A growing number of companies are encouraging people to work from home — in some cases, they're even making it mandatory. So it's important that you get your home office set up properly with the best home office supplies and best home office tech.
We've rounded up all the essential gear you'll need — from laptops to printers to keyboard and desk chairs — so that your home is as productive as your workplace.
If you have to work from home for an extended time, you'll want to make sure that you have a dedicated home office space, free from distractions — no sitting in front of the couch binge-watching Netflix when you should be answering email.
Plus, here are 7 things that don’t belong in your home office.
Here's the best home office gear you can buy today
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You don't need to spend a lot of money on a laptop if all you're using it for is editing documents and spreadsheets and sending email. The Acer Aspire 5 is the best laptop under $500, because it delivers on the essentials: It has a 15.6-inch display with a 1080p resolution — a rare resolution for a budget laptop — that's a fairly bright 276 nits. If you need something more powerful, we recommend you check out our picks for the best laptops overall, which include models with discrete GPUs.
Inside is an 8th Gen Intel Core i3 and 4GB of RAM, plenty powerful for almost all office-related tasks. And, with a battery life of nearly 9 hours, you won’t be wedded to an outlet, either.
Read our full Acer Aspire 5 review.
Our favorite budget gaming monitor is great for productivity. The LG 24MP59G-P is bright and responsive, and is one of the few displays under $200 with in-plane switching, meaning that it has great off-axis viewing angles. The LG monitor also has AMD FreeSync, which helps improve graphics performance for those who have laptops with AMD chips.
In our tests, we found color reproduction to be pretty good, with decent color gamut (93.3 percent) but solid accuracy (Delta-E 0.74). We thought the LG's build was stylish and sturdy, and found that its small four-direction joystick made it easy to navigate menus quickly.
Read our full LG 24MP59G-P review.
Your laptop's keyboard is probably fine, but if you want something more spacious, we suggest the Logitech K800, a wireless keyboard with a full-size number pad. Available for $60, it's a relatively inexpensive way to make typing at home more comfortable.
Thanks to a proximity sensor, the K800's backlit keys automatically light up as your hands get close. It also boasts an integrated wrist rest. We just wish there were separate media controls, rather than having to rely on the function keys. Logitech Ergo K860 is a slightly more premium alternative.
Next to a keyboard, a good productivity mouse is essential for keeping comfortable when typing and navigating web pages and documents. The Logitech MX Master 2S Bluetooth mouse has a great ergonomic design, right- and left buttons, as well as both a vertical and a horizontal scroll wheel.
At 4,000 DPI, it's a very precise mouse, and thanks to Logitech's software, you can connect it to up to three devices simultaneously. Its battery will last up to 70 days, and it's quick to recharge, too. While the Logitech MX Master 2S is a little on the pricey side, your hand and wrist will thank you.
If the Master 2S doesn't meet your needs, you can find the best mouse for your workflow in our buying guide.
If anything, working from home means a lot of teleconferencing. If the webcam in your laptop isn't cutting it, then you'll need a good alternative. The Logitech C920s webcam has a few things going for it: A sharp 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second, dual microphones, and light correction if you have a dim working environment. Best of all, the C920s has a physical shutter that you can flip down to block the lens.
The Logitech Capture software also lets you customize the camera settings, pan and zoom, and even record vertical video, if that's your bag. The Logitech C920 works with both Mac and Windows, as well as Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime for Mac.
When you have a lot of devices connected to the internet, you'll need a router that can handle all that traffic. The TP-Link Archer C2300 may look unassuming, but the router is very powerful for its size and price, acing our performance tests (nearly a gigabit per second of data) and punching through walls and ceilings with aplomb.
We also liked that the Archer C2300 has built-in optimization tools, such as antivirus, QoS and parental controls. It's also backed by a two-year warranty, which is why it's also our pick for the best Wi-Fi router.
Read our full TP-Link Archer C2300 review.
If you're working from home, chances are there are going to be distractions — your kids playing in the other room, your dog barking, and more — so a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can come in handy.
The Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC are some of the best cheap noise-cancelling headphones because they cost less than $100, yet are comfortable to wear, have a good audio profile, and are pretty effective at blocking out distractions. Though not as refined as the best noise-cancelling headphones, the Sennheisers do well for the price.
See our full Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC review.
If you're working from home, you can't use the office copy machine for scanning, faxing, and printing out documents, so you'll need a good printer. Based on our tests, the Canon Pixma TS9120 is the best all-in-one printer there is, as it's fast and delivers quality prints for photos and documents.
The Pixma was also good at scanning and copying, and was easily controlled via its 5-inch color touch screen. This printer uses six individual color cartridges, and refills are reasonably priced.
Read our full Canon Pixma TS9120 review.
Sure, you could spend upward of a grand on a Herman Miller Aeron, but unless you're planning to work from home permanently, you don't need to go all out on an office chair. After researching several review sites and online retailers, we think the Hon Exposure is the best home office chair for people on a budget.
The Hon Exposure costs around $200, and has a breathable mesh back, adjustable arms and height, and lumbar support. It can recline, too, so you can get in the most comfortable position for editing PowerPoint presentations.
