Back to school tech

This year school life is going to look a little different than it has. Many schools will continue with “School from home” to try and prevent the further spread of COVID-19. All families with children will need back to school tech at home. So this is the perfect time to look into some new back to school tech.

Some school districts do provide laptops and Wifi equipment, but many schools expect students to have their own devices and accessories like headphones. 

I present you here some of the best back to school tech deals.

Back to school tech – Router

A speedy, reliable internet connection is not dependent only on your service provider. A high-quality router ensures that your internet connection is stable and speedy. If your router is more than five years old, it’s probably not able to keep up with today’s needs and you should look into replacing it. New routers support current wireless standards and are optimized for blazing fast speed. A new generation router also supports a mesh wireless network for better coverage in all parts of your home. If you’re lucky, you may not need to buy a new router; just updating the router firmware could add new functionality

Photo	Title	Buy
	Amazon eero mesh WiFi router	View on Amazon
	TP-Link WiFi 6 Router AX1800 Smart WiFi Router (Archer AX20) – 802.11ax Router, Dual Band Gigabit Router, Parental Controls, Long Range Coverage	View on Amazon
	TP-Link Smart WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX10) – 802.11ax Router, 4 Gigabit LAN Ports, Dual Band AX Router,Beamforming,OFDMA, MU-MIMO, Parental Controls, Works with Alexa	View on Amazon
	NETGEAR 4-Stream Wifi 6 Router (RAX15) - AX1800 Wireless Speed (Up to 1.8Gbps) | Up to 1500 sq ft Coverage & 20+ Devices | Ideal for iPhone 11, Samsung Galaxy S20	View on Amazon

Back to school tech – Headphones

A good set of headphones is essential for learning. I personally prefer over-ear headphones for daily usage. Earbuds tend to get tangled up. Also, over-ear headphones are better at reducing background noise. However, it would be best to keep in mind the volume level, especially with smaller kids.

Photo	Title	Buy
	Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones, 40H Playtime, Hi-Res Audio, Deep Bass, Memory Foam Ear Cups, for Travel, Home Office	View on Amazon
	Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones with 40H Playtime, Hi-Res Audio, Deep Bass, Memory Foam Ear Cups and Headband for Travel,Work	View on Amazon

Back to school tech – Printer

While most learning and fact-checking might be done on screen, there is still often a need to print reading material or presentations. So a quick printer is a good gadget to own. Printers are now relatively cheap and come in many varieties. Cartridge printers are cheaper than laser printers, but the replacement cartridges tend to be comparatively expensive. In case you need to scan and upload handwritten documents, consider an all-in-one printer with scanning functionality.

Photo	Title	Buy
	Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer with Scanner and Copier - White	View on Amazon
	Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer with Scanner and Copier	View on Amazon
	Brother HL-L3210CW Compact Digital Color Printer Providing Laser Printer Quality Results with Wireless	View on Amazon
	HP OfficeJet 3830 All-in-One Wireless Color Printer, HP Instant Ink, Works with Alexa (K7V40A)	View on Amazon
	HP ENVY 5055 Wireless All-in-One Color Photo Printer, HP Instant Ink, Works with Alexa (M2U85A)	View on Amazon

Tablet or Chromebook

Your school may provide you with a tablet, so take a look at what they provide before spending the bucks. You would want something that has a decent camera for zooming for video chat apps like Zoom or MS Teams. To avoid endless fights and if your budget permits of course, get each child his own tablet. For younger kids, get an Amazon Fire Tablet Kids edition. Amazon offers 2-year protection.

Chromebook is an inexpensive laptop with a touchscreen, larger display, and a faster processor. They are ideal if your school is using Google classroom. Chromebook can also run Zoom, Microsoft Office, and other Android apps. It is also possible to use an old laptop and install Chromebook software on it. 

Photo	Title	Buy
	Apple iPad (10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB) - Space Gray (Previous Model)	View on Amazon
	Fire HD 8 Kids tablet, 8" HD display, ages 3-7, 32 GB, includes a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ content, Blue Kid-Proof Case, (2020 release)	View on Amazon
	SAMSUNG 11.6" Chromebook with Intel N3060 up to 2.48GHz, 4GB Memory, 16GB eMMC Flash Memory, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, Webcam, Chrome Operating System, Black	View on Amazon
	HP Chromebook 14-inch HD Laptop, Intel Celeron N4000, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC, Chrome (14a-na0020nr, Ceramic White)	View on Amazon
	Acer Chromebook 14, Intel Celeron N3160, 14" Full HD Display, 4GB LPDDR3, 32GB eMMC, 802.11ac WiFi, Protective Sleeve, Wireless Mouse, CB3-431-C539	View on Amazon
	Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 Inch (T510) 32 GB WiFi Tablet Silver (2019), Silver	View on Amazon
	2019 Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch Touchscreen (1920x1200) Wi-Fi Tablet Bundle, Exynos 7904A Processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB Memory, BMali-G71 MP2 Graphics, Bluetooth,Tigology Case, Android 9.0 Pie OS	View on Amazon
	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6- 10.5" 256GB, Wifi Tablet- SM-T860NZALXAR, Mountain Gray	View on Amazon

Laptop

Students should buy a laptop with a Windows or macOS operating system. My favorite Windows laptop is the Dell XPS 13 (see my blog). It has a superb screen and a comfortable keyboard. You should be able to get a refurbished model for under $1000. Apple also sells refurbished MacBooks. Apple offers college students a special discounted price. 

If you opt for a laptop, ergonomic accessories like a stand raise the device to eye level. Get a wireless keyboard and mouse. For screen sharing, you might consider a larger external monitor for higher resolution. You could use your TV as an external monitor—Google Chromecast for Windows or Mac screen to Apple TV.

Lastly, if you need something to relax after school, check out my review of the Echo Dot. It’s the smartest speaker you can buy for a low price.

Photo	Title	Buy
	Dell XPS7390 13" InfinityEdge Touchscreen Laptop, Newest 10th Gen Intel i5-10210U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 10 Home	View on Amazon
	Dell XPS 13 Laptop, 13.3", FHD, Intel Core I5-8265U, Intel UHD 620, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, XPS9380-5953SLV-PUS	View on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" Laptop, 14.0" FHD 1920 x 1080 Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics, Narrow Bezel, Windows 10, 81W0003QUS, Abyss Blue	View on Amazon
	Lenovo Flex 5 14 2-in-1 Laptop, 14.0" FHD Touch Display, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage, AMD Radeon Graphics, Digital Pen Included, Win 10	View on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Laptop: 10th Gen Core i5-1035G1, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 15.6" Full HD IPS Touchscreen	View on Amazon