Reattaching the Cord

As many of us have cut the cord on traditional wired phone service we end up with several old style extension phones located throughout the house just gathering dust.  As old school as it seems, having a phone close by is a great convenience and unless you keep you mobile phone on your person 24/7, cutting the land line cord can get inconvenient.

Well, you can have your cake and eat it by installing a mobile to wired phone interface in your home or office.  Once you terminate the land line, or if you have two land lines like we did, terminate one wired Bellline, this device allows calls to be placed and received on your mobile phone and mobile number using any wired or hands-free telephone device in your home or office.  When you come home you place your mobile phone near the device and, via a wireless Bluetooth connection, all the wired phones in your house are connected to the mobile phone.  This also provides a good time to plug your phone into the charger to refresh the battery.  The phone can stay charging until you leave the house again at which time you just pick up the phone and go.

There are several options available with devices starting at prices of around $35 up to more than $100.  Most of them work the same way and use a Bluetooth connection and your existing home phone wiring and telephones.  Some can handle up to three mobile numbers all connected to the same home phones.  You can program different rings to identify which mobile phone line is ringing.

I recently installed one in my home and the set up was quick and easy.  The device is about the size of a box of cake mix and is plugged into the wall for power.  The only other plug connects the device with the home phone wiring and uses a traditional telephone cable.  The first time you turn it on you must pair the mobile phone or phones with the device using Bluetooth.  This is done in much the same way you pair Bluetooth hands free devices for your car or home audio system.  This needs to be done only once and takes only a minute or two.

Once connected, all the wired or hands-free home phones work almost the same as they did when they were connected to Ma Bell.  There is even a dial tone.  The only discernible difference is a short delay in connecting after you dial an outgoing number.

This connection allows you to use the free long distance calling that is standard with most mobile plans as well as any other features you might have such as call waiting, conferencing etc.  There is no additional fee or costs for using your mobile phone and mobile number in this fashion.

Here are some links ifyou want more information on where to purchase these devices.

Getting On the Grid

There is a lot written about people wanting to get off the grid.  The 24/7 connectivity of mobile phones, email, instant messaging and Facebook is being eschewed by more and more seeking a simpler life.  In the real world however, unless you are independently wealthy or really want to live like a hermit, connectivity to the internet is becoming as important as the availability of water and electricity.

In our area it is simple.  We need only call Time Warner orCincinnati Bell and we can have high speed access in our homes and offices.  Our mobile carrier can handle our smart phones and tablets.  A recent email from a reader pointed out that there are still some spots in our community that do not have easy access to high speed broadband.  These people live in areas that are not served by Time Warner and are on the fringe of Cincinnati Bell’s DSL coverage. 

The emailer asked about other options such as Verizon’s HomeFusion System so I did a bit of investigation.  HomeFusion uses the Verizon wireless 4G network to provide internet to homes and businesses unable to connect to wired services.  In essence it uses the same network used to connect smart phones and other mobile devices.

In order to use HomeFusion you must purchase a 4G modem/router from Verizon for about $200.  The device is connected to an antenna located on your roof.  As many as 20 wireless devices can connect via wifi to the system.  Once the equipment is installed you will also need to purchase a monthly data plan. 

Here is where things get a bit complicated.  Unlike Time Warner or Cincinnati Bell where you have unlimited bandwidth for a fixed monthly charge, Verizon charges you based on your use.  The least expensive is 10 GB for $60 per month.  While this may be sufficient for getting email, surfing the web and checking Facebook, if you plan to watch videos, subscribe to Netflix or Hulu you will need a more expensive plan. 

HomeFusion may be a good option for some but “buyer beware.”  First make sure that Verizon provides a robust signal to your location.  The good news is that a check with Verizon showed that they have a 14 day money back program if the system does not meet your needs and expectations.

The big concern you should have is running up fees for going over your monthly bandwidth allocation.  If you are a power user, this service may get very pricey.  Compared to some of the other options, such as a satellite provided internet connection, HomeFusion is less expensive.

One final caveat, calls and emails to Verizon with regard to HomeFusion being available in our area met with mixed responses.  The Verizon website will show addresses in 45030 are not covered but conversations with some customer service folks indicated that some addresses may be served.  All the more reason to take advantage of the 14 day trial period.

 

Not “IF’ but “When”

I know for many of you my comments this week will seem like a “broken record.”  If you understand the analogy then the message is definitely for you.  If you have no idea what a “broken record” is or you think it is some computer file corruption, you can just ask some over the age of 50.

The explosion in the use of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices has made many of us comfortable with using the “cloud” to store our data.  Rather than all of our files, pictures, emails and other digital stuff being stores only on the device they are “backed up” in the cloud and as a result are relatively secure.   At the same time however for those who still us a desk top or lap top computer, the importance of backing up our stuff is still often overlooked.

As reliable and robust we might think these devices are, all are only a power surge or hard drive crash away from disaster. Your tax forms, banking information and priceless pictures of Aunt Esmeralda all can be lost forever.  A backup routine is absolutely a necessity and can be accomplished easily and inexpensively.

The most inexpensive method but one that I don’t recommend is to do weekly backups on an external Hard Drive or DVD.  There are two reasons I don’t recommend this method First, you will most likely keep the backup copies in the same room as the computer thus fire, flood or other calamity will destroy the computer and the backups.  The second reason is that you won’t have the discipline to do the backups.

The best way to make sure you are protected is to subscribe to an online cloud based service.   There are several.  I use a service called Carbonite  but there are many other companies that have similar or the same services and features.  You can google “Cloud Backup Services” to get a list.

For an annual cost of about $60 your computer files are automatically backed up and stored in the cloud.   Once installed you don’t need to remember to do a backup it is done whenever a file is created or changed.   You can identify all files for backup or only selected files.  Once in the cloud these files are available to you form any computer connected to the internet.  Of course if your computer crashes all the files can be retrieved and stored on the repaired or new replacement computer.

For those who have experience loss of important data backing up becomes a high priority.  For those who have not had the problem it is not a case of “if” but only “when” this will become your priority.