Tech advice, part II

[Baldkin]

The Asus ZenPad 3S 10 consistently gets good reviews and is under $300 on amazon.

 

If you don't need simcard support (ie: Only use it on wifi) then you can save another $25 or so.

[LouisEly]

Dumb question - does a N750 WiFi router have a stronger signal/longer range than a N300?

[istanbultaye]

If it has more/better antennas than the 300, you can probably squeeze some more range out of it. Unfortunately, majority of wireless routers don't publish any legit details on the strength of their transmitters in their marketing. I have a Linksys 5400 due to working at a certain electronics retailer and getting a special deal, and it does get down to the underground parking at my apartment, but it has 8 adjustable antennas...

[LouisEly]

I would suggest adding an antenna to that thing but that is not an option with that thing.

 

You should have wifi throughout your house with that router but I am going to guess the antenna on that modem/router is just a piece of wire. Hopefully the wifi extenders work for you.

I purchased a new WiFi router with three antennas and "beamforming technology". I get a little better range and speed, but not much. The extender doesn't work really well either. I get decent download speed from it (5-10 Mbps, depending on how far away I am), but basically no upload. Not sure if that means it's a defect.

 

I think the main culprit is that it is a long rectangular masonry building with a concrete stairwell in the middle of it. The concrete stairwell blocks the WiFi signal from getting from one end to the other. Because of that, I can't place the range extender that far down the hall because it loses signal.

 

Does a range extender on top of a range extender work? And is there any way to set up a second WiFi router as a range extender without having an ethernet cable input? Everything I read says that you have to have an ethernet input to use a WiFi router as a range extender. Can't/don't want to run 75' of ethernet cable down my hall.

 

Oh, here's the fun part - I tried purchasing a second cable modem and connecting it to the cable in the bedroom; thought that would do the trick by just setting up a second WiFi router. I have internet, but it automatically goes to xFinity's activation page (you have to activate a cable modem if you purchase one yourself). But... you cannot have more than one cable modem on your account, or they will charge you double for internet.

 

Now let me get this straight... you can add second/third/fourth cable boxes for $10/month, but you cannot add a second cable modem without doubling what you pay for cable? Seriously??

[GAME05]

At my new work I usually have two weekend schedules per month, but of course I'd like to be able to keep up with the Packers, and maybe even the Brewers in the summer.

 

I checked out NFL streaming and they said morning games don't tend to get posted until 8 pm, and that's kinda late.

 

I thought about XM Radio, but where I am in the mountains there's no phone or internet reception, so I'm concerned there won't be any satellite reception, either.

 

But I'm also reading about making a vehicle into an internet hotspot with some sort of box. It seems like that would be a workable idea, but I don't know much about it at all.

[nate82]

I would suggest adding an antenna to that thing but that is not an option with that thing.

 

You should have wifi throughout your house with that router but I am going to guess the antenna on that modem/router is just a piece of wire. Hopefully the wifi extenders work for you.

I purchased a new WiFi router with three antennas and "beamforming technology". I get a little better range and speed, but not much. The extender doesn't work really well either. I get decent download speed from it (5-10 Mbps, depending on how far away I am), but basically no upload. Not sure if that means it's a defect.

 

I think the main culprit is that it is a long rectangular masonry building with a concrete stairwell in the middle of it. The concrete stairwell blocks the WiFi signal from getting from one end to the other. Because of that, I can't place the range extender that far down the hall because it loses signal.

 

Does a range extender on top of a range extender work? And is there any way to set up a second WiFi router as a range extender without having an ethernet cable input? Everything I read says that you have to have an ethernet input to use a WiFi router as a range extender. Can't/don't want to run 75' of ethernet cable down my hall.

 

Oh, here's the fun part - I tried purchasing a second cable modem and connecting it to the cable in the bedroom; thought that would do the trick by just setting up a second WiFi router. I have internet, but it automatically goes to xFinity's activation page (you have to activate a cable modem if you purchase one yourself). But... you cannot have more than one cable modem on your account, or they will charge you double for internet.

 

Now let me get this straight... you can add second/third/fourth cable boxes for $10/month, but you cannot add a second cable modem without doubling what you pay for cable? Seriously??

 

For the modem you are basically adding a second network to your house so that is a little bit different than a cable box for TV. What I mean by this is that you are adding a second connection at the same speed that you are getting with your first connection. Unlike a TV box where you are getting the same information regardless if you have 1 or 10 with a second modem you are basically adding a new cable line.

 

As for your router that is concerning that you are not getting a signal throughout your house. It sounds like you are getting some interference somewhere probably from other electronics or other wifi networks in your area.

 

You might want to try this: https://eero.com/

[nate82]

At my new work I usually have two weekend schedules per month, but of course I'd like to be able to keep up with the Packers, and maybe even the Brewers in the summer.

 

I checked out NFL streaming and they said morning games don't tend to get posted until 8 pm, and that's kinda late.

 

I thought about XM Radio, but where I am in the mountains there's no phone or internet reception, so I'm concerned there won't be any satellite reception, either.

 

But I'm also reading about making a vehicle into an internet hotspot with some sort of box. It seems like that would be a workable idea, but I don't know much about it at all.

 

Vehicle hotspots wouldn't work for you as the hotspot is being created by a connection to a cell tower (usually). Verizon is usually the provider for this.

[Patrick425]

Two questions, I hoping the smart posters on brewerfan can help me with:

 

- I'm having issues getting sound when I sync my laptop to my tv (through a roku). This is a new problem and I'm wondering if it has something to do with a windows update I did a few weeks ago (after the update there was a realtek speaker icon that appeared in the bottom tool bar, lower right). Was trying to watch a YouTube video and the video came through fine, but the sound was just a static noise. Tried adjusting several settings and nothing worked. Tested a non YouTube internet video and go the same result. Any suggestions?

 

- This is not so much of a tech question, but is it possible to get a multi-user Amazon Prime account. My wife and I both have Amazon Prime and it seems like a waste. The reason we don't just cancel one of them is because of gifts. If I buy her a gift or vice-versa, we don't want the other person to know. Our son also had Amazon prime up until recently when he decided he could not afford it any more. Would like to let him just use one of our prime accounts (or just have one), but again, same issue. So, is there some family option with separate log ins where you can't see each other's purchases (but one account and one fee), that I'm not aware of? Edit: Nevermind this question - Not sure why I didn't just google it before I posted it here. Looks like there is a way to do this on the Amazon web site.

[nate82]

Two questions, I hoping the smart posters on brewerfan can help me with:

 

- I'm having issues getting sound when I sync my laptop to my tv (through a roku). This is a new problem and I'm wondering if it has something to do with a windows update I did a few weeks ago (after the update there was a realtek speaker icon that appeared in the bottom tool bar, lower right). Was trying to watch a YouTube video and the video came through fine, but the sound was just a static noise. Tried adjusting several settings and nothing worked. Tested a non YouTube internet video and go the same result. Any suggestions?

 

Sound card driver needs to be updated for your motherboard. If you have HP Dell or any other major brand go to their website and search for your model and go to drivers. You should find the sound card drivers there.

[RobDeer 45]

Ok need some help with "punching in" a phone line. I have vonage and I'm trying to hook it in to my home phone board. I wish there was just an "line in" that I could click a standard phone cable in to. The only "line in" I see on the board is one that I need to punch in. So my question is, can I just cut the standard phone line that goes from my vonage and then punch those wires in or do I need something else?

[Baldkin]

Ok need some help with "punching in" a phone line. I have vonage and I'm trying to hook it in to my home phone board. I wish there was just an "line in" that I could click a standard phone cable in to. The only "line in" I see on the board is one that I need to punch in. So my question is, can I just cut the standard phone line that goes from my vonage and then punch those wires in or do I need something else?

 

This help?

 

http://www.vonage-forum.com/home-wiring-installation-guide.html

[RobDeer 45]

Yes I think so. I might give it a go here. I need to get a punch down tool though.

 

Thanks! I also was able to look up the board that they have and find out some info, so it makes some sense now.

[Samurai Bucky]

I don't know if this would help or not. When I had Vonage, I disconnected my existing phone wiring from the "outside" in the basement. I then plugged in my RJ11 from the Out jack on the Vonage box to one of the jacks on the house. Voila! It worked. I don't remember if I had to get a cross connect or not. I'm probably getting it mixed up with RJ45 connections.

[jerichoholicninja]

I've got a Toshiba laptop that's about 10 years old. I tried firing it up today and it was no go. The lights come on but it doesn't start up. The only reason I even pulled it out was because there are a couple files I was going to get off of it and then recycle it. Any suggestions or am I going to have to take it somewhere. It's probably not even worth the money to have someone work on it since I'm junking it anyway.

[nate82]

I've got a Toshiba laptop that's about 10 years old. I tried firing it up today and it was no go. The lights come on but it doesn't start up. The only reason I even pulled it out was because there are a couple files I was going to get off of it and then recycle it. Any suggestions or am I going to have to take it somewhere. It's probably not even worth the money to have someone work on it since I'm junking it anyway.

 

If you have a desktop just remove the hard drive from your laptop and put it into your desktop. You will need to get a few cables about $5-10 worth and you will be good. If you are going to recycle or destroy your laptop you should take your hard drive out before doing this and then have the hard drive shredded separatel or keep it as a second hard drive in your desktop.

[jerichoholicninja]

I've got a Toshiba laptop that's about 10 years old. I tried firing it up today and it was no go. The lights come on but it doesn't start up. The only reason I even pulled it out was because there are a couple files I was going to get off of it and then recycle it. Any suggestions or am I going to have to take it somewhere. It's probably not even worth the money to have someone work on it since I'm junking it anyway.

 

If you have a desktop just remove the hard drive from your laptop and put it into your desktop. You will need to get a few cables about $5-10 worth and you will be good. If you are going to recycle or destroy your laptop you should take your hard drive out before doing this and then have the hard drive shredded separatel or keep it as a second hard drive in your desktop.

 

I was looking at those cables yesterday and I'm going to try it.

[monkeyman343434]

I'm looking to get a 2-in-1 laptop, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions? I'm mostly looking at using it for browsing the web while chilling on the couch at home, downloading shows and movies on it to watch on a plane/while traveling, or watching the Brewers/mlb.tv while at home, and keeping excel and word docs as well as storing some pictures and videos. Thanks for any recommendations!

[nate82]

I'm looking to get a 2-in-1 laptop, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions? I'm mostly looking at using it for browsing the web while chilling on the couch at home, downloading shows and movies on it to watch on a plane/while traveling, or watching the Brewers/mlb.tv while at home, and keeping excel and word docs as well as storing some pictures and videos. Thanks for any recommendations!

 

Microsoft surface would be my suggestion but they are rather pricey.

[Samurai Bucky]

I'm looking to get a 2-in-1 laptop, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions? I'm mostly looking at using it for browsing the web while chilling on the couch at home, downloading shows and movies on it to watch on a plane/while traveling, or watching the Brewers/mlb.tv while at home, and keeping excel and word docs as well as storing some pictures and videos. Thanks for any recommendations!

 

Microsoft surface would be my suggestion but they are rather pricey.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. I have a Surface Pro 3 and use it all the time for everything you are suggesting. I can even hook it up to the 52" widescreen if I want to stream content and watch it on the big screen. I'm a software engineer, so it doesn't really help me with writing intense apps (Surface Pro 4 would probably do that). There are some on eBay for about $500 w/o the keyboard.

[LouisEly]

The WiFi calling feature on my phone no longer works on my home WiFi network. It used to, but not any longer. Can't pinpoint when it stopped working at home, but it still works on the WiFi network at work.

 

Reset my phone, reset my router, reset my cable modem... still doesn't work. I have 120 Mbps download speed, 12 Mbps upload.

 

Samsung Galaxy Edge phone, tp-link AC1200 dual band gigabit router (tried both the 2.4 and 5.0 networks but doesn't work on either).

[nate82]

Not familiar with your phone but I think this is still applicable with most android phones:

 

From any Home screen, tap Apps.

Tap Settings.

Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.

Swipe right to the ALL screen.

Scroll to and tap WiFi Calling.

Tap Clear cache.

Now, reboot your phone.

[brwrsfan]

Didn't really want to start a new thread for this but wondering if anyone has any ideas. I have a 60 inch Samsung, about a year old. I moved over the weekend, it was wrapped and everything, but something still seems to have happened. Basically, there's a small part of the screen that looks "bruised". Looks like a smudge, but it isn't on the screen itself. It's only visible when lighter colors go over it, but it's pretty annoying to me since I know it's there.

 

I assume some pixels or something were damaged, but I really have no idea. Anyone have any thoughts? Or how to get it fixed (I assume I'll have to take it somewhere - is it expensive)? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Also, I've tried and failed uploading a photo like 5 times (user error I'm sure), but the link is below.

 

 

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l511/brwrsfan/tv.jpg

 

http://s1121.photobucket.com/user/brwrsfan/media/tv.jpg.html?o=0

[reillymcshane]

I fixed your image, brwrsfan. You were linking the HTML page - and not the image directly. Just a quick update.

[homer]

I know digital cameras can get dead pixels from time to time and there is a way to run a "scan" on them in order to resolve it. Not sure if a TV can do that or not but you should check the owner's manual.

 

Found this online:

Fixing Stuck Pixels

Pixels may not be dead, but stuck instead. Revive them by placing a microfiber cloth on the bad pixel spot and gently hold the cloth in place with your thumb. Activate the television's power supply and see if this doesn't correct the problem. Another solution is to take the microfiber cloth and gently swipe down the screen of the television. Start in one corner and work you way across the whole screen, lightly pressing as you go.

If that doesn't do it then I think you have to get it repaired. I'd go to a Samsung forum and ask about it.

[nate82]

If it is a dead pixel you will have to replace if it is just stuck then try the link below.

 

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-troubleshoot-an-lcd-tv-with-dead-pixels