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Wi-Fi Means Flexibility for Work at Home Parents
Wi-Fi Means Flexibility for Work at Home Parents
by Donna Schwartz Mills
http://www.ParentPreneur.com
I watched my daughter go to school that first day with the
flutter of anticipation. Yes, I was excited for her and
looking forward to all the adventures she was about to
embark on in the first grade. But, as a work-at-home parent
who was finally getting six uninterrupted hours each day, I
was absolutely giddy for myself. I couldn't wait to see all
I would accomplish with all that extra time!
That was before I discovered a little secret that only
stay-at-home parents know: The older your child gets, the
more activities he or she will be involved in... and all
that "extra" time shrinks pretty quickly.
I am still a work-at-home parent, but these days, I'm not
home so much. Between volunteering at the school and driving
Megan around for sports and other activities, I'm spending
less time in my home office than ever.
The challenge, as ever, is finding the time to devote to
your at-home business. It can be done, using the same tools
that have enabled big-time corporate "road warriors" to stay
productive wherever they may be: in the office, the car, or
at hotels and airports.
Fortunately, these business technologies have come way down
in price since they were introduced to the corporate set.
Notebook computers and cellular telephones allow me to set
up my "office" wherever I may be: at the soccer field, the
library, or even the backyard, where I can keep an eye on my
daughter while she and her friends play.
But over the years, as my business became more and more
Internet-dependent, I found myself becoming more and more
tethered to the cable modem in our house. I began to wonder
if I needed to cut down on our after-school sports and
activities... and then I discovered Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi is the term the tech industry uses for "wireless
fidelity." A wireless network router in your home, which
uses radio signals to push a broadband connection to your
computer, will allow you to work anywhere within a 100 to
200 foot radius. This means you can watch the kids in your
yard and check your email, too. But even more exciting to
the mobile working parent; Wi-Fi "Hot Spots" are popping up
all over the country. This means that on those days when
you have a PTA meeting that starts one hour after you drop
the kids off, you can save that travel time and put it to
good use at the nearest Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's or
Starbucks and do everything you can in your home office.
Many new computers come with Wi-Fi built in, but if yours
isn't one of them, adding it is as easy as plugging an
adapter into your PCMCIA slot. I spent about $50 for my card
over a year ago, but now that Wi-Fi is becoming more
widespread, prices have come down: My favorite local
computer store is selling them now for as little as $19.99.
Prices will vary depending upon the standard you select: You
have a choice of 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g. 802.11b is
the oldest of the standards and the one that will cost the
least, and I can vouch for the fact that data speeds on a
broadband connection are plenty fast. If you are networking
with other computers at home (so they can share peripherals
wirelessly), you will also need a router, a wireless card
for each computer on your network, and possibly a printer
hub (unless it's built into the router, as they usually are
these days).
Because Wi-Fi enables you to share data via radio waves,
security is a concern. Most wireless routers for the home
come with built-in firewall capability, but if you are
planning to check your email away from home on an open
network, (such as you will find at your local Starbucks),
you should also invest in a personal firewall. My favorite
is ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm, which offers both free and paid
versions (the latter includes virus protection and other
additonal goodies). Check it out here:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?lid=pdb_za1
While Wi-Fi is pretty cool technology, that's about all it
is unless you have a real use for it. I discovered mine when
I realized that the Starbucks near my daughter's art class
was a Wi-Fi "Hot Spot" -- which means that I could drop her
off for her 90 minute lesson, walk over to the coffeehouse,
and work away on my website without skipping a beat.
There are several online directories to help you find your
local Hot Spots.
Naturally, your first choice would be to find a network that
will allow you to hook up for free. See if there are any in
your area:
http://www.wififreespot.com/
Some of the more progressive public libraries have created
Hot Spots. Find out if yours is one of them here:
http://people.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/wireless/wirelesslibraries.htm
The most comprehensive Wi-Fi search site is Ji-Wire. At the
time of this writing, they are listing over 27,000 Hot Spots
in 51 countries! Listings include maps, driving directions,
and signal strength information. They even offer a nifty
finder utility for your PDA, which will make it easy for you
to locate Hot Spots while you're on the go:
http://www.jiwire.com
While there are many free Hot Spots, offering the service is
becoming big business, and the majority of networks you find
will probably be part of a commercial network. Here are the
major U.S. Wi-Fi providers and a rundown of their pricing:
T-Mobile
Over 4,000 locations in the United States, found in
widespread outlets like Starbucks, Kinko's and Borders
Books. Additionally, T-Mobile has 669 locations in Europe.
(I even used a couple of these on a recent family visit to
the U.K.)
You can get a 24-hour free trial to the service at
https://selfcare.hotspot.t-mobile.com/accountcreate/ExternalSetPromotionCode.do?promo=STDAYPASS0802
Note that when your 24 hours expires, you'll be enrolled
into a payment plan, which you have to select when you sign
up for the DayPass. Your choices are:
1. Pay as You Go - Cost is 10 cents per minute with a
60-minute user minimum per login. There is no long-term
commitment. This is a good choice if all you plan to use it
for is checking your email from time to time.
2. Unlimited National (Month to Month) - This plan allows
you as much access as you'd like, at a cost of $39.99 per
month. You can quit at any time.
3. Unlimited National (Annual) - If you are willing to
commit to the plan for an entire year, your cost will be
$29.99 per month.
T-Mobile also offers a paid DayPass at $9.99. Unfortunately,
you cannot combine that with the free promotional DayPass
listed above.
http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/
As if those are not enough options, if you are a T-Mobile
cellular customer, you can have unlimited Hot Spot access
for a $19.99 monthly add-on to your cellular service. You
won't find this information on the Hot Spot part of their
website. If you are a current customer or thinking of
becoming one, talk to a "Customer Care" rep to add it to
your service.
Boingo
The latest project of Sky Dayton (who also founded
Earthlink). With 2,100 locations around the world, and
another 3,000 set to come online shortly, you'll soon be
hearing a lot about this network. Try out the service for
48 bours for just $7.95 (with additional 24-hour periods
billed at $7.95), or choose a monthly plan (with no
commitment) for $21.95. They are calling this as an
introductory offer; after 12 months on the monthly plan,
the rate goes up to $39.95. (We'll see if they stick to
that -- my guess is that prices will come down as more
companies get into the business.)
Some other big guns are getting their feet wet in Wi-Fi:
If you are a Verizon DSL customer in New York City, you can
use Verizon-operated Hot Spots for free:
http://www.verizon.net/wifi/
AT & T - is also offering Hot Spots in New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut and Washington:
You'll find their service at popular places like McDonald's
and Barnes and Noble. Cost is $2.99 per 24 consecutive hours
of use (e.g., 2pm today until 2pm tomorrow). And your first
day of use is free.
http://www.wi-fiservice.att.net/faq.html#general_q8
Wi-Fi industry experts envision a time when wireless
broadband service will be available everywhere (much like
today's mobile telephone signals). Until then, local Hot
Spots can be a busy ParentPreneur's best friends.
**
Donna Schwartz Mills writes about the specific needs of work
at home parents at her website, http://www.ParentPreneur.com,
"For Parents Who Want Choices, Not Office Politics."
Tools tips and advice you need to help grow your home based
business while raising a family.
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