Portable Video Phone Connects Parents With Son

A portable video phone kept us in visual touch with our son.

Erik was invited to go on a holiday to Mexico with his cousin, aunt and uncle. To say the least, he was excited. We were also excited for him and we were going to miss him a lot. Being that he is only 15 years old, staying in touch with him was very important to us, as it was to him. Naturally, we wanted to know that he was OK and what he was experiencing in Mexico.

We got a bright idea and sent a portable video phone with him on his trip. All he had to do was plug the phone into a high speed internet connection and we could communicate visually, to our heart's content. This made a huge difference to all of us.

We call it video calling. We were able to see and talk to each other... on the video phone... in living color. It was remarkable how clear the picture and sound were. There was no "lag" or jumpy picture, as you might expect using VOIP technology.

Erik "showed" us the sunburn on his back. We could clearly see the sunburn on his nose and told him to put some lotion on it. We laughed about that. He "showed" us what his hotel room looked like and also the view from his hotel room. He "showed" us the beach and the ocean with the waves crashing in. We could even hear the sound of the waves.

Erik was able to call us toll free, anytime he wanted. His aunt, uncle and cousin were also able to make toll free calls to their family members and friends back home in Canada. All of their family and friends from home were able to call them in Mexico toll free as well. They could do this because the video phone number has the same area code as their own phone number back home.

We were able to really connect and have more "presence" with our son and relatives. Video conferencing with these phones allowed us to have a "real" connection with family. We experienced emotions that would be missing on a normal phone call. Video calling was like being in the same room with them. It was priceless.

Now that we've had this experience, we are replacing our traditional analog phone with this portable video phone. We are doing this because it's better quality reception and it's cheaper, not to mention the benefit of being able to see who we are talking with. We can take it with us anywhere we go.

Video phones are starting to catch on. And for good reason. The best one on the market sells for about $180. You can call unlimited almost anywhere in the world for about $33 a month. Because this new type of phone replaces your existing home phone, it just makes sense. It's cheaper, it's better, it's light years ahead.

Like the introduction of personal computers, fax machines and cell phones, it's a paradigm shift from what we're all used to. We will all be communicating this way very shortly. Believe me, once you've have a video calling experience, you won't be able to live without it. You'll be demanding that your family and friends get onboard.

I'm not the first one to say, it's the way of the future.

One caveat: Be aware of the pros and cons of this new technology and which products to avoid.

You are welcome to share this article with friends or use it on your website, as long as the content and resource box remain intact.

For more information on what to look for in a video phone, see this free report.

You will love your video phone,

John Wannop

View the original article here

Secrets to Getting a Portable Wireless Internet Connection at Home With Wi-Fi

Today, not having an internet connection at home may make you feel like you are living in the Stone Age. This may just be the case when you take a look at all the benefits of having an internet connection. For one, you will have access to instant information at your fingertips and the list goes on and on. There are a few different ways in which you can achieve a wireless internet connection at home. Wireless networks are typically referred to as Wi-Fi hotspots, and today setting one up at home is effortless. The task can be accomplished by someone with little to no computer experience. You will just require some simple hardware...

Wireless connectivity comes as a blessing, as it eliminates the task of laying cables to each individual workstation. If you have multiple computer systems at home then setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot is a no-brainer. Wi-Fi is not expensive, and most modern computer systems and notebooks may include embedded Wi-Fi hardware. This is mostly the case with laptops. If you have a desktop machine it may be necessary for you to check if it has a Wi-Fi card installed. If not, you can easily purchase a PCI or USB Wi-Fi adapter and get going straight away. These adapters are not expensive, and retail for about $10. Once each individual computer is setup with a Wi-Fi card, then the next component you will need is a wireless access point.

A wireless access point (AP) is the central transmission and receiving point for all activity on a wireless LAN (local area network). Access points are usually small, dedicated hardware units that support Wi-Fi wireless communication standards. The easiest way to setup a wireless access point would be to purchase a wireless router. This device will also perform the function of sharing an internet connection to every computer connected to it automatically, so you don't need to be a Linux programmer with server experience to accomplish the task. There are many wireless routers on the market and popular ones include: Cisco-Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router, Netgear MR814 802.11b DSL Router and Zoom 3G Wi-Fi Router. They retail for about $70.

As the router will be providing a shared internet connection to all devices connected to it (this also includes Smartphone's, PDA's and Pocket PC's that support Wi-Fi) you will need to connect it to an internet connection as well. This is usually your DSL or cable internet connection. It is usually as simple as connecting your phone line to your device. If you don't already have one of these technologies available at home, then you should choose from the following:

DSL (digital subscriber line) - This technology offers internet transmission via a local telephone network. It is usually on the same line as your phone service. Speeds range from 129kbps to over 10mbps. With over 30 million subscribers, you can't go wrong with this option.

Naked DSL - This is a service offered by AT&T and Verizon Wireless. With Naked DSL, the phone line is not required. Another alternative to this is 3G internet.

Cable Internet - This service is offered by local cable television companies. These providers usually offer packages that include internet and TV. It is claimed that cable internet is faster than DSL connections and also more reliable.

View the original article here