| Setting up a home office is one of the most important tasks you will face when you make the decision to work from your own home. Your home office can be a corner of your kitchen or living room or, if space permits, a former spare bedroom. Size is less important that functionality. When deciding on where to set up the nerve center of your business, there are some factors you need to consider. What about proper lighting? Having the correct lighting is very important when setting up a home office. Eyestrain and eye problems can result if you spend long periods of time in a dimly lit room staring at papers or a computer screen. In order to avoid eventual vision problems, you will want to have a well-lit home office. Check the Number of Electrical Outlets You want to take into consideration electrical outlets available for the equipment that you will be using day-to-day. At the very least, today's modern home office has a light, computer, telephone, answering machine, monitor, scanner, printer and speakers (optional but still nice to have). You may also add a radio/CD/MP3 player that will need to be powered. Make sure you have enough electrical outlets to power your home office adequately so that you do not have play plug switch on equipment. Is the area well ventilated and dust free? All of that computer equipment needs to "breath" to remain cool and functioning properly. If you have ever, "fried" a computer you know how important it is to keep the fan clean and dust free. Telephone Access Is another Consideration In addition to having a telephone handy for business purposes, you will also require telephone access for your modem. You may also consider a separate telephone line for your business. It is much easier to track your telephone business expenses for tax purposes if you have a separate phone line. As well, if you are on dialup Internet access, you will need two phone lines so that your clients have access to you during business hours and can leave messages while you are away. If you have teenagers in the house, it is a definite that you will need a separate telephone line that is only in your home office or they may never get through. For a few extra dollars, you will have peace of mind in this area. Do you have Internet access? Now a days the modern home office must not only have a telephone it is imperative it also has access to a high speed Internet connection. Depending on your service provider this may already be covered by telephone if you have DSL Internet. However, if you have a broadband connection you will also need cable access nearby where your computer workstation or desk is going to be for a convent hook up. If you do not have a cable outlet near by you will want to have one installed before you move into your new space. Most cable companies can help with this or you could use a do it yourself kit to accomplish this if you are handy around the house. You will want to make sure it is done right as a poor connection will hinder your productivity. A third option is that if you are near a WiFi hotspot, you can use the wireless connection via a wireless card and hook up to your main router or broadband connection point. Again, make sure you take the proper security measures because you do not want others in the neighborhood surfing with you. |
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