My grandparents quite enjoyed the internet when they had access to it at their old home. However, they travel very often; and divide their time between the old home and an inherited house much closer to myself and their other relatives. Being on social security, they found paying for dedicated rural internet that would only be available to them on the occasion they were home to be cost-prohibitive. As a Christmas present, I’d like to give them a means of using the internet on the go without breaking the bank on monthly prescription fees and the like.
Any recommendations on both a device to use and a good internet service?
One relatively inexpensive option would be a tablet with Wi-Fi only. There are no monthly fees that way, although internet access would be limited to areas where there is free Wi-Fi. Here is an article about maximizing the benefits of that setup.
When you say you would like to “give them”, do mean you will pay for it, or you will sign them up for a monthly fee service that they will pay for? The latter doesn’t really sound like a gift.
Get them an iPad with LTE. Unless they are streaming movies all day long when not on WiFi, the monthly fee should only be about $25.
They travel around the US, primarily in the southeast. I thought about a WiFi only device,but there wouldn’t be any open networks in the places they frequent, and it was hard enough teaching them how to use a cell phone, let alone setting up a connection in a strange browser. Plan is to give it to them with a good six months or x prepaid.
Ipad with 3G, but make sure they are going to be primarily in areas with coverage. They will be able to use wifi when it’s available.
Personally, I use the mobile hotspot on my iPhone and make a wifi connection when I don’t otherwise have access to one. It’s easy to do and easy to use, but I totally understand them being technologically deficient.