Accessories
5 Video Call Accessories You Need to Buy Today
Does it feel like your life is just living on Zoom calls or other video calls? If you’re on calls for work, with friends or with your significant other investing in a few small accessories can elevate the experience dramatically.
We already covered the best video call tips, including a beauty filter for Zoom, so that’s a good place to start. If you are looking to outfit your home office or wherever you chat the most, then you should spend a little money to upgrade your setup.
If you’re working from home, it’s worth asking your employer if they have any budget available to upgrade your setup, especially if meetings are essential and they are planning on a long term setup.
Buy A Light for Your Video Calls
The Lume Cube Air VC is great, but you can find some other options out there and you can also use a desk lamp to light your calls. This is probably the best accessory that you can buy to upgrade your video calls.
- Lume Cube Air VC – $49.99 at Lume Cube $44.99 at B&H Photo or Amazon
- Desk Light – $29.99 and up at Amazon
Lighting yourself on a call will make you look better and it will remove some distractions by keeping the focus on you. If you can only buy one accessory, I suggest you spend the money on a good light.
Upgrade Your Webcam
The webcam on your laptop is OK, but it is likely not that great in low light. Most webcams are 720P, especially on Apple laptops, so you may want to invest in a better webcam. In addition to delivering better video quality, this will let you place the camera in a better position.
Right now it can be hard to find a webcam in stock, but there are some nice options at B&H Photo, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Logitech, and eBay. You can find models from Logitech and Anker to get a better-looking video call experience.
Read: Best Video Chat Apps
A Stand or Tripod
Buying a stand for your laptop or a small tripod for your webcam is a great way to get a better angle while you are on calls. If you go with a laptop stand, you’ll find that you also have a better ergonomic set up while you are working.
- Laptop Stands from $25 on Amazon
- Moft Laptop Stand for $24.99
- Small Tripods for Webcams from $5.50 on Amazon
If you go with a small tripod for your webcam, you are able to place the webcam wherever you want it, so that you can set it up to the side or at just the right angle while you are working. This is especially useful if you need to show physical things to people.
Headphones
Good headphones will prevent echo on video calls. Any headphones will prevent this, but wireless headphones are a great way to get some freedom from your laptop. There are plenty of options, so pick some that you can also use for general work or with your phone while you are out. I like noise-canceling or true wireless headphones. Here are some of my favorites;
- AirPods – $129 at Amazon, $139 at Best Buy and B&H Photo
- AirPods Pro – $249 at Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo
- iFrogz AirTime Sport – $79.99 at iFrogz
- Jabra Elite 85h – $249.99 at Amazon and Best Buy
- Bose Headphones 700 – $399.99 at Amazon and Best Buy
If you plan to use these on the go eventually, you may want to go with true wireless earbuds. I am currently using the AirPods Pro. if you need over the ear noise-canceling to drown out interruptions at home while you are working, you may want to go with the Elite 85h or Bose 700.
Microphone
If you are using an older laptop, upgrading to a better microphone is a great way to upgrade your video call experience. You can do this with some of the headphones mentioned above, or you can pick up a USB microphone to plug into your laptop.
I use the Blue Snowball which is $49.99 at Best Buy and you can get it shipped to you in about a day. This a nice option that is reliable, but you can also browse through what Amazon has on hand.
Featured Image by secondfromthesun0 from Pixabay