Home Office Telephony

Network Magic Rocks!

Ok.. so this post is not technically about telephony but it is about communications - network communications.

If you work from a home office and you use more than one computer you really should take a look at Network Magic .

Network Magic allows you to easily network your computers so you can share files between computers and even print remotely.

For example, I have a desktop with a printer and a laptop. Both are connected to the Internet by a wireless router. I rarely sit at my desk. I mean, one of the of the great advantages of working from home is not being tied up to a desk for 8 hours a day.

I usually take my laptop to the couch or the back patio if it's nice out. But when I needed to print something I had to save it to a jump drive or e-mail it to myself so I could print it from my desktop. Now, I send the print job straight from my laptop. Very cool.

I suppose you could accomplish the same thing if you use a router and you are technically savvy, but Network Magic makes it so much easier to set this up.

If you get the Pro version you'll have many other features like being able to make documents available from anywhere connected to the web.

I highly recommend it! They offer a free 7 day trial.

 

Home Based Business Connectivity Primer Part 1 – Broadband Internet Connection

(This post has been slightly delayed by the overwhelming interest in the Phone Image Makeover service shown by you – my fellow independent professionals. I am thrilled and I thank you.)

When I speak with home based business owners, especially ones during the start up phase of their business, I am often asked what I consider to be the essential products and services for the well connected home office professional on a shoestring budget. In this multi-part series I will share what I consider to be the basics of the well connected independent professional. Several are not telecom services – strictly speaking, but they are related enough to warrant writing about in this blog.

1. Fast Access Broadband Internet Connection – Nothing will make a bigger difference in your productivity (and your sanity) than the speed of your internet service. This is an area in which frugality does not pay. I recommend you shop for a DSL or Cable broadband service that offers at least 1.5 Mbps downstream speed and 285 Kbps upstream. Anything slower than that will have you pulling your hair out while you wait for web pages to display and your e-mail to download.

   The fastest and most convenient way to shop around is using a comparison shopping website such as ShopForDSL.Com. You enter your name, e-mail and telephone number (make sure the number you input is a physical land line at your location since that's what the system uses to search) and the system will give you several options of companies that service your area and the available plans. Unfortunately, this service will only work for US based consumers.

   Note: Even if you already have fast access internet you wouldn't lose anything by shopping around. You may find that you could get a much better deal by switching providers.

Now, if you are one of the unfortunate souls who live in an area where fast access broadband is not available I suggest you move.

Nah! Just kidding! There are other options available to you:

• Dial Up Internet – Not the ideal, by any means, but any internet connection is better than none. The choices abound in the marketplace for this kind of service. Look for providers with plenty of access numbers in your local area. You wouldn't want to add insult to injury by having to pay a long distance charge on top of a monthly fee.
• Satellite and Fixed Wireless – being lucky enough to live in an area with available cable and DSL broadband services I did some research to find other options for my more distant counterparts. I found this great article by ComputerWorld titled Rural broadband: Finding alternatives to DSL and cable where it discusses fixed wireless and satellite alternatives. Check it out.

Whatever services you have available I suggest you get the fastest you can afford. You'll thank me later.

Stay tuned for the next installment where I'll discuss E-Mail and it's role in the well connected home office.