I evaluate plenty of dwelling workplace gear for my job, which suggests my workstation is in flux. A brand new desk in the present day, one other workplace chair tomorrow—you get the thought. The one fixed over the past three years? The BenQ ScreenBar. You’ll have heard of BenQ earlier than—the Taiwanese firm makes wonderful displays and projectors—however this lamp is my primary work-from-home accent.
The ScreenBar does not take up any desk area, as a result of it hangs over your pc monitor and brilliantly illuminates the desktop. It is a easy little factor, nevertheless it brings me plenty of pleasure, and the corporate has been iterating on it, with the newest model being the ScreenBar Professional. I am right here to let you know that it’s best to most likely get one in your dwelling workplace.
Let There Be Gentle
The ScreenBar is available in just a few flavors: the ScreenBar, ScreenBar Halo, ScreenBar Plus, and the ScreenBar Professional. I’ve examined the unique ScreenBar and the Professional—the Halo provides a backlight that pushes gentle behind the monitor in order for you gentle in your desktop and the wall behind your pc display screen. The Plus is identical as the usual ScreenBar, nevertheless it has a separate dial attachment to regulate the sunshine’s settings fairly than the contact controls on prime of the lamp.
You’ll be able to configure these lamps to your preferences by altering the colour temperature and brightness and even toggling on an auto-brightness operate in order that it matches the ambient gentle within the room. However what units the newest ScreenBar Professional other than its siblings is the movement sensor. Now, a couple of minutes after I go away my desk, the ScreenBar Professional turns off. After I come again, it lights up my desktop—it is as if it is booting up my battle station. Rad.
These ScreenBar lights are designed to have minimal bleed in order that these LEDs do not blast your eyes, although you will wish to be sure your monitor is at eye degree to keep away from them. There’s additionally not a ton of sunshine bleeding on the monitor display screen. That stated, the one time I’ve observed a glare on the display screen is once I’m watching something with darkish content material, like a moody online game or a film. That is once I flip off the ScreenBar to take pleasure in my OLED monitor’s wealthy blacks and deep distinction.
I’ve not had any points utilizing these on every kind of displays both, together with my present curved Alienware AW322QF 32-inch curved gaming monitor. The most effective half is you do not have to make use of up a treasured USB-A slot in your PC or laptop computer to maintain the lights on—I simply plug the ScreenBar immediately into my monitor’s USB port for energy. It makes the cable neat too.
So the place do you place a webcam when you have a ScreenBar on prime of a monitor? Effectively, I used to have my webcam barely off-center, nevertheless it took some finagling and software program changes to the sector of view for it to look OK. The higher resolution is to only get BenQ’s Webcam Accent. This sticks to the highest a part of the ScreenBar and you’ll steadiness your webcam on prime. It does put the webcam fairly excessive, however I used to be in a position to angle my MX Brio properly in order that it does not look unusual.
Depart No One Behind
The ScreenBar is pointless if you do not have a pc monitor at your workstation. However for those who completely work off of a laptop computer, BenQ hasn’t forgotten about you! Final yr, I examined the LaptopBar, which mounts on the again of a laptop computer display screen to light up the keyboard and work space for these late nights on the workplace.
There are some trade-offs on this model although. It is advisable stick a magnetic adhesive to the again of your laptop computer, which is how the LaptopBar stays affixed. When you do not have the LaptopBar connected, there is a everlasting magnetic circle on the outside, which does not look nice. The LaptopBar can also be battery-powered and may final round two hours at full brightness, however you possibly can plug it into your laptop computer to maintain it operating for longer (this can drain your laptop computer battery).
Nonetheless, it is a tiny little lamp on the go, good for anybody routinely typing up at the hours of darkness. The lamp comes with a carrying case, could be dimmed, and provides heat or cool colour temperatures.
All of this may sound just a little foolish—it is only a lamp! Who cares! I do know, I do know. However the unique-looking ScreenBar collection genuinely saves area on my already packed desktop. I additionally love gentle—I am the one who likes to have the lights on round the home whereas my spouse prefers to take a seat at the hours of darkness (I discovered her cooking at the hours of darkness as soon as, which is simply bonkers to me). So blasting my desktop with as a lot gentle as I need makes me really feel joyful at my workstation, particularly within the months when the skies get darkish just a little after 4 pm.
It is little, comfortable issues like this that make working from dwelling such a pleasure. And never having to vary into work garments. Or commute. Or pack lunch. Effectively, you get it.
