I have to say that my iPad has come in handy during storms and power outages in the past. Our electricity was off when I arrived home once and I used the light of my iPad screen to guide me across the yard and through the dark house. I also like the fact that it has a long battery and 3G internet to be able to get online to communicate and has a police scanner app and weather apps to use in emergency situations. It is a great device to have.
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iPad for emergencies
- Thread starter johnothy
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This is the reason I went with the LTE this time. I went WiFi only with my first iPad but I want to be able to go online when the power goes out - especially if a tornado or other disaster is headed my way.
Hopefully those disasters won't end up not knocking out the wireless towers that provide the 3G or LTE services.
Find my Friends
EXACTLY! I try to get all my friends on Find My Friends, an app only compatible with iOS5 and higher...you can track the location of your friends. My mom won't submit to it tho I guess the older generation has too much resistance to it, but I told her in case of emergencies to be able to find her.
EXACTLY! I try to get all my friends on Find My Friends, an app only compatible with iOS5 and higher...you can track the location of your friends. My mom won't submit to it tho
I guess the older generation has too much resistance to it, but I told her in case of emergencies to be able to find her.
And how would you charge the iPad after it's drained?
Couldn't you charge it with a power inverter? I've got a 200W power inverter that lets me charge my laptop in my car.
I enjoy the iPad as much as the next person but it not an emergency device nor is it designed to be one. A simple flashlight would be easier to hold than an iPad screen and with a crank radio/flashlight you won't need to worry about dead batteries. A few candles wouldn't hurt either as well as a first aid kit and booklet.
During a real emergency, you'll want to rely on true radio signals to get your information. Data towers can either become overloaded during an serious event or be destroyed completely. If your iPad happens to work then great but don't plan on it.
And how would you charge the iPad after it's drained?
I just plug it in as I have an whole house genrator.
I just plug it in as I have an whole house genrator.
For those of us living in the dark ages, at any given time there's one or two fully charged car batteries in the garage. I keep a crank LED flashlight in the glovebox.
On the other hand, my cable modem and wireless router are on a UPS. They'll run for a pretty long time off battery power, though possibly not an all-day outage.
I enjoy the iPad as much as the next person but it not an emergency device nor is it designed to be one. A simple flashlight would be easier to hold than an iPad screen and with a crank radio/flashlight you won't need to worry about dead batteries. A few candles wouldn't hurt either as well as a first aid kit and booklet.
During a real emergency, you'll want to rely on true radio signals to get your information. Data towers can either become overloaded during an serious event or be destroyed completely. If your iPad happens to work then great but don't plan on it.
I have a NOAA weather radio (with battery backup) and portable radios but none of them will give me a radar picture like the iPad can. When you live in Tornado Alley, radar is something you always want to have access to. Yes, a smartphone can also do it but I like a nice big screen for weather radar.