Home Office Upgrades We Actually Use

For SDA staff, working from home during quarantine has not been so bad since we were already paperless, and we had most of what we needed to handle working remotely. But many of us are still in the process of figuring out how to up our game when it comes to communicating with co-workers and clients online.

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet are not as effective as they can be with an insufficient internet connection, bad lighting, or poor video and/or sound quality. For instance, our home office at the Dean house was way too dark and it always looked like nighttime when we were online.

So, Stanley researched equipment improvements. If you don’t have time to look into it yourself, here are a few of our recommendations with Amazon links provided.

Poor Lighting

If you are experiencing poor lighting during your zoom calls, and the person you are on call with is having trouble seeing your face, we have been using the “Emart 60 LED Continuous Portable Photography Lighting Kit”. The kit comes with two lights that have retractable tripod stands. The lights have different color filters that you may choose from, and the angle of the lights can be adjusted easily.

The Emart 60 LED Continuous Portable Photography Lighting Kit is an “Amazon Choice” product and has a reasonable price of $49.99.

Bad Sound Quality

If you are having trouble with bad sound quality during your zoom calls, the “Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic” has been working well for us. The audio is clear, and the mic is easy to set up. It does not require you to download any extra software, and it has a costume condenser capsule that is often used in studio recordings. This product also has an affordable price of $49.99.

Video Recording & Editing

We have been using the Screencast-o-matic video recording and editing service to communicate with clients. This can be used as a potential alternative to live calls because it allows you to plan out what you want to say, and the person who is receiving the video can work through the information at their own pace. We have used this service to walk clients through their tax returns and we get a lot of positive feedback on it.

We hope this helps. See you online soon and call us if you need anything. 

– Stanley and Kelly