WatchGuard’s Firebox M390 shows that high-end security appliances don’t always command a high price. Targeting busy SMBs with up to 250 users, this affordable 1U rack model boasts a top raw firewall throughput of 18Gbits/sec, dropping to a respectable 2.4Gbits/sec with all UTM security services enabled.

A simplified licensing scheme makes it easy to manage costs. We’ve shown the price of a Total Security Suite (TSS) subscription, which enables everything WatchGuard has to offer. This includes gateway antivirus, anti-spam, web content filtering, application controls, intrusion prevention services (IPS) and an advanced persistent threat (APT) blocker with cloud sandboxing.

You also get WatchGuard’s reputation enabled defense (RED) cloud-based URL filtering, ThreatSync XDR for collection, correlation and automated responses to threat events, and DNSWatch to monitor client DNS requests and block access to known malicious domains. It has enough power to run the Cylance AI-based IntelligentAV malware scanning engine; the elderly dual-core Celeron in the M370 has been upgraded to an 8-core NXP LS2084A CPU.

There’s room to grow, as the front expansion bay accepts modules with gigabit, 10GbE or 2.5GbE multi-gigabit ports. Note that the PoE+ services on the multi-gig module will be disabled as the M390 doesn’t support the required 54V power supply, which is only available on the M590 and M690 models.

The appliance is easy to deploy. Its web console wizard sorts out the LAN and WAN network interfaces and applies a base set of firewall policies that include blocking common undesirable web categories. We had already registered the appliance’s serial number with our cloud support account so the wizard grabbed our TSS feature key and applied it.

The M390 can be managed in standalone mode, but businesses with multiple appliances will prefer WatchGuard’s Cloud portal, which is included in both the Basic Security Suite (BSS) and TSS subscriptions. Two choices are available: you can keep local management and set the appliance to send its logs to the cloud for remote monitoring and reporting or move it all into the cloud.

Full cloud management is activated by allocating the appliance from your account inventory and enabling it from the local console. The portal steps through WAN port setup and applying new admin passwords, after which the appliance disables local management.

Cloud configuration is simple as the portal groups all security settings for the appliance in one page. From the content scanning section you activate antivirus scanning, APT blocking, IntelligentAV and anti-spam policies for incoming SMTP, IMAP or POP3 traffic.

The network blocking section covers botnet detection, IPS, port and site blocks and detection of Tor exit points. WatchGuard’s WebBlocker service is accessed in the content filtering section and offers 166 URL categories that can be allowed, blocked or set to display a warning page to users.

Each content filter action policy manages both web access and application controls. The latter presents nearly 1,300 predefined app and protocol signatures, with Facebook and X activities getting the lion’s share of the social networking category. They’re easy to apply; when creating firewalls rules, you simply choose the action policy you want to assign.

The portal’s monitoring page provides a wealth of information on all activities. Graphs and charts are provided for live activity, traffic, detected malware and botnets, application usage, blocked websites, top clients and much more.

The Firebox M390 will appeal to SMBs with a large user base. It combines strong performance with an incredible range of security measures all at a competitive price. It’s easy to deploy and WatchGuard’s cloud portal delivers excellent remote management and monitoring features.

We also rated the best anti-virus software for PC.

TP-Link’s first Wi-Fi 7 business access point (AP) sets a high standard for the rest to follow, as this slimline discus has a mighty BE19000 rating. The EAP783 achieves this with a claimed 1,376Mbits/sec on the 2.4GHz radio, 5,760Mbits/sec on 5GHz and a speedy 11,520Mbits/sec on 6GHz, with the latter enabling the ultrawide Wi-Fi 7 320MHz channels.

It’s also one of the first APs to support the multi-link operation (MLO) feature, which allows devices to connect to the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands simultaneously for increased throughput and reduced latency. The only downside is that very few end-user devices currently support MLO, and Windows users will have to wait until Windows 11 24H2 is fully released.

The EAP783 has other appealing credentials. It provides two 10GbE ports, with the first requiring an 802.3bt PoE++ power source; there’s also an input for TP-Link’s optional 12V adapter. The second 10GbE port is designed to be aggregated with the primary network port for a higher network connection speed.

Despite the AP’s 12 internal aerials, TP-Link has kept the size down to a manageable 280mm diameter and a thickness of 47mm. It’s heavy, though, tipping the scales at 1.4kg – around 15g more than Zyxel’s WBE660S.

The EAP783 supports standalone mode, where the web console’s quick start wizard requests a new username and password, after which it removes the default admin account for extra security. Eight SSIDs per radio can be created, and the wizard asks you to configure the first three and provide new encryption keys.

For our real-world Wi-Fi 7 performance tests we connected the AP to the lab’s Zyxel XS1930-12HP 10GbE PoE++ switch and used a Lenovo desktop client running Windows 11 Pro 24H2 Insider Preview and fitted with a TP-Link Archer TBE550S Wi-Fi 7 PCI-E adapter. With Windows reporting a Wi-Fi 7 connection speed of 5,764Mbits/sec, we saw large file copies between the client and a Windows server on our 10GbE LAN averaging close-range speeds of 323MB/sec, dropping to an equally impressive 280MB/sec with the AP placed ten meters away in an adjoining room.

The web console provides a separate section for MLO where you create a new SSID and decide which of the three radios to assign to it. Performance-wise, we saw no benefits from a triple radio MLO SSID as the Windows 11 client reported the same speed as a standard Wi-Fi 7 connection and our copies were no faster.

TP-Link offers plenty of cloud management choices. You can deploy its hardware or free software controller on-site or use its cloud-hosted controller, which has a yearly fee of £165 for 250 devices. We use TP-Link’s OC300 dual-port controller appliance in the lab as its £130 price enables lifetime cloud management of up to 500 Omada APs, switches and routers.

All controllers are viewed from the Omada portal home page, and selecting the OC300 transported us to its own console. This presents a ribbon across the top showing all cloud-managed devices, and selecting a site below provides options to create multiple dashboards with a wide range of widgets.

The EAP783 initially appears as “pending” in the portal, and all you do is adopt it and assign it to a site. It only takes a minute, after which the AP disables its local web interface for security reasons, takes all its settings from the controller and broadcasts your preconfigured SSIDs.

It’s easy to add more SSIDs, apply a desired personal or enterprise encryption scheme, set client and SSID rate limits and define schedules to determine when they’re active. For the EAP783, we could enable any of all of its three radios, and we noted the portal has an option to create MLO Wi-Fi 7 SSIDs.

The EAP783 will appeal to businesses looking to make an early transition to Wi-Fi 7. It delivers excellent performance and is MLO-ready, and TP-Link’s Omada cloud platform offers great remote management services.

We also rated the best routers for small businesses.

The Meeting Owl products from Owl Labs have consistently been among the best video conferencing (VC) solutions on the market, and the Meeting Owl 4+ comes with even more appeal. Previously, the Owl Pro and Owl 3 offered a comparatively low 1080p resolution, but the Owl 4+ sports a new 64MP fish-eye camera that boosts video output to 4K Ultra HD.

There’s more going on inside, as it gets a faster Snapdragon 8250 SoC – the same as used by the 4K Owl Bar. The extra power has been put to good use by the Owl Intelligence System (OIS) software as businesses can pair multiple Owl devices together to provide total in-room coverage.

The Owl 4+ sports the same array of eight microphones as the Owl 3, which it uses to identify speakers. The smart part is the video feed: the Owl 4+ presents a 360-degree panoramic view across the top of the screen, dynamically splits the main display below to show the three most recent speakers and zeros in on the person currently speaking.

The internal speaker count has been reduced from three to two, but output quality is undiminished. Comparisons with an Owl Pro found that the Owl 4+ was just as loud at maximum volume but delivered a much cleaner sound quality, with its heavier body producing a warmer bass without the shrillness of the Owl Pro.

Other improvements are an integral K-Lock security slot and an option to turn off the white LED “eyes” if they become a distraction. The Owl 4+ comes with an external power supply that can be replaced with an optional Power over Ethernet (PoE) network adapter, which has the part number ACCMTW405-0006 and costs around £75.

Installation is a breeze. After plugging the Owl 4+ into a Windows 11 Pro desktop PC, it loaded all the required drivers and defaulted to the split-screen mode. Management options abound: the free Owl mobile app connects over Bluetooth and provides tools to register the device and connect it to a wireless network for software updates. You can also enable remote management from the Owl Nest cloud portal, and meeting room analytics.

Using the iOS app on an iPad, we could passcode-protect Bluetooth access, choose the central point for the 360-panoramic view or disable it, set the camera to lock and focus on one person or follow a presenter. You can turn off the video feed and control the volume during meetings and use a whiteboard to present notes and diagrams to attendees, replacing the split screen in their session window.

The Owl 4+ supports all popular VC platforms, and we had no problems using Teams, Zoom and Skype. You’ll be impressed when you first use it as the video display is quite remarkable and noticeably sharper than the Owl 3.

During meetings, it maintained the full-room panoramic view at the top and swapped effortlessly between active speakers in the split screen below. It’s fast, too, taking around two seconds to swap from one active speaker to another, with the slide animation placing up to three participants in the main view. During small round-table meetings, we found a 50% volume level was quite sufficient and remote participants could hear us clearly, even when three meters away from the table.

Pairing the Owl 4+ with an Owl Bar is easy, as you place them within two-and-a-half meters of each other with their front logos facing off and use the mobile app to pair them, after which they’ll use their tracking algorithms to choose the best view. No more looking at the back of people’s heads if they turn away from the Owl Bar, as the Owl 4+ takes over so they’re always looking directly at you.

For fully immersive meetings, nobody does it better than Owl Labs. The Owl 4+ delivers excellent video quality plus super-smooth speaker tracking, and pairing it with an Owl Bar covers every meeting room angle.

We've also ranked the best streaming microphones for content creation.

One of the biggest challenges for Logitech is that its best webcams are expensive compared to no-name rivals on Amazon that have similar specifications. As a recent example, consider the £219 MX Brio 705 for Business I reviewed four months ago.

Admittedly, that was a top-end device packed with features and capable of 4K streaming at 30fps. The Brio 105 is a more modest offering that’s limited to 1080p and a 58° field of view (the Brio 705 offers a choice of three FoVs). But in practice, how much resolution and flexibility do most people need? If it’s only you, sitting at your desk, attending a meeting, 1080p is absolutely fine, and a 58° FoV will place you large in the frame.

More to the point, image quality is excellent. Not just in strong light, but also when I turned off my office light at night and relied on my screen’s backlight. The Brio 105 still did a fine job, without any amateurish artefacts.

The other plus side of buying from Logitech is that the Brio can be managed from Logitech’s mature software, whether Logi Options+ for individuals or Logi Tune for businesses (you can deploy it using Logitech Sync). There’s also a three-year warranty, while the webcam has been certified for Google Meet and Works with Chromebook -and it will naturally work on Windows and macOS with all the usual conferencing platforms. Logitech takes sustainability seriously, too, promising that the plastic parts are made from 77% post-consumer recycled plastic and that this is a carbon neutral product.

From a practical point of view, it’s good to see a basic but functional plastic shutter that you can slide over the lens when not in use, and while the single mic lacks any advanced features, I found it worked fine in a home office environment. The Brio is light enough to sling into a bag, but the whole assembly will come with you as the 1.5m USB-A cable is captive rather than detachable, as is the basic two-part mechanism to keep it in place atop your screen.

Of course, you can save cash by buying a £15 webcam with the same specs. But it won’t perform as well in low light and definitely won’t be as easy to roll out and manage for businesses.

We also ranked the best budget webcams.

Sihoo has impressed me with their chairs over the last several years. I've had the opportunity to check out several Sihoo chairs recently, and they all look incredible. The Sihoo Doro S300 was the most futuristic chair I had checked out in a long time, and when I opened up the S100, I was giddy because it looked very similar for a fraction of the cost.

Sihoo positions itself as a simple yet ergonomic chair company. The Doro S100 points explicitly towards the budget-friendly side of the lineup -- perfect for those looking for an excellent chair for their home office without spending absurd money out of pocket.

The Doro S100 design aims to minimize strain from prolonged sitting, focusing on providing essential back support and comfort. How does it compare to the best office chairs I've tried? I put it to the test. 

Sihoo Doro S100: Price and Availability

The Sihoo Doro S100 is priced competitively around $150 - $200, depending on retailer and location. It's available through popular online platforms including Amazon, Walmart, and the official website of Sihoo. Though shipping fees may vary depending on where you want to ship this chair, it's widely available in the U.S. and select international markets.

Sihoo Doro S100: Unboxing and First Impressions

Sihoo's packaging has yet again proven to be very compact and straightforward. I was able to grab the pieces I needed quickly and easily without wondering which screw to use where. This is largely due to the clear and simple instruction manual and simple included tools. However, if I'm honest, I used my HOTO electric screwdriver to assemble since I have bad wrists from arthritis due to failed reconstructive surgeries years ago.

All chair pieces were securely wrapped, ensuring nothing got scratched or damaged in transit. Which, especially since this frame is white, I appreciated.

Assembly took me about 18 minutes from unboxing to sitting in the chair. Granted, I hustled through the assembly as I was familiar with the Sihoo design language. I saw what was going on without studying the assembly instructions too long.

I was immediately impressed by this chair's similarity to the S300 in feel and look. The lightweight frame and breathable mesh stood out and greatly benefited this chair.

Sihoo Doro S100: Design and Build Quality

Sihoo has done a fantastic job keeping a similar design language across offerings. The Doro S100 has a simple and sleek design, focusing on lower back support. This support is not suffocating nor cumbersome, as the backing is made of mesh that promotes airflow and comfort. The chair is offered in a darker black or the lighter grey I have, and both look great and will last quite a long time.

Sihoo Doro S100: In use

I've had this chair in my rotations for the last three weeks. At that time, I found myself happy with it overall, and I forgot that it was a cheaper chair because of how comfortable it was. I can comfortably sit in this chair for an entire day of work. However, there is no deep recline option, meaning I can sit up or lean back slightly but not entirely. So, if you want to recline far back, you may not want this chair. Regardless, this chair is an excellent option for those who wish to have some range of motion while working but prefer to stay upright.

The armrests are practical and can be adjusted within a reasonable range. The chair is comfortable for prolonged sitting, although the limited recline may not satisfy those seeking deep reclining functionality. The mesh back provides support for my lower back without feeling constrictive. The cushion is firm, but it isn't excessively thick. Some days, I wish it were a bit thicker with a little more padding, but on most days, it's great.

One thing I appreciate about Sihoo and this chair is that it doesn't have a white base to match the chair. If you're in an office where you wear shoes, the chair frame can quickly get dirty from the bottom of your shoes hitting the chair legs. Thankfully, Sihoo seems to have noticed the same and has put a smooth metal base without a white coating. Further, if you are like me and have kids, I'd be weary of having them around the lighter chair in the worry of spilling something or marking it up somehow. But that's just my OCD speaking. So far, with regular use, I have not seen any color transfer from jeans, seat damage, or wear and tear.

Sihoo Doro S100: Final verdict

The Sihoo Doro S100 stands out as a competent, budget-friendly ergonomic chair that meets basic needs without overwhelming options or features — all while feeling like it's a nicer chair than it is. The Doro S100 is ideal for home office setups or more traditional workspaces if you bring your own or pick your own chair. It’s a practical choice for users prioritizing cost over customization. However, those needing comprehensive adjustability or premium materials may need to look toward mid-range models.

For more essential office furniture, we reviewed the best standing desks. 

While Copilot+ PCs with Qualcomm Arm chips are gaining plenty of attention, there are compelling reasons to stick with the traditional approach. We await the killer app for AI on laptops, and Intel’s Core Ultra chips remain better all-rounders: the x86 architecture is still king on Windows and Intel’s Arc graphics are far more accomplished than anything Qualcomm can offer.

Despite my words of praise for Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14s, there are good reasons for business buyers to remain cautious and stick with a traditional approach. Chief among them is compatibility, as the last thing a business wants to do is a mass roll-out of laptops that are incompatible with key software or the office printer.

For the 11th generation of its x360 2-in-1, HP isn’t ripping up any trees. But what it is doing is packing this laptop with power, with my test system including the excellent Core Ultra 7 155H and 32GB of RAM.

Intel may point to the battery life of this machine as an example of its efficiency, too. In PCMark’s light-use benchmark, which uses a mix of web browsing and office apps, it lasted 17hrs 42mins despite a relatively modest 68Wh battery. Playing video, it almost reached 20 hours.

The low-energy screen helps, with the 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel peaking at 60Hz rather than 120Hz. It’s tuned for the sRGB color space, covering 96% of that gamut with an average Delta E of 0.78. For this price, I’d have liked the whites to look whiter, higher peak brightness (365 cd/m² won’t be enough for use in sunshine) and more pixels wouldn’t go amiss, either, as text lacks sharpness.

Where it wins is support for touch: sometimes, prodding a dialog button is the easiest choice. HP provides a large, glass-coated touchpad for more conventional navigation, and it sits beneath a mixed keyboard. In terms of action, the Elite x360 1040 is up there with the best laptop keyboards around. There’s enough resistance to make typing a pleasure, all the important keys are suitably large, and I love its quiet nature: you’ll need to thwack the keys hard to annoy neighboring workers. But I was repeatedly tripped up by the half-height cursor keys, with Pg Up and Pg Dn immediately above the left and right arrows. It felt that whenever I hit a keyboard shortcut (such as Ctrl + left to go back one word) I hit the wrong button.

HP clearly believes that USB-C rather than USB-A is the future, with three of the former ports and only one of the latter. The right-hand USB-C port peaks at 10Gbits/sec thanks to its support for USB 3.2 Gen 2, but head to the left and you’ll find a pair of even faster USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. HP also sticks a 3.5mm jack and HDMI 2.1 connector here, but no physical Ethernet port. Wi-Fi 6E is your networking friend rather than the more forward-looking Wi-Fi 7.

While the CPU’s AI abilities are stuck at a modest 34 TOPS – compared to 45 TOPS for the Snapdragons inside Copilot+ PCs – you can draw upon them when using the webcam, with Windows Studio Effects such as eye contact and background blurring at the ready. The 1440p webcam is top notch, other than a tendency to blow out highlights, and if you need to take photos it can snap at up to 2,560 x 1,440.

The mics can use AI to dial down background noise, while the speakers are among the best I’ve heard on a business laptop.

When it comes to ease of repair, this laptop is a delight. Remove four crosshead screws, slide a pick into the gap and the rear lifts off to reveal a replaceable Wi-Fi card, battery and SSD, though the memory is embedded onto the motherboard. And while the one-year warranty is to be expected, you can buy a Care Pack at any point during that year to extend it to up to five years of on-site cover. HP also provides its Wolf Security for one year, offering an extra layer of protection baked into the hardware.

With a 1.4kg weight and 14.7mm thickness – both above average for a 14in laptop due to the nature of convertible designs – the HP Elite x360 1040 G11 is not going to set pulses aflame with desire. Nor is its matte silver finish. But this is a well-built 2-in-1 designed for practicality, from its port selection to its battery life to its build quality. It’s not an exciting choice, but it is a safe one – especially if you already manage a fleet of HP laptops.

We also ranked the best business PCs.

While Copilot+ PCs with Qualcomm Arm chips are gaining plenty of attention, there are compelling reasons to stick with the traditional approach. We await the killer app for AI on laptops, and Intel’s Core Ultra chips remain better all-rounders: the x86 architecture is still king on Windows and Intel’s Arc graphics are far more accomplished than anything Qualcomm can offer.

Despite my words of praise for Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14s, there are good reasons for business buyers to remain cautious and stick with a traditional approach. Chief among them is compatibility, as the last thing a business wants to do is a mass roll-out of laptops that are incompatible with key software or the office printer.

For the 11th generation of its x360 2-in-1, HP isn’t ripping up any trees. But what it is doing is packing this laptop with power, with my test system including the excellent Core Ultra 7 155H and 32GB of RAM.

Intel may point to the battery life of this machine as an example of its efficiency, too. In PCMark’s light-use benchmark, which uses a mix of web browsing and office apps, it lasted 17hrs 42mins despite a relatively modest 68Wh battery. Playing video, it almost reached 20 hours.

The low-energy screen helps, with the 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel peaking at 60Hz rather than 120Hz. It’s tuned for the sRGB color space, covering 96% of that gamut with an average Delta E of 0.78. For this price, I’d have liked the whites to look whiter, higher peak brightness (365 cd/m² won’t be enough for use in sunshine) and more pixels wouldn’t go amiss, either, as text lacks sharpness.

Where it wins is support for touch: sometimes, prodding a dialog button is the easiest choice. HP provides a large, glass-coated touchpad for more conventional navigation, and it sits beneath a mixed keyboard. In terms of action, the Elite x360 1040 is up there with the best laptop keyboards around. There’s enough resistance to make typing a pleasure, all the important keys are suitably large, and I love its quiet nature: you’ll need to thwack the keys hard to annoy neighboring workers. But I was repeatedly tripped up by the half-height cursor keys, with Pg Up and Pg Dn immediately above the left and right arrows. It felt that whenever I hit a keyboard shortcut (such as Ctrl + left to go back one word) I hit the wrong button.

HP clearly believes that USB-C rather than USB-A is the future, with three of the former ports and only one of the latter. The right-hand USB-C port peaks at 10Gbits/sec thanks to its support for USB 3.2 Gen 2, but head to the left and you’ll find a pair of even faster USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. HP also sticks a 3.5mm jack and HDMI 2.1 connector here, but no physical Ethernet port. Wi-Fi 6E is your networking friend rather than the more forward-looking Wi-Fi 7.

While the CPU’s AI abilities are stuck at a modest 34 TOPS – compared to 45 TOPS for the Snapdragons inside Copilot+ PCs – you can draw upon them when using the webcam, with Windows Studio Effects such as eye contact and background blurring at the ready. The 1440p webcam is top notch, other than a tendency to blow out highlights, and if you need to take photos it can snap at up to 2,560 x 1,440.

The mics can use AI to dial down background noise, while the speakers are among the best I’ve heard on a business laptop.

When it comes to ease of repair, this laptop is a delight. Remove four crosshead screws, slide a pick into the gap and the rear lifts off to reveal a replaceable Wi-Fi card, battery and SSD, though the memory is embedded onto the motherboard. And while the one-year warranty is to be expected, you can buy a Care Pack at any point during that year to extend it to up to five years of on-site cover. HP also provides its Wolf Security for one year, offering an extra layer of protection baked into the hardware.

With a 1.4kg weight and 14.7mm thickness – both above average for a 14in laptop due to the nature of convertible designs – the HP Elite x360 1040 G11 is not going to set pulses aflame with desire. Nor is its matte silver finish. But this is a well-built 2-in-1 designed for practicality, from its port selection to its battery life to its build quality. It’s not an exciting choice, but it is a safe one – especially if you already manage a fleet of HP laptops.

We also ranked the best business PCs.