Plan Your Summer Vacay with These Smart Apps and Sites

Jul 26, 2024 | Family

With the summer vacation season at hand, many families are scratching their heads trying to decide their destination, as well as plan their activities and budget. Should this year’s summer getaway be to a beach resort with sun, sand and surf? Or perhaps a retreat to the cooler, crisper air of the mountains? Maybe this is the year to soak in the culture and ambience of historic cities, or rather to explore scenic national parks and wilderness expanses instead? And what’s the best way to plan all the logistical and budgetary needs of such a trip?

Thankfully, with FPUAnet Communications’ fiber internet, along with practical online travel-related tools, the best advice for travel destinations and activities—and the best deals to be had on them—is at your fingertips! We’ve prepared a list of our favorite online resources, both apps and websites, to help you plan your trip this summer vacation. From deciding where to go, to hunting the best prices for airfare or accommodations, to discovering the best local dining spots, our recommended resources will help you make the most of your well-deserved time off this summer!

1. Lonely Planet—to Help You Determine Where to Go

We begin with Lonely Planet, the venerable travel guide series, which provides exceptional coverage of both basic nuts-and-bolts information for travelers, as well as historical, cultural and other essential background to really understand the people and vibe of a country or city. We recommend Lonely Planet to assist your decision-making both at the front end of your trip (i.e., deciding where to go in the first place) as well as throughout your adventures when discovering off-the-beaten path side excursions and local haunts!

2. Skyscanner—to Find and Compare Flights and Airfares

We next turn to selecting flights. There are several websites and apps to compare airfares and book flights and a few of them are quite excellent. But we particularly like Skyscanner for its features and ease of use, including its “Explore Everywhere” feature, which conveniently lays out destinations and routes around America and the entire world. In this way, Skyscanner not only helps you find airfare deals and connections, but even opens your minds to travel spots you hadn’t yet dreamed of!

​3. Booking.com—to Find and Book Hotel Rooms

Next, we recommend Booking.com to find hotels and compare lodging prices in your chosen destinations. While Booking.com can also help you book flights and other travel needs, its hotel search features stand out, and put it above many similar sites. We’re particularly impressed by its powerful search engine, which scopes out more hotel rooms at more price points (especially midrange prices) than most other online travel agency and aggregator sites do. 

4. Airbnb and Vrbo—to Search Alternative Accommodations and Home/Apartment Stays

Of course, if you’re looking to avoid hotels or just want to stay in private homes or apartments, Airbnb and Vrbo are excellent resources. They can also get you closer to where locals actually live, instead of staying in a large tower of tourists like many hotels (not that there’s anything wrong with pampering yourself in a nice hotel on your summer vacay!). Both apps also feature unique, and even unusual (and memory-making) accommodations, too, such as treehouses and Hobbit holes!

5. TripAdvisor and Yelp—to Discover the Best Local Eateries

It’s impossible to exclude TripAdvisor and Yelp from our list, as they are iconic, even encyclopedic founts of recommendations about dining by both tourists and locals. Seeing the differences between the way locals review an eatery and the way tourists review that same spot can be quite insightful. So, be sure to note who is reviewing and see if you notice any patterns when assessing where to dine out on your vacation. Both TripAdvisor and Yelp are available as apps, both of which have added features the browser-based websites do not.

6. Wanderlog—to Plan Your Dream Itinerary

Finally, once you’ve determined your destination and booked your flights, accommodations and some dinner reservations, put all your hard work into one convenient, accessible place on Wanderlog, a respected trip planning app. Indeed, itinerary lovers will adore this app, as it helps you organize your vacation and its details to your heart's content! You’ll easily plan your routes, including stops for gasoline and food, and incorporate any flight or hotel reservations in one single, customizable space. Wanderlog is available both as a website on a browser or as an app for iPhones and Android-based devices.

Once armed with our handy list of apps and websites, you’ll be well on your way to concocting the best summer vacation you’ve ever had—and far more efficiently, too! And keep connected to FPUAnet Communications’ social pages to learn more ways to make the most of our advanced fiber network!

Simple Tech and Online Safety Tips for Aging Parents

Jul 22, 2024 | Family

While new devices and technology are eagerly welcomed by tech-driven generations, older generations looking to “age in place” or live in senior communities are sometimes wary of or frustrated by tech—and understandably so!

Navigating the web with confidence can allow aging parents to stay more connected with their families and friends across the world, but there are also risks that come with being online. If you’re looking to help your aging parents (or yourself!) navigate the internet as safely as possible, the following tips and devices can help.

Recommended Devices for Elderly People

First, we begin with some recommended phones and tablets for aging parents. In preparing our list, we've prioritized the general ease of the device's interface and overall use, the quality of the audio and calling capabilities, and the text and icon organization and readability, as well as overall value.

Two Suggested Phones for Aging Seniors

We can confidently recommend two easy-to-use phones from Jitterbug: the Jitterbug Flip2 and the Jitterbug Smart4. The Jitterbug Flip2 is among the simplest phones anyone can get today, letting seniors use the Flip2 for basic cell phone uses like voice calls. It also sports a camera, though its photo features are rather limited. The Flip2 includes voice commands for smart home devices like Alexa, making it far better than the flip phones of 25 years ago! But, as it’s not a smartphone, the Flip2 has far fewer bells and whistles that many seniors just don’t use anyway.

For older parents looking for a “real” smartphone, the Jitterbug Smart4 may be an ideal option. We love its basic, text-based interface and easy-on-the-eyes large screen. Shoppers will be hard-pressed to find a smartphone with a more intuitive navigation than the Smart4. It’s also among the cheapest smartphones on the market today, making it even more appealing to budget-conscious seniors. Additionally, the Smart4 offers options to turn on emergency monitoring and other safety features, providing peace of mind to seniors and their families.

Two Tablets for Aging Parents

Next, we turn to tablets, which facilitate essential internet browsing and enhanced communication opportunities like video calling. Two tablets stand out as solid options: the Grandpad and the Amazon Fire HD 8.

Built specifically with seniors in mind, the Grandpad boasts that it’s “the simplest way to connect because you get everything you need and nothing you don't.” Its large icons are easy to locate, and the layout is intuitive to follow. The Grandpad has just about all the features an older person could want in a tablet, including video calling capability, social media apps, photo storage and organization, music and videos, and even games. And as its customer service representatives are available 24/7, seniors can quickly contact Grandpad for help, reducing their reliance on their own children and grandchildren for technical assistance.

Another frequently touted tablet for aging parents is the Amazon Fire HD 8. Though not specifically designed for older people like the Grandpad, Amazon’s tablet is a good fit for many seniors, as it’s a solid combination of manageable size, generous array of apps and programs, forgiving interface, and budget-oriented price. And since it’s an Amazon-related product, it syncs nicely with Alexa for voice commands.

Tips to Make the Internet and Tech Safer for Seniors

Next, we offer some tips and advice for family members concerned about their older loved ones’ online security and safety.  By implementing these simple steps, seniors can enjoy the internet with greater confidence.

Enable Email Forwarding

One simple but effective way to reduce the risk of your elderly parents succumbing to online scams and phishing is to turn on email forwarding from their email accounts to yours. Just by scanning the emails your aging loved ones receive, you can keep an eye out for phishing attempts and similar schemes—and alert aging parents before they fall into cybercriminals’ traps.

Monitoring Banking and Other Financial Accounts

Another tip you can easily employ to safeguard your aging parents online is to keep tabs on their banking and other financial accounts. This includes receiving alerts about account activity on their credit card statements or any other financial account that could be preyed upon by cybercriminals. Staying alert for seemingly strange transactions or debits from unknown merchants or companies can help stave off financial disaster early by quickly reporting the unusual activity, allowing financial services companies to rectify them.

Install Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Software on Elderly Parents’ Devices

While it’s reflexively second nature to most people to install strong anti-virus software on devices that connect to the internet, this seemingly simple step is often overlooked—and not just by the elderly! Some excellent cybersecurity programs offer free versions of their software that may just be sufficient for your aging parents’ needs and risks. Compare the different programs and assess your loved ones’ online safety and security needs. But be sure to install it and enable it on your aging parents’ devices, an essential step too-frequently forgotten—and don’t forget to keep it updated, too!

Run Software and Hardware Security Updates Regularly    

Finally, though you may also forget to check for software and security updates on your own devices, it’s imperative that you regularly check on your aging parents’ operating systems and security program updates! Setting monthly reminders in your own calendar to check on mom’s tablet or smartphone for security updates will help keep them protected from viruses and hackers. Of course, the simplest way to stay on top of updating software is to enable automatic security and software updates, which most such programs do.

At FPUAnet Communications we offer a service called TechShield Support which:

With these simple tips and easy-to-use device recommendations, you and your elderly parents can feel more assured when using FPUAnet Communications’ advanced fiber network. And for more advice on staying safe online, follow FPUAnet Communications’ social pages!

The Best Keyboards

Jul 22, 2024 | Family

If You Use Your Internet for This, You Really Need Fiber!

Jun 25, 2024 | Family

Some recent and surprising statistics indicate just how much time the typical American between the ages of 16 and 64 spends online each day: an average of six hours and 40 minutes! Of course, there are many internet activities that have become simply essential to more and more people every day—and these online activities require the speed and reliability that only fiber internet can provide.

While older forms of internet like cable or DSL may have been sufficient for early internet usages like basic emailing, web-browsing and simplistic social media, modern internet usage requires much more download and upload speeds to work effectively and reliably. And today, nothing outperforms fiber internet. Below we discuss five increasingly common—and vital—online activities and uses that really need fiber to thrive. 

1. Remote Work

It’s hardly breaking news that remote work is on the rise—and getting more and more popular. Indeed, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center report, more than a third of all workers who work remotely do so full-time. But remote working is only an option with a proper internet setup. Indeed, inferior internet and its poor bandwidth and lack of bountiful upload speeds can lead to conference call distortions and delays, presentation snafus, and even the basic inability to access and upload documents, records and more.

While employers have become accustomed to the remote working trend over the years, they do usually require remaining in consistent contact through clear and freeze-free conference calls and quick access to company servers and large, secure files. Having a reliable, stable, and fast internet connection like fiber is a must for remote workers to be the dependable staff members their employers are counting on.

2. Online Learning

Online education is booming in America today. There are more opportunities to get a two or even four-year college degree than ever before. And many technical and trade programs now exist online to provide training and even certification for well-paying jobs.

To take full advantage of online education requires a steady internet connection that won’t let learners down in a crunch. Fiber’s generous bandwidth enables easy viewing of live streams of classes or pre-recorded videos. And students can fully participate in webinars and other online video conferences with fiber’s super-fast download and upload speeds.

3. Telehealth

One of the biggest innovations in the healthcare industry over the past 10 years is the massive expansion of telehealth. Through telehealth, doctors, physician’s assistants, and nurse practitioners help assess patient needs much faster—and without the patient needing to leave their home (or even their sick bed).

Telehealth consultations also help doctors make critical decisions about whether a patient needs to be rushed to the emergency room (or if less urgent or even at-home treatment is needed instead). And telehealth appointments speed up medication refills and other prescription needs, saving both patient and doctor significant time.

Obviously, a medical care professional’s evaluation will only be as valuable as the ability to communicate with, view, and assess the patient at the time of the telehealth consultation. In fact many doctors won’t even conduct a consultation under poor internet conditions, much less even make a diagnosis or write a prescription. That’s why fiber internet’s reliable service and hefty bandwidth is crucial to ensuring clear, distortion-free medical assessments for worthwhile treatment.

4. Video Calling

Staying in touch with loved ones can be difficult even in the best of times. And with so many families split up across the country, it can be hard to see each other face-to-face. Video calling using FaceTime, Zoom and similar apps brings people together in ways families only dreamed of decades ago.

But without a reliable internet connection like fiber, video calling can be a frustrating experience. Fiber’s high bandwidth capacity and greater download and upload speeds allow more data to transfer between you and your loved ones during video calls. That means smoother, clearer video calling and far less distortions and frozen screens. In short, fiber helps you stay better connected no matter how far apart you are from each other!

5. Gaming

Of course, the internet is for much more than just communication, work, health, and learning—it’s also for having fun, too! And one of the most invigorating ways to enjoy the internet is through online gaming, particularly competing against friends. Online gaming has experienced explosive growth over the last several years, with more than 1.17 billion online gamers as of 2021 and an estimated 3.07 billion in 2023!

With so many opportunities to enjoy games in different genres from racing to strategy to farming to puzzle and mystery solving, people of all ages have discovered the pleasures of online gaming. And only fiber has download speeds at nearly the speed of light and enormous bandwidth capacity gamers need to test their mettle and triumph over their fellow players without the fear of lag, pixilation or dropped connections that plague inferior forms of internet.

These are just some of the ways FPUAnet Communications’ advanced fiber network enhances your internet experience and makes life both more productive and enriching. Whatever your online needs, whether for business, leisure, health or staying connected to loved ones, FPUAnet’s fiber is there for you.

Is It Time to Replace Your Router?

Jun 5, 2024 | Family

If your internet is slower than expected, it may be time to upgrade your speeds. Or you may just need a new router that can actually handle the speeds you’ve purchased!

In today’s blog, we’ll walk you through signs it’s time for a router upgrade and what to do about it so you and your family can take full advantage of FPUAnet Communications’ high-speed fiber network and greatly improve your streaming, gaming, and overall online experience!

First Step: Look for Signs That Your Router Needs Replacing

Sign #1: Your Router Is Just Plain Old

Start by asking yourself this: just how old is your router? If you can’t even remember when you purchased it, that’s a good sign it’s more than five years old. In fact, many homes and small businesses use the same router they originally bought in the early 2010’s or even 2000’s!

If your router is several years old and predates 2019, it simply lacks the technological chops to take full advantage of fiber’s bandwidth and speeds. Tech experts recommend updating to a new router every three to five years to keep up with technology, so remember that as a good rule of thumb. 

Sign #2: The Router Feels Hot to the Touch

Another indicator that your router is in rough shape and needs replacing is that it often feels like it’s overheating. Now, of course, almost all electronics will warm up while they’re running. But we’re not talking about typical warmth from sustained usage, but rather considerable heat put out from too much processing.

Such excessive heat is a sign that your router is overworked and attempting to handle more than it can, which in turn leads to slowdowns or even dropped connections or reboots. It might also mean that its internal materials and components have degraded or stopped working, causing further problems in transmitting Wi-Fi signals effectively.

Sign #3: You’re Not Getting Anywhere Near the Maximum Download Speeds Your Internet Service Provides

If you’ve noticed that your streaming seems frequently pixelated or distorted—despite paying for a top tier speed plan—it’s quite likely that your router just isn’t up to the job. With fiber internet, data can transfer at nearly the speed of light—something older routers just can’t handle.

If you’re fed up with slow download speeds and have already conducted troubleshooting to rule out other problems, it’s probably time for a new router.

Second Step: Utilize the Latest Wi-Fi Technology

Prior to the start of 2024, the most current Wi-Fi technology was Wi-Fi 6, also called  802.11ax (or an updated version called Wi-Fi 6e launched in 2021), which had been a substantial improvement from previous forms of Wi-Fi technology (e.g., Wi-Fi 5). Indeed, Wi-Fi 6 or 6e, which most new Wi-Fi routers built since 2019 use, will still provide excellent coverage to disperse internet.

However, there is a new Wi-Fi technology hitting the market as of early 2024—Wi-Fi 7! With Wi-Fi 7, download speeds can clock in at up to 46 Gbps, a considerable increase over Wi-Fi 6 and 6e’s 9.6 Gbps top speeds. Additionally, Wi-Fi 7 can use three frequency bands—2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz—simultaneously, a major step up from previous technology.

In short, look for routers built in 2019 or later using Wi-Fi 6 or 6e, or even better, the latest version, Wi-Fi 7. Their more sophisticated software designs are optimized to work with fiber’s outstanding download speeds.

Third Step: Select a New Router

FPUAnet can offer you a powerful managed Wi-Fi 6 gateway experience with the ADTRAN SDG 854-6. This carrier-class gateway can deliver multi-gigabit speeds throughout your home with its advanced Wi-Fi 6 technology and mesh capabilities. 

Fourth Step: Always Keep Your Router’s Software Updated and Protected

Once you upgrade to a new Wi-Fi router using the latest (or at least much more recent) technology, it’s critical to keep that new router up to date! Wi-Fi router manufacturers, like other computer hardware equipment, regularly upgrade their coding and software to keep their products optimized. Diligently updating your Wi-Fi router’s software with the same conscientiousness, you have for your laptop or smartphone will make your router more effective and your internet experience far smoother.

Regularly updated (and newer) routers are also better equipped to prevent cyberthreats and keep your home or small business’s network safer. Hacking, phishing, ransomware and other cybercrimes are, regrettably, on the rise. Simply staying on top of your router’s security upgrades is an easy way for you to enhance your network’s protection.

The above steps will help you determine whether it’s time for you to upgrade to a new Wi-Fi router, as well as select the right one for your needs. But don’t forget to check for software and security updates for your router to keep your network safe and secure, too!

As always, should you have any questions about how to better optimize your internet, FPUAnet Communications’ customer service representatives and technicians are available to help you. And for additional tips on improving your home or small business’s internet, follow FPUAnet Communications’ Facebook page!