Essential Equipment for Teaching Online Classes: The 2026 Checklist
Muskaan Choudhary
July 24, 2026
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7 min read
To teach online classes effectively, you need equipment across three areas: a comfortable desk setup (desk, chair, laptop stand), good lighting (an LED ring light is the simplest upgrade), and a distraction-free background (backdrop or smart board), plus cable management to keep it all organized. A basic setup costs $150–$400; a fully-equipped one runs $500–$900.
With the world moving online, everyone has access to education - be it as a teacher or a student. But an important aspect of teaching and learning is the supplies. To ensure effective learning, it's also important to be up to date with the technology used to deliver courses. This guide covers everything you need to start or improve your online lectures, and answers the questions you're most likely to have along the way.
At minimum, you need:
Everything else below - lighting, backdrops, plants, snacks - makes the setup more comfortable and professional, but isn't required to get started.
Any online educator spends hours teaching, so comfort matters. A proper desk and chair keeps your back straight and gives your setup a more professional look on camera.
We recommend the standing desk by VIVO, which comes with a built-in keyboard tray. If you prefer a normal desk, pair it with a laptop table or mobile holder to keep your device at eye level. For the chair, the ergonomic chair by Oline supports your back and arms without sacrificing style.
A chair alone isn't enough to stop the hunch. A laptop stand is worth adding on top of a desk and chair. It puts your laptop at eye level, which also improves how you look on live and recorded lessons. We recommend the Nulaxy Laptop Stand, made of aluminium and compatible with most laptops.
Teaching from a mobile instead? Use a mobile holder like this adjustable cell phone stand. If you teach dance, yoga, or other movement-based classes, a flexible phone tripod with wireless remote is worth the upgrade.
Round out the setup with a comfortable keyboard and mouse. Using a touchpad continuously can strain your wrist and slow down navigation. An Ergonomic Mouse Pad with Gel Support is non-slip and supportive. Most built-in keyboards are noisy enough to be distracting over a full teaching day. If you want to go wireless, the Arteck Ultra Slim Keyboard is quiet and reliable.
If you teach subjects that need on-screen writing or drawing, a pen tablet ("digital writing pad") is worth adding too. These let you draw or write on screen and share it live, something a mouse handles poorly. The Deco 01 V2 by XP Pen is a good option, and includes a stylus that mimics pen and paper.
A good headset with a microphone is essential for clear, effective communication. It eliminates background noise that would otherwise disturb your students and disrupt learning. These headsets by TaoTronic are noise-cancelling and connect via Bluetooth. They’re easy to carry as well.
Prefer a separate mic over a built-in one? External mics usually offer better audio quality. We'd recommend the Blue Yeti USB Mic.
Desk plants elevate your setup and make your space look classier. You can place smaller ones on the desk top, and larger ones beside it. Check out Root Bridges for a good range, including hanging pots and ceramic planters.
Some plants also purify the air, useful if your workspace lacks natural airflow:
For low-light spaces, these plants cansurvive in minimal sunlight:
Staying fed and hydrated matters if your job involves sitting and teaching for hours at a stretch. Keep healthy snacks on hand for quick breaks between classes. Order a Snack Bag Care Package or check out Protein Bakeshop for guilt-free options in multiple flavors. For hydration, a vacuum, insulated flask means fewer refill trips - The Big Bottle Co. offers bottles from 1.5 to 2.2 litres.
Good lighting matters for both synchronous and asynchronous teaching - it makes you look more professional and improves video quality. It's especially important for language teachers, since students need to see mouth movements clearly for language acquisition.
Of the many lighting options available (LED ring lights, soft boxes, table lamps, overhead lights), we recommend the LED ring light. It eliminates shadows and noticeably improves video quality. Try the Selfie Ring by UBeesize for the best value.
Alternatives include:
Neither is essential to get started, but both help as you scale.
Smart boards are a strong alternative to a plain whiteboard, enabling interaction and increased engagement with high-quality displays and connectivity across devices. They're worth the investment mainly if you teach visually - math, diagrams, live annotation. For most other subjects, screen-sharing a tablet or a basic drawing app does the same job for a fraction of the cost.
A dedicated backdrop adds professionalism and reduces distractions for your students. Even a plain wall or a $30 fabric backdrop keeps the visual focus on you rather than a cluttered room. You can use a static background (a world map, ABC chart, kid-friendly posters) or a greenscreen, which lets you swap backgrounds freely. We recommend this collapsible, portable greenscreen that attaches directly to your chair. A DIY option: hang a green bed sheet or cloth.
Students never see how many wires your setup actually involves. Cable Organizer's cable management tools eliminate the visual clutter and the tangled-wire stress of running multiple devices at once. They’ll almost completely eliminate the stress that comes with tangled wires because let’s face it, we all know the pain of tangled earphones, so we’d rather not.
Hardware handles the call itself, but you still need something to run the class around it - scheduling, bookings, attendance, payments, and resource sharing. Classcard's class management software handles all of this, plus online meeting integrations for the video platforms you're already using, so you're not juggling five separate tools to run one class.
You might want to check us out and add us to that list of essential equipment for teaching online classes! Schedule a free demo or try Classcard free for 7 days - we promise, you'll love it!
$150–$400 for the essentials; $500–$900 for a professional-grade setup with better camera and lighting.
Most built-in webcams are fine for standard classes. Upgrade only if you're producing high-quality video content or working on an older device.
A minimum of 10 Mbps upload speed to avoid lag or dropped video.
Not recommended -built-in mics and speakers cause echo and reduce audio clarity for students.