A Local Nerd for McAllen
McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, Weslaco and Donna, down the Valley to Harlingen and Brownsville and upriver to Rio Grande City. Type your ZIP when you book and the page tells you whether a Local Nerd drives to your address and exactly what the visit costs.
A 30-minute remote session is $39 and handles most computer, phone, email, password and account problems without anybody driving. In-person visits open here as soon as a Local Nerd is based in McAllen. If that could be you, we'd like to hear from you.
Nerd on Call is $14.99/mo and you can join in McAllen today: the two remote sessions and the texting work right now. Your included in-person visit starts when we open McAllen. One-off remote help is $39 for 30 minutes.
If it plugs in and nobody can figure it out, we can help.
Ask anything you like. We'll explain what we're doing while we do it.
Wi-Fi that reaches the whole house
If it works in one room and not the next, that's a coverage problem and it's fixable. We start by moving things around, before anybody sells you a bigger bill.
Computers that have gotten slow or strange
Cleanups, updates, printers that stopped printing, files you can't find, and a backup so one bad day doesn't cost you years of photos.
TVs, streaming and “where did my channel go”
Getting a new TV going, tidying up the apps, and making the remote situation sane again. Then we show you the three buttons you need.
Phones and tablets, set up your way
Photos, contacts, passwords and the settings nobody can find. We'll get it set up the way you want to use it.
Learning it at your own pace
If you want to understand it well enough to do it yourself next time, tell us when you book. That's our favorite kind of visit.
Doorbells, cameras and smart home gear
Half of smart home gear gets installed by whoever sold it and explained to nobody. We make it work together and make sure the alerts reach you.
Printers that won't print
It worked yesterday and today the computer can't find it. That's a common problem, it's not something you did, and we can fix it.
Scams, pop-ups and “is this email real?”
We'll go through what's on there, get rid of what shouldn't be, and show you how to spot the next one.
What tech help looks like around here.
The Valley builds in brick and stucco, which looks good and stops a Wi-Fi signal cold, and a lot of the newer houses in north McAllen, Edinburg and Mission are big enough that one router can't cover them. Around UTRGV in Edinburg it's student rentals that turn over every August. Either way the fix is usually placement and a second access point, not a faster plan.
Patient, unhurried help, especially for the 55+ crowd.
Every fall the Winter Texans come down to the RV parks and retirement communities in Mission and Weslaco, and their tablets, phones and televisions come with them. We sit down, go at your pace, and write things down if you want them written down.
Towns we reach in McAllen & the Rio Grande Valley.
Our service area is measured in miles from downtown McAllen, and the hourly rate steps up the farther we drive. That is 52 towns across Texas, covering Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties.
| Band | Towns | Rate when open |
|---|---|---|
| Within 25 miles | McAllen, Pharr, San Juan, Mission, Edinburg, Alamo, Hidalgo, Donna, La Blanca, Penitas, Weslaco, La Joya, Elsa, Progreso, Edcouch, Mercedes, La Villa, Los Ebanos, Sullivan City, Hargill | $110/hr |
| 25 to 50 miles | Santa Maria, La Feria, Santa Rosa, Grulla, Lasara, Sebastian, Linn, Garciasville, Harlingen, Combes, Lyford, Santa Elena, Los Indios, Raymondville, Delmita, San Benito and 8 more nearby towns | $130/hr |
| 50 to 75 miles | Roma, Los Fresnos, Armstrong, Port Mansfield, Port Isabel, Salineno, Falcon Heights, South Padre Island | $145/hr |
Not sure which band you're in? Check your ZIP and you'll see the answer for your address before you book anything. Want to talk it through first? Have a Local Nerd call you first, free and with no obligation.
Help for a parent who lives in McAllen.
Somebody two states away is worried that Mom can't get the TV back to normal, or that Dad keeps getting locked out of his email. You can arrange it for them. Book the session or gift a membership and we'll handle it with them directly, at a time that suits.
Send a NerdWhat people in McAllen ask us.
Does somebody come out to McAllen?
The ZIP check when you book answers that for your street: if a Local Nerd comes out to your address, the visit books at the rate shown. The list on this page marks every town a Local Nerd reaches today.
I'm in Harlingen or Brownsville. Is that this page?
Yes. The whole Valley is one market, measured in miles from downtown McAllen: Harlingen, San Benito and Mercedes are in the 25 to 50 mile band, Brownsville and Los Fresnos in the outer one. This page lists every town by band.
I'm in Rio Grande City or Roma. Is that too far?
No. Our service area is measured in miles from downtown McAllen: Mission, Edinburg and Weslaco are inside the closest band, Rio Grande City is in the 25 to 50 mile band, and Roma is in the outer one. This page lists every town by band.
How much does tech help cost in McAllen?
Remote help is $39 for a 30-minute session, and that's what works in McAllen today. When in-person visits open here, they'll be $110 an hour within 25 miles of downtown McAllen, $130 in the 25 to 50 mile band and $145 from 50 to 75 miles, and the higher rate is how we pay for the drive. A $39 deposit will book an in-person visit, with the rest charged after your Local Nerd finishes and you sign off on the work. Nerd on Call membership is $14.99 a month and includes two remote sessions and an in-person visit a year, plus 20% off anything extra. You always agree to the rate before we start.
Do you help older adults in McAllen with technology?
Yes. We go at your pace and explain things in everyday words. If you'd like to learn to do it yourself, say so when you book.
Do you fix broken devices, or just set things up?
Yes, if broken means slow, glitchy, locked out, or won't do what it did last week. We don't open machines up to replace parts, and we don't recover data off a dead drive. When that's the problem, we say so and don't bill you for finding it out.
Every town is better off with a Local Nerd who lives there.
We look for a Local Nerd who knows the area, likes people, and is good at explaining things. Set your own availability, keep the majority of every booking, and help your neighbors. See what being the Local Nerd in McAllen involves or apply here.