The Seven Hours Rule

Guess what I spent seven hours doing yesterday? Installing a wireless router and back-up device for my two computers! The machine--called the Time Capsule--is produced by Apple and is supposed to be a cinch to install. Apparently not. It took the entire day, plus four calls to Apple, one call to Canon, two calls to Vonage, and dozens of Web searches before I got the whole thing figured out.

My data are now backed up, which is the important thing, but I did learn a few lessons:

• Even Apple machines can be a pain to configure at times. Apple has a reputation for simplicity (the Time Machine doesn't even bother with an on-off switch--they assume if you have it plugged in, you want it on), but in my case, things were not so simple. I was linking a MacBook Air laptop to an HP desktop (two different companies and technology platforms), and wanted to link in a Canon printer and Vonage telephone to boot. I seem to have everything working now, except I finally just gave up on the Vonage phone and cancelled the account. I use my cell phone 24/7 anyway.
• Apple tech support really is better quality. The difference in professionalism between the Apple tech people and the ones that picked up the phone at Canon and Vonage was night-and-day.
• Whenever you do anything to set up or configure a computer, printer, backup device, etc., assume a whole day on the phone. This seemed like a simple job but took three times longer than I expected--I can only imagine some of my senior friends dealing with all the troubleshooting and technical problems!

In the end, it was worth it. All my data backed up just fine once I got everything set up, and my wireless signal is stronger with the new device as well.

I hear about problems like this from the seniors at OATS all the time, and I always tell them just to expect hours and hours on the phone with tech support, but that things usually get working fine in the tend. For those of you going through similar aggravation, feel free to call us at the office. We might not be able to solve your specific computer problem, but we can definitely sympathize with how it feels to be on the phone with tech support all day!