I Dinna have the power, Captain.............

[thequietman]

Hi Guys,

Forgive me if this has been answered before. I recently got a job teaching online via Skype (no work permit nonsense please, I pay tax) but I live in the boonies and if a gecko farts out here at this time of year, the power goes out.

I am not a computer savvy person but I know I can get a device that I can get wireless internet from and use it with my laptop and top it up when required, correct? If so, is it strong enough to hold a Skype conversation with?

Secondly, can I buy a power source for my laptop to keep it going when the power goes out? an additional battery might work but then I would lose my connection to the student when I change it. Not very professional.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[robblok]

Basically.. do you have internet there already from a router ? if so put a UPS there, the more expensive ones are the better ones. You can put one in front of your laptop too. Both will give you some time but not unlimited. Depending on the price of the UNIT and the power consumption of the laptop you can get half an hour up to 2 hours from one of the not really expensive ones.

[IMHO]

For internet you could use 3G via a USB dongle, and that would stay up as long as your PC does at least. Alternatively, you could use 3G via your phone or a Mi-Fi, and have them charge off the USB port on your PC as well.

What sort of battery life are you getting from your PC? if < 2 hours the battery probably just needs replacing... and if your outages last > 2 hours, you need to get the mobile phone number for your local PEA techs

You don't need to much bandwidth for Skype calls, but it does need to be stable - even the crippled 384kbps you get after breaching your GB cap is plenty enough for good quality VOIP/Skype.

[raybal5]

"...Secondly, can I buy a power source for my laptop to keep it going when the power goes out? an additional battery might work but then I would lose my connection to the student when I change it. Not very professional...."

You could purchase a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). With one of these you plug the UPS into the mains power and your computer (or anything else really) into the UPS. So when the mains power is available that is what you are using and it is charging the standby battery. If the mains goes off then the UPS starts delivering the battery charge to your device so it stays running. No need to change plugs and lose your connection. You don't have to do anything as it is automatic. What you do have to be aware of though is how long the battery backup will continue to run your device and then when the UPS battery is depleted, how long your laptop battery will continue for. Assuming your UPS lasts for 15 minutes and your laptop for 2 hours, then you should have no problems with finalising a lesson. But if the mains power is off all day then maybe you should consider investing in a portable generator as well.

As to how long a UPS will give you power, that will depend on how much power your laptop uses and what the VA rating is of the unit you purchase. You'll need to get some technical advice about that 'cos I don't know. The expected life-span of a UPS battery will again depend on a number of factors but you should expect to replace them around the 4 years mark.

Price? Generally start from around $100 and the sky is the limit depending on how many VA (Volt/Amp) you buy and how many minutes/hours you want the battery to last from a full charge.

Internet You can purchase a dongle which plugs into your laptop and runs via the mobile phone network. You need a SIM card and pay for data from your preferred provider.

Alternatively, you may be able to tether your laptop to your mobile phone and use the data download that way. This will depend on the capabilities of your laptop and your mobile. Most modern equipment has this as a standard feature.

[thequietman]

For internet you could use 3G via a USB dongle, and that would stay up as long as your PC does at least. Alternatively, you could use 3G via your phone or a Mi-Fi, and have them charge off the USB port on your PC as well.

What sort of battery life are you getting from your PC? if < 2 hours the battery probably just needs replacing... and if your outages last > 2 hours, you need to get the mobile phone number for your local PEA techs

You don't need to much bandwidth for Skype calls, but it does need to be stable - even the crippled 384kbps you get after breaching your GB cap is plenty enough for good quality VOIP/Skype.

You don't need to much bandwidth for Skype calls, but it does need to be stable - even the crippled 384kbps you get after breaching your GB cap is plenty enough for good quality VOIP/Skype. Quote

So even if I pay for X amount of GB, the dongle will keep working although on a weak signal but good enough for Skype, yes? can I buy internet credit and use it when required, ie; when the power goes out and I cant use my home internet?

Thanks for your advice.

[astral]

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