If you work from home, you probably enjoy the connotations that come with it — no more commuting, no office politics, and (best of all) the ability to wear your PJs all day.

But while there are plenty of perks that come along with working from home, there are also a few potential downsides — one of which is having to manage your own IT set-up. From home office IT support to managed IT services, here are five situations when you might need to seek professional help.

When Your Home Office Set-up is Seriously Outdated 

If you're still using that old desktop computer that takes forever to load up, it might be time for an upgrade. The demands of modern work mean that you need a fast, reliable computer — and if yours isn't up to scratch, it could be holding you back.

But a replacement might not always be the only solution - sometimes, all you need is a bit of home office IT support to help you get the most out of your existing equipment. For instance, your computer software programs might need updating, something that you might have missed if you're not particularly tech-savvy. Other times, you might just need to invest in a faster hard drive or add in more computer memory.

Usually, these are simple fixes that can be easily implemented by a home office IT support professional. But if you need a new computer, the IT support specialist can help you choose the right one and set everything up for you.

When You're Constantly Dealing With Connectivity Issues

If you work from home, chances are you rely heavily on the internet to do your job. Whether you're doing research, sending emails, or participating in video conferences, a strong and reliable internet connection will be a huge part of your job.

But what happens when your home internet connection is acting up? It can be extremely frustrating — not to mention unproductive — having to constantly stop and start again because of a dodgy connection. You also lose some of your income if you work on a per-project basis and end up taking longer to complete the task because of connectivity issues.

It might be tempting to try and fix the problem yourself, but in most cases, it's best to leave it to the professionals. If dropped calls and poor video quality are becoming the norm, it might be time to seek home office IT support.

They might need to take a look at your home router or modem to see if it's the source of the problem. If so, they'll only need to structure your home network to ensure a bit more reliability. Other times, the home office IT support specialist might need to check your computer hardware's compatibility with your home network.