Tablets: do they have a place to plug in directly to your modem?

I apologize, I am completely blanking on what you call that :/
My mother wants her FIRST computer and I feel she would be better off with just a tablet for her needs. She would only be going to websites , using email and ordering things online..she does not need the full functionality of a computer. Also, she has a pretty hard time understanding how to use the mouse and all of that, so I thought getting her a tablet and showing her how to open apps would be much easier for her.

Anyway, she does not have a wireless router so she would need to plug a usb cable directly from the tablet into the modem, and I just was not sure if they even have the capability for that.
any help appreciated!

wouldn't a cheap netbook be better for her than a tablet?

And Im pretty sure tablets dont have an ethernet port.

You should probably get a wireless router if possible. It would be extremely annoying to have an ethernet cable plugged into a tablet.

maybe so, I did think about a netbook, however I thought it would be easier for her to learn to use a tablet than for her (she doesn't know how to type) to learn to use a netbook or laptop, since I am too far away to teach her. I may end up deciding on the netbook though if a tablet wouldn't have an ethernet spot.
Thank you for your help

Quote from UncleJace : wouldn't a cheap netbook be better for her than a tablet? And Im pretty sure tablets dont have an ethernet port.

Quote from dhc014 : You should probably get a wireless router if possible. It would be extremely annoying to have an ethernet cable plugged into a tablet.

I agree on that too! but the cable company would charge her a ridiculous amount to set that up and again, I am too far away to help
My poor mom would have a hell of a time trying to set up a router via phone with tech support although I suppose it wouldn't be impossible!

Quote from alysaryn2 : maybe so, I did think about a netbook, however I thought it would be easier for her to learn to use a tablet than for her (she doesn't know how to type) to learn to use a netbook or laptop, since I am too far away to teach her. I may end up deciding on the netbook though if a tablet wouldn't have an ethernet spot. Thank you for your help

My mother can't type either, and I just gave her my old computer a couple weeks ago. She is learning pretty well how to type on her on. She can do everything she needs to do. Email, facebook, pogo , even stream netflix.

now that's encouraging! maybe there is hope still lol

Quote from UncleJace : My mother can't type either, and I just gave her my old computer a couple weeks ago. She is learning pretty well how to type on her on. She can do everything she needs to do. Email, facebook, pogo , even stream netflix.

I would look around for a deal on a netbook. They can sometimes be had for less than $200.

Also doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a tablet?

If you go the tablet route, I'd recommend an iPad. VERY easy for beginners, plus if you happen to have an apple store nearby they hold free classes for beginners. As others have said, she'll need a wireless router to conenct to, but the good news is that routers (esp. LInksys) are practically plug and play now - very easy for non-technical people.

Quote from Jeffbx : the good news is that routers (esp. LInksys) are practically plug and play now - very easy for non-technical people.

while this is true, you still need to set up the wifi somehow.. and getting WPS on a tablet to work is probably just as complicated as getting the password from the router (which would be hard without any computer to use)

Im not quite sure about this, but she could probably just get a tablet set up by a phone company, i doubt she would hit their bandwidth issues, and the cost would be basically the same, wouldn't it? (as long as that is the ONLY device that she would be using)

Netbook would be a better option. I am yet a find a purpose of having a tablet.

Quote from Bobby_Pro : Netbook would be a better option. I am yet a find a purpose of having a tablet.

You and I don't have much of a practical use for it because we've used computers all of our lives. We look at a tablet and say, "what is this child's toy" because we can't do anything on it but watch movies and surf the net. If you came from a world where you had never touched a computer then a tablet would likely be a pretty good and super simplistic solution for your needs.

OP, the modem thing isn't going to work. Yes, you might be able to make it work but that would likely take far more work than just getting the router in the first place. Just get her to subscribe to an Internet package that includes the router. And no, they wouldn't charge a ridiculous amount for that. They set it up for free and charge you a monthly rental fee for the wireless router. Lots of people have these, many of these people have no clue how to setup a wifi router. And if for some odd reason they don't have this, then tell them you'll only subscribe her if they come in and setup a router you send her at the time they setup the cable modem, and don't take no for an answer. It's called negotiating, a lost art in the modern world.

tablets require wifi or cell phone network

no; an ethernet jack is gigantic; I guess they could make a dongle to adapt a port or USB for a hardwired connection, but 99.999999999999999% of people using these devices are going to have wifi or 3/4g connections.

Quote from alysaryn2 : I apologize, I am completely blanking on what you call that :/ My mother wants her FIRST computer and I feel she would be better off with just a tablet for her needs. She would only be going to websites , using email and ordering things online..she does not need the full functionality of a computer. Also, she has a pretty hard time understanding how to use the mouse and all of that, so I thought getting her a tablet and showing her how to open apps would be much easier for her. Anyway, she does not have a wireless router so she would need to plug a usb cable directly from the tablet into the modem, and I just was not sure if they even have the capability for that. any help appreciated!

The best clue in your question is this.

Quote : My mother wants her FIRST computer

Force yourself to think back to the very first day you ever touched a computer and I'm sure you'll remember someone being there, showing you a few things.
Your mother will also need a bit of help to get started and who will she turn to, but her immediate and closeby friends....and what devices are those friends familiar with, so that they CAN help her?... regular computers with a keyboard and a mouse....

If you could be there yourself, for a certain period of time to show her enough about operating a tablet that she became independent on it, then a tablet might be the best option, but in this case, it's a no brainer. She will need help from everyone and anyone, just to get started, and the vast majority of her friends will be completely familiar with Windows computers, ie: PC's and laptops, and completely lost with a tablet, so it would be the blind leading the blind.
There is no other solution for your mother than to get her a standard normal everyday type computer.
One last note.
Assuming your mother is getting on in the years, her vision will be deteriorating and a netbook's screen will be a bit on the small side for her.
The ideal machine is the ever popular 16 inch laptop that we see on special every day.
You can even initiate a remote session with her (free Team Viewer) and show her things from a distance, while you talk to her. It would almost be like being there.

Tablets are kool and I love mine, but under your circumstances, it is the wrong device to get for your Mother.
_____________________________________
PS: In the event you decide to go with a netbook, there's a 10 inch Asus [bestbuy.com] on special at BestBuy for $200.