LENA Family Hub FAQs

Click below for answers to some of the most common questions that sites ask when deciding whether to offer LENA Family Hub to their participating families.

For troubleshooting problems that may occur during installation or use, see the LENA Family Hub Troubleshooting Guide instead.

Technical specs

Can LENA Family Hub run on a Mac, Chromebook, tablet, or smart phone?

No. See the LENA Family Hub system requirements.

Will caregivers need user accounts and logins?

No, the family does not need to enter any credentials to use LENA Family Hub. As long as you have pre-assigned the LENA device, the transfer and upload will occur automatically and immediately when the family opens the program and connects their device..

If a family doesn't have Internet, can they use public Wi-Fi?

Public Wi-Fi is not recommended. Technically, a public internet connection at a restaurant, coffee shop, municipal building, or other public location may successfully upload the LENA Day, depending on the presence/enforcement of data limits or quotas. However, public Wi-Fi is not secure, and unless it is accessed through a secure and reputable VPN, the associated risks to the families' computer and personal data are probably not worth the convenience of uploading the LENA Day.

If a family doesn't have Internet, can they use a MiFi or personal cellular hotspot?

Possibly. There are a few factors to consider:

  • Data allowance - Each LENA Day file is 1/2 GB. The cellular data plan would need to cover that. Note that failed attempts to upload a LENA Day would count against the data plan.
  • Signal - The home, and the computer itself, would need to be located where the cellular signal is strong and reliable.
  • Speed - The upload speed will need to be at least 2 Mbps.
If family doesn't have fast Internet, can they use Family Hub in local processing mode?

No. LENA Family Hub does not have a local processing option.

About that 10 GB space requirement... Will LENA Family Hub take up a lot of space on the family's computer?

Not really. Each LENA Day file is about 1/2 GB in size. The LENA Day will be on the computer's hard drive only until it finishes uploading to the LENA cloud, at which point it is automatically and permanently deleted.

If an upload fails, Family Hub will clear out the failed file(s) when the program is restarted so that the data won't build up and overwhelm the hard drive. (The data that failed to upload will still be on the device for the family to try to upload again.)

What if only a few parents in my program are good candidates?

That's ok - you can use a mix of regular Hub and LENA Family Hub. Just make sure the group's recorder assignment type is set to Fixed. Your account administrator can check this for you.

Can our program staff use LENA Family Hub instead of regular Hub?

LENA Family Hub is designed for...families! It can work with just one device at a time, so it is not an ideal choice for busy programs that need to process many devices.

Is LENA Family Hub available in Spanish?

Yes! There is a language toggle on the screen.

Data safety and security

What if the caregiver makes a mistake or a technical problem occurs? Will their data be lost?

No. LENA Family Hub has many, many built-in data safeguards that prevent data loss in the event of a technical problem or user error. The worst case scenario is that a device can't be cleared (due to an upload failure or device issue), and so the family can't make their next recording. In this case, you would need to retrieve the device (swapping it out for a new one if appropriate to the situation) and upload it using your program's LENA Hub.

Can LENA Family Hub be used to delete, listen to, steal, or tamper with the device contents?

No!

  • LENA Family Hub does not have an erase option.
  • The data remain secure on the device until the upload is complete. Then the device is automatically cleared, and the data are permanently removed from the computer.
  • The LENA Day file, which is on the computer until upload completes, is in a "non-playable" format.
  • LENA Family Hub does not allow anyone to listen to the LENA Day, ever.
  • Windows File Explorer may be used to view a list of placeholder "files" on the device. A parent might think these are their data, but they are unrelated to the data and aren't even real files. The device cannot be "written to" by the caregiver, meaning they cannot modify or erase the "files" they see, nor save any new files to the device, such as documents, photos, malware, etc.
Does LENA Family Hub give the caregiver a report?

No, LENA Hub does not present reports or any other data. Your families will receive their reports by the method you are currently using (print outs, text links, etc.).

Support and training

Can I try out LENA Family Hub first so I can see what families will see?

Sure! You can download it onto an appropriate computer and try it out.

We recommend that you try it on a computer that is not already used for regular LENA Hub to avoid complications.

If you must install it on the same computer as LENA Hub, just be aware that:

  • they can't both be open at the same time
  • if you later uninstall either LENA Family Hub or LENA Hub, the remaining program will have to be reinstalled
Wait, what? How am I supposed to provide LENA Family Hub technical support to caregivers?

Use the LENA Family Hub troubleshooting guide. It will cover most of the technical support situations families are likely to encounter.

LENA Support is here to assist you if you cannot resolve the issue using the guide.