If you’re one of the millions of workers whose office has been forced to shutter due to the COVID-19 crisis, you’re already fully aware of how difficult the transition to home can be. Workers without a dedicated home office and smart technologies can find themselves without the tools they need to get their job done effectively.
Thankfully, there are now more technologies than ever that can ease the burden of homebound workers. While it may not be possible to re-create the entire infrastructure found at your office, picking the right platforms and services can go a long way toward making a functional workspace at home.
If you’re looking for a way to make it easier to stay on top of your business without leaving the house, take a look at one of these cutting-edge technologies:
1. Plume
In the new digital economy, being able to stay connected is the top priority. While your office may have the bandwidth to support high levels of usage, the same might not be true for your home. As entire families get confined under one roof, the strain on your Wi-Fi can be immense.
In order to keep your home’s broadband from breaking under strain, you’ll need Plume’s Adaptive WiFi. Adaptive WiFi allocates bandwidth to different portions of your house at different times, according to your regular usage. This allows the people in your home, with parental-controlled access, to use the internet as they please without significantly reducing streaming or download speed for others. For home workers, the Wi-Fi being overloaded isn’t an option — and Plume’s Adaptive WiFi is your best bet to prevent the issue.
2. Google Nest Hub Max
Designed to compete with Amazon’s Echo systems, Google Nest has quickly emerged as a frontrunner in the world of smart home devices. Though Google Nest offers a number of products that can be interconnected and placed throughout your home, the Google Nest Hub Max is one of its newest offerings — as well as its most powerful.
The Nest Hub Max is a tablet-sized screen whose capabilities are too numerous to list here. They, however, include everything from playing music curated for the person using it to sending dictated emails without pressing a button. While the Nest Hub Max is a great investment in and of itself, its ability to connect with other smart devices is its biggest asset, allowing you to make it the centerpiece of your digital office.
3. Samsung SmartThings
While Google and Amazon may seem to dominate the smart home market, Samsung is no slouch. While its smart products are perfectly functional, Samsung’s SmartThings platform is far and away its biggest selling point.
Whereas a Google Nest Hub can only connect with other Google Nest devices, SmartThings can connect to a number of different products — regardless of their brand. With SmartThings, you can pick and choose the devices that best suit your needs before incorporating them all in one cohesive network. This prevents you from being forced into one brand’s products. By giving you that level of choice, SmartThings makes optimizing your home office easy.
4. Vari Desk
While it might not sound like a “technology” in the traditional sense, the right desk is still a crucial component of every home office. Many new homebound workers might be using old desks, tables, or even no desk — all of which can seriously hinder productivity in the long run.
The right desk is a must-have for any home office, and those made by Vari are often the best on offer. Vari’s desks are adjustable, allowing you to sit or stand as you please, and they incorporate a number of different add-ons for storage, devices, or privacy panels. Being able to customize your workspace is crucial for keeping things going from home, and Vari allows you to do it with ease.
5. WEMO Smart Plug
All workers recently sent home will find that they start to use ever-larger numbers of devices over time. Keeping track of which of these devices is on when it needs to be can be a massive pain and push up your electricity bill as well — an unnecessary expense in times like these.
Smart plugs from WEMO allow you to disable various outlets remotely, as well as put them on an on-off schedule that suits your usage patterns. Having centralized control over your home’s electricity allows you to keep track of usage remotely, helping you manage your devices without getting dragged down by endless menus and restart screens.
6. Logitech Webcam
Videoconferencing has already become the name of the game for businesses. It stands to reason that you need to have the gear to make it work. While many computers and laptops have built-in webcams, they are often poor-quality and can degrade over time.
If you’re looking to maximize your videoconferencing experience, it’s time to invest in a webcam from Logitech. Logitech’s cameras are affordable, high-quality, and easy to connect to your device. Coming across clearly is crucial for getting the most from your online meetings; getting a proper webcam can ensure that’s always be the case.
Even after the COVID-19 crisis has subsided, there will likely still be more remote work opportunities than ever before. By investing in the right smart technologies, you can set yourself up for a productive future in your new home office.
