A few days ago, I came home after a long road trip, looking to zone out for a few days. Unbeknownst to me while I was away, the printer stopped working, the Internet signal no longer reached the kids rooms and the Sonos sound system could not be found. To make matters worse, iOS 8 was creating havoc. In short, trouble in paradise!
As I walked through the front door with my loving dog wagging his tail, I sensed serious stress…..the family smiled, but quickly go to the point of telling me how bad things had gotten in just few day. Clearly this was not going to be the fun loving homecoming I had hoped for and expectations where high that stuff get fixed quickly…..
I got to work immediately. On my knees between the router, the Time Machine and a slew of wifi extenders, I realized that I had become the home Help Desk: yikes! More frustrating, I had a sense of déjà vu: I remembered being in the same situation just a few months before. My initial conclusion: the networked home is clearly not as stable or as easy as it is made out to be.
After 90 minutes, all was back in order, but a thought had struck me: what do none technophiles do? What I discovered in those 90 minutes was frustrating. Repeated software updates often confuse and require tweaking once installed. It seems like it is a never ending process and its annoying.
I've come to realize that most of my friends go through this same pathetic experience. While clearly not empiric, it is obvious to me that something is wrong. I don't enjoy the pressure of being the home help desk and would welcome any service that could truly make this a seamless experience. Perhaps a business opportunity for someone?
* This post was first published on LinkedIn