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Energy Efficient Home Networking Equipment, And Technology For The Quadriplegic

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CEA joins Into Tomorrow with new about how home networking equipment is becoming more power efficient

There’s a new initiative now underway that’s improving the energy efficiency of your home internet equipment. Lexie de los Santos with the Consumer Electronics Association explains – in this week’s “CEA Update.”

The new initiative is called the “Small Network Equipment voluntary agreement” and it will improve the energy efficiency of Internet modems, routers, and other equipment that deliver broadband.

The program from the Consumer Electronics Association, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Internet service providers, equipment suppliers and retail equipment manufacturers will cover more than 90 percent of U.S. broadband households, roughly 80 million homes, and improve efficiency by 10 to 20 percent, as compared to typical devices.

Reducing the energy consumption of Internet equipment is an industry priority, demonstrating how seriously the industry focuses on delivering innovative and energy-efficient technology to consumers with equipment that will save them energy, and ultimately money.

To learn more about the agreement and the industry’s sustainability efforts visit CE.org

Lexie de los Santos

 

Listener Rick in Christiana, Tennessee listens on SuperTalk WTN 99.7 FM and asked us about electronics for the quadriplegic

He asked: My son is 16 and is a quadriplegic but has the use of his hands. He’s very much into computers and technology. I don’t know where to further his education or find modded equipment to help him.

There is a pretty huge amount of technology to help quadriplegic people get around their limitations, even devices to make it possible for some of them to drive and even go hunting.

If your son can move his hands easily enough to be able to use a keyboard, but is more limited in arm movement, for example, he maybe able to type well using a regular keyboard (or a special one hand keyboard), but benefit from either a headmouse or an eye tracker to replace the mouse itself. There are also roller mice and no grip mice that seem to greatly help some types of quadriplegic users.

DragonSoft Naturally Speaking seems to be a favorite of people who have trouble typing on a keyboard, the software works very well after being trained and can do more than simply take dictation, it can also recognize voice prompts to open programs and perform basic tasks. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has a list of resources that you can browse to get an idea of the resources available to help your son interact with computers, we’ll link you to their site on this week’s show page.

DragonSoft Naturally Speaking seems to be a favorite of people who have trouble typing on a keyboard

There is also a company called Broadened Horizons that is owned by a quadriplegic man with reduced upper body mobility, and while it doesn’t focus on just computer accessories, it does sell them, so for example, if your son finds that a mouse requires too fine motor control, and a headmouse to be too slow, he may be benefit from a joystick (think the same kind you’d see at an arcade) with big buttons to control the mouse.

Even if it’s not your main priority, he may appreciate this particular company, since they also make accessible gaming controllers. None of their products, gaming or productivity, seem to be cheap, but they may give you a good idea of what to look from other vendors if nothing else.

There are solutions that make computers accessible to people who have no mobility below the neck at all, your son already needs less help than that, odds are you’ll be able to find resources that fit his particular needs.

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Written by Dave Graveline

Dave Graveline is the founder, Host & Executive Producer of "Into Tomorrow" in addition to being President of the Advanced Media Network".

Dave is also a trusted and familiar voice on many national commercials & narrations in addition to being an authority in consumer tech since 1994. He is also a former Police Officer and an FBI Certified Instructor.

Dave thrives on audience participation!

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