Help - Laptop for kids, advice please...

Michelle63x

I can't cope with the kids hogging the PC any longer so have decided to get them a laptop each fro christmas - they need it for GCSE's anyway BUT I'm foxed by what's available so can anyone help? I want a laptop which can connect to a printer and I want them wireless. I dont understand about the wireless stuff - do I have to pay for extra lines? If the main PC is in one room can theu use their laptops in their own rooms? Although I want to bag some bargains I dont want to skimp and buy something which wont do what they need. Playing music and downloading is of course mandatory.....Thank You

Danni

No, you don't have to pay for an extra internet subscription if they're using a wireless connection. You will need to have a wireless router, and they'll all share the connection (so if they all try to download at once everything on the internet will run slowly). Depending on how your house is, wireless should mean that they can use the laptops in their rooms, but that depends on how thick your walls are/what other electrical appliances are running/how thick walls and doors are.

Pretty much any modern laptop will do what they need for their GCSEs, but only an expensive one will be any good for the latest games (older games should be fine, depending on specs). As for the printer- there is a way for it to be shared over the network, but you can of course just plug it into whatever laptop needs it and print that way (after installing the drivers).

Sorry if this is long and complicated and doesn't make sense, but basically even the £300ish ones should be able to do wireless, print and let them do their work.

fabwitch_2

I have jut updated my kids laptop to the Packard Bell Easynote, 80 gb, dvd rewriter multidrive, wireless etc. Great lightweight laptop only paid £314.99 from Currys with code. Excellant deal and idea for GCSE/Alevel work etc.

Addiscomber

A few things you may care to think about

Music quality on laptop speakers may not be up to their exacting requirements :eek:

Laptops are not very robust and, as I have just discovered (see my thread "laptop just died"), they are prone to overheating.

They are also virtually impossible to upgrade, so nothing in the way of "futurability" if you get my drift - OK for an old biddy (55 :rolleyes: ) like me for surfing and machine embroidery, but might be an issue for ardent gameplayers where requirements increase at an alarming rate - not that I am complaining as DH has decided that his PC is no longer good enough and probably cannot be upgraded further except at a cost equal to a new one so I will get the "old" one for my sewing stuff

albertross_2

if you have a bt line with broadband, you need an adsl wireless router, if on cable broadband, a cable/dsl router..

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=2471408&postcount=37

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=2471410&postcount=38

http://www.dmxdimension.com/