March 3, 2024
Most of us have likely been working from home for the better half of 2020 in Bay Area cities from Hillsborough to Atherton to Pebble Beach, and pretty much everywhere in-between. We’re all starting to feel the strain of our new surroundings as we get used to our new reality. We are also noticing quite a few flaws with some things (network and otherwise technology related) that we thought were perfectly adequate setups before we put them to the test with constant work from home and school at home this year. Thankfully there’s many solutions to help ease the at home work woes, and companies such as Regent5 that are still open to help you implement them right away.
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Spending a few days a week working from home when the rest of the family is at school and other jobs was a breeze before. In fact, a lovely respite to the chaotic day to day activities normally experienced. The problem now is that everyone is at home. The network is being pushed to the limits and can’t take much more with an entire family constantly using their devices throughout the day. The kids are likely either playing games or enrolled in some online course, mom and dad are working from home in their office (or whatever they’ve managed to convert into an office), and the network has had enough. WiFi speeds are slow, the connection is cutting out, and everything is going wrong. There’s a few things that can be done by yourself or a team such as Regent5 to help improve them in this difficult time.
Sometimes plugging it back in really does work. While that’s a little more complicated with a Wi-Fi network and router, it can still be done. We’ve included a brief tutorial on completing the more simple resets below.
While its not as easy to see issues with network coverage with only a few people are using the same network, the issue becomes much more common with more and more people taxing a single Wi-Fi router. Thankfully its very easy to add in new devices to the network, and the team at Regent5 can easily do this with a simple visit to your home. Adding a few extension devices can greatly improve network speeds to keep up with the family usage. Thankfully, brands such as Ubiquiti provide Access Points that help easily expand coverage where needed. Otherwise, a simple Cisco or Google Nest WiFi Router set can provide more coverage where needed and tie it into the entire home network.
With the stay at home order going on longer than any of us intended, it hasn’t quite shown any changes of slowing down as of yet. It may be a good idea to future-proof your system to avoid future Wi-Fi related woes by upgrading the router and other associated devices.
There’s a lot less to take up kids time these days as playgrounds and other outdoor activities have come to a standstill, making boredom and home network device usage more prevalent than ever. Staring at tiny screens all day is overstimulating and distracting for children, and many parents are having a hard time getting them off for other activities such as schoolwork and even dinnertime. Thankfully there’s a few simple solutions to tie into your network to keep their usage at bay, and even cut off their devices from the internet between specified times. We recommend adding a few simple devices that we've gone over in a previous article to help control your kids internet usage.
Most of us enjoy multiple screens at our work desk, and have been relying on a single work provided laptop or desktop computer in a home office to take over a lot of screen space. While home office space may be limited, it may still be beneficial to make just enough extra room to add a second monitor. This will greatly increase productivity. While you’re at it, adding in a proper webcam from Logitech or Cisco Webex will make video and Zoom business calls a breeze, and adding some special noise cancelling headphones will drown out a lot of the distracting noise you no doubt experience with the whole family stuck at home.
We were all very confident at first that this work from home idea was well prepared for and our solutions were adequate, but we’re all likely finding out the hard way from our body’s response that they were not. Body aches, wrist pain, back pain — you name it. Thankfully a few small upgrades to a home office setup can help alleviate these issues before they get worse. An ergonomic desk chair is a great investment, along with a contoured mouse designed to lift the wrist and avoid Carpal Tunnel will go a long way. If space is an issue, consider a standing desk solution, which many offices have adopted in recent years. While a home office setup is not ideal for many people in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can make it work with a few small modifications.
Face it — work from home is here to stay for the time being. Thankfully, there’s help. We all notice the ways we can make our home into a smarter and more convenient place to live and work, so it’s time to make some jumps and reward all the hard work you’ve put in today. There’s so many smart home automation systems that can help make your life a little better, and Regent5 can get you started. Check out our Smart Home Automation Planning Guide to begin your dream home experience, and we’ll help you through the rest.
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