This article was written in collaboration with ViewQwest. All views expressed in this article are the independent opinion of DollarsAndSense.sg based on our research. DollarsAndSense.sg is not liable for any financial losses that may arise from any transactions and readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence. You can view our full editorial policy here.
Work-from-home is here to stay. Encouraging more flexible work arrangements, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) issued a statement for companies to “sustain and promote flexible work arrangements as (a) permanent feature”. A recent article in the Straits Times also reported that as many as 8 in 10 Singapore employers allow for flexible work arrangements.
At DollarsAndSense, we are no different. As I write this very article from the comfort of my home, I can safely say that there are many advantages but also challenges to a WFH arrangement.
While many of us may spend half the workweek at home, few will have a work-from-home set-up that is as conducive as the one in our office. One of the things we can do to bridge this gap is to upgrade our own work-from-home set-up.
Often, simple upgrades can make all the difference to our productivity and even happiness while working from home. I grilled 3 DollarsAndSense colleagues to find out which devices/gadgets proved to be game-changers for their work-from-home experience.
Read Also: 5 Ways To Improve Your Work-From-Home (WFH) Experience Without Overspending
Timothy Installed A Mesh WiFi System For High-Speed And Stable Internet Connection Throughout His Home
My co-founder and Managing Editor of DollarsAndSense, Timothy Ho, recently moved into a new place. Without trying to sound bitter, this presented him with a great opportunity to purposefully outfit his work-from-home set-up from scratch.
He shared, “I am lucky as I have multiple places at home to work from. The most used location would be the study room, as it’s conducive for virtual meetings, webinars and writing articles as we have an external monitor. I sometimes also work from the outdoor table in the balcony or the dining table if I want a different location to work from.”
Timothy Ho’s work-from-home set-up
If you’re wondering why he has a pink keyboard and a red mouse, his wife, Deanna Lim (who also works at DollarsAndSense), shares this workspace.
“Since 2020, I have taken my work-from-home set-up very seriously, but without question, the game-changer was the Mesh Wi-Fi system that I got from ViewQwest when I signed up for a home broadband plan after moving into my new place last year.
There is the main router in the living/dining room and a node in the study room. This ensures that I have great WiFi speed even when I’m working with my door closed in the study room or when I work in other spots in the house.
As an added bonus, the broadband speed in the bedroom is also great because it’s right beside the study room. I can stream shows in the bedroom with no lag issues.”
As his colleague, I can attest to this. During our online huddles before he moved, Timothy’s screen used to freeze quite a fair bit. So, his Mesh Wi-Fi system from ViewQwest has improved not only his work-from-home experience but the rest of the team’s as well!
Initially, he had assumed that the problem was due to his slow Fibre broadband speed with the previous telco. After upgrading his plan, he “realised it was the router that we had that wasn’t good enough” for coverage around his previous house. So, he made it a point to set up a Mesh WiFi system after moving.
As expected, Timothy, like many of us, has been making incremental upgrades to his workspace at home. He has also got an audio headset and an ergonomic chair, and ends our chat (to get back to work) by saying, “I would love to upgrade my study room to accommodate podcast filming and recording. That would require standalone mics and some external lighting.”
Read Also: 4 Things To Look Out For When Choosing A Business Broadband Plan For Your Office
Angela Finally Bought An External Monitor To Enjoy Dual-Screen Display While Writing Articles
Having also recently moved, our Senior Editor, Angela Koo, could similarly decide how to build her work-from-home space.
She decided to put her desk in the corner of her bedroom. As you can see from her set-up (below), she too shares her workspace with another colleague – her cat.
Angela Koo’s work-from-home set-up
“With two screens, I can put my research/reference material on one screen and write my draft on the other. It makes fact-checking a lot easier. Sometimes, I keep chat channels on the smaller screen while working so that I can keep an eye on work-related discussions or put Zoom on one screen while using the other screen to share documents via screen share.
I have moved 3 times since the start of Circuit Breaker. For a while, I was using a borrowed screen when it was available. I also made do without one for a long while as I didn’t want to have extra items to move around when I changed residence. I decided to bite the bullet and get one when I moved into my current (hopefully forever) home. And yes, I waited for one of the monthly sales (6.6) to buy it.”
While chatting, I also questioned her choice of chair as it looked uncomfortable to me. She agreed, volunteering that “the desk and chair I have are from the previous resident. While it’s functional, I find that I’ve been getting backaches due to sitting for long hours. I have used a gaming / ergonomic chair before, but it didn’t suit my petite frame. Instead, I find that switching between sitting and standing is better for my posture (and energy). So, a standing desk is next on my wishlist.”
Coincidentally, that’s exactly what my next colleague brought up.
Shashi Works With An Adjustable Monitor Stand To Relieve Neck Strains (And Fight Food Coma)
Shashi joined our editorial team earlier this year, and I believe he is the only colleague working on a desktop at home. Unlike my previous colleagues (and like many of us), he did not have a blank slate to build his workspace at home.
Shashi Kumar’s work-from-home set-up
Shashi credits his height-adjustable monitor stand for his improved productivity and posture. He no longer suffers from food coma after his lunch at home too.
He explained that “before COVID-19, I did not work at home very often, so I did not feel the need to buy a monitor stand sooner. But, when I started working longer hours at home, my neck strain became more severe and I felt it affected my posture as well”.
He wishes to improve his experience in virtual calls next, saying “I use a desktop at home that has no attached webcam or mic and that makes it difficult to attend virtual calls. I have to switch to a laptop for such calls now. Improving my home broadband connection will also improve virtual calls and events I attend.”
Small And Simple Upgrades To Your Workspace At Home Can Make A Big Difference
Many of us had to quickly and perhaps haphazardly build a workspace at home when COVID-19 first hit. This initial set-up was never meant to replace our office set-up.
As hybrid work arrangements become more permanent, it’s no surprise that many of us, including my colleagues, made incremental improvements to our workspaces. These would have been the game-changing devices and gadgets that allowed us to be more comfortable and productive while working from home.
For Timothy, his Mesh WiFi set-up from ViewQwest enabled him to attend virtual meetings and webinars without fears of his screen freezing in front of the DollarsAndSense team or, worse, events where there would be hundreds of attendees. On the other hand, Angela’s external monitor helps keep tabs on multiple programmes and improves her research work.
No doubt, most of us would also have more ideas of how to further enhance our WFH set-ups. For example, Shashi is happy with his adjustable monitor stand, but he is looking to buy a webcam and mic, as well as improve internet connectivity throughout his home.
He will be happy to know that ViewQwest remains Singapore’s fastest fixed network for a fifth straight year in Q1 and Q2 2022. A Smart WiFi system or Whole Home WiFi 6 Mesh system that ViewQwest offers also ensures that we do not have “dead zones” at home, especially in our rooms or when doors are closed, as well as improve our internet speeds.
Currently, ViewQwest offers Mesh Bundles from $39.99 to $54.99 a month. We can sign up for either its 1 Gbps or 2 Gbps Premium Mesh Bundles, each with an option to upgrade the mesh nodes for improved connectivity in larger homes.
Source: ViewQwest
(With Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX5502 mesh system)
When signing up for a broadband plan, we can also choose the mesh system that we prefer. The ASUS XD4 and NETGEAR MK63 mesh systems (i.e. the two systems on the right below) provide more flexible WiFi networking at home. The NETGEAR MK63 also offers two additional nodes rather than just one, especially critical for those staying in a larger home.
Source: ViewQwest
Upgrading Our Online Security As We Upgrade Our Work-From-Home Set-up
With so many employees in Singapore spending more time online at home with hybrid work arrangements, internet security has become an even bigger concern. Both businesses, especially those without robust security capabilities, and our personal information is at greater risk.
In fact, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) reported that the prevalence of scams continues to be high in Singapore, with scammers well-resourced and adept at using technology to cover their tracks.
The last thing we want is unauthorised access to our personal banking details and company information while working from home. Again, the SPF report highlights that at least 90% of scams originate from outside Singapore, and the reality is that it is difficult to recover money that has been moved out of Singapore.
Thankfully, we can rely on ViewQwest’s SecureNet (which comes free for the first 3 months) to keep our online information secure and private. With 24/7 protection for unlimited devices at home (or in the office), SecureNet delivers a state-of-the-art security infrastructure that detects threats like viruses and malware and stops them from gaining unauthorised access to our networks.
In Q2 2022 alone, SecureNet has prevented over 7.2 million spyware and 4.8 million cryptomining threats, and blocked over 1 million vulnerability attacks.
Source: ViewQwest
These are common web security vulnerabilities that could affect anyone working from home, regardless of how digitally savvy we are. ViewQwest’s SecureNet plugs these potential security loopholes and protects your home and working files from less than $0.60 a day.
New ViewQwest users can enjoy free SecureNet protection for the first 3 months when you sign up for any broadband plan. If you want to continue using SecureNet after that, monthly subscriptions are at an affordable $5.99/mth.
Read Also: Wi-Fi On Steroids: Cheap Hacks To Get The Best Bang For Our Buck From Our Home Broadband Plan
What this proves is that a reliable internet connection is about both 1) speed and coverage and 2) security. We cannot make do with just one of them.
At the end of the day, as we upgrade our workstations to make it more conducive and comfortable to work from home, we have to make corresponding upgrades to our internet connectivity. After all, many of our game-changing devices and gadgets will only go as far as our home internet connection takes them.
The post Work-From-Home Game-Changers: DollarsAndSense Writers Share Their Favourite Devices That Improved Their Productivity (And Happiness) appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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