It may not be the toys for the little tykes marked “some assembly required” that are the cause of beneath-the-Christmas-tree consternation this year. Many of the 31 percent of Americans who are “highly tech savvy,” according to a recent survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, but have yet to take the Wi-Fi plunge may be hoping Santa will bring the tools they need to join the ranks of the wireless home networked.
These highly tech-savvy people are so designated by the $169 per month they spend on broadband, satellite or cable TV, mobile phones and Web content. The national average for such spending is $122 per month.
Maybe they are highly tech savvy or maybe they are just not paying attention to the costs of the services they use. At my house, we spend $138 a month for landline phone, basic digital cable, Internet access and two wireless phones. Then again I do not claim to be “tech savvy” in the full sense of the term.
Either way, I would venture to say that setting up a simple wireless home network will not be a simple endeavor for some of the folks who try it. Where do you begin? What is required? How do you choose the right products for your existing computer equipment?
With home networking on several top tech-gift lists and with many setups including access point and client adapter coming in at less than $100, it is an attractive option for multiple computer households.
I have not done it myself yet … but I am thinking about it. My husband is working on a degree and monopolizes the home PC quite nicely. I like my own time on the home computer to surf and shop, stay in touch with relatives and do a little creative writing, but I am not usually alert between midnight and 5 a.m. when he has vacated the computer desk. We also have a slightly aged laptop at home, but without an Internet connection it may as well be a typewriter. I’d be thrilled to sit on the couch with the laptop if it was connected.
My husband and I have agreed to indulge in gifts this year that benefit the family. I guess Wi-Fi in the home qualifies.
RCR Wireless News reporter Dan Meyer has set up Wi-Fi at home and told me how easy it is. I am a little older than Dan. I must do research before diving in.
I think Santa is going to leave a nice reference like Wireless Home Networking for Dummies from the perennial series and a gift card for a home electronics store. Just put me in the group with those folks who are waiting for the LNP fallout before they switch. I’ll take my time.
