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Microsoft recently announced they are finally ending the MSN TV (formerly Web TV) service on September 30, 2013. My mother (85 years old) has been using WebTV on dial-up for many, many years. She lives out in the boondocks and she cannot get broadband (DSL or cable). The only thing she uses on the internet is email - she doesn't web browse at all. She has a laptop (~4 year old Lenovo w/ WinXP & WiFi), but it does not currently access the internet - she only uses it to play simple Windows games.
I'm thinking of getting her a 4G MiFi box from Verizon or AT&T and using that with the laptop's WiFi. My concern is that if she forgets to disconnect from the 4G network, she could possibly get hit with a large data charge. I don't know if the MiFi box can be set to disconnect after an inactivity timeout? I could also use a 4G USB stick with the laptop, and since she usually powers down the laptop when she is not using it, the timeout issue is much less of a concern. However, I've used a lot of finicky 3G/4G USB sticks - the USB connectors can get loose and/or flaky and they are fairly fragile devices.
Any other low-cost ideas? There's no way she can swing the cost of a Hughesnet sat dish or the monthly cost of an unlimited 4G data plan. The solution has to have low start-up costs and no more than $40/month in ongoing fees.
As cr@ppy and antiquated as the WebTV is, it actually worked very well for this single purpose. It has a wireless keyboard and it is connected to a 46" LCD TV, so the text is nice and big. It allowed her to get email for the last 10+ years, and I rarely had to provide ANY tech support - and if you have ever tried to introduce new technology to an elderly person, you know what an incredibly rare situation that is!!
I'm thinking of getting her a 4G MiFi box from Verizon or AT&T and using that with the laptop's WiFi. My concern is that if she forgets to disconnect from the 4G network, she could possibly get hit with a large data charge. I don't know if the MiFi box can be set to disconnect after an inactivity timeout? I could also use a 4G USB stick with the laptop, and since she usually powers down the laptop when she is not using it, the timeout issue is much less of a concern. However, I've used a lot of finicky 3G/4G USB sticks - the USB connectors can get loose and/or flaky and they are fairly fragile devices.
Any other low-cost ideas? There's no way she can swing the cost of a Hughesnet sat dish or the monthly cost of an unlimited 4G data plan. The solution has to have low start-up costs and no more than $40/month in ongoing fees.
As cr@ppy and antiquated as the WebTV is, it actually worked very well for this single purpose. It has a wireless keyboard and it is connected to a 46" LCD TV, so the text is nice and big. It allowed her to get email for the last 10+ years, and I rarely had to provide ANY tech support - and if you have ever tried to introduce new technology to an elderly person, you know what an incredibly rare situation that is!!
