What is the cheapest way to get my children online in the event of another lockdown?

First things first, I must say that I don’t think another school lockdown is likely. However, I will also say that irrespective of whether or not a lockdown is due to take place, it is a good idea to have a way prepared for your children to access online learning. Many schools are moving to online systems such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams or one of the many, many alternatives.

So, my advice to you is to think about what you will need and then plan ahead.

Plan ahead?

If you can buy during nationwide sale periods (Black Friday, January sales etc.), you may spend far less than outside the sale period. For example, Amazon’s Fire tablets are usually discounted by 40-50% during sales.

What do my children need?

At a basic level, your children need access to the internet to reach online learning. You will need an internet connection, whether that is broadband, fibre, mobile or something else. Many of you will already have this but if you are struggling to afford this, the UK Government does offer some help, although you will have to go through your school to apply. Please bear in mind that the help provided is, unfortunately, constantly changing with very little notice.

Other than this, if you need to bring the price of your internet connection down, I recommend using a switching service like USwitch to at least see if you can save money on this. I don’t recommend using a phone’s data connection unless you have a deal that gives you plenty of data. A mobile data plan usually ends up being much more expensive than a home broadband connection.

What about devices?

The biggest difficulty parents had over the last lockdown was sharing devices. It goes without saying that it is ideal if you can provide one device per child, but for many people this may not be possible. Below are some ideas for how you can get your children online more cheaply.

The absolute cheapest devices for accessing online learning

Amazon Fire 7″ Tablet – £50 at time of writing but often on sale for £30
Pros – By far the cheapest way of accessing online learning if it works for you
Cons – Small screen, not fast, may not be compatible with your school’s online learning platform. No keyboard or mouse, although bluetooth keyboards like these can be connected.

Raspberry Pi 4 Starter set – £78 at time of writing
Pros – Cheap for a fully working computer
Cons – You will definitely need to be technically minded to set it up. It will also need to connect to a TV (not included) and you will need a mouse and keyboard. Doesn’t run Windows.

Larger Amazon tablets – £90 (8″ screen) or £150 (10″ screen) at full price (£50 and £90 when on sale)
Pros – Bigger screen, more powerful than 7″
Cons – More expensive than the smaller tablet, check that they are compatible with your school’s online learning platform.

More expensive tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 – bought at £127
I bought this more capable tablet when it was on offer. I went through the Currys Clearance eBay store and it was cheap because the box was damaged and it was missing the charger. But it was 20% off the listed price at the time I bought it, which was already around 28% off their regular price. The tablet itself was in perfect condition.

Keep your eye out for deals at places like the Currys Clearance store on eBay and Amazon Warehouse. They frequently have offers of discounts off already discounted products. Some products have box damage or missing cables, but you can frequently get a cheap deal if you keep an eye on them and you are ready to buy when you see an offer. This means you do need to plan ahead and have a good idea of what you want ahead of time.

What about laptops?

A tablet provides a cheap way to get onto the internet. I would not recommend buying a phone just to get your child onto the internet – an Amazon Fire 7″ on offer at £30 would have a bigger screen and I believe would provide a better experience. However, if you are happy to spend a little more, you can get a fully capable laptop for your child to use.

Good news and bad news

The bad news is that since the beginning of the pandemic, computing components have been in short supply. This means that laptops are more expensive than they used to be. But the good news is that there are still deals to be found and there are always possibilities. More good news – I can help you find a laptop! Tell me what you’re after and I’ll use my technical knowledge, tools and contacts to find you the best option I possibly can.

Good to know what you want though.

When you do ask me, be sure to have an idea of what you’re after. I generally only recommend new laptops from stores I have worked with in the past, but don’t discount other possibilities. For example, you might be able to find a good second hand laptop on eBay, a discounted laptop on Amazon Warehouse or a good quality refurbished laptop from a reputable company. Be warned though – if you are spending £200 or more on a laptops, you must know what is inside it. I would recommend no less than 8GB of RAM (also known as memory, NOT storage which is something else) and very importantly, a CPU (Processor) that was released in the last 4 years at the most. The CPU will look something like this in the description: Intel i7-2760QM. You may have heard of i3, i5 or i7 before, but it’s important to know that Intel has been making i3, i5 and i7 processors for over 12 years and an original i5 may have value as an antique but won’t be good enough for you as a computer. The Intel i7 I mentioned earlier (i7-2760QM)? That was the first refurbished laptop I found after a quick Google search and was available in a refurbished laptop for £249. A quick search on Intel’s product website tells me that it was released Q4 2011. It is over 10 years old and not good enough for modern workloads. I wouldn’t recommend it – you’d be better off with a tablet from the section above. Be very wary of sellers who simply list “i5” as the CPU.

Long story short – use my service if you want me to advise you on laptops or browse recommendations I’ve already made to people. If you want to do it yourself – which, of course, is a good idea if you are confident to do so – please do check the CPU and RAM in the laptop you’re buying.

I am here to help you if you need me 🙂

James