Work at Home - Equipping
Your Home Office Part 2
Equipping Your Home Office -
Part 2
© 2004 Vishal P. Rao
Choosing Home Office Equipment
In Part 1 of this article we discussed
how to select office furnishings and why making the right choices were
crucial to your comfort and ability to remain organized. In Part 2 we
will take a look at your basic home office equipment needs.
1. Computers
The type of computer that's best for you depends upon the type of work
that you do, and whether you spend all of your time in your home office,
or go out on the road to meet clients. While there are a seemingly
endless choice of makes and models, there are essentially only three
basic choices.
For most home office situations, the desktop computer reigns supreme.
However, if you are on the road a lot then you can find notebook
computers with nearly the same horsepower as the best desktop. If you do
choose a notebook, the consider one that has an available docking
station. That way, when you are in your home office, you can easily use
a standard keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
Even if you have a desktop or notebook, you might have room in your life
for a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). PDAs, such as those from Palm
Computing, can be a very valuable personal productivity tool especially
if you need real-time access to your appointments, to-do lists, and
phone numbers. With the growing popularity of wireless Internet access
you can even use your PDA to connect to your home office computer no
matter where you are.
2. Printers
Your first decision is what type of technology to go with --laser or ink
jet. Laser printers use a toner cartridge/drum assembly while ink jets
accept ink tank cartridges. Lasers are generally better for high-volume
printing and have higher duty cycles--the manufacturer's rating for the
unit's recommended monthly workload. Lasers also produce better-quality
black text than most ink jets, though some ink-jet models rival low-end
lasers.
Lasers are also faster than ink jets, but ink jets offer a lower cost
model if you need to print in color. Color laser printers are still very
expensive. Since the prices for laser and ink jets are so low, you could
consider buying one of each.
Another important item to consider is resolution. A printer's resolution
determines the overall print quality of your documents. Resolution means
the number of dots per inch that appear on the page as a horizontal and
vertical measurement such as 600 x 600 dots-per-inch or dpi. A 600 x 600
dpi resolution produces adequate quality for most projects.
Your final deciding factor is speed. While printers rarely perform up to
the manufacturer's claims, you should still use the printer's posted
performance specifications as a guideline. An acceptable speed for
personal laser printers is around 6 to 10 pages per minute. An
acceptable range for ink jet printers is 4 ppm or above.
There are printers that do double, triple, or even quadruple duty as a
fax, copier, and scanner as well. You should consider buying one of
these models if you have a need for all of this equipment.
3. Internet access
Today you have a wide choice of Internet access protocols. If you access
the Internet only to check your email, and browse the web a bit, then
you might be able to get by with an inexpensive dial-up account. This
type of access generally runs around $9.95 per month and up.
If constant, high-speed Internet access is a requirement for your home
office business, then you need to step up to either Digital subscriber
lines (DSL), or a cable modem. Both provide sufficient speed for any
type of business that you are likely to run out of a home office.
DSL utilizes unused bandwidth on your existing telephone lines to
provide a constant connection, while cable modems use your existing
cable television network. DSL may not be available in your area. It
depends upon your telephone company's technology and how far you are
from a DSL access point.
Cable, on the other hand, is available in all but the most remote
markets. Still, if you can't get either, then there is always the
possibility of a satellite uplink. While this was considered extravagant
only a few years ago, it's affordable and no more trouble than
installing a small dish antenna on your home and signing up for the
service.
4. Telephones
No matter how high-tech your home office is, the telephone is still the
most basic and essential of your business tools. Available features are
at an all-time high and prices are at an all time low. Almost any home
office phone on the market comes equipped with programmable speed-dial
numbers, multiple-line capability, speakerphone operation, conference
call capability, and headset jacks. In addition, your local phone
company offers a wide array of add-on services such as called id, voice
mail, flat-rate long distance and more.
If your work keeps you up and around your home office, or if you like to
take business calls while out on your patio or while walking around your
home, then a cordless phone is a joy to have. There are so many makes
and models to choose from that it almost seems like you need a
consultant to help you make the right choice. It's not really that hard.
Just keep the following in mind:
a) Choose the right technology
Avoid analog phones at all costs. Analog phones are susceptible to
interference from other devices and range is very limited. Also, analog
phones permit eavesdropping through baby monitors and other cordless
phones.
Digital phones have greater range than analog phones plus they offer
better call privacy through the use of random codes that scramble
communications between handset and base unit.
Digital Spread Spectrum (DSS) is the best of breed for right now. The
Spread Spectrum technology uses multiple channels and frequency hopping
to thoroughly scramble communicate between the handset and base unit.
You also get increased range due to decreased electrical interference,
plus DSS phones are permitted to use more powerful transmitters.
b) Frequency
The range of your cordless phone also depends upon its assigned radio
frequency. Most home office phones fall into three frequencies.
900 MHz: This is by far the worst choice. This frequency is crowded with
devices such as baby monitors, pagers, and cell phones, and is subject
to maximum interference. A 900-MHz phone has a range of around 1,500
feet and prices start at $20.
2.4 GHz: While once the best choice available, the 2.4-GHz spectrum is
overrun with wireless networking, microwaves, and other devices. A
2.4-GHz phone has a range of 2,200 feet and pricing starts around $50.
5.8 GHz: This is the latest unlicensed spectrum available for wireless
devices. Very few devices operate in this spectrum so there is a marked
reduction in interference. A 5.8-GHz phone also boasts a range of around
2,200 feet and start at about $150.
c) Other considerations
Make sure that any phone you select has a headset jack, and then invest
in a headset. There is nothing worse than cradling your phone on your
shoulder while you consult your files or try to type something on your
keyboard. A headset frees both hands while you talk.
Don't forget to take a look at your potential phone's battery life as
well. Most cordless phones offer at least four hours of talk time and
seven days of standby. Make sure that your phone uses replaceable
battery packs, and that the battery packs are widely available.
One last thought. Cordless phones are useless without power, so always
keep a regular corded phone handy for blackout emergencies.
In Summary
There is a lot more to equipping an efficient home office than first
meets the eye. Hopefully this two-part series gets you going in the
right direction. Chances are everything that you buy for your home
office is tax deductible. Check with your accountant to be sure.
Resource box:
----------------------------------------------------------
For opportunities, ideas and resources to start a home based business,
visit:
http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com
For more articles by the author, visit:
http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com/library/reprints.shtml
----------------------------------------------------------
Work at Home - Main Page
Click Here
