WiFi Dog !
I love my father in-law, actually I adore both my father and mother in-law but today I am talking about my father in-law.
My father in law Harry is this placid, patient, generous farmer who is incredibly skilled with his hands in mechanics, electronics, in fact in almost anything. His mind is this boiling, bubbling pot of inventiveness that he applies to everything.
Sissi & Saddle Bags
One perennial problem for Judith has been keeping in touch when out and about. This took on new urgency and increased complexity after the injury that damaged her eyesight. Speech to text phones are less than perfect , SMS texting and e-mail messaging are definitely useful but once Judith’s eye sight was damaged we encountered a new problem, she could not see the text on the screen of most mobile phone texting devices. Apple’s iPhone was a possibility because applications have been developed that enhanced screen text but the down side is that iPhone is expensive to buy and run here in Europe, and it is so locked down by Apple that truly innovative development for the people with disabilities is severely restricted. There have been some interesting devices developed in the area of mobile phones but they are always expensive and the pace of development now is such that any investment in those devices effectively ties you into an expensive one or two year contract on technology that is very quickly obsolete.
The solution lay in the Netbook end of the PC market. These cheap devices are much more useful for deaf and visually impaired, but they are usually restricted to wi-fi networks limiting your to communication to only when you are in range of a public access point such as in a café, library, train station etc. This can be got around with 3G modems running off the mobile phone networks. The modems are now cheap and as long as you are not downloading large files they are cost effective but they plug into your netbook and run using power from the netbook shortening battery life and tying the modem to just that device.
One day at a family dinner at which we were discussing this problem and  Nonke’s oldest son Cees said, “What you need is a wifi router connected to a 3G modemâ€. Clearly the comment struck a note with Harry because the other weekend while spending the day at my in-laws farm Harry showed us his solution. Contained within the saddle bags worn by Judith’s guide dog Sissi were a lithium ion battery pack on one side with a 3G data modem attached. There was also an Apple iTouch, plugged into the battery pack and charging. In the other pack was an ASUS T91 Tablet PC with an 8†screen. The combined weight of all this was perhaps more than Sissi would normally carry but it was there to make a point. Harry told us that the MiFi battery lasts for five hours after which it can draw on the main power pack battery. The iTouch has it’s own internal battery but can also be charged from the main power pack battery. The small touch screen netbook runs about three and a half hours but can also be powered by the external battery. Coming onto the market now are a number of larger format touch screen devices in the 15cm to 25cm ranges, all of which could be suitable and lighter substitutes for the relatively heavy ASUS.
We have been testing the setup for the last couple of weeks in slightly different combinations and it has worked well. Occasionally in some of the oldest parts of the city the 3G connections drops, we think something to do with the density of the local stone in buildings here but aside from such minor problem it has worked well. So now Sissi is not only Judith ears and one third of her eyes, she is her wifi point and mobile communications centre. I am much happier knowing I can reach Judith more easily and I know she is more comfortable being out on her own knowing she has instant communications back to any of us. All of this using a set of components that are cheap enough on their own to be upgraded as better products come along and not tied down to long contracts.
WiFi Dogs
Amazing–simply amazing. On top of having an ingenious way of keeping communications open with Judith. I must share, Sissi, looks like royalty with her navy blue top coat with white fur.