How to Upgrade a Home Office With Gizmodo’s Alex Krantz and Brian Kahn
This week, we’re tweaking our work-from-home settings with the help of Gizmodo tech guru Alex Kranz and Earther editor-in- chief Brian Kahn. Hear their tips on how to improve your internet connection (besides turning it on and off), what to use to make your space greener and more comfortable, and how to actually drown out all the damn noise from your neighbors.
Alex and Brian are also the hosts of Gizmodo’s new podcast, System Reboot, which takes an in- depth look at the systems that let us down – from the food supply chain to our crappy internet – and explore the real possibilities for making something better.
Listen to The Upgrade above, or find us in all the usual podcast locations including Apple Podcasts , Google Play , Spotify , iHeartRadio, and NPR One.
Highlights from this week’s series
From Alex Krantz:
What to do before calling and complaining to your provider:
[One of the best things I learned to do was get to know what a good internet looks like in my home. So, just like with your cable, a lot of people have cable modems and you can actually plug into your cable modem and see what your signal levels are. So whenever I have really bad internet I can go there and look at my signal levels. And then when I call the Charter to yell at them [since] I have additional information.
Why it is important to invest in a quality router:
I think technology is changing so quickly and exponentially that it makes sense to stay up to date and invest wisely when you do get a new router. Read Gizmodo dot com. We have great reviews. [I] invest in it as well as in the refrigerator. This is what you use all the time. It’s not worth cheapening it and buying a hundred dollars to get internet access for your 1,000 square foot home or whatever.
From Brian Kahn:
On the benefits of landscaping your space:
[Science] shows that plants don’t necessarily purify indoor air that much, but, you know, greenery, open spaces outside. I mean, these are things that have clinical value, for example, have real mental health benefits. And so being outside, especially during the working day, is not very easy, but if you bring a little outside, you might get some plants … it’s really good for your mental health.
To find out more about Alex and Brian’s home office updates, we recommend watching the entire episode. We also recommend watching their new System Reboot podcast!
Any feedback or ideas for future episodes? Do you want to participate in the show? Leave us a voicemail at 347-687-8109 or send a voicemail to upgrade@lifehacker.com.