Are you nervous of tech or worried about your IT skills? Friendly volunteers Paul and David will make their best endeavours to help: 

Their Tech Table is in the Foyer weekly every Tuesday morning. There are hourly bookable sessions, available from 9:30am-12:30pm, and booking is essential in advance via: [email protected] or call 01728 648354 (weekday mornings only).  

 

This is a free service run by local volunteers, although donations to the village hall are always appreciated.

Tech Table Summer Break 2024 Tip:

With the Tech Table summer break nearly upon us we thought we would leave you with some homework – how are you safe-guarding the data on your devices? Is the information on your mobile phone, laptop, tablet backed up? Many of us now use our smaller devices as a repository for all our photos, contacts, music and agendas. It is easy to lose track of how much data we store, and whether it is all backed up. Ask yourself one question – what would you do if your device suddenly disappeared/stopped working? If all your photos/messages/music etc were no longer available to you would you be upset? If the answer is yes, then it is worth reviewing. Ask yourself –

Do you have your device backed up to the cloud? If so, do you have enough storage? Do you have another copy of your data stored somewhere in case your device is lost?

This is your challenge for the summer! Most of us choose not to think about it until it is too late. Just take some time over the break to review what you have. If you find you may not have all the back-up you need, then you may wish to book a visit to the Tech Table in September. We can review what you have, and help suggest ways you can ensure your data remains safe.

Tech Table Top Tip for July 2024:

Suffolk Libraries allows you to borrow books online through a programme called LIBBY. With a library card you can register and use the online library for free. Attached to the library are two other apps: Pressreader and Kanopy. The first gives you access to a huge range of magazines and newspapers (apparently 7000 of them from the UK and around the world) FOR FREE! Kanopy allows you to borrow films from the library. Have a look at the Suffolk Libraries website and click the eLibrary tab. Or book in to the Tech Table and ask us to help you get started.

Tech Table Top Tip for June 2024: The impending demise of the fixed telephone line:

The technology that delivers our residential fixed-line telephone service will end by the close of 2025. Actual dates will vary according to where you live and who provides your current service. So, what does this mean?

Currently households receive their fixed-line service via older analogue technology. This is to be replaced by a digital equivalent. For anyone that already has a broadband router connection for their internet, you will simply connect a digital phone to your existing router which will then mimic your existing fixed line number.

For those with no broadband router, your service provider will supply a simple router box connected to a digital phone so you only pay for the existing telephone line you require. Again, this will mimic your existing telephone line and you will see no difference in service.

Be aware that the householder may be required to purchase the digital phone that connects to the router. Most cordless home phones sold over the last few years are digital already, called DECT, and so this will not be an issue.

For anyone who uses telecare services or has fixed-line alarm systems, suppliers are still working out how they will adapt their services to the new infrastructure, hence the long end date quoted in 2025. Just sit tight & await an update from your supplier.

Finally, with any change in technology it is always a good time to re-evaluate what you need. Do I really use the fixed-line that much? Do I need the expense of a fixed-line now that mobile phones are so ubiquitous? As an example, the tech table purchased a simple, lightweight 4G mobile handset (new) for a £29 one-off payment. We then dropped a cheap SIM-only card into the phone that had unlimited calls & texts for £6 per month. This gave us a fully portable device that we could use around the house for a fraction of the cost of a fixed-line contract. The battery lasted up to 13-days on one charge, and we had the added benefit that we could take the phone with us when we went out, so we were always able to receive calls. The challenge is informing your friends and family that you have another number to replace your fixed line.

Another option is to just do away with your fixed line and use your existing mobile number (if you have one) – this being the greater trend and in part, what has prompted the demise of the fixed-line technology. As many as a third of the UK population do not have a fixed-line number anymore and rely on having just a mobile plus a broadband connection. If you find yourself in one of the parts of the village with no mobile signal, or access to use WiFi calling then you can always look at connecting your mobile phone to the landline hub, like another DECT handset, and save money that way.

If you want to find out more, or discuss how this may affect you, then please feel free to book some time with the tech table volunteers. Alternatively the industry regulator, OFCOM, has a website that goes into the detail of what is planned – https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

Tech Table’s Top Tip for May 2024: This month we focus on Phishing. This is when you receive an email purporting to be from a recognised organisation or friend, but is actually someone trying to get access to your details so they can defraud you in some way. These phishing emails are becoming more convincing and are sadly very common. Here are a few tips to avoid them.

1. If it is from someone you know, is it actually addressed to you in person, or does it use a generic ‘hello there’ ‘hi there’, ‘dear friend’? If generic, then it is probably not genuine. Just delete it.

2. If the language used does not sound like the person it is purporting to be from, then again, it is probably not them. Delete it.

3. If the email is from someone you know and you are not sure. Do not click on it, or reply. Just call them and ask. Same goes for any emails claiming to be from a trusted organisation such as your bank. Be aware; never use the telephone number supplied in the email to call them. Google it, and search for the correct number.

4. The email address may look correct but the email address behind looks unusual, such as a UK bank with an email address that has a different country extension, such .au, .ke, .etc. Again, just delete it.

Finally, if you’re suspicious of any email, err on the side of safety and do not click on any attachments in it, links it offers, or reply to the email. Just delete it, or save it in your Junk folder and come and see the Tech Table, we can usually identify troublesome emails pretty quickly for you.

Same goes for text messages. Always be sceptical first, and trusting second.

Tech Table’s Top Tip for April 2024:  Have you been asked to provide photo ID & found yourself digging out your passport or driving license to ‘take with you’? Did you know there is now a Post Office app that runs on your mobile phone which offers the same level of authorisation, without you taking the physical form of ID with you? The Post Office have launched Easy ID – available from both the Apple App store & Google Playstore. This app allows you to upload your passport and/or driving license, and then use this to present a digital version of either document, or use the information they contain to prove age, date of birth, or your full name. All without having the physical document with you – just need your phone. If you want to find out more or get help in setting this up, please pop into the Tech Table at the village hall.

Tech Table’s Top Tip for March 2024:  If you are thinking of changing mobile phones why not pay the Tech Table a visit before you take the plunge? They can help plan the change and provide insight into some of the questions others have had to consider, such as; will my SIM card fit in my new device, how do I future-proof my device against changing network coverage, is a refurbished device a better option, how do I back up all my data before moving? They are happy to walk through the options to help the change be a stress-free as possible!

Tech Table’s Top Tip for February 2024:  The UK Mobile Network Operators are switching off the 3G network. This will affect anyone that uses data services using the 3G network. If your phone already supports the 4G & 5G network, then you will be unaffected. If you only make calls or send/receive basic texts with your mobile, you will also remain unaffected. First switch-offs are happening in early 2024 through to 2025 depending upon your supplier. The full details can be found here – https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/3g-switch-off  If in doubt, feel free to drop into the Tech Table on a Tuesday morning if you want to see if you will be affected. 

Tech Table’s Top Tip for January 2024: is regarding the benefit of using price comparison websites for car, house, pet insurance and other day-to-day costs.  Why not book a session or pop in to ask Tech Table about how to do this?