will also give you more control over how you look in meetings or other video check-ins. They’re typically easy to set up, with most handling the process through a standard USB plug-in and a quick installation wizard.
Lighting
Lighting is something we often take for granted, but most home spaces aren’t equipped with lighting appropriate for working or on-camera meetings. A good table lamp can help shed some light on things. Or, if you spend a good amount of time in meetings, a light specifically designed to illuminate your face may be a wise choice.
Most web camera lights are sized to mount on the back of your monitor and plug into your computer with a USB cable. This choice is especially useful if you have to turn your workspace into a home space at the end of the day. The light — and computer — can pack away easily.
Uninterruptible power supply
Accidents can happen, as do storms, brownouts, and other power outages. Losing work due to the power going out can be a frustrating — and costly — experience. An uninterruptible power supply is essentially a big battery that you plug into the wall and then plug your devices into. If the power goes out, the battery switches on, giving you a precious few minutes to save your work before shutting down.
These are best used for semi-permanent office spaces, as they can be quite heavy. It is not something you’ll want to lug around with you, but if the thought of losing work scares you, you’ll be glad you have it.
Did You Know?:PCMagazine described the ScanSnap iX1400 as “...easy to learn and powerful.” Click here to read the full review and learn why it earned a 4 out of 5 rating.
Scanner
Workplaces are increasingly digital, but paper documents remain essential for a range of professions — and “scanning” important paperwork with a phone app may not always yield the best results. Picking out a powerful yet practical document digitization device will help ensure paper documents remain an effective part of your modern home office rather than a perennial stumbling block.
Our recommendation: ScanSnap iX1400
We know you have no shortage of options when it comes to choosing a home office document scanner. We pride ourselves on having spent the last 50+ years designing and developing some of the most beloved electronics in the world, including our line of award-winning, easy-to-use, one-touch ScanSnap scanners.
The ScanSnap iX1400 is one-touch simple, with the ability to scan up to 40 pages per minute. Its ability to scan photos, receipts, and documents will help you declutter your home office. Meanwhile, you can keep your workflow organized with the option to save your digitized documents as searchable PDFs, JPEGs, and editable Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our production scanner line.
Note: Information and external links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes only. PFU America, Inc. makes no representations about the contents, features, or specifications on such third-party sites, software, and/or offerings (collectively “Third-Party Offerings”) and shall not be responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such Third-Party Offerings.
