I review a lot of home office equipment for my work, which means my workstation is always changing. A new table today, a different table office chair tomorrow—you get the idea. One constant over the past three years? BenQ monitor bar. You may have heard of BenQ before—the Taiwanese company that makes it excellent screen And projector—but this lamp is my number one work-from-home accessory.
ScreenBar doesn’t take up any desk space because it hangs over your computer screen and brightly illuminates the desktop. It’s a simple little thing but it brings me a lot of joy and the company has continuously improved it, with the latest version being ScreenBar Pro. I’m here to tell you that you should probably buy one home office.
Let there be light
ScreenBar has several types: Screen bar, ScreenBar Halo, ScreenBar Plusand ScreenBar Pro. I tested the original and Pro ScreenBar—Halo offers a backlight that pushes light behind the screen if you want light on your screen And the wall behind your computer screen. The Plus is like the standard ScreenBar, but it has a separate dial attachment to control the light’s settings instead of touch controls on the top of the light.
You can configure these lights to your preferences by changing the color temperature and brightness, or even turn on the auto-brightness function to match the ambient light in the room. But what sets the latest ScreenBar Pro apart from its brethren is the motion sensor. Now, a few minutes after I leave my desk, ScreenBar Pro turns off. When I turned around, it lit up on my screen—as if it were powering up my battle station. Rad.
These ScreenBar lights are designed to have minimal spill so those LEDs don’t blind you, but you’ll want to make sure your screen is at eye level to avoid them. There is also no light spillage on the screen. That said, the only time I noticed glare on the screen was when I was watching anything dark, like a video game or a moody movie. That’s when I turned off the ScreenBar to enjoy the deep blacks and deep contrast of the OLED display.
I also had no problem using these on all types of monitors, including my current curved monitor. Alienware AW322QF 32-inch curved gaming monitor. The best part is that you don’t have to use up a precious USB-A slot on your PC or laptop to turn on the light—I just plug the ScreenBar directly into the monitor’s USB port for power. It makes the cable neat too.
So where are you? Set up a webcam if you have a ScreenBar on top of the screen? Well, I used to have my webcam slightly off-center, but I had to make some final and software adjustments to the field of view to get it to look right. A better solution is to just take BenQ Webcam Accessories. This part sticks to the top of the ScreenBar and you can balance your webcam on top. It places the webcam quite high but I can still adjust the angle My MX Brio beautiful so it doesn’t look strange.
Don’t leave anyone behind
ScreenBar is meaningless if you don’t have a computer screen at your workstation. But if you only work on your laptop, BenQ won’t forget you! Last year, I tested the LaptopBar, which mounts on the back of a laptop screen to illuminate the keyboard and work area for those late nights at the office.
However, there are some trade-offs in this version. You need to apply a layer of magnetic adhesive to the back of the laptop, which is how the LaptopBar is fastened. When you don’t have the LaptopBar attached, there’s a permanent magnetic circle on the outside, which doesn’t look pretty. The LaptopBar is also battery-powered and can operate for about two hours at full brightness, but you can plug it into your laptop to keep it running longer (this will drain the laptop’s battery). your hand).
Still, it’s a tiny light on the go, perfect for those who often type in the dark. The light comes with a carrying case, is dimmable and offers warm or cool color temperatures.
All of this may sound a little silly—it’s just a lamp! Who cares! I know, I know. But the unique-looking ScreenBar line really helps save space on my already cramped desktop. I also like light – I’m someone who likes to turn on lights around the house while my wife likes to sit in the dark (I once saw her cooking in the dark, which drove me crazy). So illuminating my desktop with as much light as I want makes me feel cheerful in my workplace, especially during the months when the sky is dark a little after 4 p.m.
It’s small, comforting things like this that make working from home so enjoyable. And no need to change into work clothes. Or commute. Or pack a lunch. Yes, you got it.
