I Am Shortly Going Into A Care Home

[denis567]

I am shortly going int a Care Home which does not have Wifi.
I love my iPad and I shall miss it, has anyone any suggestions?
Money will be tight
Thank you

[ummmm]

Will you still be able to get out and about? Lots of pubs/cafes have free wifi.

[Jackdaw33]

Mobile dongle? I pay £25 p.m. for 5 Gb lasting 90 days.

[Jackdaw33]

That doesn't make sense! What I meant was I pay £25 and it lasts for 90 days.

[Old_Geezer]

Difficult. I think the answers above probably cover the two obvious options. Find a free WiFi somewhere nearby you can log onto, or find the budget to purchase data comms from one of the mobile companies.

If you already have a mobile smart phone you may be able to use it to tether your iPad and give it access to the Net.

Otherwise try to convince the care home that these days it is a vital service for the mental health of the occupants, who need to keep their minds active and interact with the outside world; and couldn't it be included in the fees.

[Old_Geezer]

I thought £25 per minute was a bit steep ;-)

[Jackdaw33]

I meant per month. They keep changing the tariffs. I was paying £26 for thirty days for 8 gb but the new option is £25 for ninety days for 5 gb. Depends on how much you use it.

[Ken4155]

If there are houses very near by, their wifi signals may reach your care home. Befriend the nearest and offer to pay them a nominal monthly sum for use of their 'juice'. My mate does this with the neighbour from across the road who pays my friend a tenner per month.

[Sycamore3House]

If you iPad has 3G or 4g you can pay for this via a package from a provider of your choice. I have 3G and it is £15 per 30days with O2 which I pay when I need it as opposed to a monthly contract.

Alternately do any of your family have a package that you can tag onto such as BT whereby you can use the BT hotspots. Failing this the other option is cafes, pubs, McDonalds etc that have free wifi.

[Tilly2]

I am constantly badgering the manager of my Dad's care home to make wi-fi available to the residents.

As time goes by, more and more residents will be in the same situation as you, Denis. I think it's unfair and an erosion of liberties. It is supposed to be a home from home. Are you sure that they don't have wi-fi at all, in the home?

A dongle would seem to be the best bet, in the meantime, or perhaps you could choose another home.........? There must be an element of choice for you.