iPad for a stroke victim.

[StonerStuart]

What do you guys think of this for a backup battery for the iPad?

http://www.amazon.com/mophie-Juice-...ablets/dp/B009PL9IBW/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_HNS9

 

[SauRoNZA]

3. You can use the iTunes applet on the iPad to manage your purchases etc, no need for a PC/Mac. But, in order to back the iPad up, you will need a PC/Mac.

iCloud will handle all backups.

Problem is that nothing will be purchased by the sound of it and everything will be "procured" which means that a server of some sort will be required.

Is his hand fully functional or just somewhat functional? Can he pickup a glass of water without assistance?

My old man has had a stroke and the above answer defines absolutely everything around the experience.


*****

If he is in fact fully functional then I would highly recommend you rather opt for a proper laptop and setup a "shelf" of sorts for the wheelchair. You can normally get those from the wheelchair manufacturers or supplier like Solutions.

Plex would be a very good live streaming alternative if you have a box or PC that can function as a Plex Server...however having a laptop in the first place would cut out all that drama.

You'll also find that mobility in the wheelchair isn't nearly as important as you might think right now and ultimately they'll end up rather going to sit at a table/desk to use the device instead of having it running around with them.

One thing I can say is ASK their opinion and get their APPROVAL don't make it up for them. You don't want to spend a massive chunk of money on a device they end up not using because it's more of an inconvenience that anything else.

 

[StonerStuart]

iCloud will handle all backups.

Problem is that nothing will be purchased by the sound of it and everything will be "procured" which means that a server of some sort will be required.

Is his hand fully functional or just somewhat functional? Can he pickup a glass of water without assistance?

My old man has had a stroke and the above answer defines absolutely everything around the experience.

His right hand (leading hand) is fully functional but his left hand is 'weak he can move it but he has no power. I could imagine he could lift a pen if his arm were rested but to lift his full arm and use the muscles in his hand I don't think so.

Everything will be based around his right hand so he has the power to plug in the charger and to type on the keyboard I'm getting him.

Sorry to hear about your father, has he managed to gain strength since the stroke? Are people able to gain strength after a stroke or does it just happen and then that's the end of that?

 

[StonerStuart]

And yes a server is most def required!
It's too expensive to store TB's in the cloud never mind uploading them nor downloading them.

Sure the cloud will be used for: notes, contacts, calendar and emails.

 

[SauRoNZA]

His right hand (leading hand) is fully functional but his left hand is 'weak he can move it but he has no power. I could imagine he could lift a pen if his arm were rested but to lift his full arm and use the muscles in his hand I don't think so.

Everything will be based around his right hand so he has the power to plug in the charger and to type on the keyboard I'm getting him.

Sorry to hear about your father, has he managed to gain strength since the stroke? Are people able to gain strength after a stroke or does it just happen and then that's the end of that?

You've got a lot more mobility counting in your favour there and I can honestly recommend rather go for a laptop that can be placed down anywhere and everywhere and do all the functions you require probably for much less money and much less complexity all in one unit.

You could still optionally do the shelf on the wheelchair, but like I said the odds of it being used frequently will happen less and less as time goes by.

If anything you could maybe consider one of those transformer type tablet/laptop hybrid things but even that might be too complex for his needs. And if you are worried about Windows being too hectic for him to operate then either lock it down with a Standard account that he cannot break...or go the route of installing one of the very simplistic Linux distributions like ElementaryOS.


Sadly my dad has done nothing but decline since he first came home about five years ago. When he first got out of rehab he was able to lift a glass and somewhat feed himself for short bursts of time and at one point he was even able to lift his legs slightly from a sitting position.

However maintaining that and increasing it takes extreme amounts of upkeep and is simply not plausible in most cases.

So at preset he can pretty much operate a trackpad on his laptop and also the keyboard but he finds it easier to type with a stick in his mouth instead most of the time.


Therefore as hard as it is I would recommend you think ahead five years and plan for the fact that your grandfather will more than likely decline drastically in that time. And iPad required a massive range of movement to operate, something us able-bodied people take for granted as it comes so naturally to us.

 

[SauRoNZA]

And yes a server is most def required!
It's too expensive to store TB's in the cloud never mind uploading them nor downloading them.

Sure the cloud will be used for: notes, contacts, calendar and emails.

All the more reason a laptop makes more sense.

Upgrade the internal hard drive or slap a massive external on it when not mobile, which will be most of the time.

 

[StonerStuart]

You've got a lot more mobility counting in your favour there and I can honestly recommend rather go for a laptop that can be placed down anywhere and everywhere and do all the functions you require probably for much less money and much less complexity all in one unit.

You could still optionally do the shelf on the wheelchair, but like I said the odds of it being used frequently will happen less and less as time goes by.

If anything you could maybe consider one of those transformer type tablet/laptop hybrid things but even that might be too complex for his needs. And if you are worried about Windows being too hectic for him to operate then either lock it down with a Standard account that he cannot break...or go the route of installing one of the very simplistic Linux distributions like ElementaryOS.


Sadly my dad has done nothing but decline since he first came home about five years ago. When he first got out of rehab he was able to lift a glass and somewhat feed himself for short bursts of time and at one point he was even able to lift his legs slightly from a sitting position.

However maintaining that and increasing it takes extreme amounts of upkeep and is simply not plausible in most cases.

So at preset he can pretty much operate a trackpad on his laptop and also the keyboard but he finds it easier to type with a stick in his mouth instead most of the time.


Therefore as hard as it is I would recommend you think ahead five years and plan for the fact that your grandfather will more than likely decline drastically in that time. And iPad required a massive range of movement to operate, something us able-bodied people take for granted as it comes so naturally to us.

Schit my apologizes man, truly that's not a happy ending at all.

We have all sat down and discussed his decline with his doctor. We know things will get worse in time but from this point he has begged for a tablet, he want to know what it is and use it before he cannot anymore.

We asked him about a laptop and him being a stubborn ol man said "no I want to be hip" haha so we are doing this just for the sake of his learning something new before he passes on. The great thing about the iPad is it accessibility options on hand easily adjustable.

I thought why not a MacBook Air and he said whats that. And I told him its a laptop and he said no.... I want an pad thinggy!

So we know the inevitable but for now we will acknowledge his need for youth.

A bit ignorant but he is who he is and we love him for it.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Aaah okay, well that's a different story all together.

Sounds like he is psychology all there at least so that's a good start.

One of those iLuv keyboard cases should go a long way to helping you out.

 

[StonerStuart]

Aaah okay, well that's a different story all together.

Sounds like he is psychology all there at least so that's a good start.

One of those iLuv keyboard cases should go a long way to helping you out.

You talking about those thin Bluetooth keyboards? The one thy charges from mini USB?
The thing is I want him to have the keyboard free well attached to avoid dropping it but enlighten slack to chose weather he wants it connected to the iPad or on his lap!

Is that the one you are referring to?

 

[AfricanTech]

Thanks for the offer man but my aunt is paying and she wants everything to be brand new.
She has a thing about warrantees and buying second hand stuff, so I have got to listen to her.

No problem man

In that case definitely get an Ubiquiti router - it's MUCH better than those Netgears - personal experience.

It does proper load balancing on devices connected to it and doesn't croak when you throw multiple devices at it (unlike the Netgears and built-in WiFi on the 3G router - in fact, with the Ubiquiti, you can buy a 3G router and disable the WiFi on it) and then run the Ubiquiti AP off it to provide the WiFi - if you need more coverage, you buy a 2nd Ubiquiti and slave it to the first - no muss, no fuss.

Good luck

 

[StonerStuart]

I have never heard of that type or router before!

Like never!
Who makes it?

 

[AfricanTech]

Ok since his house is small and these routers are expensive I'm going to get only one of them.
And remove the Bose headphones for now, I'm sure I can find cheaper ipad earphones with mic since I do not think iPads come with those ear pods. For the mean time I'm sure the onboard speaker will do fine if not ill get him a pair out of my own pocket.

SS, don't get a Netgear - trust me - I have two sitting here doing nothing - they just cannot handle the load of more than one device connecting wirelessly and they're particularly problematic with iPad's / iPhones for some reason (we have two iPads, two iPhones, 1 x Android Phone, 1 x Android Tablet, a PS3 and two laptops running off the wireless) and the iPad's and Android Tablet had the most trouble maintaining connection to the network when I was still running the Netgears - since I put in the Ubiquiti it's been rock solid.

 

[StonerStuart]

What's your views on duxburry 3G routers?

 

[SauRoNZA]

You talking about those thin Bluetooth keyboards? The one thy charges from mini USB?
The thing is I want him to have the keyboard free well attached to avoid dropping it but enlighten slack to chose weather he wants it connected to the iPad or on his lap!

Is that the one you are referring to?

No it's an all in one leather case that has the keyboard on the inside but can also stand upright and be used without the keyboard.

Quite rugged and not too expensive. I think it's iLuv who makes it.

Also agreed on the Ubiquiti AP. Can't go wrong with the long range version for a normal house.

 

[StonerStuart]

Or Cisco systems?
I'm trying to go with a brand I know.

I actually had issues with net gear repeaters.
Would it be a good idea to go all apple routers?

 

[AfricanTech]

I have never heard of that type or router before!

Like never!
Who makes it?

They're AP's aimed at the enterprise more than the general consumer - Website Link - http://www.ubnt.com/unifi.

Check these threads out

1. http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...expanding-network-with-multiple-routers/page2 (read from Page 1 - I took the advice given by SauronZA)

2. this thread has picture on the 2nd page http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/503842-CAT5E-in-Cape-Town-(2013)?highlight=ubiquiti

3. this thread for recommendations from other forumites http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/523771-Ubiquiti-Vs-Ruckus?highlight=ubiquiti

If you need more assurance than MyBB, you can check the reviews on Amazon.com as well.

These things are proper workhorses

 

[AfricanTech]

Or Cisco systems?
I'm trying to go with a brand I know.

I actually had issues with net gear repeaters.
Would it be a good idea to go all apple routers?

No experience with apple routers but all the other consumer grade WiFi AP's (anything you can buy at Incredible Connection) cannot compare to the Ubiquiti.

 

[StonerStuart]

Ok I checked them out they look pretty awesome. But how much do they cost? And how will I get 3G onto it? Do they have a 3G router?

 

[rajharie]

Have a look at this, for stroke recovery. http://www.im-able.com/nz/home

 

[AfricanTech]

But how much do they cost?

Cost around R1000 or so (if you can get stock)

And how will I get 3G onto it?

You plug it into the ethernet port of your 3G router (disable the wireless portion on the 3G router). It then routes all the local wireless traffic via ethernet to the 3G router, which in turn routes the traffic via 3G into and out of the cloud.

So you will still need a separate 3G router - the Ubiquiti replaces the Netgear repeaters and nothing else.

I don't think Ubiquiti sells 3G routers but I haven't had any problems with the TP-Link range of products - they've got the TP-Link MR3220 3G/4G - link - for about R400 - you plug your 3G USB Stick into the MR3220's USB port, then plug the Ubiquiti into one of the MR3220's ethernet ports, setup the whole business and away you go.

Mind you, you will need to be a leetle bit technically minded but no rocket science required.