The Best Smart Home Devices for Your Desk or Office

The humble home desk needs smart features, too. Here’s where to begin. Getty Images

I frequently discuss smart home devices for the kitchen, front door or even the bedroom, but there’s one home space I sometimes forget to talk about: the home desk. Whether you have a simple computer setup in the corner or a dedicated office, your desk could use smart upgrades, too.

Here, I’m going through my favorite picks for a home desk and why they’re so handy, starting with something every home should have.

A smart surge protector to protect all your other devices

Meross has extra cord length if you need to do more positioning with your power strip. Meross/CNET

A strong surge protector is the glue that holds all the other desk devices together — and protects them from dangerous electrical surges. I have a full list of recommendations, but consider a smart surge protector like this Tapo model ($42) to make a bigger difference.

These smart power strips let you name each included plug and port based on what you plug into them, and control them remotely, including through common apps like Google Home or Apple Home. You can also turn them on or off with voice commands when they are properly labeled in the app, which is neat if you have connected lights (more on that later) or fans.

Tapo’s version even allows you to track energy costs, which is a huge plus if you’re worried your desk equipment is sapping too much power.