6 Things You Need to Work From Home

gadgets and technology for your home office

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

A laptop with built-in wireless card is a must - in case your Internet goes down and you have to dash out to the coffee shop. Have a larger monitor at home to prevent eyestrain. Buy: For PC, Dell XPS M1530 ($1398) and 24" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor ($379). For Mac, Apple's 2.4 GHz 13-inch MacBook ($1299) and 20-inch Cinema Monitor ($599).

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

Three-in-one printer/scanner/copiers will save you cash and space. Buy: Canon's PIXMA MP600 ($180).

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

Back up your files on an external hard drive - unless you want to rebuild your business from the ground up when your laptop dies. Buy: Toshiba 160GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ($109.99).

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

Take documents with you in a pocket-size flash drive. Buy: Kingston's 8GB DataTraveler Style USB Flash Drive ($85).

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

Get a cell phone with good Internet access for those times when your laptop isn't handy. Buy: Apple's iPhone ($399).

Home Office Gadgets and Tech

MC's Two Cents: The most important part of your arsenal - the 12-cup coffee machine, for those pre-deadline all-nighters. Buy: Delonghi's 24/7 with timer. And drink up.