The best gifts for remote workers fix one thing on a home desk: dim light, a low screen, too few ports, thin call audio or dust. Four of these six depend on their monitor, laptop or computer. Check those against their setup first. The other two gift ideas for remote workers work on any desk.
| Product | Fixes | Needs from their setup | Not in the box |
|---|---|---|---|
| BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 LED Monitor Light Bar | Glare and a dark desk | A monitor 0.43 to 6 cm thick, flat or curved 1000R to 1800R | A USB-C cable to charge the controller |
| LOXP Rotating Adjustable Laptop Stand | A screen that sits too low | A laptop of 10 to 16 inches | A keyboard and mouse, if they type on it |
| Anker 6-in-1 USB-C Hub with Ethernet | Too few ports | USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode for a screen and Power Delivery for charging, but not an M2 MacBook | A 65W USB-C charger and cable |
| Logitech Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone | Thin call audio | A free USB port on a Windows PC or Mac | Nothing: the stand, mic-arm adapter and USB cable come with it |
| WOLFBOX MegaFlow 50 Compressed Air Duster | Dusty keyboards and gear | A USB charger or port for its charging cable | A wall charger |
| WKYSTR Magnetic Levitation Bluetooth Speaker | A plain desk | A Bluetooth phone or computer within 10 meters | Possibly a wall plug: WKYSTR doesn’t say whether the power cable has one |
Four remote work gifts to check against their setup
Each of these four gifts for remote workers needs something from their desk. So find out what’s on it first:
- A separate monitor on the desk: start with the ScreenBar.
- Only a laptop: the LOXP stand raises it.
- A thin laptop that’s short of ports: the Anker hub, once you know the model.
- Calls all day: the Yeti Nano.
BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2
The BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 LED Monitor Light Bar clamps to a monitor and lights the desk. It’s for someone who works late. An 18° cut-off angle keeps the front light on the desk and out of their eyes, while a backlight softens the contrast between the screen and a dark room. It also senses when they sit down, lighting up as they arrive and switching off after they leave. That sensor works on motion, though. Sit very still for 5 minutes and the light can switch off.
Brightness and color temperature both adjust, from a warm 2700K to a cool 6500K. A wireless controller handles the fine-tuning. BenQ says it passed IEEE PAR 1789 for flicker and that its IEC TR 62471 approval shows no blue light hazard. The clamp is the catch. It takes monitors 0.43 to 6 cm thick, flat or curved from 1000R to 1800R. For a laptop screen, BenQ makes a separate LaptopBar. The controller charges over USB-C, but no cable for it comes in the box.
LOXP Rotating Adjustable Laptop Stand
The LOXP Rotating Adjustable Laptop Stand lifts a 10 to 16 inch laptop toward eye level. It adjusts in height and angle, turns on a 360° base and folds up, so it works at home and on the road. LOXP doesn’t publish a weight limit, though. Skip it for a 17-inch laptop. That’s outside its range.
Plan on a separate keyboard and mouse too. A raised laptop is awkward to type on.
Anker 543 USB-C Hub (6-in-1, Slim)
The Anker 6-in-1 USB-C Hub with Ethernet is now sold as the Anker 543 USB-C Hub (6-in-1, Slim). It turns one USB-C port into six: HDMI up to 4K at 30Hz, Gigabit Ethernet, a USB-C data port, two USB-A ports and a charging input. With a 65W charger plugged in, it passes up to 53W to the laptop. Of these work from home gifts, it’s the one for a thin laptop that’s short of ports or needs wired internet.
Check their laptop first. Its USB-C port needs DisplayPort Alt Mode to run a screen through the hub. Charging through it takes Power Delivery. HDMI is the only way to a screen here, because the USB data ports don’t carry video or charging. It doesn’t work with MacBooks on the M2 chip. No charger comes with it, either.
Logitech G Yeti Nano
The Logitech Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone is now sold by Logitech G simply as the Yeti Nano. For someone on calls all day, it’s the most useful of these gift ideas for remote workers. Two 14mm condenser capsules record at 24-bit, 48kHz, and a button on the back switches between cardioid for one voice and omni for a whole room.
Headphones plug into its 3.5 mm jack. Pressing the volume knob mutes it. It needs no drivers on Windows or a Mac, though its Blue VO!CE voice effects need Logitech’s free G HUB app. The box holds a desk stand, a mic-arm adapter and a USB cable.
Two gifts for remote workers that work on any desk
Neither of these depends on their monitor or laptop, which makes them the safe gift ideas for remote workers when you can’t check their setup. They’re also the easy pick for a whole team.
WOLFBOX MegaFlow 50
The WOLFBOX MegaFlow 50 Compressed Air Duster isn’t compressed air at all. It’s a cordless electric duster with three speeds, four nozzles and a fan rated up to 110,000 RPM, and it runs up to 240 minutes on its lowest speed. A full recharge over USB-C takes 3.5 hours. Of these gift ideas for remote workers, it’s the practical pick for a keyboard that collects crumbs. Its packing list includes a charging cable, but not a wall charger.
Dust is its job, not spills. WOLFBOX’s own cleaning guide calls air dusters strictly for dry, loose particles and warns that airflow spreads liquid on a wet surface. Inside a computer, the computer maker’s advice comes first. Dell’s cleaning guide calls for canned compressed air and warns against a vacuum or blower, since they create static. Our electric air duster guide covers when one is worth it.
WKYSTR Magnetic Levitation Speaker
The WKYSTR Magnetic Levitation Bluetooth Speaker floats a spinning speaker orb above an aluminum base and plays over Bluetooth 5.1 from up to 10 meters away. Its battery lasts up to 10 hours. A USB-C recharge takes 3 hours.
Of all six gifts for remote workers, it’s the one that’s purely for fun, and a good conversation piece. It isn’t water resistant, though, so keep it clear of the coffee. The box holds a power cable, a USB-C cable and a screwdriver for assembly, but WKYSTR doesn’t say whether that power cable comes with a wall plug.
How these remote work gifts compare on price
Price splits these gifts for remote workers too. At Logitech’s, WOLFBOX’s and Anker’s own US stores, the Yeti Nano costs more than either the WOLFBOX duster or the Anker 543. The extra buys two capsules and two pickup patterns. That’s wasted on someone who rarely joins calls.
Buying for a whole team on a smaller budget? Our tech stocking stuffers guide has nine small gifts. For the house instead of the desk, try our smart home gifts guide.
Questions about work from home gifts
Can the ScreenBar Halo 2 run from a monitor’s USB-C port?
The ScreenBar Halo 2 can run from a monitor’s USB-C port only if that port supplies at least 5V at 3A. BenQ says to power it from the adapter that comes with it or another USB-C power source with that output. So check the monitor’s specs before you leave the adapter in the box.
Can the Yeti Nano plug into a USB hub?
Logitech advises against it. The Yeti Nano’s quick start guide says to plug it straight into the computer and avoid USB hubs. Getting them the Anker hub too? Keep a laptop port free for the mic. Logitech doesn’t say which plug the cable ends in, though.
Is a levitating speaker safe near a pacemaker?
Keep a levitating speaker like the WKYSTR at least six inches from a pacemaker or other implanted medical device. That’s the distance the FDA recommends for consumer electronics that may create magnetic interference, and the WKYSTR floats on magnets. The FDA’s examples are phones and smartwatches, and it names cardiac defibrillators in particular.