What you need to thoroughly geek up your SOHO environment
When I first entered the ranks of the self-employed back in the late 1980s and set out to equip my den as a home office, I concentrated on the ergonomics—a good chair, a good desk, a decent desk lamp and the like. I needed a PC too, of course, but the choices were so limited and the prices so exorbitant that the decision-making process wasn't much of a process at all. I bought a fax machine because it was my sole method of data communication in those pre-Internet days, but other tech peripherals such as copiers and scanners either hadn't been invented or were simply too expensive. And I remember stocking a bookcase with books because I certainly couldn't turn to anything like a "Web" for information.
Today, the ergonomics still count. However, it's the tech that really makes a home office fly. It all starts, of course, with a good computer.
Computers: What's your style?
Your first decision when choosing a PC is whether you even want a desktop PC. If you spend a lot of your business hours outside your home office—on the road, in hotels, at meetings—you may need or want a notebook too. And then you'll need to decide if you have the financial wherewithal to spring for two different computers. For the moment, we'll pretend you have that financial wherewithal, and look at the current PC market.
The PC landscape is not what it used to be. The fact is that it doesn't take a ton o' bucks these days to buy a desktop computer capable of handling office basics such as email, spreadsheets and letters/business proposals.
If you don't foresee yourself going much beyond these essentials, consider a unit structured around an Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor. Granted, an entry-level Intel "Celeron" processor-based system will cost you even less, but the multitasking smoothness that comes from multiple processing cores, not to mention the performance boost, will give you a better experience. Currently, the Core 2 Duo lineup is extremely wide-ranging (the processor is running from the $150 mark all the way up to $400 and more), but the lower end of the scale should suit your needs.
As an alternative, consider Intel's chief rival, AMD, which also has mainstream dual core processors. They are called the "Athlon 64 X2" and like the Intel Core 2 Duo line, come in a number of performance variations.
Keeping with our economy-minded yet best bang-for-the-buck parameters, we'll set up the rest of the system as follows: 1GB of DDR2-667MHz RAM, a 200-320GB hard drive (price differences are small so if your budget permits, go for bigger capacity), a reliable motherboard with integrated sound and network facilities—something in the ASUS P5B series would do just fine—and a DVD burner.
Graphic content ahead
Though many prebuilt budget systems utilize integrated, on-the-motherboard video, we'll move up just a bit from that just in case you want to play the odd game, and go with an affordable but competent video card like the new BFG GeForce 8600GT.
You don't want to go cheap on the quality of your display considering you'll be looking at it all the time, but we do need to save some bucks. Thusly, we'll opt away from the 20-inch-plus monsters and go with a perfectly usable, highly rated 19-inch widescreen Samsung SyncMaster 931BW.
If your needs are a bit more substantial—in other words, if you're into 3D design or you also want to play games and movies, stockpile large files and just generally do everything faster and more capably—you'll need to spend a few more dollars. Stick with the Core 2 Duo processor but move on up to one with a 1066MHz cache (cache is extremely fast temporary memory).
Any processor with that much cache is guaranteed to also sport a high clock speed. Add 2GB of DDR2 800MHz RAM, two 320-plus GB hard drives (one for your applications and one for your files, or use the second for backup), an ASUS P5N32 motherboard (ASUS is a very reliable name and this motherboard supports all manner of future upgrades) and the DVD burner. An alternative to the DVD burner, which is still somewhat pricey but worth considering if you need lots of archiving, are the next generation optical recorders, either Blu-ray or HD-DVD.
Wise shoppers would also spring for a portable hard drive for carting files to other locations or making backups for remote safekeeping. Seagate, Maxtor and LaCie all make units that use 3.5-inch (the size typically used in desktop PCs) or 2.5-inch (notebook) in a variety of capacities. And, to ensure you can play the greatest games for a very long time to come or run virtually any 3D modeling program on the market, we'll go with an EVGA E-GeForce 8800GTS video card with 640MB of onboard memory.
A good PC demands a good-sized screen, and any 22-inch-plus Samsung or LG with a sub 5ms access time should do the trick. In the end, this is a competent but not ridiculously pricey PC that'll do most everything your business and leisure life demands. Do you really need Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista? No you do not, but you may not have a choice because it comes installed on virtually all new computers, and it is practically impossible buy Windows XP separately in retail stores. Vista is far more resource hungry than Windows XP. At the very least, you should have 2GB of memory installed.
You can take it with you
Your choice of a notebook computer depends on whether you plan to spring for a PC. If you don't, you'll want to look for a "desktop replacement" notebook, a comparatively hefty machine that will easily handle both parts of the desktop and portable equation. A nice, big 17-inch screen is almost de rigeur in notebooks of this ilk, and, considering this will be your only computer, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor of at least 2GHz, a 200-plus GB hard drive, and 2GB RAM should be considered mandatory. A video card with dedicated video memory is preferred over a graphics chipset that's integrated on the motherboard and shares the computer's main memory. Bluetooth capabilities, built-in cameras, memory card readers and biometric security measures such as fingerprint readers are just some of the perks you should look for.
Conversely, if you've decided you'll need a PC, your notebook doesn't need to be quite so large. In fact, you might want to look for portability factors like small size and light weight or lower cost. Capable models with 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch screens and power-efficient AMD Turion and Intel Centrino processors are now commonplace, and many are priced under $1,000. You won't have the storage space, the power or the graphics-handling capabilities of a desktop replacement, but it'll be easier to lug around and it'll cost you half as much.
There are a couple of other classes of notebook computers that you may also want to consider. The ultraportable is, as the name implies, designed mainly with portability as the key factor. This means the unit (including the screen) will be relatively small. Miniaturization has its price, so ultraportables also tend to be somewhat expensive. A road warrior class of notebook tries to balance a number of key factors—performance, weight and battery life. These are often the only computer that people like traveling executives or sales people have, so they are also used as desktop replacements, but without the weight penalty or battery hit imposed by 17-inch screens.
The Mac connection
An alternative to Windows PCs are Apple’s iMac and Mac Mini desktop machines and iBook notebook machines. Macs have always had the reputation of being more expensive that PCs, but now that Apple has shifted to Intel Core 2 Duo processors in these lines, there are more common points on which to base a comparison. If you compare Apple’s line with other international brand-name computers, you might be surprised at how small the price difference is. But house brand or white box computers are still significantly less expensive.
Of mice and men (and women)
No computer discussion would be complete without a couple of words on mice. And those words are cordless and laser. Cordless, because losing that darn cable is truly a freeing experience. Moreover, cordless mice now run comfortably for several years before expiring. Laser, because laser mice not only weigh less, they're also more precise. Cordless keyboards are pretty nifty too (because they don't have a cord, natch), especially if they're equipped with hotkeys across the top for instant, one-touch access to your most utilized commands. Logitech leads the way in both mice and keyboards, and for good reason—the company makes good stuff at reasonable prices. Its entire Cordless Desktop line (one part mouse, one part keyboard) is great—it's up to you to decide what features you want and need. Early cordless mice and keyboards used to communicate with the computer via infrared signals. Later, radio-frequency (RF) offered a better communications method. Today, RF is being joined by products that use Bluetooth.
Dirty power
Whereas mice get a lot of attention, the lowly (it sits on the floor) uninterruptible power supply or its lesser cousin, the surge protected power bar, doesn't get nearly enough. Yet if a power spike has ever destroyed your data or fried an electronic component or if you’ve lost hours of work when the power suddenly goes out, you know AC power management can be your best friend. In a home office, it's a necessity, especially if you live in an area that regularly experiences power outages, brownouts, lightning storms, etc. The uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, has four main parts: a battery, a battery charger, a power inverter and sophisticated circuitry to make these systems work together. The inverter converts the DC power from the battery into AC power for your computer, while the charger keeps the battery charged.
While there are a number of different types of UPS, a common one for home use is called the Standby UPS system. Under normal conditions, the battery/inverter system is in standby mode. When you lose AC power (e.g., a power outage), a circuit detects this and instantly switches over to battery power. The battery has enough capacity to allow you to finish what you are doing and save your current work. Often you can programme the unit to perform an automated shutdown of your computer, should the power fail when you are not at home.
Most often shaped like a standard six-outlet power bar, a surge protector features a built-in circuit breaker that trips when it senses a spike. Surge protectors are rated in terms of Joules, with a 1000-Joules (1 kJ) rating being the standardly accepted benchmark. APC and Belkin both manufacture reliable surge protectors that begin, approximately, at the $30 mark. Powersquid (http://www.powersquid.com/) offers a pricey but compelling solution that incorporates not just an extremely high Joules rating, but also a gaggle of breakout outlets (they look like tentacles), thus affording ample room for those cumbersome power bricks that come with some electronic devices. Regardless of your final selection, look for a unit with a "connected equipment" guarantee—few under the $10 mark will carry one.
Sound advice
Far more fun that buying a surge protector is adding sound to your computing setup. Truth is that the built-in speakers in a notebook, even a honkin' big desktop replacement notebook, aren't particularly convincing. Nor are the speakers packaged with most pre-built PCs. What you need is a three-way setup consisting of two desktop "satellite" speakers and one subwoofer. These are often sold as “2.1” speaker systems. Granted, we're not building a monster gaming rig here, but there's a very real chance you'll occasionally want to listen to music, watch a movie or maybe even play a game.
If saving money is your goal, few manufacturers build sub-$100, self-powered computer speakers as well as Logitech and Altec Lansing. You'll need to drop at least $50 to rise above the bottom of the barrel stuff. At the high end of the spectrum ($200 and above) sits the Klipsch entries. Great units all around, with bass that'll rattle the windows. For the truly well-healed, any of the Klipsch ProMedia series will impress both you and the neighbours.
Printers and multifunctions
You'll clearly need a printer to output your data. The question is whether you need a standalone printer. The answer is: Probably not. Today's space-saving multifunction printers do it all (printing, faxing, scanning and copying), and many of them do it well. Canon's extensive PIXMA series scores high ratings all around in the inkjet category, as does the HP Photosmart series.
You should remember, though, that although inkjets are great for photos, the page per penny printing cost of inkjet cartridges are generally quite a bit higher than that of lasers (at least the beefier lasers), and the text quality and speed are generally lower. All-in-one lasers, such as Canon’s strictly black-and-white imageCLASS series and Lexmark's x500n and x502n colour units, are good bets. Really, the only reason to be stuck on standalone is if you happen to do prodigious amounts of printing, and then you'd want to turn to something brawny such as the Brother HL-5250DN or the HP LaserJet P2015d. Both are in the $300 to $500 range.
We've got to start communicating
To connect your computer(s) and other devices to the outside world, you have two high-speed options – cable and DSL. But you'll need not only the modem your cable or phone company company likely provides, but also a router. Routers allow you to connect more devices (usually a total of four for entry-level routers) and they offer security in the form of a firewall. The prices of routers vary wildly, depending on speed and wireless capabilities. D-Link's expensive ($160) DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router, based on the freshly certified "Draft N" standard, delivers excellent range, world class speed via both its wired and wireless connections and super-slick good looks. Those who don't need wireless connectivity and can make do with standard non-gigabit wired speeds don't need to spend nearly as much—models such as the sub-$70 Linksys BEFSR41 or TP-Link’s TL-WR641G should do just fine.
Email is good, but there's nothing like a good, old-fashioned conversation to cement relations. On that note, you're going to need a phone. But first, you'll have to decide if you want to utilize your traditional phone line or move on to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as Vonage.
One day in the near future, VoIP will likely kill off plain old telephone service (POTS) because it's simply a superior technology that saves most users money. In the meantime, it's a good alternative to traditional technology that's growing in popularity even though it's impacted by the same things that sporadically interrupt email or Internet surfing. To get on the VoIP bandwagon, you either need to purchase an analog telephone adapter such as the sub-$80 D-Link VTA to use with your current analog phone, or go with a brand new VoIP-equipped phone like the VTech IP8100-2 ($200). Another option exists in the form of hybrid phones that allow you to do both VoIP and POTS. Panasonic's cordless GLOBARANGE lineup, priced between $100 and $200, does just that. Chances are, however, that most home office folk will stick with their current analog phone lines, at least for the time being. Reliable, corded phones with a couple of lines and a speakerphone feature make a great deal of sense in the business environment. Unless you see yourself moving around quite a bit when you're talking, check out corded business phones from well-regarded manufacturers such as AT&T and Panasonic. If you really feel the need to move while you talk, look into the Panasonic KXTG6700. This monster phone features high frequency 5.8GHz wireless technology, two independent lines, a handset LCD and an integrated answering machine. The $300 price is the only hiccup.
If you don't want to hand over a bunch of extra bucks to the phone company every month for a second line, be sure to check whether your local provider offers a "smart ring" feature. Though it isn't a second line per se, smart ring does give your home a second phone number and a distinctive ring when that number is called, at a fraction of the cost of a true second line. Moreover, you don't even need a two-line phone to utilize the service.
Of course, there will be times when you can't make it to your phone to answer all those incoming calls. The question of an answering machine vs. voice mail is something every SOHO worker faces, and there are positives and negatives on both sides. In an answering machine, you have a solution you pay for up front. No other costs are involved, and the entire thing remains within the comfort of your home for immediate access. Indeed, an answering machine may well be incorporated into the telephone you purchase. However, depending on your phone setup, callers may encounter busy signals or long waits while you finish up with your current call. Moreover, many of the answering machines at the big box stores sound muffled and indistinct. The best idea is to try before you buy, or at least be prepared to audition more than one unit at home.
The big drawback in voice mail is ongoing charges. Otherwise, it's arguably the better way to go. With voice mail, you don’t need to worry about whether an answering machine is turned on or off. You don’t need to worry about busy signals or audio clarity. Ultimately, the decision is very much subjective.
When I first entered the ranks of the self-employed back in the late 1980s and set out to equip my den as a home office, I concentrated on the ergonomics—a good chair, a good desk, a decent desk lamp and the like. I needed a PC too, of course, but the choices were so limited and the prices so exorbitant that the decision-making process wasn't much of a process at all. I bought a fax machine because it was my sole method of data communication in those pre-Internet days, but other tech peripherals such as copiers and scanners either hadn't been invented or were simply too expensive. And I remember stocking a bookcase with books because I certainly couldn't turn to anything like a "Web" for information.
Today, the ergonomics still count. However, it's the tech that really makes a home office fly. It all starts, of course, with a good computer.
Computers: What's your style?
Your first decision when choosing a PC is whether you even want a desktop PC. If you spend a lot of your business hours outside your home office—on the road, in hotels, at meetings—you may need or want a notebook too. And then you'll need to decide if you have the financial wherewithal to spring for two different computers. For the moment, we'll pretend you have that financial wherewithal, and look at the current PC market.
The PC landscape is not what it used to be. The fact is that it doesn't take a ton o' bucks these days to buy a desktop computer capable of handling office basics such as email, spreadsheets and letters/business proposals.
If you don't foresee yourself going much beyond these essentials, consider a unit structured around an Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor. Granted, an entry-level Intel "Celeron" processor-based system will cost you even less, but the multitasking smoothness that comes from multiple processing cores, not to mention the performance boost, will give you a better experience. Currently, the Core 2 Duo lineup is extremely wide-ranging (the processor is running from the $150 mark all the way up to $400 and more), but the lower end of the scale should suit your needs.
As an alternative, consider Intel's chief rival, AMD, which also has mainstream dual core processors. They are called the "Athlon 64 X2" and like the Intel Core 2 Duo line, come in a number of performance variations.
Keeping with our economy-minded yet best bang-for-the-buck parameters, we'll set up the rest of the system as follows: 1GB of DDR2-667MHz RAM, a 200-320GB hard drive (price differences are small so if your budget permits, go for bigger capacity), a reliable motherboard with integrated sound and network facilities—something in the ASUS P5B series would do just fine—and a DVD burner.
Graphic content ahead
Though many prebuilt budget systems utilize integrated, on-the-motherboard video, we'll move up just a bit from that just in case you want to play the odd game, and go with an affordable but competent video card like the new BFG GeForce 8600GT.
You don't want to go cheap on the quality of your display considering you'll be looking at it all the time, but we do need to save some bucks. Thusly, we'll opt away from the 20-inch-plus monsters and go with a perfectly usable, highly rated 19-inch widescreen Samsung SyncMaster 931BW.
If your needs are a bit more substantial—in other words, if you're into 3D design or you also want to play games and movies, stockpile large files and just generally do everything faster and more capably—you'll need to spend a few more dollars. Stick with the Core 2 Duo processor but move on up to one with a 1066MHz cache (cache is extremely fast temporary memory).
Any processor with that much cache is guaranteed to also sport a high clock speed. Add 2GB of DDR2 800MHz RAM, two 320-plus GB hard drives (one for your applications and one for your files, or use the second for backup), an ASUS P5N32 motherboard (ASUS is a very reliable name and this motherboard supports all manner of future upgrades) and the DVD burner. An alternative to the DVD burner, which is still somewhat pricey but worth considering if you need lots of archiving, are the next generation optical recorders, either Blu-ray or HD-DVD.
Wise shoppers would also spring for a portable hard drive for carting files to other locations or making backups for remote safekeeping. Seagate, Maxtor and LaCie all make units that use 3.5-inch (the size typically used in desktop PCs) or 2.5-inch (notebook) in a variety of capacities. And, to ensure you can play the greatest games for a very long time to come or run virtually any 3D modeling program on the market, we'll go with an EVGA E-GeForce 8800GTS video card with 640MB of onboard memory.
A good PC demands a good-sized screen, and any 22-inch-plus Samsung or LG with a sub 5ms access time should do the trick. In the end, this is a competent but not ridiculously pricey PC that'll do most everything your business and leisure life demands. Do you really need Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista? No you do not, but you may not have a choice because it comes installed on virtually all new computers, and it is practically impossible buy Windows XP separately in retail stores. Vista is far more resource hungry than Windows XP. At the very least, you should have 2GB of memory installed.
You can take it with you
Your choice of a notebook computer depends on whether you plan to spring for a PC. If you don't, you'll want to look for a "desktop replacement" notebook, a comparatively hefty machine that will easily handle both parts of the desktop and portable equation. A nice, big 17-inch screen is almost de rigeur in notebooks of this ilk, and, considering this will be your only computer, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor of at least 2GHz, a 200-plus GB hard drive, and 2GB RAM should be considered mandatory. A video card with dedicated video memory is preferred over a graphics chipset that's integrated on the motherboard and shares the computer's main memory. Bluetooth capabilities, built-in cameras, memory card readers and biometric security measures such as fingerprint readers are just some of the perks you should look for.
Conversely, if you've decided you'll need a PC, your notebook doesn't need to be quite so large. In fact, you might want to look for portability factors like small size and light weight or lower cost. Capable models with 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch screens and power-efficient AMD Turion and Intel Centrino processors are now commonplace, and many are priced under $1,000. You won't have the storage space, the power or the graphics-handling capabilities of a desktop replacement, but it'll be easier to lug around and it'll cost you half as much.
There are a couple of other classes of notebook computers that you may also want to consider. The ultraportable is, as the name implies, designed mainly with portability as the key factor. This means the unit (including the screen) will be relatively small. Miniaturization has its price, so ultraportables also tend to be somewhat expensive. A road warrior class of notebook tries to balance a number of key factors—performance, weight and battery life. These are often the only computer that people like traveling executives or sales people have, so they are also used as desktop replacements, but without the weight penalty or battery hit imposed by 17-inch screens.
The Mac connection
An alternative to Windows PCs are Apple’s iMac and Mac Mini desktop machines and iBook notebook machines. Macs have always had the reputation of being more expensive that PCs, but now that Apple has shifted to Intel Core 2 Duo processors in these lines, there are more common points on which to base a comparison. If you compare Apple’s line with other international brand-name computers, you might be surprised at how small the price difference is. But house brand or white box computers are still significantly less expensive.
Of mice and men (and women)
No computer discussion would be complete without a couple of words on mice. And those words are cordless and laser. Cordless, because losing that darn cable is truly a freeing experience. Moreover, cordless mice now run comfortably for several years before expiring. Laser, because laser mice not only weigh less, they're also more precise. Cordless keyboards are pretty nifty too (because they don't have a cord, natch), especially if they're equipped with hotkeys across the top for instant, one-touch access to your most utilized commands. Logitech leads the way in both mice and keyboards, and for good reason—the company makes good stuff at reasonable prices. Its entire Cordless Desktop line (one part mouse, one part keyboard) is great—it's up to you to decide what features you want and need. Early cordless mice and keyboards used to communicate with the computer via infrared signals. Later, radio-frequency (RF) offered a better communications method. Today, RF is being joined by products that use Bluetooth.
Dirty power
Whereas mice get a lot of attention, the lowly (it sits on the floor) uninterruptible power supply or its lesser cousin, the surge protected power bar, doesn't get nearly enough. Yet if a power spike has ever destroyed your data or fried an electronic component or if you’ve lost hours of work when the power suddenly goes out, you know AC power management can be your best friend. In a home office, it's a necessity, especially if you live in an area that regularly experiences power outages, brownouts, lightning storms, etc. The uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, has four main parts: a battery, a battery charger, a power inverter and sophisticated circuitry to make these systems work together. The inverter converts the DC power from the battery into AC power for your computer, while the charger keeps the battery charged.
While there are a number of different types of UPS, a common one for home use is called the Standby UPS system. Under normal conditions, the battery/inverter system is in standby mode. When you lose AC power (e.g., a power outage), a circuit detects this and instantly switches over to battery power. The battery has enough capacity to allow you to finish what you are doing and save your current work. Often you can programme the unit to perform an automated shutdown of your computer, should the power fail when you are not at home.
Most often shaped like a standard six-outlet power bar, a surge protector features a built-in circuit breaker that trips when it senses a spike. Surge protectors are rated in terms of Joules, with a 1000-Joules (1 kJ) rating being the standardly accepted benchmark. APC and Belkin both manufacture reliable surge protectors that begin, approximately, at the $30 mark. Powersquid (http://www.powersquid.com/) offers a pricey but compelling solution that incorporates not just an extremely high Joules rating, but also a gaggle of breakout outlets (they look like tentacles), thus affording ample room for those cumbersome power bricks that come with some electronic devices. Regardless of your final selection, look for a unit with a "connected equipment" guarantee—few under the $10 mark will carry one.
Sound advice
Far more fun that buying a surge protector is adding sound to your computing setup. Truth is that the built-in speakers in a notebook, even a honkin' big desktop replacement notebook, aren't particularly convincing. Nor are the speakers packaged with most pre-built PCs. What you need is a three-way setup consisting of two desktop "satellite" speakers and one subwoofer. These are often sold as “2.1” speaker systems. Granted, we're not building a monster gaming rig here, but there's a very real chance you'll occasionally want to listen to music, watch a movie or maybe even play a game.
If saving money is your goal, few manufacturers build sub-$100, self-powered computer speakers as well as Logitech and Altec Lansing. You'll need to drop at least $50 to rise above the bottom of the barrel stuff. At the high end of the spectrum ($200 and above) sits the Klipsch entries. Great units all around, with bass that'll rattle the windows. For the truly well-healed, any of the Klipsch ProMedia series will impress both you and the neighbours.
Printers and multifunctions
You'll clearly need a printer to output your data. The question is whether you need a standalone printer. The answer is: Probably not. Today's space-saving multifunction printers do it all (printing, faxing, scanning and copying), and many of them do it well. Canon's extensive PIXMA series scores high ratings all around in the inkjet category, as does the HP Photosmart series.
You should remember, though, that although inkjets are great for photos, the page per penny printing cost of inkjet cartridges are generally quite a bit higher than that of lasers (at least the beefier lasers), and the text quality and speed are generally lower. All-in-one lasers, such as Canon’s strictly black-and-white imageCLASS series and Lexmark's x500n and x502n colour units, are good bets. Really, the only reason to be stuck on standalone is if you happen to do prodigious amounts of printing, and then you'd want to turn to something brawny such as the Brother HL-5250DN or the HP LaserJet P2015d. Both are in the $300 to $500 range.
We've got to start communicating
To connect your computer(s) and other devices to the outside world, you have two high-speed options – cable and DSL. But you'll need not only the modem your cable or phone company company likely provides, but also a router. Routers allow you to connect more devices (usually a total of four for entry-level routers) and they offer security in the form of a firewall. The prices of routers vary wildly, depending on speed and wireless capabilities. D-Link's expensive ($160) DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router, based on the freshly certified "Draft N" standard, delivers excellent range, world class speed via both its wired and wireless connections and super-slick good looks. Those who don't need wireless connectivity and can make do with standard non-gigabit wired speeds don't need to spend nearly as much—models such as the sub-$70 Linksys BEFSR41 or TP-Link’s TL-WR641G should do just fine.
Email is good, but there's nothing like a good, old-fashioned conversation to cement relations. On that note, you're going to need a phone. But first, you'll have to decide if you want to utilize your traditional phone line or move on to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as Vonage.
One day in the near future, VoIP will likely kill off plain old telephone service (POTS) because it's simply a superior technology that saves most users money. In the meantime, it's a good alternative to traditional technology that's growing in popularity even though it's impacted by the same things that sporadically interrupt email or Internet surfing. To get on the VoIP bandwagon, you either need to purchase an analog telephone adapter such as the sub-$80 D-Link VTA to use with your current analog phone, or go with a brand new VoIP-equipped phone like the VTech IP8100-2 ($200). Another option exists in the form of hybrid phones that allow you to do both VoIP and POTS. Panasonic's cordless GLOBARANGE lineup, priced between $100 and $200, does just that. Chances are, however, that most home office folk will stick with their current analog phone lines, at least for the time being. Reliable, corded phones with a couple of lines and a speakerphone feature make a great deal of sense in the business environment. Unless you see yourself moving around quite a bit when you're talking, check out corded business phones from well-regarded manufacturers such as AT&T and Panasonic. If you really feel the need to move while you talk, look into the Panasonic KXTG6700. This monster phone features high frequency 5.8GHz wireless technology, two independent lines, a handset LCD and an integrated answering machine. The $300 price is the only hiccup.
If you don't want to hand over a bunch of extra bucks to the phone company every month for a second line, be sure to check whether your local provider offers a "smart ring" feature. Though it isn't a second line per se, smart ring does give your home a second phone number and a distinctive ring when that number is called, at a fraction of the cost of a true second line. Moreover, you don't even need a two-line phone to utilize the service.
Of course, there will be times when you can't make it to your phone to answer all those incoming calls. The question of an answering machine vs. voice mail is something every SOHO worker faces, and there are positives and negatives on both sides. In an answering machine, you have a solution you pay for up front. No other costs are involved, and the entire thing remains within the comfort of your home for immediate access. Indeed, an answering machine may well be incorporated into the telephone you purchase. However, depending on your phone setup, callers may encounter busy signals or long waits while you finish up with your current call. Moreover, many of the answering machines at the big box stores sound muffled and indistinct. The best idea is to try before you buy, or at least be prepared to audition more than one unit at home.
The big drawback in voice mail is ongoing charges. Otherwise, it's arguably the better way to go. With voice mail, you don’t need to worry about whether an answering machine is turned on or off. You don’t need to worry about busy signals or audio clarity. Ultimately, the decision is very much subjective.
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