In 2020 the idea of working from home went from a coveted perk to a common reality. If you’re one of the millions of individuals still laboring on the homefront, it may be time to upgrade your work from home (WFH) setup. This can help you remain indefinitely comfortable and productive.
Here are a few suggestions for smart home technology that can take your remote work setup from good to great.
1. Get Better WiFi
If you’re going to steer into the smart home theme, you need good WiFi connectivity. There’s no way around it. It’s part of the smart home deal. With so many devices utilizing your network at the same time, you need a strong connection with plenty of bandwidth.
It’s wise to look for a WiFi solution more advanced than the traditional router. Even a mesh network, which increases the range of your WiFi, can still struggle with consistent speed. Instead, look for a cutting-edge solution to your connectivity problems. One of the latest home network options offers smart technology that can learn and adapt to your WiFi behaviors and bandwidth needs across all of your devices.
2. Utilize a Smart Printer
Chances are you’re not home alone throughout the day. You may have a significant other who is also working from home. Kids may be attending online classes from their bedrooms. Younger children may be playing in the living room. With multiple people utilizing your home, it can be difficult to know where to set up a traditional printer.
Instead, get a smart printer. Once integrated into your WiFi, you’ll be able to print anything you need from anywhere within your home network.
3. Set Up a Smart Speaker
There are several ways that you can include a smart audio option in your WFH space:
- You can install a speaker with voice-enabled smart technology.
- You can purchase a home assistant, such as an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
- You can get a set of Bluetooth headphones that work with a smart device, such as your phone or computer.
Having a smart option for audio is a great way to upgrade the overall usability and ambiance of your home workspace.
4. Purchase a Clever Coffee Maker
The idea of getting “smart devices for work” starts with the home office space itself. However, there are other devices throughout your home that can also improve your productivity. One of the simplest of these is a smart coffee maker.
This takes the power of a scheduled automatic coffee maker to the next level. WFH employees often have flexible schedules and require coffee at different times of the day. With a smart brewer, you can ask your home assistant to start the next pot whenever you’re ready.
5. Install a Smart Thermostat
When you work from home, it reveals plenty of flaws within your home’s living environment. Spending eight hours a day sitting at a desk in your home office can reveal poor lighting, strange smells, and all sorts of other oddities.
One WFH necessity that can help eliminate some of these issues is a smart thermostat. This allows you to control the temperature of your home from your smartphone. You don’t even have to be home to do so. More advanced models can even track your behavior. They will then lower or raise the temperature depending on if you’re at home or away, sleeping or awake, and so on.
6. Upgrade to an Adjustable Desk
If you’re in a splurging mood, you may want to consider getting an adjustable desk, as well. There are smart desks that can lower or raise depending on your needs and your mood.
If you’re feeling exhausted, you can have the desk lower itself so that you can sit while you’re working. If you’re feeling anxious, restless, or underexercised, you can raise the apparatus to stand as an alternative.
7. Get Smart Lighting
If you want to mess with your home working ambiance even more, consider getting a set of smart WiFi LED light bulbs. Once plugged in and connected to your network, these clever bulbs can be programmed in multiple ways.
You can schedule them to turn on or off at specific times of the day. This can save energy if you often forget to turn off your office lighting when you’re done working. You can also adjust the color of the light, adding to the mood of your workspace.
8. Purchase a Smart Air Purifier
Working from home may have revealed that your living space suffers from poor air quality. If this is the case, you may want to invest in a smart air purifier.
These can come with a variety of powerful benefits. Along with cleaning your air, they can also:
- Monitor the quality of the air.
- Give you voice control and remote control options.
- Provide reports regarding the history of your air quality.
- Deliver filter maintenance reminders.
If you’re going to spend a lot of time indoors, it’s wise to keep your air clean.
9. Let a Robot Vacuum Clean Your Space
Finally, consider getting a smart robot vacuum. This one falls in line with the purifier recommendation. If you’re going to spend most of your time at home for the foreseeable future, you want to keep things clean.
However, if you’re always working, you may not have enough time to clean on a consistent basis. If this is the case, aim for an Asimovian solution by letting a robot vacuum loose to sweep up any garbage or dust it might find on your floors.
From adaptive WiFi to printers, speakers, thermostats, lighting, and more, there are many smart ways to upgrade your WFH setup. With potentially endless remote work ahead of you, it can be well worth the effort to invest in these kinds of solutions now in the name of a healthier and better home workspace tomorrow.