Tech Doesn’t Have to be Expensive!

Whenever I read blog posts or watch YouTube videos about people’s desk setups they always feature impressive tech gadgets which they’ve spent a lot of money on.

That got me thinking because tech doesn’t have to be expensive and you can usually pick up some pretty cool stuff at bargain prices.

That’s why I decided to share 5 tech items that I’ve either used myself in the past or I still use today to make your desk setup look even better.

On a side note, I will be mainly focusing on products I purchased in the UK, but they may be available at similar prices around the world.

So without any further ado, here are 5 tech gadgets for your desk under £25…

1. USB LED Light Strip

Priced under £6 at the time of writing this article, the Piprox USB LED Strip is a great buy! 

Believe it or not, placing an LED light strip behind your desk looks cool and has the potential to reduce eyestrain and can make your screen seem more clear.

I like the Piprox LED Strip in particular because it’s USB-powered which means that you can power it using your laptop or monitor if your monitor has USB Ports. If not you can use a basic USB power brick.

The LED strip also comes with a remote that allows you to choose from 16 available colours as well as brightness. 

Overall a must-have for any desk setup! 

For a bonus tip, you can connect the light strip to a USB power brick, then connect the power brick to a TP-Link Kasa Mini Smart Plug which you can control using your phone as well as Alexa and the Google Assistant.

That brings me nicely to the next product I wanted to feature in this blog post, the TP-Link Kasa Mini Smart Plug.

2. TP-Link Kasa Mini Smart Plug

The TP-Link Kasa Mini Smart Plug is a brilliant accessory for any household, and it has unlimited use cases!

You can connect it to Google Assistant, Alexa or use it in the app and the possibilities are endless! 

I have one controlling my desk lights, I have another one controlling the fan in my office and I even have one controlling my coffee machine so that I can wake up to fresh coffee. The only con with that is that I have to remember to set up my coffee machine the night before.

You can also use it as a burglar deterrent by setting a timer so that the lights in your hose turn on at certain times.

What makes it even more brilliant is the price!

At the time of writing this blog post, it’s available for £9.95 with a usual price of £19.99, which is still pretty decent.

3. Anker 4-Port USB Hub

You can definitely never have too many USB ports, especially if you have a lot of USB-powered desk accessories and peripherals.

That’s where the Anker 4-Port USB Hub comes in, not only will it provide you with 4 additional ports, but it will also make them more accessible for you.

With the help of a basic USB 3.0 extension cable and some velcro strips, I stuck the USB hub underneath my desk for easy access.

This was possibly one of the best investments I ever made as not only has it made the USB ports more accessible, but it also provided me with 4 more USB 3.0 ports.

4. NFC Tags

NFC Tags are another great investment for your desk setup. They are little circles which you can stick anywhere using Blutack or double-sided tape and you can program them to do all sorts of cool things.

For example, I have an NFC tag near my desk which I use for meetings. When I scan it, it will use Alexa to announce that I have a meeting to the entire house and it will turn the light outside of my office to red to inform my family not to disturb me. 

You can do this and many other really cool things that I learned from Smart Home Solver. I highly recommend checking out his blog and YouTube channel to learn more.

I’ve set my NFC tags up using Home Assistant, which is the main system I use to control my smart home. But you can set them up using other apps such as Shortcuts if you have an iPhone or Bixby Routies.

5. Wireless Charger

If your phone supports wireless charging, a wireless charger can be a great addition to your desk setup. 

Not only will it look cool, but it will also keep your desk tidy and free from any cables dangling around your desk.

I tend to use the Google Pixel Stand 2nd Generation to charge my phone and earbuds, but that can be expensive and I’m not sure if it works with other phones. 

That’s why I decided to buy this basic Yootech wireless charger to keep on my desk at work and it’s actually pretty good!

Final Thoughts

The truth of the matter is that there are countless accessories and gadgets that you can get for your desk cheaply. Most of the items I mentioned above were less than £10 at the time of writing this article.

Even when the items aren’t on sale, they’re still available for pretty cheap prices. 

Do you have any tech gadgets on your desk that you purchased for under £25? Let us know in the comments!