I review a lot of home office equipment for my job, which means my workstation is in flux. A new desk today, another office chair tomorrow – you get the idea. The one constant over the last three years? BenQ ScreenBar. You may have heard of BenQ before – the Taiwanese company makes excellent monitors and projectors – but this lamp is my number one accessory for working from home.
ScreenBar does not take up desktop space because it hangs above your computer screen and illuminates the desktop brilliantly. It’s a simple little thing, but it brings me a lot of joy, and the company has reiterated that, with the latest version as ScreenBar Pro. I’m here to tell you that you should probably get one for your home office.
Let there be light
ScreenBar comes in a few variants: ScreenBar, ScreenBar Halo, ScreenBar Plus and ScreenBar Pro. I’ve tested the original ScreenBar and the Pro – Halo offers a backlight that pushes light behind the screen if you want light on your desk and the wall behind your computer screen. The Plus is the same as the standard ScreenBar, but it has a separate dial to control the light’s settings instead of the touch controls on top of the lamp.
You can configure these lamps to your preferences by changing the color temperature and brightness, or even turn on an automatic brightness function to match the ambient light in the room. But what sets the latest ScreenBar Pro apart from its siblings is the motion sensor. Now, a few minutes after I leave my desk, ScreenBar Pro shuts down. When I come back it lights up on my desktop – it’s like it’s booting up my battle station. Advice.
These ScreenBar lights are designed to have minimal bleed, so these LEDs won’t blast your eyes, although you’ll want to make sure your screen is at eye level to avoid them. There isn’t a ton of light bleed on the screen either. That said, the only time I’ve noticed any glare on the screen is when I’m watching something with dark content, like a moody video game or movie. That’s when I turn off ScreenBar to enjoy my OLED screen’s rich blacks and deep contrast.
I’ve also had no problems using these on all kinds of monitors, including my current curved Alienware AW322QF 32-inch curved gaming monitor. Best of all, you don’t need to use a valuable USB-A connector on your PC or laptop to keep the lights on—I just plug the ScreenBar directly into my monitor’s USB port for power. It also makes the cable look nice.
So where do you place a webcam if you have a ScreenBar on top of a screen? Well, I used to have my webcam slightly off-center, but it took some fiddling and software adjustments to the field of view to look OK. The better solution is to just get BenQ’s Webcam Accessory. This sticks to the top of the ScreenBar and you can balance your webcam on top. It puts the webcam pretty high, but I could angle my MX Brio nicely so it doesn’t look weird.
Leave none behind
ScreenBar is pointless if you don’t have a computer monitor on your workstation. But if you work exclusively from a laptop, BenQ hasn’t forgotten you! Last year I tested the LaptopBar, which mounts to the back of a laptop’s screen to illuminate the keyboard and work area for those late nights at the office.
However, there are some trade-offs in this version. You need to stick a magnetic adhesive on the back of your laptop, which is how the LaptopBar stays attached. When you don’t have the LaptopBar attached, there is a permanent magnetic circle on the outside which doesn’t look good. The LaptopBar is also battery powered and can last about two hours at full brightness, but you can plug it into your laptop to keep it running for longer (this will drain your laptop’s battery).
Still, it’s a tiny lamp on the go, perfect for anyone who routinely writes in the dark. The lamp comes with a carrying case, is dimmable and offers warm or cool color temperatures.
All this may sound a bit silly – it’s just a lamp! Who cares! I know, I know. But the unique ScreenBar series really saves space on my already packed desk. I also love light – I’m the one who likes to have the lights on around the house, whereas my wife prefers to sit in the dark (I found her cooking in the dark once, which is just crazy to me). So blasting my desk with as much light as I want makes me feel happy at my workstation, especially in the months when the sky gets dark a little after 11:00 p.m.
It’s small, pleasant things like this that make working from home a joy. And not having to change into work clothes. Or commute. Or packed lunches. Well, you get it.