Despite what Walmart and Radioshack say, you should check with the manufacturer about modems they may sell for dial up purposes. They may have one available that Walmart and Radioshack don't sell in their stores and therefore, aren't aware of. Walmart and Radioshack generally sell eMachines and HP I think so check their websites to see if they have anything. And, as suggested previously, many cell phones today can be used as a modem, but be careful.
Cell phone companies have generally moved away from unlimited data plans when tethering (this is not the case with PDA devices when being used solely as a PDA w/ internet connection and not as a modem) and therefore, much like regular calling plans you will have a limit to the amount of data that can be transmitted if you go this route. While it is possible to play games like WoW or download large amounts of music and video to the computer using these connections, you can see overage charges, and because megabytes don't convert to minutes, you may have trouble tracking your use until after you've used it, which may be too late. So consider what exactly you want to do with your connection before going the cell phone route, and if you do decide to use your cell as a modem, make sure you get detailed instructions from the carrier as to how to track the usage to prevent overage.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
There is a plan in central Europe that allows you to get unlimited data by hooking an iphone or ipod touch, with an O2 network chip in it, to your computer. It is fairly high speed as well- better than some landline services in my city.
Eventually (actually relatively soon) O2 will just start selling wireless chips for computers directly- this is what Vodophone does, and it seems to work quite well. The price is right too- it's not much more than a regular home service.
Posted by Shmuel (Member # 7586) on :
Also, I miss the days when RadioShack employees knew everything there was to know about cables and adapters and such. As opposed to now, when they know absolutely nothing.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I think that depends on the location, some of them are still great.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
RadioShack employees have a series of trainings that they are supposed to complete about various electronics and adapters (I know because I took most of them when I worked there). However, it really depends on the manager of the store location as to whether they get completed or not. They are supposed to be completed within certain time-frames after hiring, but they also have to be completed during an employees shift. This is because training is considered work, and hourly employees will have to be paid to complete them. Some managers make sure that their employees complete all the trainings in every area, and others don't feel that they have the time to take their employees off the floor during scheduled shifts to complete them. Since RadioShack employees are non-exempt, full time employees that come in outside of their scheduled hours might have to be paid overtime to complete the training, and that money comes directly out of the store's budget. Consequently, some managers just fudge the information for their employees. That's why the knowledge seems to vary from store to store.
Posted by Shmuel (Member # 7586) on :
I will grant the possibility that every RadioShack I've been to in the past year (at least five, in Boston and New York) has been atypical. I'd certainly love to think so...
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
I'm not saying it's atypical. It's probably just as typical to see a store that doesn't care as it is to see one that does. However, it also depends on the rep. My manager wasn't really bothered one way or the other, but I pushed for the time to complete the trainings. I also knew to ask when the store wasn't busy, during the mid-afternoon on a weekday or even early morning. As long as we weren't busy he gave me the time I needed for the training. If we were busy, I didn't get the time.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, I know 2 that are horrible and 1 that is the best I have even been in.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
I've never really tested the knowledge of Radio Shack employees, but then I only ever go into one when I need some small adapter that would cost more to ship than its RS retail price.
Something I do need to ask an electronics expert, though:
Why isn't there a market for battery-shaped plug in power adapters that you can use in devices that were designed to accept batteries and don't have a more conventional connector for a power adapter? My kids have a toy race track that is designed to accept D batteries. However, the cost of D batteries is ridiculous. I managed to hook up a wall adapter using wire and electric tape, but it'd be a lot more convenient if there was a product designed to fit into a battery slot. Can't seem to find one.
(I did look into rechargeable D cells but they seem rather expensive and I'm not positive they are feasible replacements due to the lower voltage - the race track functions OK with a 5.8v adapter but didn't work well with a 5v adapter. I'd get about 4.8 volts with four NIMH D cells instead of the 6 volts I get with alkaline D cells.)
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
what were the amps on the two different adaptors. Was there a big difference in the rating, because that may be what made the difference in performance as well.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shmuel: Also, I miss the days when RadioShack employees knew everything there was to know about cables and adapters and such. As opposed to now, when they know absolutely nothing.
You don't get a lot of people with degrees in electrical engineering applying for jobs that pay less than the bookstore next door.
Most of the Radio Shack employees I've run across had pretty good knowledge in a few fields; but having absorbed ridiculous amounts of data about cell phone plans and battery types and RC cars and computers, they then end up having to deal with someone who's exasperated by their ignorance of ham radios.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Also, I miss the days when RadioShack employees knew everything there was to know about cables and adapters and such.
What? When did they ever know that?
Me: Where are your resistors? Radio Shack employee: Uh... what's a "resistor"? Me: Look, I'm not about to explain that right now, but you have a WALL of them around here somewhere. Employee: Uh... Me: Never mind.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk:
quote:Also, I miss the days when RadioShack employees knew everything there was to know about cables and adapters and such.
What? When did they ever know that?
Me: Where are your resistors? Radio Shack employee: Uh... what's a "resistor"? Me: Look, I'm not about to explain that right now, but you have a WALL of them around here somewhere. Employee: Uh... Me: Never mind.
I knew, when I worked at one, but I was definitely in the minority. My managers only made us complete the training programs that HQ was requiring completion for - which is to say, only the big product line launches (e.g. when the big healthy living push happened back in '03 and we all had to learn about heart rate monitors and other related baloney).
Many Radioshacks have stopped carrying rudimentary electronic components in favor of becoming smaller versions of Best Buy et. al. Unlike the big stores, though, Radioshacks are so small that their labor isn't specialized. At Best Buy, you have employees that work in specific areas and are therefore able to develop much better, detailed knowledge about the products in that area. Someone who does nothing but car audio sales is going to know car audio a whole lot better than the Radioshack employee who has to, as Sterling mentioned, know details about cell phones, RC cars, networking, AV cables and adapters ranging from coaxial to HDMI, emergency equipment, car electronics, TVs, etc.
Nearly every day I worked there I ran into someone who was irritated that I didn't know something about something, and I was easily the most knowledgeable employee in the store by a wide margin, in every product area we had. It was often the people who would come in looking for breadboards or circuit components for their engineering or home electronics projects. These people don't seem to realize several things:
1) The people who are interested in these products make up less than 1% of the customers.
2) If you measure by sales volume, the products those people purchase are such a small amount of the total sales as to be insignificant.
3) While Radioshack wants their employees to sell first party products since the margins are highest, they also hold their employees to policies and measurements that directly counter this mindset. For example, each employee's average sale is computed and analyzed by management: employees with consistently low average sale numbers are reprimanded and/or fired. Yet the most profitable items Radioshack sells are the batteries and the circuit components, which have comparatively very low ticket values.
As a result, the average Radioshack employee sells very little PBA (parts, batteries, accessories) unless it's added on to a larger sale, e.g. cases & chargers with a cell phone. The people who come in and want a $2.50 part make the employees cringe internally, because those sales are what screw up their numbers. If a Radioshack employee has to choose between learning about the brand new, high dollar product (like a new line of mp3 players) or learning more about circuit minutiae, guess which they're going to pick?
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
This is a good point. RadioShack employees work on commission, but you either make commission or minimum wage, depending on your sales for the pay period. So, if an employee's sales are too low, they make a lot less money. Ironically, at least at the time I worked for RadioShack, the small parts, like batteries, cables and parts, gave a higher percentage of commission than large parts. But since you could never make enough money to earn commission on sales of parts alone, you tended to concentrate on selling high price items.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I loved selling on commission, because at it's best it makes people motivated to give excellent service . However, too many people fall for the "quick buck" version of commission, never realizing that the reason they have trouble meeting their numbers during slow periods was because of their attitude and lack of regular customers during the peak periods.
You'd be surprised how many of my "top sales" people would come crying to me when we had a slow down, whining that their numbers were bad and our system wasn't "fair". It was always someone elses fault, of course....
I'd ask to see their "books" and without fail they were empty. Not a single entry.
They would come up with all sorts of excuses as to why....the customer didn't want to give out personal info, they forgot their book.....just about every excuse in the book.
I'd go out and within 2 hours have 5 names and numbers. I didn't bug people, and if they said no I just gave them MY info...but a LOT of people were thrilled to have someone take a personal interest in them.
It takes more time to become an expert in whatever you sell, but the long term rewards are wonderful.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)