The Valet in its Box
When I first saw the Valet by Cisco on a TV commercial, I remember thinking to myself, “Now that’s what I need for when my husband’s in boot camp!” My husband is the technological wizard in our household and he always takes care of the wireless setups for our multiple computers, printers, video game consoles, etc. Without him, I’m up a silicone creek without a paddle.
As my husband marched along in boot camp, I sat with the Valet wireless hotspot in my lap, hoping that it works just like the commercial says it will. Just hook it up and presto! All of your wireless stuff is worked out in seconds.
Setting Up the Valet Wireless Hotspot
With a deep breath I opened the box…and was immediately shocked. I was expecting cords, instructions books and several small electronic parts that I couldn’t identify. Instead, I was greeted by the Valet, a USB setup key and three-step instructions printed right onto the lid of the box. I realized, “Hey! I can do this!”
I took the USB setup key out of the box and plugged into my USB port. Within a few seconds, the key installed the software and told me what to do next on my computer screen. I plugged in the Valet’s power cord, plugged its USB cable into my modem and the Valet did the rest.
Did it find all of my wireless electronics in seconds like it seems to on the commercial? Well, no. It took three or four minutes to find the computer I was using and found nothing else. Turns out, you have to individually install every single wireless electronic item you have manually.
To install it on my printer, I have to read my printer’s user manual, find out how to install a wireless hotspot and then type in a code that the Valet gives me. Umm…so how is this simple? After realizing I have no idea where my printer’s manual is, I gave up on trying to install it.
Valet’s Internet and Computer Usage Parental Controls
Okay, well, the Valet said that it can help my set up parental controls, so I tried that next using the control panel on my computer screen. This feature was actually much easier to use. You can schedule when your children are allowed to use the computer and for how long. You can also block inappropriate sites by clicking on the option’s tick box. This is the easiest to use parental control system I’ve ever tried to use.
Overall, the Valet wireless hotspot by Cisco is easy to use if you are installing it on a computer. With other things, not so much. It does have easy-to-use internet parental controls that make it a device worth having.
