6 new gadgets designed to make working from home easier
It’s a hybrid work world for many people, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep using the same tools you have been for the past few years.
The growth in the number of home-office workers, whether those who have opted to take an entrepreneurial path or those who have grown accustomed to the flexibility remote work offers, has created a new market for tech companies. And they’re eager to create tools that both telecommuters and road warriors can use to make their jobs easier.
Here are some of the best products we’ve come across in the past month or two that make working from home (or on the road) significantly more productive.
For streamlining your home office
A dock for multiple monitors and gadgets
Dual monitors make it a lot easier to multitask, but if you’re working from a laptop, that’s a challenge. Plugable’s Thunderbolt 4 Quad 4K docking station lets you run up to four monitors from your laptop with no slowdown in processing power, via a Thunderbolt connection. In addition, you’ll gain four extra USB ports (two of which are 10 Gbps), an additional USB-C port, an ethernet port, a slot for Micro SD cards, and more. It’s unobtrusive and, at $299, not a budget breaker.
A dock for better Zoom meetings
If a large-scale multi-monitor setup isn’t your thing, Logitech has an all-in-one docking station called the Logi Dock with built-in meeting controls and speakerphone to assist with Zoom or Microsoft Team calls. This $399 device will clear your desk of clutter and the rat’s nest of cables that tend to accumulate. You can charge up to five USB peripherals, run two monitors at once, and connect with earbuds via Bluetooth. It will also power laptops up to 100W. The speaker has six noise-canceling microphones to drown out the distracting sounds of home (like your dog barking or your kids playing in the backyard), and audio is clear and distortion free.
For staying connected
A super-fast—and sleek—router
A speedy internet connection is essential to home workers, but often the best routers are . . . well, kind of ugly. TP-Link and Archer, however, have teamed to offer the BE900, a Wi-Fi 7 router that’s not only fast, but also good-looking. It features a touchscreen on the bottom that presents upload and download speeds, along with customizable information (including, if you’d like, weather forecasts). It’s also compatible with EasyMesh, meaning you can use it along with other routers (or extenders) to provide blanket coverage around your home. And it has a ton of ports for added flexibility. It’s not cheap at $699, but Wi-Fi 7 routers rarely are.
For heavy multitasking
A monitor to rule all monitors
Admittedly, Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) might be a lot more monitor than most people need, but if a multi-monitor setup is too complicated at your desk—yet, you still need to multitask or work in a graphics field—this is the choice for you. At 49 inches, the monitor wraps around you, giving you a thorough view of everything you’re working on. It’s a QD-OLED screen, meaning the colors explode in a bright, color-accurate way, and it opts for a glossy screen, rather than anti-glare, giving it even more pop. And if you do decide to take a break and use it for gaming, you’ll be immersed in the title you choose more than you ever could be with a typical rectangular screen. The as-yet-unpriced monitor (last year’s model went for $2,300) also supports Samsung’s Gaming Hub interface, meaning you can connect an Xbox controller to it and play via Xbox Cloud Gaming without having to hook up a console (or even a PC!).
For keeping your devices powered
A tiny but mighty charging station
One of the keys to productivity for home workers is avoiding clutter. But since we’re rarely far from our phones, that means desks are often littered with charging cords, even when you’re not in need of some juice. Otter Box’s 3-in-1 charging station is compact, and charges your iPhone, Airpods, and Apple Watch all at once, using MagSafe. It’s heavy enough that you won’t have to worry about accidentally knocking it over, but designed to blend in with the rest of your office devices. It runs $150 and comes in both black or white.
A solar-powered indoor generator
Power outages are one of the real hazards of telecommuting. If a storm knocks out your power, that doesn’t mean your boss will be especially understanding. A generator is a must and Geneverse’s new indoor-safe ones are especially handy for hybrid workers. The HomePower PRO Plus has a capacity of 4838Wh, 4400W of rated power and a surge power of 8800W. It’s portable (with wheels for easy transport), has 18 available outlets and even gives you an idea of how long it will last, running different technology (laptops to refrigerators). When the power runs out? Just stick it in a window or outside, and the generator will recharge via attached solar panels in 2 to 4 hours. It will go on sale early in the second quarter of this year.
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