Home Office Setup Guide (2025): Webcams, Desks, Chairs, and More

No matter if you’re working from home full-time or just a few days a week, it’s important to carve out a home office setup that separates your work and personal lives. It’s equally vital that your workstation is kitted out with the right gear and accessories to make the day more bearable and comfortable. Since 2020, we’ve been testing standing desks, office chairs, monitors, USB hubs, keyboards, and tons of other work-from-home gear in our own lives. These are our favorites.

Updated June 2025: We’ve added several new products in nearly every category.

You’ll Need a Good Laptop or PC

We’re guessing you have a laptop or desktop PC, whether a personal device or your company’s. If not, here are a few of our favorite laptops. Our step-by-step laptop buying guide can also help.

Photograph: Luke Larsen

A MacBook Air is more than what most people need. The M4 chip is quite capable, even if you have light photo editing needs, and the hardware is excellent. The webcam is sharp, the display is bright, the battery is long-lasting, and there’s decent port selection. It even supports two external monitors, so you can hook it up to other screens. If you need a bigger laptop display, go for the 15-inch MacBook Air, which also upgrades the speakers.

With a 16-inch OLED screen, the Zenbook S 16 is a laptop you’ll want to keep using after work hours. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 CPU with Radeon 880M graphics, along with 24 GB of RAM, which is plenty to handle most tasks compared to laptops in this price and weight class. It also lasts a long time off the charger—14 hours in our tests—so you can bring it to every room without lugging a power brick.

If you can do all your work via a browser, which happens to be Google Chrome, consider a Chromebook. The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is the best Chromebook ever made, with no flex whatsoever, a great trackpad, and an OLED display. It’s plenty fast for web-browsing tasks and has a handful of helpful AI features. Port selection is a little limited, and you’ll have to pay an extra $100 for the version with the touchscreen.

Why get a laptop if you’re working from home? Get a desktop instead and craft a set the build your workstation around it. Our top all-in-one computer recommendation right now is the latest iMac, which has plenty of power (and can be configured to deliver more), not to mention an excellent nano-texture screen (a separate add-on) that immensely reduces glare. It comes with a keyboard and mouse.

Alternatively, if you’d rather supply your the display and peripherals, you could get the Mac Mini instead. This tiny computer has enough power for most people and plenty of ports. Just hook up a display and peripherals to it and personalize your workstation.

Great Desks

A workstation starts with a good desk, and sometimes that means one that can convert into a standing desk so you can change things up. Read our Best Standing Desks guide for more recommendations.

Branch Four Leg Standing Desk

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

A four-legged desk is to a two-legged desk like a round watch is to a square one. It just looks better. Branch’s Four Leg Desk has motors in each telescoping leg, and while they’re louder than expected, they do an admirable job of lifting this desktop as high as 45 inches. Setup is fairly simple, and you have two desk sizes to choose from.

If you don’t mind the standing desk aesthetic, this Vari ComfortEdge is our top recommendation for most people. There are several sizes to choose from, and the sloped front edge lets you comfortably rest your arms. Assembly is incredibly easy, and there are four programmable preset heights to set.

If your home office has a classy vibe, you should have a standing desk to match. Yes, this is a standing desk. Room & Board’s Lincoln looks like an old-school executive desk, made with solid wood and a drawer cabinet you can add on either side (or both). But secretly, two legs with motors on each side move the desktop up and down when you tap and hold on the control panel. It’s a gorgeous standing desk that shuns the traditional look for something more elegant. Now you just need a whiskey cabinet nearby.

Want to work off the couch or bed? Instead of warming up your lap with your hot laptop, use this rollable table. The stand is situated on one side, so you can easily slot it next to your bed or couch without any annoying legs in the way. Its height is adjustable via the gas spring up to 40.5 inches, and it can hold a decent amount of weight.

Don’t want to change your desk, but want to stand up sometimes? Get a desk converter. This Staples FlexFit riser is quite large, so you need a compatible desk, but it smoothly moves up and down via a manual lever on the side. The keyboard tray is for your peripherals, and you can place a monitor up top. It’s not much to look at, but it’s simple, affordable, and it works.

Relaxing Office Chairs

No workstation is complete without a comfy chair to ease into. We’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below, but you can find more picks in our Best Office Chairs guide.

Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Of the close to 60 office chairs I’ve tested, this one delivers the best balance of comfort, quality, adjustability, and price. At $499, you get all the points of adjustment you’d expect and more, giving you more options to tailor the chair to your body. That includes a seat tilt function for a more active sitting position. You can customize it to include a headrest and even choose between fabric and leather.

Anthros is a relative newcomer, but its Anthros V2 office chair is worth a look if you’re dealing with back pain from your current seat. Despite the compact frame, the two-part backrest does an excellent job of supporting the pelvis, which in turn helps support the natural curve of the spine. You get a free consultation with an Anthros ergonomics therapist with your order, and they’ll help you tailor the seat to your body.

This is my favorite office chair. Sitting in it is almost like a palate cleanser in between all my other chair testing. It supports my back well, and even though the seat isn’t plush, I find it quite comfortable to sit in for long stretches. An office chair is a long-term investment, and the Embody will likely last longer than its 12-year warranty.

The Staples Dexley is our favorite budget chair; it’s hard to do better at under $200. That said, if you can save up and spend more on an office chair, you’ll be better served in the long run. Still, the Dexley’s all-mesh design is great for warmer rooms as it’ll help get rid of body heat, and you can make a good amount of adjustments to adapt it to your body.

A Laptop Stand Also Helps

The benefit of using a laptop is that you don’t need to be confined to a desk. When you work from home, sometimes a change of scenery feels necessary. A stand will help add stability, wherever you are. Check out our Best Laptop Stands guide for more.

Branch Adjustable Laptop Stand.

Photograph: Branch

This is our top pick in our Best Laptop Stands guide because it’s versatile and reasonably priced. It lifts your laptop screen to 7 inches high and is quite sturdy, so it doesn’t wobble. That also makes it a little tough to adjust, but I’ll take that over the alternative. It’s collapsible for storage.

Here’s a sleek, single-piece aluminum stand that’s stable and cool. It’s a great match for Apple hardware, and the wide base helps it stay put without wobbles. There’s not much in the way of adjustability, but it’s great for anyone who uses a separate keyboard and mouse with their laptop.

Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk

Photograph: Medea Giordano

The Casa Pop-Up Desk is a great option if you’re a hybrid worker who needs to head to the office a few times a week. Or if your idea of “WFH” is choosing a new coffee shop in the neighborhood every day. It’s thin, yet open it up, and you get a compact Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad, and the case becomes a laptop stand to prop your machine up.

This one’s for all the people who like to work on a couch or in bed. It’s stable and sits over your lap, and the angle is adjustable to suit however you’re lounging. That makes it great for after-work hours too, when I put the laptop away and use the stand as a sketching station. A part of the surface stays flat—great for holding that morning cup of coffee—and there’s a tiny drawer! It’s where I stash my laptop’s charging cable. It’s made from natural bamboo.

A Monitor Can Do Wonders

A monitor will dramatically improve your work experience at home. Read our guide on how to use a second screen with your laptop if you need convincing. You should also consider how many monitors you want and how you should place them on your desk. Our favorite setup? One ultrawide monitor in the center and a vertically oriented display on the side.

BenQ GW2786TC 27-Inch IPS Full HD Monitor

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Don’t want to spend much on a monitor? This one from BenQ will do the job and won’t break the bank. You get a spacious 27-inch screen with a 1080-pixel resolution. Make sure you don’t sit too close or it might look a bit pixelated. It has a VESA mount so you can mount it to a monitor arm, but if you use the included stand, you can swivel it into portrait orientation.

If you watch a lot of content or create a lot of content at your desk, a proper HDR monitor will prove invaluable. The Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED has excellent color coverage and perfect blacks, not to mention it can get up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness.

Having a hub integrated into a monitor is a godsend. That means fewer dongles and docking stations, and your wires can neatly run from the monitor to your accessories. This one even has an Ethernet jack and a built-in KVM switch, meaning you can hook up two computers to the monitor and switch between them without requiring multiple peripherals. It’s not OLED, but the IPS Black still delivers stunning blacks.

The best work-from-home monitor setup, in my humble opinion, is an ultrawide monitor with a second vertical monitor to the side. Nearly any monitor will do—just rotate it 90 degrees—but some content can look a bit too narrow and cut off. This LG DualUp solves this by offering a wider 16:18 aspect ratio. I saw the most immediate benefit in Gmail, where emails were no longer cut off or cramped. It also made nearly every other website and app look quite normal, giving them more room to breathe. It’s pricey, but the colors are great out of the box, you get an easy-to-set-up arm mount, and there are a few display options (even USB-C).

This AOC Q27G4ZD monitor is great for anyone who likes to game after work (or in-between, you do you). It’s one of the most affordable OLED computer monitors around, with low input lag and a sharp 1440-pixel resolution on a 27-inch screen. There’s a 240-Hz screen refresh rate to boot. It’s VESA mountable, so you can ditch the stand.

Portable Monitors

These slim screens are an easy way to get more screen real estate anywhere—the coffee shop, office, or home. They don’t require a power source, instead drawing power from your laptop. (It’s a good idea to charge your laptop simultaneously.)

Photograph: Staples

Plugable’s portable screen comes with a folio case that doubles as a kickstand. It’s been reliable in my testing, with a 15.6-inch, 60-Hz, 1080-pixel resolution IPS display, clear brightness controls, and three USB-C ports (one for 100-watt passthrough charging, another for transferring data, and the third to connect to your laptop). It’ll work with most operating systems.

This 14-inch IPS monitor sports a 2K resolution and brings touchscreen capabilities—while it will work with MacBooks, the touchscreen won’t, so it’s best paired with Windows or Chromebooks. I love the way this portable monitor stays propped up—the kickstand base is sturdy, and it’s where you plug everything in. Also, it supports 65-watt pass-through charging via two USB-C ports, which is enough to keep your laptop juiced while you use it.

This is by far my favorite portable display. It sticks to the back of a laptop screen via magnets, which means you do need to be comfortable with sticking and leaving adhesive magnets on the back of your machine. These are easy to install with the included assembly instructions. Pop the Duex Plus on the magnets and slide out the display so that it floats to the side of your laptop. Voilà! You have a second screen that doesn’t take up any desk space. Just connect the included USB-C to USB-C cable and you’re good to go. The 13.3-inch 1080p screen is best suited for 13- or 14-inch laptops, and it’s not a screen I’d rely on for color correction, but it’s great for leaving apps like Slack and another browser window for two-screen productivity. The downside is that it’s thick and adds bulk, but at least it’s easy to take the Duex Plus off when you don’t need it. I used it just fine on the plane and in a hotel when I needed to get some work done.

This is quite a leap in price, but it’s the peak of the portable display market. The gargantuan 17-inch screen size means you have lots more real estate for multiple apps or browser windows, and yet the whole thing is slim enough to fit in most backpacks (particularly if you can fit a 16-inch laptop). The 4K resolution is tack sharp, and it has 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, meaning it’s exceptional for anyone who needs accurate colors. This bundle comes with a magnetic stand, but you can also add a stylus to pair with Espresso’s Jot software, which lets you mark up anything on the screen. Make sure you download the Espresso Flow software to enable the touchscreen to work with macOS. I have also tested and like Espresso’s smaller 15 Pro model, and the cheaper non-Pro versions, all of which are similarly great.

Monitor Arm Mounts and Stands

If you’re working with limited desk space, a monitor arm mount is a great way to reclaim some room. Plus, it helps hide pesky wires!

Workstream by Monoprice desk mount

Photograph: Monoprice 

I’ve used this mount to hold up my 34-inch ultrawide monitor for years, and it works like a charm. It can hold screens between 15 and 34 inches (up to 20 pounds). It’s adjustable, has built-in cable management, and doesn’t look hideous. The arm clamps to the desk. It uses the VESA mounting standard, so make sure the monitor you have supports it.

It’s somewhat heavy and bulky, but WIRED contributor Simon Hill says the Ergotron LX is built to last and offers a superb range of movement, making it easy to adjust the monitor’s position. (He uses it with his 34-inch Alienware display.) It has been clamped onto a standing desk, and while lesser mounts will jiggle when he adjusts the height, this arm barely moves unless he wants it to. This VESA-compatible mount boasts built-in cable management and can accommodate displays of up to 34 inches and up to 25 pounds.

Got two monitors side by side on your desk? It’s not the prettiest, but this Vivo dual mount is simple, easy to install, and sturdy. I have it working right now with two monitors of different sizes with no issues whatsoever. It can fit screen sizes between 13 and 30 inches (up to 22 pounds). There are cable management clips along the mount to keep your cords hidden away. I’ve also tried and like the single monitor arm version.

I’m using this dual-monitor desk arm to hold up a 32-inch ultrawide monitor and a wide vertical monitor, and it’s been treating me wonderfully for several months. The arms move smoothly and don’t sink under the weight of the screens. It’s also one of the few monitors that has a clamp large enough for my thick 5-inch desktop. There are RGB flourishes throughout, but you can turn them off if you’d like.

Another way to reclaim some desk space is to use a monitor stand. I’ve been using this one from Oakywood for some time, and it can hold two monitors. You can choose between walnut, oak, and even veneers for a lower price. It takes mere seconds to assemble. There’s open space to store anything else on your desk underneath. I’ve also tested and like Grovemade’s Walnut Desk Shelf ($220), which has a tiny storage compartment made of merino wool to prevent scratches if you stow an iPad or laptop, though a comparable size costs immensely more.

Grab a Multi-Port Hub

If you’re plugging a laptop into a monitor, chances are you’ll need to plug in other items like a keyboard, mouse, charging cable, and maybe an SD card reader. That’s where an adapter comes in. Plug it into your laptop, and plug everything else into it. It’s so much simpler.

Courtesy of Plugable Technologies

Whether you have a MacBook Pro or a beefy gaming laptop, this affordable hub will be able to keep the power flowing through to it thanks to its 140 watts of power delivery. It has every port you’d need, and can even support plugging in a second screen.

Still have a lot of USB-A accessories? This is the hub to get. Along with an HDMI, you get three USB-A ports to plug in peripherals, and then you can plug in your laptop’s USB-C charger into the hub for up to 100-watt pass-through charging. It’s plasticky but also very affordable.

This one straddles the line between a hub and a docking station, with a small braided cable running to a rather large aluminum block. It has three USB ports (one USB-C and two USB-A), and enough ports for a multi-monitor setup.

If you have a few monitors at your workstation, this dock supports two up to 4K resolution, and you can connect them via HDMI. You get three USB-A ports, one on the front and two on the back, plus an Ethernet jack, as well as a USB-C port on the front and back. Oh, and a headphone jack.

If you’ve fully transitioned to that USB-C life, it might be worth looking into a docking station like this one. It sports four USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, meaning you can use them to connect to external screens, and there’s one USB-A in case you still need it.

Cables, Chargers, and Power Strips

Good cables can go a long way. You’ll want to make sure they’re durable and can carry the necessary power your devices need. The same goes for charging adapters. Read our Best USB-C Cables guide for more recommendations.

Cable Matters USB-C to USB-C Thunderbolt 4

Photograph: Simon Hill

This Cable Matters cord has been our top pick in our USB-C cables guide for a while. It supports Thunderbolt 4 and can carry 100 watts, which is enough to charge a powerful laptop. It can transfer data at up to 40 Gbps and can power an 8K display or two 4K screens. It has it all, and you can choose from different size options.

This USB-C cable can carry even more power, up to 240 watts, which is ideal for power-hungry machines during heavy workloads. It can transmit data at up to 20 Gbps and has been USB-IF certified, meaning it has been tested to ensure the claims hold up.

The USB-A port is still relevant and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you need a reliable cable, this USB-A to USB-C will let you connect newer devices to older ports. The cable is braided and comes in three or six-foot options.

This just might be overkill for most people, but if you’re charging multiple power-sucking machines, it’s a good solution. I’ve been using it for nearly a year with no issues. It has a three-prong power cord you plug into a wall outlet, and the charger itself can be rested on an included stand. There are four USB-C ports on the front, and if you use all of them simultaneously, you’ll end up with a 60, 45, 30, and 30-watt split. (You can hit 100 watts on the first port if you don’t plug in anything else.) I wouldn’t call it lightweight, but it beats carrying four other adapters around.

I love using Nomad’s charger whenever I’m heading out of the house, which makes it a great option for hybrid workers (or if you want a travel-friendly charger for the coffee shop). There are two USB-C ports on the bottom, and this supremely thin charger does a great job of staying put, even on airplane outlets. The prongs fold in for safe storage.

Don’t want to fuss with a power strip lying about on the floor? This is a pretty nifty solution from Anker. It’ll block your whole wall outlet, but it’s slim and stays put, netting you six outlets, plus a USB-C and USB-A port. I’ve been testing it in my kitchen to power my toaster oven and stand mixer, and to juice up my spice grinder when it’s low on battery, and it works like a charm. There’s even a night light (which you can turn off).

Once you use this surge strip, you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life. Each outlet sits on a rotating wheel, meaning you won’t ever have to feel frustrated that your chunky plug won’t fit next to your other chunky plug. It’s ingenious. There’s an LED that indicates that the surge protector is indeed offering protection.

I bought three of these for my apartment at the start of the pandemic. Tripp Lite offers up to $25,000 of lifetime insurance for any damage to your equipment from a surge. If the LED goes out, it’s time to replace it, and Tripp Lite will give you a new one for free. There are also two USB-A ports, which is nice. Everything is relatively spaced out, allowing me to fit big adapters and even a smart plug on this thing.

This is like a prettier, more helpful version of the classic power strip. You get six grounded outlets, and there’s a $200,000 connected-equipment warranty to protect your goods in the event of a surge. The long nylon-braided cord is helpful when you only have one wall outlet in a room, and it’s thick and durable. Best of all is the USB charging hub, which detaches and lets you place it directly on a desk. (You can mount this via the included adhesive-backed magnet.) The hub offers two USB-A ports and a USB-C port, the latter of which can output 20 watts.

Get a Good Keyboard

You type all day, so you need a good keyboard. Everyone’s preferences are different, and while we at WIRED love mechanical keyboards, we also have subtler options.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Keychron makes some of our favorite keyboards, and our top recommendation right now is the Q6 HE Hall effect board. Hall effect keyboards don’t use mechanical switches, relying on magnets instead. That makes them faster to actuate (you can customize the actuation point), with better durability. This full-size Q6 HE has a full metal case, is wireless, and supports QMK/VIA software for remapping keys.

This is Razer’s first foray into the world of customizable mechanical keyboards, and it’s a strong showing (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s hot-swappable, so you can easily change the switches out with little effort, but the built-in tactile switches sound and feel great.

Logitech’s MX mechanical wireless keyboard series comes in a compact size (the Mini) or a full-size option for those who prefer to have a number pad. You can also choose between three types of mechanical switches: Clicky, Linear, or Tactile. I’m a Linear kinda guy, but I tried the Tactile and it was much quieter than you’d expect for a mechanical keyboard. The battery life barely dipped below 90 percent after using this keyboard for several months (with the backlight off). It connects to your computer via a Logi Bolt USB-A dongle, which delivers an incredibly stable connection, but you can also use Bluetooth to connect it to multiple devices (or use the included USB-A to USB-C cable). It’s slim, lightweight, and all-around excellent.

This low-profile keyboard can connect to three devices via Bluetooth, but I recommend you use the included Logi Bolt USB dongle for faster connectivity to a single PC. Some people love chiclet keys over mechanical switches, and if that’s you, the MX Keys S is up your alley. It uses proximity sensors to activate the backlight for the keys, meaning it won’t waste battery life when you’re AFK.

Find a Comfy Mouse

Working on a laptop can feel cramped. A mouse is just more ergonomic to use than a trackpad, and a gaming mouse could help if you’re dealing with wrist pain.

Logitech MX Master 3S

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

There are three excellent reasons to spend $100 on this mouse. First, the left and right mouse buttons are arguably the quietest mouse buttons I have ever used in my life. I never want to go back. This is especially great if you’re frequently working around others. Second, it has an exceptionally smooth scroll wheel that whirs by quickly. And third, it has two scroll wheels, so you can move vertically and horizontally. As someone who spends a lot of time in spreadsheets and Airtable, this has been a wonderful boon. (Yes, you can press Shift to scroll horizontally on both Mac and Windows, but the MX Master 3S lets me use one hand!) You can connect it via Bluetooth, but I recommend using the included Logi Bolt USB-A dongle for improved responsiveness. It’s been working well in games, too.

I’ve used this wireless mouse for more than three years, and it has been problem-free. It’s a good size for people with smaller palms and has a smooth scroll wheel. It takes one AA battery, but it usually needs a swap only once every three to four months (and that’s with heavy use). You also need a spare USB-A port on your machine so you can plug in the mouse’s receiver. If you prefer a corded mouse, the Logitech G203 ($24) is nearly identical.

If you feel some wrist pain after using a normal mouse, try a vertical mouse. The Hansker Productivity feels great, with the oversized shape comfortably molding to your palm. It connects wirelessly via a 2.4-GHz dongle or Bluetooth. It’s surprisingly great for gaming, too, if you like to click heads after work.

The gamer styling might be a bit much, but this is an excellent ergonomic mouse with a high-speed sensor that’s fast for gaming and work. It has a dual-mode scrollwheel that is notchy or smooth, whatever your preference, and there are several other programmable buttons to make you extra productive. It’s all easy to program with Razer’s Synapse software.

Expand Your Storage

Laptop running out of storage? Or maybe you tend to transfer a ton of files from device to device. We’ve picked out a few portable storage options.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

You can leave this handy drive next to your workstation or tote it around everywhere, thanks to the rugged padding. But the real reason you’ll want this pricey SSD is the speed. It supports Thunderbolt 5, and it’s one of the fastest drives we’ve tested. If you work with large files, like ProRes RAW footage, this is a must-have.

This is our favorite budget external storage drive. It’s fairly priced for the amount of storage you get, and while it’s not the fastest we tested, it’s still speedy. It’s also lightweight, but it’s also a bit plasticky and might not survive many tumbles.

This is the drive you want if you’re backing up your machine every day. Six terabytes is a lot of space, but there are tons of capacities to choose from, all the way up to a staggering 18 TB. The reason it’s so affordable? This is a hard drive, not a modern solid-state drive. That essentially means it’s much slower at transferring data. It’s best for overnight transfers.

This is our top flash drive pick. It’s speedy, affordable, and durable. You plug the USB-A end into your machine to transfer files into its 128 gigabytes of space (storage options go up to 1 terabyte). If you need a USB-C flash drive, we recommend this Kingston one.

Headphones Can Help You Focus

A good pair of headphones can tune the world out. I’ve selected some of our top picks here.

Sony’s class-leading wireless headphones are comfy, lightweight, sleek, and sound fantastic. The WH-1000XM6 have some of the best noise-canceling tech you’ll find for the money, not to mention 30-hour battery life with noise-canceling turned on. They fold up, making them great for travel, and the faux leather earpads are comfy.

Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra used to be our favorite noise-canceling headphones, but the Sony WH-1000XM6 recently supplanted them. Still, the noise-canceling on offer here is fantastic. Maybe you’re working in a noisy household, or there always seems to be construction down the street right when you hop on a Zoom call. These headphones will drown all that out and give you bliss. They also sound great and are very comfy.

Prefer earbuds over headphones? Good thing Bose makes the QuietComfort in this design too. The company is the master of noise-canceling technology, and these earbuds do an equally excellent job of blocking out the outside world. Yes, even better than Apple’s AirPods Pro. They come in a few fun colors, like lunar blue.

Sometimes you can’t block the world out. Maybe you need to keep tabs on the kids in the next room, or you’re waiting for a knock at the door. If that’s you, these comfortable corded headphones are the ones to buy. The open-back design lets sound in, allowing you to hear what’s going on in the real world without needing to raise a cup above your ear, but music still sounds great.

Computer Speakers Also Work

If you’re alone at home frequently, you don’t necessarily need headphones. Speakers will let you blast tunes as you’re cranking out work. Read our Best Computer Speakers guide for other options.

Audioengine A2+ Speakers

Photograph: Simon Hill

This is our top computer speaker recommendation after testing more than 20 pairs. They’re fairly reasonable in size, look elegant, and pack a serious punch. Sure, there’s no subwoofer, but it’s still excellent for listening to music, and it even does well with games (you can add a subwoofer, but it’s pricier than these speakers). You get a lot of connectivity options, from USB-C and dual analog inputs to Bluetooth.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Don’t want to spend as much? These come close in audio quality, with rich, clear sound that persists even at louder volumes. Bass is OK, though it can get a little muddy. There are three connection options, including USB-C and 3.5 mm, and they’re a great size for most desktops.

If your budget is tight, these compact speakers will upgrade the sound from your laptop or desktop without emptying your wallet. They’re angled to fire sound up at you, get surprisingly loud, and offer decent audio quality. You also get several connectivity options, from USB-C and 3.5-mm to Bluetooth.

A Good Webcam Helps If You Zoom

The webcam in your laptop probably outputs potato quality. If you’re video-calling often, it might be better to get a dedicated webcam, especially if you’re on a desktop.

Read our

Logitech MX Brio Webcam

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I’ve been using this webcam for more than a year, and it’s great. My video quality always looks sharp, and even if most video-conferencing apps don’t support 4K streams, I can crop into my frame and adjust how I look without sacrificing image quality. You can use the Logitech G Hub app to customize things like the white balance, and you rotate the ring around the webcam when you’re done to activate the privacy shutter. The mic is a little quiet, but I use a USB microphone.

This webcam will be sufficient if you don’t want to spend much but want better-than-usual video quality. The 4-MP sensor nets you 1080p footage, and in the Logitech G Hub app, you can tweak white balance, crop, viewing angles, and more. The camera also automatically adjusts the frame to make sure you’re front and center, like Apple’s Center Stage tech on iPads. There’s even a Show Mode, which lets you tilt the camera down to show a bird’s eye view of your desk.

The Insta360 Link 2 pan-tilt-zoom camera is mounted on a powered base that rotates horizontally and vertically. That means it can follow your face around, fix focus, and zoom in and out. It has a wide view, but you can use a gesture to zoom in on your face. This PTZ functionality is especially handy if you need to present or demonstrate something in your meetings. The best part? Video quality. Even when you crop in on yourself, you’ll still look sharp due to the 4K resolution.

Already got an iPhone? You don’t need a fancy webcam. You’ll be able to automatically choose your iPhone as a camera source, and this Belkin mount will let you affix it to the top of your MacBook (provided you have a MagSafe iPhone). The picture quality will be leagues ahead of what’s in your MacBook. No wires needed. There’s even a version of the mount for Mac displays.

USB Microphones, Arm Mounts, and Headsets

You don’t need a microphone because the one in your laptop or wireless headphones should suffice, but if you’ve gotten comments on your microphone’s quality in video calls, then it’s a sound investment.

SteelSeries Alias USB Mic

Photograph: Parker Hall

The Alias Pro has several nifty features for streamers, but the standard Alias USB microphone has been serving me well for more than a year. It has a larger mic capsule because it doesn’t bother with any other polar pattern other than cardioid (where you sit directly in front of the mic). Tap the touch-sensitive button on the front, and it will mute the mic, with a giant red X icon on the fabric of the mic itself.

A certified classic, the Blue Yeti is the standard bearer for USB microphones and delivers exceptional mic quality for its price. You can record in several polar patterns, so it’s a little more versatile than the Alias above, though it comes with a Mini USB to USB-A cable.

Even if you don’t game, a gaming headset will deliver a richer experience overall compared to headsets with retractable mics. This one can connect with almost every gaming system imaginable, has soft earcups, and has 60 hours of battery life. The audio quality is crisp, which is surprising considering the price.

Why take up valuable desk space with a USB microphone when you can get a headset that pulls double duty? The Logitech Pro X 2 is our top gaming headset recommendation, but you don’t need to be a gamer to use it. The discreet design makes it great for the WFH video calls, and you can wear it around town as normal wireless headphones. However, there’s a retractable microphone you can pull out during video calls to improve how you sound. They can pair via Bluetooth, 3.5-mm wired connection, or a 2.4 GHz dongle for ultra-low latency.

You can get tons of microphone arm mounts for cheap on Amazon, but trust me when I say that the Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro is worth every penny. It has a much nicer design than most mic arms, and it smoothly moves side to side and up and down. You don’t need to use an Elgato mic with it, just make sure your USB mic has the right adapter. If you can’t clamp it to your desk like me (my standing desk is thick), Elgato sells a desk plate that you can screw into your desktop.

VPNs, Password Managers, and Wi-Fi Routers

Your employer uses a myriad of tools to keep its digital business safe and speedy at the office. But how about at home? These will help.

Courtesy of Proton

If your work doesn’t provide you with a virtual private network to keep your internet traffic away from prying eyes, it’s worth investing in one. This is our favorite VPN for most people. It doesn’t log any of your data, and the open source service has apps for nearly every platform.

Look. We get it. Passwords are a horrible, broken concept. But you really should make sure you’re using strong, secure ones. A password manager can help you keep track of them, and our favorite is 1Password. It stores and encrypts your passwords so no one can access them. It can act as an authenticator, plus it has tight integration with Android, iPhone/iPad, web browsers, and other operating systems.

This is our top mesh Wi-Fi router system recommendation because of its speedy performance, great range, and extra features that don’t require a subscription. The two-pack should be sufficient for most homes. This Wi-Fi 6 system has one 2.4-GHz band and two 5-GHz bands (one is reserved for wireless backhaul), and you get a generous three gigabit Ethernet ports to connect your devices. It’s one of the fastest systems we’ve tested.

This is the top pick in our Best Routers guide. It supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard and did a great job blanketing a 1,600-square-foot home in our tests. The network remains stable, it’s speedy, and it has three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The Asus mobile app lets you tinker with the settings if you want, offers a VPN service, and makes setting up a guest Wi-Fi network a breeze.

Desk Lamps

Why work in the dark? These WIRED-tested snazzy desk lamps will illuminate your workspace.

Steelcase Eclipse Desk Light

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

This intuitive light has a paddle that gently moves from top to bottom to turn it on, which also means you can adjust how bright you want it. Uniquely, there’s also a mirror in the center of the ring light, so you can make sure there’s no broccoli in your teeth right before your performance review.

This Lume Cube light attaches to your desk via a clamp. Its hinges don’t move as smoothly as I’d like; they have some resistance, so it can take a little effort to move the light where you need it, but it gets bright and it’s effective. You can change the color temperature and brightness. Lume Cube has a 2.0 version of this light that, unfortunately, doesn’t come with a desk clamp and has a standard base instead. You can easily tweak the color temperature and brightness, plus there is a USB-C and a USB-A port to juice up your devices.

BenQ ScreenBar Pro Lamp

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I recently raved about BenQ’s ScreenBar lamps. These hang over a computer monitor, saving precious desk space, and shoot light directly onto your desktop. They don’t block your monitor, either. The newer ScreenBar Pro has a handy motion sensor so it automatically turns off when you step away, and turns back on when you’re back. There’s also a version for laptops called the LaptopBar ($139). You can power it via an included cable, but it also has a battery, though it only runs for about two hours at max brightness. You need to stick a magnet on the back of your laptop to attach the LaptopBar.

Clean, simple, and portable. This affordable touch-sensitive light may not be the brightest, but it’s great for illuminating a desktop in the dark of night. Just tap the top to change color temperatures, and tap and hold to increase or decrease brightness. It recharges via USB-C, which Staples claims lasts more than 10 hours. After a week of on and off use, I still haven’t had to plug it in.

Desk Pads

What helps me get into a good workflow is my desk. If it’s messy, my mind’s not right. If it’s too boring, I’ll stay up until 3 am reorganizing it until I like it. It’s important! From cable organizers to plants to headphone stands, these items may help you get into the right mood every morning.

Harber London Leather Desk Mat

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

This elegant pebbled full-grain leather mat is wonderfully supple and soft. There’s a cut-through hole for a cable and the whole thing stays put on the desk. It comes in a few different sizes and colors, and it’s very easy to clean. (Seriously, I spilled a mug of coffee and it looks just as new.)

I tried the extra-large version of this desk pad, which essentially covers the surface of your desk in this beautifully supple linoleum. It’s very easy to clean, doesn’t slide around thanks to the cork bottom, and looks gorgeous. If this color doesn’t suit you, Grovemade has a ton of other desk pad options in different colors and materials.

It’s made of polyurethane leather, which helps make it spill-proof, but this mat feels quite nice and looks great. It’s long enough to fit a full-size keyboard and a mouse. It comes in brown, black, or blue, and is smooth and easy to clean. There’s another size option to choose from.

You don’t need to spend much to get a nice desk mat. This Monoprice microfiber mat isn’t much to look at, but it’s soft, doubles as a mouse pad, and does the job just fine.

Desk Accessories

Oakywood Dual Laptop Vertical Stand

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Need to clear up some space when you’re not working? This compact stand from Oakywood will do the trick. It doesn’t slide around, thanks to the steel base, nor does it tip over. The build quality is great. The inner area is covered by felt to prevent scratches. There’s a single-slot version if you just have one laptop.

A candle can help make your space feel more relaxing. My wife has bought several candles from this brand and I’ve come to very much enjoy the scents wafting through the house.

Photograph: Kat Merck

One of the main perks of working from home is the ability to multitask, which often means moving from room to room. If you, like me, use a paper planner, this often means you have a pen in your hand. That also means the pen is still in your hand while running out of the room to attend to cat barf, the doorbell, or a mysterious crash while kids are home. I often start off a work month with a whole jar full of pens, only to end it with one if I’m lucky. I couldn’t tell you where they all go, I just know that I can never have enough. Fine-point gel pens like these retractable ones are ideal for writing legibly, even if you’re in a hurry, and you can’t go wrong with stockpiling a box or two, especially if you’re pairing them with a desk accessory like the Branch Desk Caddy.

Chances are, you’ll have a mix of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water, beer, and many other beverages around your desk throughout the day. I like using this sandstone coaster for them. It’s heavy, so it doesn’t randomly slide away, and the rough texture means your drink won’t drift off too easily. It’s attractive too. I’ve used them for more than four years, and they still look impeccable.

Post-It Notes are so ’90s (well, actually, ’60s, but don’t tell that to Romy and Michele). Bring your home office organization into the 2010s with this colorful dodecahedron of sticky notes, invented by a student at Rochester Institute of Technology. There are 12 sticky note stacks in six colors, with 25 sheets per stack and a “surprise saying” on the plastic surface beneath each stack. The glue on each pad was too strong for me to peel off the pad to see any of the sayings, and the sticky notes don’t have adhesive on the sides, causing them to curl up. However, the notes work great on horizontal paper surfaces, and the design makes for a stylish yet functional desk ornament for any decor.

Much to my partner’s irritation, I’ve been cradling these magnetic balls (sorry) in my palms, and they’re pretty satisfying to move around. Sure, you can use them as a paperweight, but they’re best used as a fidget spinner of sorts. The problem is they’re quite loud when you’re shifting the balls around, so try not to disturb the folks around you.

Plants are important. They can reduce stress and improve productivity. I’ve had a Gardenuity money tree in my home for more than four years, and it creates a vibe. It’s not tiny but medium-sized, though this can depend on the plant. Gardenuity gives you watering instructions and sunlight recommendations, and so far my plant hasn’t withered, which is a big step for me!

Keep those cables tidy! These pyramid-like structures stay put on your desk, and they come with clips you wrap around your cables to have them magnetically stick to the base when they’re not in use. It looks much nicer than having cables all over the desktop. Smartish sells a bigger Cable Wrangler version if you have many more cables.

Printers

Most people probably don’t need a dedicated printer, but we have a few options if you do. Check out our Best Printers guide for more recommendations.

Brother HL-L2350DW

Photograph: Adorama

If you frequently print documents at the office, here’s a home option. You can print wirelessly via Wi-Fi, even from a smartphone, but it prints only in black and white. The print jobs have looked perfectly adequate, and I don’t have to replace the toner as often as on an inkjet.

This printer has ink bottles that mount right into the keyed holes, so you can’t mix things up when it inevitably is time to replace them. Print quality is excellent, if slower than laser printers, but the included scanner is handy and makes the overall value proposition excellent.

This is a reliable shipping label printer I’ve been using for the past few years without any issues. I hooked it up to my PC to send labels for printing, but you can also use Bluetooth (via the Shipping Printer Pro companion app) to do it wirelessly. You’ll need to crop your shipping labels before you hit Print, and I’ve been impressed with the quality. I’ve hardly had to reprint a label due to a lackluster print job. It comes with 50 thermal labels, and the whole thing is often on sale.

Office Storage

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I have several Mustard Made lockers around my home office. They’re all really simple to install, just a little time-consuming, and I love the retro look. The company has plenty of sizes and designs to choose from, and you also get keys to lock them up for security.

This elegant cart can be rolled to the spot you want in your home office. There are no drawers, so you have to be OK with the open-floor design (quite reminiscent of the old office days!). There’s a divider at the top to separate tchockes, a small level below that, and a deeper rack at the bottom to store taller items.

If you want something with drawers, Branch’s Small Filing Cabinet takes up very little room and is pleasing to stare at. It fits standard hanging folders, and you can lock the drawers. It’s also on wheels, so you can roll it around. In the top drawer, there’s a little tray to keep paperclips and pens organized. It comes in three colors.

Other Helpful Accessories and Gadgets

These other miscellaneous items aren’t necessary but might help your workflow.

Wood Veneer Hub Slat Wood Wall Panels

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

These aren’t going to improve your productivity, but they will make your home office look dreamy. And it’s things like this that are important when working from home—you want to be in the space and enjoy it. These slat wood panels are very simple to install (just a bunch of drilling into studs). If you install them on timber battens, you can dampen the sound in the room too. I’d recommend treating the wood after you’re done to protect it.

Don’t want to splurge on a new chair? If you’re a little unsatisfied with your existing seat, try using a cushion. I like this one from Cushion Lab. The memory foam is very comfortable, it doesn’t retain unpleasant odors, and there’s a washable cover.

If you need a physical place to jot down your ideas (and you miss your office’s whiteboard), stick this sheet to your wall. It took me less than five minutes to install, and it’s easy to wipe off dry-erase or permanent markers with some water and a cloth. Use a straight edge to cut it, or you’ll end up with a crooked whiteboard.

If you work from home and have a pet, you’ll know that they will constantly bother you for attention. No type, only pet! My dog is small, so instead of having to bend over and give him scratches, he now jumps up on this SeatMate Pet Office Chair, putting him at the perfect height for my arm to reach over and pet him. My dog likes to jump on it, but there is a ramp he also uses sometimes when I roll it out. It stows away neatly to save space. The black faux fur is plus and soft, and has been holding up really well despite months of use.

When I was searching for a bulletin board to complete my WFH setup, I wanted something directly above my desk, to which I could quickly affix multiple Post-its or access an important hard-copy document at a glance. A wood-framed corkboard in the desk-length size I needed would be too thick and too heavy, but a random Amazon search led me to these thin adhesive felt panels. My family loved them so much that we’ve now bought three sets. Each package contains a dozen individual 12 X 12-inch tiles with peel-off adhesive backs or optional smaller, circular sticky pads to prevent damaging a larger surface area. The panels can be arranged vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or whichever way works for your space, and though they’re only about a third of an inch thick, I’ve found most flat-back thumbtacks are short enough that they won’t poke through. (I have not tried to remove these from the wall, so I can’t guarantee this, nor whether the panels bring paint with them when they’re peeled off. The purchase info does claim they come off without peeling paint or residue.) If black’s not your jam, they also come in beige and two shades of blue. —Kat Merck

If you want to go work on the couch once in a while (or stay in bed), the Cybot will do the trick. Yes, it’s overpriced. Yes, it boxes you in. But I still … kind of like it. There are three pieces—two foam arms and a sturdy desktop that sits above. Pop the arms around your lap and the desktop over it, and you get a comfy space to use your laptop. (I usually keep it all vertically against a wall when not in use.) The grill helps vent your laptop’s hot air away, though I often used the Cybot as a spot to rest my keyboard and mouse when I hooked my PC up to my TV. I just wish it came in a color other than camo.

These rollerblade wheels are an easy upgrade to your office chair’s casters. They’ll glide across any surface without making scuffs, and they’re quiet. They fit most office chairs; just pop out the old casters and pop these in.

Mats can help protect your floors from your chair’s wheels, but they can also help you move around if you’re sitting on the carpet. You don’t need an expensive glass mat, but I’ve been using this one for several months and it’s great. It stays nice and cool, supports up to 1,000 pounds, and still looks pristine. Vitrazza has multiple sizes you can choose from and various shapes.

It is remarkable how little pet hair this footrest picks up. I’ve been using it for almost a whole year, and my feet don’t feel at home without it. It’s a cushy, thick, soft lump for my feet to rest on instead of the cold, hard floor.

It’s expensive, but this is an invaluable digital notebook that will let you jot all your important notes down without ever running out of space (or killing a tree). Writing on it feels very much like paper and pen, and this new model includes color, so you can highlight and make your notes pop even more.

Don’t have Bluetooth on your PC? Worry not! This cheap adapter will do the trick. Just plug it into a free USB-A slot and you can pair up to seven Bluetooth devices, from your keyboard and mouse to headphones. It’s worked reliably for me ever since my Bluetooth card stopped working on my gaming PC. Just don’t take your Bluetooth devices too far from the machine, as the range isn’t all that great.

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