Struggling with ideas for Christmas gifts for those into gadgets or technology? Here are some suggestions.

Buy a backup solution for their home computer to protect from the loss of data in case of hard drive failure or erasure. Numerous options are available including hard drives specifically designed for backup via USB, online backup services, or a Windows home server.

Buy them their own personal domain name so their e-mail address can be, for example, firstname.lastname.ca.

Set up encryption on their wireless router to WPA2 standards so others can’t use their wireless network and potentially compromise their information, or use their Internet connection for nefarious purposes.

Netbooks, or miniature notebook computers, seem to be the current rage. They are smaller and lighter than typical notebooks, and while they are generally less powerful and not usable for a primary computer, they are fine for tasks like e-mailing and surfing the Net.

Buy a battery backup system for their computer and router so temporary power outages are less likely to disrupt their system.

Buy a high-capacity storage card for their digital camera. Memory costs have dropped dramatically over the last couple of years.

Buy a media extender that connects their television to their computer so they can use their TV and home theatre system to display or play photos, video, and music stored on their computer. Dedicated media extender boxes are available, but the most inexpensive alternative is actually an Xbox 360.

One can never go wrong with an mp3 player. If the person is an Apple fanatic, only the latest and greatest iPod will do. Others may be interested in a Microsoft Zune or some other brand of mp3 player.

If they already have an iPod, buy them good-quality earphones with a black cord. That reduces the chance someone will try to steal their iPod, and gives better sound quality.

For someone who has far too many remote controls, buy a universal remote. Models are available that can be programmed through a computer to work with the specific equipment at hand. One push of a button is often all that is required. For example, pressing “play game” will turn on the TV, turn on the game console, and set the TV input to the right spot.

Buy a Bluetooth headset. That will come in handy when the use of hand-held phones in cars is banned. They can also be used with a computer for calling services such as Skype, or to play online games.

And speaking of Skype, consider setting up Skype or other Voip (voice over Internet protocol) service to avoid long-distance charges.

For someone who has to have the latest and greatest camera, buy a Red camera system, which lets you mix and match components that make up a custom digital SLR camera. It also has the advantage of allowing one to upgrade components at any time.

But then, it’s not available for sale yet, so maybe this will have to wait until next year.