Thanks to modern technology and a rapidly evolving economy working from home is a dream come true for millions of people, whether as salaried employees working remotely, small home business owners or freelance contractors.
Making this change is straightforward, but for your comfort, health and productivity it’s important to set up a proper home office. Here are a few tips to help get you started.
Your office space
It’s important to have a space in your home which can be designated as a permanent office so furniture and equipment can be set up to suit your requirements without having to unpack or move everything each day. It also helps you get into the right mindset for working, and to easily switch off when the day is done so you don’t feel like you’re always in the office.
This can be tricky in small British homes, but there are plenty of examples of innovative space-saving offices to be found online. Even something as simple as an old folding dining table that tucks in the corner can suffice if space is tight.
It’s also important to consider ergonomics when selecting furniture. In particular, make sure your chair is adjustable and provides enough support to reduce the risk of back strain and other problems.
Broadband for a home office
It’s likely you’ll be relying heavily on broadband when working from home. However, this doesn’t mean you need to select a specialist business service, in most cases a regular home broadband package will be sufficient. You can use reputable comparison sites to find broadband and phone deals that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Home workers may use a lot more data than usual, so an unlimited service is highly recommended to avoid additional charges or restrictions. And when it comes to speed you should pay attention to the upload rate to make it easier to send large files or use cloud storage tools.
If available, choose a fibre optic broadband package. This will provide the best possible speeds and ensure you’ve got plenty of bandwidth for heavy duty file transfers, even if the connection is shared with housemates or family.
Home office networking
For the best internet performance and reliability, your main work computer should be connected to the broadband router with an ethernet (network) cable. If this isn’t possible, a powerline networking adapter kit is a very easy way to create a wired network without installing a lot of wiring.
If Wi-Fi is used, try to situate the router in a central point in your home away from walls and sources of interference such as cordless telephones to get the best signal. Wireless boosters can be used to extend the signal if it’s weak, but these will impact network speeds. Upgrading the router can also make an enormous difference to both wired and wireless networking performance as the ISP-supplied routers are typically basic, but check with the ISP that they support this.
Network security is very important too. Wi-Fi should always be secured with a password using the ‘WPA2’ standard to prevent others using your connection and gaining access to shared network drives and devices. It’s also highly recommended that you change the default administrator password for the router and disable remote management to prevent unauthorised access over the internet. And router firmware must be kept up to date to protect against security flaws.
Printers and peripherals
Setting up a new home office is an opportunity to go gadget shopping. This doesn’t need to be expensive, but it is worth spending more on the peripherals and devices which get the most use.
A good quality mouse and keyboard can have a positive impact on your health. Some may also offer features that are especially useful for certain jobs, such as mice with geared scroll wheels to switch between notched movement for accuracy and freewheeling for quickly browsing huge documents or pages of code.
Don’t skimp on the computer monitor either. There’s a massive range of monitors on the market, but as a starting point look for a display using ‘IPS’ technology as this offers outstanding clarity and colour accuracy. Your eyes will thank you. Also make sure the monitor stand has height and tilt adjustments so it can be customised for comfort.
Not every home office needs a printer as documents and images can simply be emailed or shared via Dropbox, but if it’s necessary there’s an extensive choice of very affordable models. Multifunction printers combining photocopying, scanning and printing are especially useful for home offices as they offer a lot of functionality in a compact package.
Many printers also include wired or wireless network support, which can be convenient. As well as the ability to quickly print from multiple devices – including smartphones and tablets – a networked printer is great when space is limited as they can be hidden in a cupboard or installed in another room.
Matt Powell writes for Broadband Genie – an independent broadband comparison and advice site.
