Five Technology Gifts For Christmas

It’s that time of year again with Christmas just around the corner. As many of you will be working on limited budgets I am providing some suggestions on affordable technology gifts for your loved ones.

Gadgets To Boost Wireless Speed And Signal Strength
Boost Wireless Speed On Your PC/Laptop
Older laptops can benefit from the addition of a wireless N usb adapter. If your broadband router is less than two years old chances are it broadcasts a wireless N signal. Your laptop is probably equipped with a wireless G (54mbps) or worse a wireless B(11 mbps) adapter. The speed difference is dramatic with wireless N(600-900 mbps) providing  more than 10 times the speed of Wireless G and 50 times the speed of wireless B.

Tplink Wireless N adapter 300mbps model TL-WN821N cost around €15)

Add Wireless N To Your Broadband/boost Signal Strength
If your broadband router is not wireless N you can connect a wireless N access point(WAP) to it. The model recommended not only provides 
Wireless N but also a significant increase in the wireless signal strength.
(TPlink Wireless N Access Point: Model WA901ND 300Mbps cost Around €50-€60)

Gadgets To Cool Your Laptop
Overheating is one of the big killers of laptops and you can reduce the temperature on the laptop by using a stand equipped with fans. The fans are powered from your usb ports on your laptop.
(Costing from €15-€25 and available from Trust and Belkin.)

Gadgets To Protect Your Laptop/Desktop
Electrical spikes and surges are another killer and every year I see my share of machines that have fallen victim to electrical problems. A quality surge protector will reduce the chances of a surge or spike causing damage to your computer. Available in single and multiple port models I recommend units manufactured by Belkin. 
(Belkin Single port model cost around - €10, Belkin 4 port model cost around €15)
 
Gadget To Backup Your Data
There are a myriad of backup drives out there but my recommendation is the Adata dashDrive durable. This robust 500 gig usb 3.0 external backup drive is encased in rubber to protect it from accidental falls or knocks. I am a fan of these drives as they work flawlessly with but old and new laptops, which is not the case with other usb 3.0 drives. The drive is both waterproof and shockproof and is designed so that the cable attaches neatly to the drive.(ADATA Dashdrive Durable 500 gig Model HD710 – Around €70)