Best work from home tech of 2024/2025

Your home office laptop needs to be reliable; it needs zippy performance and a penchant for productivity; and for optimum flexibility the device should be easy to transport and have exceptional battery life. You get all that with the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus — and you get it for less than $1,000.

The Inspiron line is all about business-like practicality, but the Inspiron 14 Plus, while feeling quite durable, features some welcome aesthetic upgrades in the form of its partially aluminum chassis and slender profile.

Inside, an Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD make for exceptionally snappy performance. But there’s more to a satisfying work laptop than capable internals. The Inspiron 14 Plus comes correct with an array of suitable accoutrements: a firm and surprisingly quick keyboard with white backlighting, a biometric fingerprint sensor for easy login, and a nice assortment of ports that belie its compact size — headphone jack, microSD card reader, a couple USB-A ports, Thunderbolt 4 port, and full-size HDMI.

The screen is also a treat, with a clear 2240×1400 resolution image, comparatively high peak brightness, and an anti-glare coating that can withstand challenging lighting conditions.

The icing on the cake is an exceptional battery life lasting just over 17 hours.

Let’s face it, there are many work scenarios in which a full-fledged Windows laptop is overkill. Emails, documents, spreadsheets, and even presentations, are all easily handled using online apps — something a Chromebook can accomplish for a fraction of a Windows laptop’s cost.

Of course, some Chromebooks are more capable than others, such as the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. Among Chromebooks, the Plus designation signifies more robust performance, in this case an Intel Core i3-1315U CPU, Intel UHD graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD.

What really sets the Flex 5i Chromebook Plus apart, however, is its attractive styling and impressive build quality. In the words of our reviewer: “This thing looks and feels fancy, real fancy.” The 2-in-1 design lets you use the device as a standard clamshell, in a tent configuration, or as a tablet. Input options include both a backlit chiclet-style keyboard that’s pleasantly springy to use, or touch input via the 1200p crisp and vibrant display.

Performance is speedy and satisfying, and the battery, while not stellar, ran for over nine hours on a single charge — enough to last a full day away from an outlet.

There are a couple reasons why we consider the NexiGo HelloCam to be the best work-from-home webcam.

For starters, it does what you want a webcam to do: Its 1080p/30fps fixed-focus lens produces a good picture that will have you making a positive impression in your Zoom meetings. The noise-cancelling mics will ensure that you’re being heard loud and clear.

But the NexiGo HelloCam offers another perk for home workers: Windows Hello support, which lets you log in to your Windows computer with facial recognition. This is a feature that’s usually relegated to higher-priced webcams.

The HelloCam also offers a requisite privacy shutter, here in the form of a physical barrier that shuts when the webcam is not in use.

Alternative option: If you don’t need Windows Hello, you can save a little money and get a slight boost in resolution (to 1440p) with the Anker PowerConf C200.

There’s no better all-around home office monitor than Dell’s Ultrasharp U2724DE.

Image quality is top-notch thanks to the IPS Black panel. Besides boasting an impressive contrast ratio, it also excels at color performance. A 120Hz refresh rate means that it can be pressed into service for after-hours gaming sessions.

The stand is fit for purpose with solid construction and all the expected ergonomic adjustments, including 90-degree rotation into portrait mode. But the real show-stopper is the near-universal connectivity that should meet the needs of almost any scenario. Multiple video inputs, support for “daisy-chaining,” 90 watts of power for charging a device connected via USB-C, downstream ports for peripherals, and even a 2.5G RJ45 jack. There’s also a KVM switch and an ambient light sensor for intelligently adjusting screen brightness.

Indeed, the U2724DE is no slacker!

A monitor arm is one of those pieces of gear that turns a conventional home office into a seriously professional setup. That’s particularly true of the Herman Miller Flo, which ticks all the boxes for a premier product.

Aesthetically, it’s about as smooth and stylish as a monitor arm can be, capable of blending in with any environment. Setting it up is simple, thanks to a refined design that requires relatively few screws and a VESA mount that can be pre-mounted to a monitor and then clipped into place.

The Flo offers a wide range of adjustment including tilt, swivel, and rotation, but more importantly, its operation is smoother than other products, moving into place with only a nudge. It also comes with a 12-year warranty and 24/7 customer support. It’s pricey, but everything about the Flo is top shelf.

Whether you’re using a laptop or a desktop PC, port accessibility might be lacking. In such cases, the Anker 555 8-in-1 USB-C Hub has the answer.

Anker’s hub offers a full complement of connectivity for legacy USB devices like mice and keyboards, for both SD and microSD media, for charging USB-C devices at up to 85W, and for running a monitor over HDMI at 60Hz. An Ethernet port is also part of the mix.

The hub is well designed, even elegant, with a premium aluminum and polycarbonate exterior that keeps cools in use. It’s got a nice, sturdy heft at 4.5 ounces, and even comes with a carrying pouch.

There are times when a USB-C hub falls short of your connectivity needs, such as when you want to connect two high-res monitors — scenarios that call for a Thunderbolt dock. The best of the bunch is Plugable’s TBT3-UDZ.

Okay, yes, it uses Thunderbolt 3 rather than Thunderbolt 4, but the capabilities and performance are mostly equivalent (while saving you a few dollars). (Editor’s Note: Ironically, Plugable just notified us that it is discontinuing the TBT3-UDZ in favor of its followon, the TBT4-UDZ. It’s a good dock, but about $40 more expensive, which is why we recommended the earlier version. The good news is that while you can still find the TBT3-UDZ in stores, supplies will inevitably dwindle.)

What impresses us most about the TBT3-UDZ is its flexibility. Whether your two monitors use DisplayPort cables or HDMI, this dock will accommodate them. Two 4K displays can run at 60Hz in tandem. Of course, the TBT3-UDZ has every other kind of port you could want, as well — USB-C, a plethora of USB-A, standard and micro card reader, headphone jack, Ethernet, the whole gamut. It can charge a smartphone and a laptop.

We also appreciate the space-saving vertical orientation of the attractive and solid gun-metal chassis, and the ample 30-inch cable that connects the dock to your PC.

For anyone who favors a stylish keyboard that works effortlessly with multiple devices, the Logitech MX Keys S is it.

Sporting an almost Apple-like clean aesthetic, the MX Keys S is a low-profile board that comes in Graphite, Gray, or Rose colorways. Besides being visually stunning, the full-sized layout is comfortable to type on, with a smooth and sure feel to the keys. The white backlighting automatically adjusts to the ambient lighting conditions.

Using either Bluetooth or the bundled proprietary Logi Bolt dongle, the keyboard can be switched among three devices.

If you prefer a mechanical, “clicky” keyboard, we recommend the also-very-good Logitech MX Mechanical variant.

No home office is complete without a good set of computer speakers. For a compact, capable, but affordable solution, we think the best option is the Creative Pebble X Plus.

The system consists of two speakers and a subwoofer. It offers Bluetooth, aux, and USB connection to your audio source of choice. A button on one of the satellites lets you switch between devices.

The sound output is clear and can easily fill a room. There’s excellent detail in the treble and midrange. Besides providing a significant boost over your laptop’s audio, the Pebble X Plus features RGB for some added visual flare when it’s time to clock off and unwind.

There are many very fast external SSDs to choose from. But in our tests, the Lexar SL600 Blaze is not only among the fastest, but also competitively priced, making it an obvious recommendation for portable storage.

Available in up to 4TB capacity, this USB 3.2 x 2 (Superspeed 20Gbps) not only has the space for even large, multimedia projects, it will be reading and writing that data at a wonderfully brisk pace.

While SSDs are known for their durability, the SL600 Blaze’s 5-year warranty just provides extra assurance.

There is no worse feeling than laboring over a project — be it work-related or personal — only to lose it all because of a drive crash, power outage, mistaken deletion, or some other tragedy. This is why the importance of a solid backup solution cannot be overstated.

Laptop users in particular should consider an external drive for backup. And if time is money, an SSD will get ‘er done far faster than an external hard drive. The SanDisk Desk Drive 10Gbps USB SSD is the external backup SSD to beat.

Available in 4TB or 8TB capacities, this rugged desktop companion will not only provide that relatively speedy auxillary storage for data redundancy and/or overflow, as an SSD you needn’t worry about its susceptibility to jostles, shocks, or drops, as you would with a mechanical hard drive.

As noted above, there’s no excuse not to prepare for data disaster. We’ve told you what backup drive to use, but what about backup software?

R-Drive Image has a legacy of reliability that makes it unmatched in this space. Indeed, in our experience its record is unblemished!

Now at version 7.2, R-Drive Image is more full-featured and capable than ever. It offers the range of backup duties: disk and partitions, files and folders, WinPE and Linux boot media creation, the works. You can save your backups locally, to the network, or to your preferred cloud storage. You can even replicate backups across multiple destinations. 

The interface is straightforward, and performance is speedy. There’s really no need to consider other options. 

There is no denying that the pinnacle of PDF editing is Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC. But it’s probably overkill for the needs of most home office-workers, while being relatively expensive.

That’s why our recommendation for the best PDF editor for a home office is EaseUS PDF Editor. For just $49.95 a year, or an incredible $79.95 lifetime subscription, you get a full set of PDF editing tools, including a variety of annotation tools for easy collaboration. The app is straightforward, making it possible to jump right in and get started. Add and remove text; add images; change font type, color, and size; add watermarks, background, headers and footers; enable permissions and password protection. It’s all here.

The one caveat is that it’s Windows only. For more suggestions, see our roundup of the best PDF editors.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a key component of online privacy, routing all your internet traffic through an anonymized and encrypted funnel. If you want to protect your work (or personal) online activities protected from prying eyes and/or hackers, a VPN is a must.

In addition to that, by allowing you to run your internet browsing through servers all across the globe, a VPN can help you access your streaming services when you’re abroad, or bypass other regional restrictions.

ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN overall. It’s feature-rich but easy to use; it provides broad device support; it uses diskless servers, so none of your data is ever permanently stored; it undergoes third-party audits for added reassurance about its privacy practices; and it offers some added benefits such as ad- and tracker-blocking and a password manager.

For full-coverage antivirus protection at a reasonable price, Norton 360 Deluxe is the total package. You can relax knowing that Norton’s strong online protection has your back with minimal resource overhead.

In addition to real-time monitoring against threats online, you can also perform scans of varying scope or complexity at will or on a schedule. Norton has earned very high marks from the major third-party testing outfits.

Norton 360 Deluxe also offers lots of extras, such as cloud backup, a password manager, dark web monitoring, and even PC utilities. All those things might be value adds for you, but the core competency of the product — keeping you, your data, and your devices safe from nefarious actors — is why we consider it the best antivirus software overall.