iPad is a great tool for getting your grandparents online. For many people, it has been very difficult to get their grandparents, and even parents, online to check email and surf to different websites. Having grandparents turn on the computer, connect to wifi, reset the computer has been difficult, and many people have given up over the years – especially since some DSL services and modems have to be reset, and Windows takes longer and longer to load. The iPad is part of the answer.
I have been recommending the iPad and a dummy proof router setup to my friends who have computerphobic grandparents, many of whom are computer illiterate and oftentimes non-English speaking. However, most grandparents, even those that do not speak English, can turn on and charge an iPad. The iPad’s home screen has different icons that can easily be recognized.
Once you lock in the Wifi settings, the iPad will always lock to the router. Then, the key is getting the router to always be on. Most computerphobic people will not feel comfortable turning on a router with all the blinking lights, and the on and off switches and cables.
However, having grown up in the electronic world, they feel comfortable plugging routers in and out of the wall socket. The Netgear routers are great because they are on as soon as they are plugged into the wall. The Clear Wireless modems are also great because they turn on whenever they are plugged into the wall. Same result, every time. The grandparents can recognize what the the lights on the modem and router are what they are supposed to be. If the lights do not match what they are perfectly, they just pull the plugs from the wall socket and plug them in again. No mistakes, nothing to turn on.
With the router and modem done, the iPad will automatically lock to the wifi signal. This will enable the grandparent to check email. Even if they do not speak English, they can recognize the email icon on the iPad, and the email can be in term native language. They can recognize Safari on the iPad. With bookmarks on Safari, all the sites can be preset, and then they can pull up the websites that they want to in their native language, and touch what want connected to hyperlinks.
That is all you need to get the grandparents online. Since they are computerphobic, you can get them free business cards with their email address printed, nothing to memorize.