With so many people working and schooling remotely, home computers, networks and printers are getting a workout like never before. Stretching your home technology to meet everybody's needs can be a big problem. Here are some tech upgrades that are absolutely worth it:

SSD upgrades - ANY old Windows laptop or desktop, and most older Mac laptops, can be vastly improved by replacing the spinning drive with a solid state drive. If you have a dusty old Windows 7 or 8 machine that was taken out of service because it was slow and out of date, I can easily turn that into a reasonable extra computer by replacing the drive and upgrading it to Windows 10. The average cost for this is about $250.00 - far less than the price of a decent new computer. 

Mesh WiFi systems - If you are using the router provided by your ISP, and you find that the WiFi in your home doesn't reach everywhere, it's probably time to upgrade your WiFi to meet modern needs. A mesh system consists of various access points, strategically placed throughout your home, to provide seamless WiFi connectivity throughout the entire house. 

Laser Printers - With more and more school and work assignments being printed at home, you can find yourself spending a small fortune on ink. If most of what you are printing are text documents, you should invest in an inexpensive monochrome laser printer, and reserve the ink jet printer for times when color is absolutely needed. You will find the cost of ownership is much lower - a small laser printer can pay for itself with as little as 2 sets of ink jet replacement cartridges. 

Back at the office, you probably have had a nice workstation setup, with dual displays and an ergonomic desk. At home you might be trying to do the same work from a single small laptop screen. One of the best ways to improve your workspace is to add an external monitor, and you might actually already own one, but the existing monitor cable doesn't match any connector on your laptop. 

Most newer Windows laptops and Chromebooks connect to a monitor with an HDMI port, so that's the assumption I'm making here. If you are using an older laptop with a VGA port, you probably don't have to do anything beyond connecting the cable. If you have a MacBook, the process to connect an external monitor really depends on the age of your laptop - call me and we can figure out the best approach.

 

	VGA - this is the oldest and least functional connector, and if this is the ONLY connector on your old monitor, you should probably find a different monitor. However, if this is the only option you have, you can try an adapter like one of these.
	DVI - frequently found next to the VGA port on older monitors, you can easily purchase a DVI to HDMI cable that will work to attach the monitor to most Windows laptops
	DisplayPort - commonly found on Dell monitors, and often confused with HDMI. Notice the right angle in the lower right corner, which is the main visual difference. You will need a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter or cable for most Windows laptops
	HDMI - simplest of all to use, an HDMI cable like the ones you use with your TV will do the trick

Once you have the correct cable in hand, it's simply a matter of connecting it and deciding how you want to use the second monitor. If you want to use it as an additional work area, in conjunction with your laptop screen, set it to extend the display. If you want to use it as your main screen, with an external keyboard and mouse (using your laptop more like a desktop), be sure to go into the power settings and change what happens when you close the lid to "do nothing". Of course, if you need any assistance setting this up, feel free to give me a call! 

Every September I set up my purple tent on Medfield Day, and enjoy a nice visit and conversation with everybody who stops by. I hand out candy and swag, answer tech questions, and raffle off a free hour of ComputerMom services.

Sadly, this year Medfield Day has been cancelled due to Covid, but I'd still love to have the chance to reach out and engage with you. So, I'm asking you to email me with any tech questions you might have, or topics you might like me to cover in my newsletter. Email your questions to [email protected] with the subject "Medfield Day". I will answer all questions via email, and choose a few to highlight in my October newsletter.

Anybody who sends me a question or topic in the month of September with the subject line "Medfield Day" will be entered in a drawing to win an hour of free ComputerMom services!  This can be on-site or remote, so feel free to forward this newsletter to anybody you think might have a question, or be interested in winning some free tech support. I will announce the winner in my October newsletter. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing from you!