Previously my schedule went something like this, get up at 5am and go to work (day job), get home around 5:30pm, eat dinner and then retire to my home office where I would spend most of the evening working at my desktop. A typical day probably would have me working at my desk in the evening 3-4 hours.

Now I am spending the bulk of that time working on my yard and house. It’s actually a nice change since I have been sitting in front of a computer for up to 15 hours a day everyday for the last 20 years.

The other major change this move impacts is “how” I am using the Internet. Before I was spending my time programming and developing software, blogs and general websites. Now I am using it more as an end user instead of a developer, BIG difference. (This will be a subject for another post soon)

A good example is last night. I was working on one of my old cars in my garage, something I have been missing for a couple years! I needed some information from the web, but the last thing I wanted to do was track through the house in dirty clothes and go all the way upstairs to surf for information, only to have to run back down to the garage with any answers I had found. See where this is going now…..

Enter my Nokia N770. The N770 is not the most current Wifi Internet Tablet, but it has served me well. From my workspace in the garage I can now access the Internet, find what I am looking for, and keep working. This has been the situation for the last several weeks. Instead of being tethered to a desk I am using my WIfi at Home to gain access to the web from anywhere in or around the house! I do not think I have missed an important email or instant message yet. And the advantage to the Internet Tablet over a laptop is the size and portability.

I feel like I am starting all over with the Internet and maybe I need a little Wifi for Dummies training, but it has freed me up to do the things I need to do, while keeping me online and in touch at all times.

One last note. I have found that a small Internet Tablet serves me a lot better than a Phone. The phone is too small and I personally do not like the all-in-one type equipment. I have played with an iPhone a little and yes it is a very clear screen with a nice GUI, but, my preference is still to have a separate device for my mobile computing.

Link : Nokia N770 Purchasing Information

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The main PC is my desktop with a wired connection to the router on my desk. The other desktop is in another room and has been using a Linksys WET11 bridge to connect to the WRT54G Wireless Router. All the other computers are laptops with wireless connectivity.

One of the concerns I had was that a wall between the office and 2nd PC was lined with 1/4″ mirrors and that the signal would not be able to penetrate this. Once I placed the computers in their new locations and hooked up the network there was no reason to go any further. One pleasant surprise was how much better the Comcast signal was at the new location.

I will probably still be doing some wiring, but it is not a priority at the current time.

On a side note I found it interesting how many wireless networks are unsecured in my area. I took my Nokia N770 for a ride around the neighborhood and just let it cycle through a search of available networks. Apparently people just hook up their wireless router and start working without making any changes to the default setup. At least 75% of the wireless networks visible were simply named Linksys or Netgear.

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I promised myself the last time I bought a house that I would do any of the home network wiring before I moved in, and that is one of the big projects I will be working on. Of course now with wireless networking the whole task is a lot easier than it used to be. But there is still a lot to do.

I am also considering moving to an advanced universal remote for all the components. So far the Logitech Harmony 1000 has got my interest.

I can’t wait to get in my new office, it is located between the master suite and upstairs balcony which gives me a nice quiet area to work, with a great view.

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