The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

[Nords]

I'm seeking connectivity advice for our kid's birthday present.

Those of you parenting teens, or who have seen MTV's "My Sweet Sixteen", understand how a 16th birthday has been blown way out of proportion by marketing & "rite of passage" hype. Our teen may not feel the same sense of entitlement as the rich kids renting out nightclubs, but that won't stop her from testing the limits. A Harry Potter book or DVD ain't gonna cut it this year.

No, there will not be a birthday car. She's been saving a portion of her allowance (a "Kid 401(k)") for literally eight years to be able to buy a beater. On her own initiative, she contributed her savings toward a share in our used Prius that we bought last May. When she leaves for Mainland college we'll buy back her share of the car's resale value. So at least that "gimme" is off the table.

But now tech is rearing its ugly Medusa head. I have a computer-science degree and I'm no Luddite but I tire of being "Super Tech Support Parent". I already maintain the family PC and my own laptop, plus spouse's laptop and a (sadly neglected) Mac Mini. I'm perfectly happy with HawaiianTel's lowest level of DSL service. (RoadRunner has a bad cable connection on our street, I've fought with Oceanic for over three years about it, and we're not goin' back.) Since I'm retired, I don't even bother with a cell phone. (We old pharts without mobile comms practice an ancient Hawaiian socializing technique known as "planning ahead".) While I'm happy to support a reasonable birthday gift for the 698 days left before she heads to college, I'm not looking for more infrastructure connectivity or maintenance. It needs to be the type of equipment that allows me to shrug and say "I dunno, why don't you read the manual and see if you can fix it. I'll be surfing!"

She has her own GoPhone that she supports at ~$25/month from her part-time job. I used to think it was a luxury status symbol but the fact is that teens network by cell. If you don't have one then you're out of the loop on homework, study groups, project planning, test/quiz questions, and (oh yeah) sex, drugs, and rock&roll a social life. Sure, "back in the day" and "these slackers are going straight to hell in a handbasket", but that's the demographic reality she's dealing with. She saw the problem, she figured out the solution, and she took care of it without whining or begging.

She's been furiously researching various options (while I've been surfing), and she's narrowed her focus to three items: her own DSL connection, a home wireless network, or an iPhone. This weekend she's taking her list to the Apple store for more questions and pricing. (Of course I'm going along because she still has her learner's permit.) I'm sure we'll hear lots of sales talk, but here are my questions for you satisfied (or unhappy!) customers:

I think our least-complicated option would be a hardwired router supporting our desktop PC and our Mac Mini (in separate rooms but within 10 feet of each other). Does HawaiianTel DSL work through a hardwired router or would I need to get a second IP address on our home DSL connection? Does that mandate a second phone line, or extra bandwidth, or some sort of business account? Any unpleasant surprises in the fees?

Next-least-complicated would perhaps be a wireless connection to "her" computer. Anyone happy with Clearwire? Is Clearwire worth the effort to connect to just the Mac Mini? She's perfectly happy to geek out on a Mac but I don't know if Clearwire is platform-dependent or has special Mac problems. I'm not particularly eager to crack the Mac to stick a card in it, either.

Unecessarily complicated (IMHO) would be a home wireless network. If we decide to go the Airport route, how should I connect that to our current HawaiianTel DSL account? Do we need to upgrade the account to have more than one computer online at the same time, or does the Airport handle it all under one IP address? Any bandwidth problems? Would I need to connect our family PC to its own wireless card or could I leave it plugged into a hard-wired DSL connection? Or should we just skip the Aircard and go with a generic wireless router that'll handle a Compaq Presario desktop, a Mac Mini, and a couple of Dell Inspiron laptops? Assuming such a generic wireless router crosses the Mac/PC gap.

Skipping past the computer/network questions would be the iPhone. When she goes to a Mainland college I can see that an iPhone is the way to go, so I'm not unhappy about this alternative. There are also persistent Internet rumors that iPhones will accept a GoPhone SIM card. I don't know if she thinks that she can switch SIM cards back & forth between AT&T's full-on 3G network and her GoPhone, nor would I think that she'd want to do that. I don't think she'd be happy with an "iGoPhone" lacking Internet access. However I don't know how much of a monthly fee she's getting herself into with the basic iPhone & contract. Of course she'd be in charge of the first $25/month and any "extras", but there might be other issues.

Anything I'm missing?

Yeah, we're nice parents. Maybe we're overindulgent. But she works her butt off at school and she has the GPA & SAT scores to prove it. She deserves the privilege & rewards of researching, designing, budgeting, & executing a project that she'll have to take care of. I'm just happy to give her any little encouraging nudge that'll get her flapping those independence wings on the edge of the parental nest...

[pzarquon]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

Does HawaiianTel DSL work through a hardwired router or would I need to get a second IP address on our home DSL connection? Does that mandate a second phone line, or extra bandwidth, or some sort of business account? Any unpleasant surprises in the fees?

Both DSL and cable modems (and, I would hope, options like Clearwire) should work "out of the box" with hardwired routers. In fine print, I recall, Oceanic once said something about a charge for adding computers, but I doubt that's relevant anymore, except if you actually need them to do the configuring in your home.

Unecessarily complicated (IMHO) would be a home wireless network. If we decide to go the Airport route, how should I connect that to our current HawaiianTel DSL account? Do we need to upgrade the account to have more than one computer online at the same time, or does the Airport handle it all under one IP address?

Adding a WiFi base station to a home network is only marginally more complicated than adding a hardwired router. In fact, most WiFi routers have two to four wired Ethernet connections included, so they can serve Internet via both wired and wireless connections. I have a very common Linksys WRT54G that costs under $50 and does 802.11g as well as has four Ethernet jacks. All of my computers are connected via Ethernet, but the WiFi is always there when I take my laptops into the living room or upstairs.

WiFi routers also work "out of the box," mind you, but you should always follow the extra steps to add security to your WiFi setup to prevent leeching or hacking.

Anyone happy with Clearwire? Is Clearwire worth the effort to connect to just the Mac Mini?

The clearwire modem works fine with the Mac Mini, or any computer with an Ethernet port. The only Mac compatibility issues come from the notebook card, which are not compatible with Mac laptops. The difference here, of course, is that you're talking about a whole new Internet Service Provider (with setup and monthly charges), whereas via the router or WiFi base station you're just splitting your current connection with a one-time hardware purchase.

Clearwire is often slower than what you'll get from even a shared home DSL or cable modem connection, so the only advantage it offers is the ability to take the modem around town and still getting service... provided you stay within the somewhat limited service area!

When she goes to a Mainland college I can see that an iPhone is the way to go, so I'm not unhappy about this alternative.

An iPhone is the perfect "cool" tech gift for the bright, young, deserving student, IMHO. Of course, it's much more expensive than a router or WiFi base station, and the monthly charges would be the same as, say, getting a new ISP. But, hey, it's an iPhone, it's a touch-screen iPod with an unmatched internet browser and widespread service availability. I've also heard they work with "Go" SIMs, which would be a bummer but would still allow the iPhone to function like an iPod Touch.

[scrivener]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

I agree with everything I understood about pz's response, but I'll add that Clearwire's strength is its (limited) portability, something that becomes irrelevant for the Mac Mini. The fact that Clearwire's modem requires an external AC power source is one of the most astonishingly bad ideas I've ever seen. Portable, as long as you've got an electrical outlet?

You are wise to understand that the cellular telephone has broken free of all kinds of categories and restrictions our traditional notion of phone once encompassed. Sure, we once used to think about "planning ahead," but how does one plan ahead for an emergency, besides the usual precautions? The ability to change plans on the fly, to let people know when unexpected situations come up, and most importantly (in my opinion) to access useful (or critical) information when you need it makes the iPhone my favorite of your options. It is impossible to tell, right now, what kinds of paths the iPhone and its myriad third-party apps will lead us down, but to be on the front end of that wave, especially for a young adult, is not only a generous gift, but a huge advantage.

I'm no futurist, but I've seen the way students whip their phones out in order to take photos of complicated notes on a whiteboard, and I've received files via Bluetooth from students who needed to get me something important. Alvin Toffler IS a futurist, and he says, "The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." What I love about the iPhone (and other new phone technology) is that it allows for this unlearning and relearning in ways we cannot predict or imagine. To participate in it while it's happening is a beautiful thing.

I vote for the iPhone.

[Nords]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

I was amazed at the crowds in the Apple store on a Thursday afternoon. In there, it's hard to tell that Hawaii is having an economic slowdown.

After being educated on third-millenium technology, an 802.11n wireless router seems like a no-brainer-- although it won't be an expensive Airport. After researching all her choices, she decided that she'd rather take over one of our laptops rather than have to set up the Mac Mini in a separate room with its own keyboard/monitor. So it'd be easy to add the router to the desktop's UPS power strip, plug the desktop into one of the Ethernet jacks, let her work on the configuration & security, and see how the laptops do around the house. Even better, I won't have to care for a router and I can have her take over a laptop's maintenance.

I'll pass on Clearwire-- again. I'm having a hard time figuring out who their customers are.

I don't have anything against cell phones or emergency tools themselves but rather their abuse. Too many times I've seen cell phones substituted for planning & polite manners. If that crutch is knocked out or if a bunch of people decide not to get together after all then it can be a waste of time, effort, & gas. I've also been oft-punished by workplace connectivity, and now carrying around a cell phone gives me an immediate emotional negative reaction. So far I'm happier remaining unplugged.

As for school tools, Business Week ran an article on campus iPhones (http://www.businessweek.com/print/te...827_832352.htm) that started the discussion at our house. I'd rather give our high-schooler a chance now to figure out all the cool school cell tricks than to have yet another new skill to learn on campus. In the Apple/Mac tradition, maybe an iPhone is becoming yet another school standard.

Cost is an issue-- an 8 GB iPhone is selling for roughly $200 plus a two-year $60/month service plan. That's out of the reach of most teens, although she could probably buy the phone out of birthday money (thanks, Grandma!) and we parents could subsidize some of the monthly fee until she's in college. She'll have some of her own money into it so that it won't become a neglected (and expensive) paperweight.

But the iPhone decision might be worth delaying a few months to see what effect Google has on the market. (http://www.reuters.com/article/techn...49326420080918) Has anyone seen any other reviews or info on this phone? If Google's Android software makes a good cell-phone platform, and if T-Mobile can snatch business away from AT&T with pricing under $40/month, then maybe everyone's prices will be coming down early next year.

I probably worry more than we should that the advertising & marketing industry economy's "wealth effect" will turn into the "teenager entitlement effect"...

[Nords]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

Another update and a couple questions.

At the risk of sounding like a Luddite rather than a lazy geek who avoids tech-admin duty, a wireless router has changed our lives. We bought an ASUS WL-500W 802.11n off Newegg's website. No more jockeying for computer/Internet time. I can get my [-]napping[/-] work done from the back lanai or the chair swing. Our kid now watches TV shows with her own laptop Google browser instead of asking me to explain why Boomers behave that way. She thinks that configuring routers, loading printer drivers, networking iTunes libraries, and synching backups is "fun" and has volunteered to relieve me of all tech admin geek duties. I feel like Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence.

The biggest home-life improvement of all has been networking spouse's TiVo. And if you want your high-schoolers to keep the birthday partying under control, then have them sign up to take the SAT the next morning. But I digress.

We're watching iPhone offers to see if the recession and/or the Google G1 phone will affect contracts/pricing. I expect that we'll be visiting the Apple again store next January.

But in the meantime I can't help but notice all of the Craigslist iPhone posts (http://honolulu.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=iPhone). This goes beyond the usual desperate consumers drowning in credit-card debt. They seem to be selling older or less-capable iPhones with terms such as "unlocked" and "jailbroken", appearing to need only a third-party SIM. OTOH I'm skeptical about the wording and the volume of the ads, and I'm pretty sure that Apple/AT&T would have periodic phone/network "upgrades" to knock them off the air.

Is there a legitimate way to reliably operate an iPhone under another provider, including Internet access, for the long term without an AT&T contract? Or is the only alternative an "iGoPhone" without web access? I'm not very happy about cell-phone contracts but I'd rather wait for a post-holiday sale and not have to keep hacking to stay online. And do any of you industry mavens see any cracks in the iPhone/AT&T pricing monopoly?

[Amati]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

OK,OK, peg me as too lazy to work thru all the technical stuff in the previous posts. But, I do have a comment on cel phones and teens. Yes, it can be a safety and convenience factor for teens to have a cel phone.

But, it has also become a status symbol for Hawaii teens, especially given the other restrictions on status symbols they have because they live in Hawaii (no Mexico Spring Breaks, no Disneyland GradNights, etc).

If safety and convenience are the true indicators of needing a cell phone, then think TracPhone. But, you might find resistance from your teen. A TracPhone is just not "cool" enough for some. So, if a parent is paying (even partially paying), consider on if you are doing it for "safety", or if you've been sucked into helping your teen be "cool" by buying the latest and greatest.

Our teen would not use a TracPhone, too uncool. So, that teen is without a cell phone.

[Nords]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

I'll be darned. I've never seen this kid talk herself out of the gimmes before. Usually the money is burning a hole in her pocket and she can barely restrain herself from going to the store right now. Especially with her shiny new driver's license.

But today she decided she doesn't want an iPhone and she ordered an iPod Touch out of her birthday money. It (and, of course, a few accessories) should arrive next week.

Now that she's 16 years old and the state's child-labor laws no longer apply, she's been working 15-20 hour weeks and bringing home some pretty good bucks. Looking at her enhanced paychecks, she realized that she didn't see any value in spending that money on an iPhone when she could be maxing our her Roth IRA. (Her words.) Then she went on to say that she doesn't keep close tabs on her GoPhone now and she doesn't want to be "one of those kids" walking around all day with her head down looking at an iPhone in her hand. News to me.

A couple of her classmates have iPhones, and based on their experiences she's mildly concerned about setting herself up as a target for envy & theft.

I asked her about familiarizing herself with an iPhone & apps before going to college, and she thought that was pretty funny. Like every other teen, she's accustomed to learning how to work just about any piece of electronics in about 10 minutes-- 15 minutes if she stops to read the directions first. It's hard to argue with that attitude.

Spouse and I decided not to talk with her about buying the iPhone and subsidizing its monthly cost. She doesn't seem interested in the responsibility or the extra functions, and I'd hate to undermine her independence by fostering a sense of affluenza entitlement.

We've been joking that this recession's holiday presents will be socks and an orange. So she hedged her gift list to include SolidWorks or AutoCAD Revit... I'm thinking Google SketchUp. Or maybe she'll want to see if she can get some form of Snow Leopard to work on a Mac Mini.

Looks like we've survived the sweet-sixteen gimmes. And I'm lovin' life with a wireless network!

[tutusue]

Re: The Sweet Sixteen tech birthday

Hey, Nords. It sounds like there's been some very good parenting goin' on. Congratulations!