A large number of people across the globe make a living through freelancing. These people work from their homes for clients or remote organizations. However, the global pandemic of Covid-19 has forced many people with full-time jobs to also work from their homes. This has created the need for a good home office that’s equipped with all the tech essentials. The question is, what are they? Let’s find out.
1. Computer or Laptop
The most important thing you need for your home office is, of course, a decent computer or laptop that’s powerful enough to handle your work. For instance, if you are an animator or graphics designer, then you need a machine with lots of RAM and a powerful processor. On the other hand, if you are a content writer, then you may do just fine with a mid-range processor and maybe just 8 GB RAM. So, make sure you consider these factors when you buy a computer/laptop.
Note: If you already have a personal laptop but it’s slow for your office work, then rather than buying a new laptop, you can just take a few steps to upgrade your slow laptop.
2. Digital Security Program
The Internet is replete with all kinds of threats such as phishing attacks, malware, ransomware, spyware, etc. So, when you are online, you are always at a risk of data theft or data corruption. Fortunately, you can easily mitigate this risk by using a comprehensive home office security solution that offers benefits like multi-layer ransomware protection, limited impact on the system’s resources, cloud-based management for your devices, etc. Ideally, you should buy a digital security service that offers support for multiple devices – computers, phones, and tablets.
3. Printer
Most files and documents that you need to work with at home will be digital. However, you will need some physical documents and files as well to share them with clients, vendors, and colleagues. For that, you need a good printer.
If you want a good printer on a budget, then you can’t go wrong with an inkjet printer like Epson EcoTank ET-4760. It offers cartridge-free printing and large-size ink tanks. It’s also economical and easy-to-use. However, if you can stretch your budget a little, then you should go for a laser printer as that can provide you with sharper and clearer prints.
4. Router
You need a good router for your home office because if the network goes down, then it can really throw a spanner in the works. Lucky for you, there are plenty of options out there. For instance, if you want a small router that gets the job done, then you can go with ASUS RT-AC68U. Otherwise, if you want something more powerful that can offer a stronger signal and has a capacity for transferring large files, then you can pick Netgear Nighthawk X10. You can also use a product like Bitdefender BOX by Bitdefender as that can offer all the features of a good router along with online security.
5. UPS
If your area faces frequent power fluctuations, then you should use a UPS device to protect your equipment- PC, router, etc. and also to avail power backup. There are two major companies that offer the best UPS devices – CyberPower and APC. Just make sure that the product you pick offers enough backup for the kind of equipment you need to use it with.
So, there you have it – some of the most important tech products and tools you need to set up your home office. Remember, these products are the bare essentials and you can add more items to the list as per your requirements. These include a more advanced smartphone, enterprise-grade software, surge protector, etc.