What are the best hardware solutions for remote work set up? When you want to have a remote work set up, there are usually two options:
1) Using software only
2) Using hardware in addition to the software solution.
Software solutions come in all shapes and sizes, but most of them will require you to download an application that both your PC (or Mac) and smartphone should run at the same time for this setup to work. Then, anyone working remotely has access to files on his or her endpoints once logged into the application (for example Google Docs).
Of course it should be possible without using any extra app at all; I’m pointing out what’s best for me personally. However, whether you’re running Windows 10 or Mac OS X, this is what I recommend for this task.
Getting the hardware side of remote work set up right, with both computers and smartphones in mind, might be difficult without some dedicated effort. But you know me by now: What’s hard is only worth doing if it’s meaningful!
The most important tip in choosing the best hardware solutions for remote work set up is to decide how you’re going to use your devices before getting them. And more—how you’re going to get data from device A to device B when the two are physically separated? This is not always about phones or PCs, which works perfectly well with LAN cables, but also about transferring files between your mobile phone and PC while they are not on the same Wi-Fi network (for example, you might be at your PC at home but the phone is on the road with you).
I’ve tried dozens of communication and hardware solutions, and below are what I believe to be best for remote work.
Phone & PC Adapters
The following adapters may be required for various tasks related to remote work set ups:
1) 3FT/6FT Micro USB cable – To connect your phone to your PC while you’re at home if both devices are not connected to the same Wi-Fi network; also used for transferring files between PCs (that is, one PC can run BitTorrent Sync and serve as a server, while the other PC connected to it via a USB cable acts as a client).
2) 7-pin USB Cable – To connect your phone to your car’s cigarette lighter charger. This provides enough power for charging the battery, as well as keeping your phone powered on and functional when you’re having an active day. For example, if you have three back-to-back meetings in one day and you need GPS navigation at all those times. If those meetings go past midnight (for example, one is at 5pm and two are after 9:30pm), this adapter saves the day because there’s no way of holding a smartphone with its screen lit up any longer than 60 minutes – which is what happens without extra power.
3) USB OTG Cable (Micro USB to Male Type A) – To connect your Android phone with a keyboard, mouse, or the like. I recommend this adapter over wireless solutions because wired is more reliable and fast enough for most use cases.
4) Bluetooth 4.0 Dongle – To connect your smartphone to a PC while it’s connected via Wi-Fi network that does not have internet access . This provides you secure access to all documents on that PC from your own smartphone even if it doesn’t have an active data connection of its own! (You’ll use it as a USB modem and the PC where you’re working will be like your home base.)
Smartphone Apps
There are multiple apps that go hand in hand with any work set up, including:
1) Zapier – To connect all services to every other service. This is not just one app but instead a platform for connecting many applications together using APIs (that’s what these things called `”application programming interfaces” do). In plain English, this means you can say, “Connect this service A to this service B so whenever event C happens on service A it triggers event D on service B”. For example, if I have a Dropbox file attached to an email in Gmail, Zapier could send me an SMS with the content of this file attached to it. And here are some more examples of how Zapier could be used for remote work set ups .
2) WhatsApp + Google Voice – To use your smartphone for both SMS and voice calls without paying any charges. Both of these services are free but they’re not friends, which makes using them together impossible. The solution? Get a second phone number that’s attached to exactly one Google Voice account, then forward all incoming calls on this number to your actual number via WhatsApp , which works on every device out there because it’s just an app! When you receive a call or text message on WhatsApp, choose “Forward” instead of answering directly, so Google Voice can continue being jam-packed with new messages. This way, you can answer a call or a text message from wherever you are and it will look like you’re coming from the same phone number.
Personal Workstation Requirements
Having a PC work station at home is key for remote work because there’s no place more convenient to have meetings with people of all walks of life than this location. For example, I was working on some documents last week when my landlady asked if I had any leftover pizza that could help her get through her son’s surgery recovery. So she was able to eat something nice thanks to being able to work from my apartment during the surgery itself! And note that I wouldn’t be able to do anything remotely related while actually in the surgery room.
I use a PC work station because they’re more versatile than Macs, which have problems with running Parallels for Windows alongside Boot Camp where you can run macOS natively. With this configuration, I’m able to run software from any of the three operating systems as needed at any time without needing to reboot. In fact, I’ve been writing this article on a Windows 7 virtual machine that’s built into my MacBook Air , and it runs just fine! Plus these machines are usually cheaper by about 20% if bought refurbished .
Most remote workers use a laptop or a decent smartphone, but there needs to be a PC available for video conferencing exclusively if you want “in person” meetings with anyone – whether it’s your team back home or a new person you’d like to meet. While it’s possible to have video chats using your smartphone, they’ll never look or sound as good as when held between two proper PC work stations; and that includes the receiving end where the clarity of the screen is far more important than its size. Also, many consumer hardware configurations don’t use dedicated graphics cards, which means there will be a ton of lag and poor resolution for everyone involved in these meetings unless you get an expensive professional system! So if you can afford it, I recommend getting a decent laptop with powerful integrated graphics (such as the Intel HD Graphics 620) and having this computer at home. This is an important part in finding hardware solutions for remote work set ups.
Laptop Requirements
If you want something inexpensive but still portable enough to carry around at all times, then the best options are the 11″ MacBook Air or the HP Stream 11 if you can find it refurbished. I recommend getting at least 4GB of RAM no matter which one you go for because many remote workers end up using their laptop as their work station when they’re back home, where enough power to run serious software is needed. And make sure this laptop has a high-resolution screen instead of an TN panel one because colors won’t look washed out like on cheaper displays!
If you want something more affordable without sacrificing too much power, try the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10. It’s not as expensive as other options but still runs Windows 10 pretty well even though it’s only got 2GB of RAM and a small hard-drive.
Phone Requirements
When it comes to communication with people back home, a smartphone is a must because you can stay in touch with everyone using Whatsapp , Skype , Viber and whatnot! But for video conferencing between PCs instead of smartphones, then nothing beats webcams that have been designed for that purpose. The best out there are the Logitech C930e and the Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 – just make sure they’re compatible with your PC’s respective operating system before you buy them . In fact, I recommend buying these cameras refurbished if you want to save on costs; and if your computer doesn’t support Bluetooth 4.0 LE , then look for one which does because it has lower CPU and GPU requirements and will reduce the amount of delay you’ll experience during video conversations!
Internet Requirements
Connectivity is an important part for any remote worker’s PC, especially since it won’t be able to use your ISP’s Wi-Fi at all times like a smartphone would. So make sure that this machine has both ethernet and 802.11ac (or at least dual-band 2.4Ghz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi antennas so you can connect whenever there’s a router available! And nothing beats Bluetooth 4.0 LE for connecting to wireless peripherals such as keyboards and mice . If none of these things are present on this computer, then I recommend buying USB adapters so they can be connected later on – just make sure the computer has at least one USB 3.0 port so they can transfer data as fast as possible!
So what are the best hardware solutions for remote work set up? I could go on and on discussing all sorts of other bells and whistles that every remote worker must have like a good laptop stand, wireless earphones with microphone, external monitor (preferably 4K), etc; but these are the most important parts of any remote work set up – because once you’ve got them sorted out, everything else becomes easier to handle! Don’t forget: spending a little bit more money now will save you time and effort in the future – which is always worth it!
