With work from home still available to many employees around the world, it's never a bad idea to upgrade your equipment with new accessories and gadgets. Below, we'll highlight some of the best additions to your WFH system, whether you're shopping for someone else this holiday season or putting together your own wish list.
Contents
- Satechi Table Mat
- Twelve South Curve
- Belkin MagSafe 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Cradle
- Keychron Q5 Mechanical Keyboard
- HomeKit Luminous Strips
- Philips Luminous Hue Play Panel
- HomeKit Desk Lamp
- Logitech MX Master 3S
- Temperature Controlled Ember Smart Mug
- WFH Gifts Under $25
Satechi Desk Mat
< p>Visually, one of my favorite desktop upgrades for working from home is the addition of a beautiful table mat. My recommendation in this category comes from Satechi, which offers an eco-leather table mat in three different colors for an attractive price of $39.99.
I've been using them for a while now and find them very durable and versatile due to the reversible design. Notably, one of the sides does not have the Satechi logo, making it the best side.
Twelve South Curves
If you, or the person you're buying the computer for, uses a MacBook at your desk, adding a dedicated laptop stand can greatly improve ergonomics. I've been a Twelve South Curve fan for over three years now and can highly recommend it to MacBook users.
Twelve South also offers ParcSlope as another option for MacBook users, which even has an updated matte black finish that looks stylish on any desk.
Belkin MagSafe 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand
One thing I've learned is that having a convenient place to charge your iPhone and AirPods on your desktop can greatly improve your quality of life. . My favorite option here is the Belkin 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Cradle with MagSafe, while another more affordable option is available from Satechi.
This stand from Belkin is pricey but has a solid construction with a vertical MagSafe stand for your iPhone and a built-in place for your AirPods at the base. It can charge your iPhone at the highest possible MagSafe speeds, up to 15W. It uses a single cable design to power the MagSafe charger and AirPods charger.
Keychron Q5 mechanical keyboard
I switched to a mechanical keyboard this year and haven't looked back since. I personally use the Keychron Q5, which features a backlit design, a built-in volume knob, USB-C connectivity, and a customizable design.
In addition to these benefits, I have found that my switch to the Keychron Q5 is also a significant improvement in ergonomics. The raised design has greatly reduced wrist pain during long writing sessions compared to something like Apple's Magic Keyboard.
The Keychron Q5 costs just under $230, but there are more affordable mechanical keyboard options out there. One of our favorites is the Logitech MX Mechanical Wireless Keyboard, which is also more compact than the Keychron option and is also wireless.
HomeKit Light Strips
When it comes to accent lighting, you can never go wrong choosing a few HomeKit light bars for your desk. Whether you place them at or below your desk, they can create an atmosphere and personalize your desktop. HomeKit compatibility lets you control brightness and color from your iPhone or using Siri.
HomeKit glowing ribbons have come down in price over the years and are now available on Amazon for under $30 from trusted manufacturers.
Philips Hue Play Lightbar
An additional desktop accent lighting option from Philips Hue and Play Light Bar. They can provide beautiful accent lighting for your office and desk, either with a stand or on the back of a display.
However, they are more expensive than regular light strip and you will also need a Philips Hue bridge for full functionality.
HomeKit Desk Lamp
Rounding out our focus on lighting is a basic HomeKit-enabled table lamp. You can get an elegant HomeKit table lamp from a company like Meross on Amazon for less than $50. Another option is a smart table lamp with a more unique design.
The reason I've included several different lighting accessories in this guide is because I believe having subtle and customizable lighting around you can make a huge difference in productivity. This is especially true if you work in a room or office with bright fluorescent overhead lighting.
Logitech MX Master 3S
I've been praising the Logitech MX line of mice for years and absolutely nothing has changed. The latest Logitech MX Master 3S mouse is the ultimate mouse for your Mac. Ergonomically, I think it's significantly better than something like Apple's Magic Mouse.
In addition, the MX Master 3S is fully customizable using the Logitech Options software on a Mac. You can assign different buttons to macOS features like mission control, exposure, app switcher, and more.
Temperature Control Ember Smart Mug
If you're a coffee drinker who gets distracted and lets your coffee cool, Ember Smart Mug will help solve that problem. There's a companion app for the iPhone that lets you control the temperature, and the battery inside the mug can keep the coffee hot for up to 80 minutes.
WFH gifts under $25
To complete this gift guide, I thought it would be helpful to include some a more affordable desk and accessories for working from home. They all cost no more than $25 and should arrive by Christmas.
- WHOOSH Screen Cleaning Kit
- Anchor Headphone Mount Under Desk
- Adhesive cable holders for cable management
- Anker Wireless Qi-enabled charger
- Clamable table lamp for video calls
- Apple polishing cloth
- Under-table storage shelf
