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This is a bit of an unusual problem.
My next-door neighbour is 88 and he's been shielding at home since the pandemic started. He has a large family (including some great-great-grandchildren, how about that!) and initially he had no way of seeing them - he doesn't have a broadband connection or a mobile phone, and he's never owned a computer. But one of our neighbours gave him an iPad and showed him how to use Zoom or Skype or something, and another neighbour - his next-door neighbour the other side - allowed him to piggyback on his wifi, and that's worked very well. He's been able to join in a lot of family chats and it's made a really huge difference.
But now the neighbour with the wifi connection is moving away. So the question is, what's the best / cheapest way of providing some connectivity for him?
I would be quite happy for him to piggy back off my wifi, but the range seems to be too far. It's about 25 metres in a straight line, though the whole of my house and most of his house. I've tried using my phone in his lounge and I can't connect to my wifi from there. (See location map below.)
What options do we have? I can think of three and I'd be grateful for advice as to which is likely to be the most cost effective, or whether there's something I've overlooked.
My next-door neighbour is 88 and he's been shielding at home since the pandemic started. He has a large family (including some great-great-grandchildren, how about that!) and initially he had no way of seeing them - he doesn't have a broadband connection or a mobile phone, and he's never owned a computer. But one of our neighbours gave him an iPad and showed him how to use Zoom or Skype or something, and another neighbour - his next-door neighbour the other side - allowed him to piggyback on his wifi, and that's worked very well. He's been able to join in a lot of family chats and it's made a really huge difference.
But now the neighbour with the wifi connection is moving away. So the question is, what's the best / cheapest way of providing some connectivity for him?
I would be quite happy for him to piggy back off my wifi, but the range seems to be too far. It's about 25 metres in a straight line, though the whole of my house and most of his house. I've tried using my phone in his lounge and I can't connect to my wifi from there. (See location map below.)
What options do we have? I can think of three and I'd be grateful for advice as to which is likely to be the most cost effective, or whether there's something I've overlooked.
- Could I get a wifi range extender and install it in his house? I assume these things are designed with sensitive aerials so they can pick up wifi signals where "ordinary" devices - phones, tablets etc - can't. But I have no experience of them. Would I be asking too much over this sort of range and through so many walls? If it's likely to be feasible, are there any specific models you'd recommend, or specific features should look out for?
- We could get him a wifi dongle to use a mobile signal. (His iPad is wifi only; it won't accept a SIM card.) I know nothing about these. As before, any recommendations or features I should look for?
- I guess the last option would be for him to get a broadband connection. But he probably wouldn't want to be tied into a long contract because I imagine that, once we're back to "normal", he'll have no use for it. I could scour the likes of uSwitch to see what deals are on offer, but are there any more creative options here?