This purchase has enlightened my home office set-up
13/4/2023
Translation: Eva Francis
My most important office gadget? My screen bar. This light bar you attach to the top of your monitor replaces all other lamps and relieves eye strain.
I give the keyboard a few hard taps to wake my MacBook from its deep sleep. Then, with a click, I switch on the screen bar and bathe my desk in soft light. That’s my well-rehearsed morning routine when I work from home.
Like a street lamp, the screen bar directs me to my daily work. It’s this very atmosphere that makes it special. In the mornings and evenings, when it’s still dark, my monitor and screen bar are the only devices that light up my office. I’m in my own little world where I write texts – some more creative than others.
«A screen-what?», I hear you say. Yes, a screen bar – a gadget that’s become irreplaceable for me. I could live with a smaller screen, a slower computer, or even without my ergonomic mouse. But not without my screen bar.
Lightens up exactly what you want it to
In fact, a screen bar is simply a light bar that’s stuck to the top of the monitor. Similarly to a webcam, the lamp is hooked onto the upper edge of the screen. The LEDs emit light downwards – along the screen and slightly to the front.
Source: Lorenz Keller
What’s the point of this light bar? Exactly what I wondered before I bought one. Let me tell you, I was enlightened shortly after installing it. The great advantage compared to regular office lamps is that the light doesn’t dazzle you or reflect on the screen.
It’s exactly where I need it: on my desk. This allows me to read notes or documents without difficulty and spot rarely used special characters on my keyboard.
And best of all, the light is never unpleasantly strong. From my experience, it’s easy on the eyes and I get tired less quickly.
Source: Lorenz Keller
A screen bar can but doesn’t have to be expensive
Some screen bars in our shop cost less than 40 Swiss francs. With these less expensive models, you need to adjust the light intensity manually. That’s for noobs. I recommend the more expensive models that cost between 100 and 170 francs. Why? They feature a light sensor that makes sure the lamp automatically adjusts to the ambient brightness. On top of this, the light temperature can also be adjusted. Some people like white, cold light, others prefer a warmer tone.
As a screen bar devotee, I use the comfortable deluxe version from BenQ, which also features a fancy switch on the desk. This allows me to control all functions without having to fiddle around at the top of the screen.
The disadvantage? Another cable running between keyboard, mouse, hub and countless charging cables for test devices. For daily use, having the switch on the desk can be quite useful, but the sensor that automatically adjusts the light intensity is more important.
Source: Lorenz Keller
As much as I love it, the screen bar also has disadvantages. If you also need to fit a webcam, the monitor will be cramped. If you use two screens next to each other, you can install the light on one and the webcam on the other, but your lighting situation won’t be ideal. By the way, using a screen bar on a slightly curved screen up to around 1800R is no problem, but on a gaming monitor with strong curvature, it’s not ideal.
One feature’s missing entirely. It would be great if the light bar could be flexibly rotated upwards. Then I’d also have an adjustable light for video calls and would always be well lit. Perhaps this will be included in the screen bar version 2.0.
I never thought something as simple as a lamp would be my favourite office gadget. No technical masterpiece, no crazy innovation, «just» a few LEDs in the right place – that’s enough to allow me to concentrate on my work. After working from home all day, I switch off the light and step out of my perfectly illuminated world with the nice feeling that I still have enough energy left to enjoy my life outside work.
Header image: Lorenz Keller
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.