The Lance J. Technoweb

Whenever I buy a new phone, I always get a few bonus accessories in the box: Audio Ear buds Power charger Power charger cable I don't need these accessories.  I have many ear buds, many power chargers, and many cables.  I don't need more. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE THEM IN THE BOX. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ELSE WITH THE MONEY. When I get these, they just end up in a drawer, unopened.  Within a few decades they will be thrown away.  It is a total waste in every sense.  I used to give these away, but nobody is really looking for them any more because almost everyone has a ton of them. I realize that they might only cost a few bucks total to make, but multiplying it out means that many millions of dollars will be spent to make and throw away these items.

Here are some basic tech tips for Live Streaming: Use the best device available Using a computer is usually going to give the best results. Plug into power No need to depend on your laptop battery for success.  Plug in your laptop. Use Ethernet, Not WiFi: Don't use WiFi.  Instead, connect an ethernet cable directly from your computer to your router.  Long ethernet cables are extraordinarily inexpensive.   Some computers might need a USB to Ethernet adapter , which are also very inexpensive. Audio: Use a good external microphone for improved audio quality.  Don't use the microphone that's built into your computer.  Stream from a room that's low-noise. Lighting: Make sure your lighting is reasonable.  YOU should be the lit subject, not junk in the background.  Adjust blinds and room lighting so that you are always clearly visible. Use an external camera if you can't position your built-in web camera correctly.  Some regular ...

I have been happily buying and installing GL.iNet routers for a several years now, so I guess I should document why I like them so much. I mostly use GL.iNet routers to wirelessly bridge networks together.  They are highly configurable, programmable, reliable, and affordable. Figure 1: Using an MT300N to bridge two distinct networks together How I got started with GL.Inet routers. Prior to my GL.iNet purchases, I was buying inexpensive routers from Netgear and Trendnet that could support DD-WRT.  DD-WRT is cool because it can amp up basic WiFi router hardware with a  reasonably capable operating system on top.  Sadly, DD-WRT isn't always a dream to work with.  I found myself wasting a lot of time with DD-WRT. While planning out the networking for my new home office, I stumbled on the GL.iNet router series and figured it'd be good to give one a try.  After all, they're extraordinarily inexpensive. Now, 4+ years later, I can say that it was a...

My rule for choosing the right Internet package is: don't overspend for what you can't use. There are a lot of potential bottlenecks in networking, so paying for the "premium fast performance" service can literally give you zero additional value for your money.  Therefore, I recommend  the following strategy when choosing your Internet speed: Start with the slowest speed and going up from there if it doesn't work out.  After all, your ISP will always be willing to sell you more services later. I always do a Speedtest.net test.  If Speedtest.net shows less than "as-advertised" performance,  then I know that I have another bottleneck in my home (such as my WiFi setup nit or something else).  Giving my provider more money every month isn't going to fix anything! Never upgrade service unless you know exactly what problem you are trying to solve. I *never* take the special "fast internet package deal", because the discounts only stick ...

Bad Solutions to Fixing WiFi performance issues: Generally, to improve network performance you'll want to simplify your network.  The simpler the network, the fewer the bottlenecks.  Easy, eh?  That's why all my home installations are consist of a single quality WiFi router plugged into a standard modem.  If performance is poor, then it's possible to troubleshoot. The retail industry loves to sell goods and services.  This is almost always the wrong approach, as additional network gear and additional services are just going to make for a more complex network.  So, without further ado, here are some DUMB IDEAS for improving your network: DUMB IDEA: Extenders and Mesh networks.  They use a lot of radio spectrum, ultimately adding a lot of latency and negatively impacting overall performance. DUMB IDEA: Buying a "fast" router.  These are mostly gimmicks.  Client devices are the bottleneck.  A "faster" router isn't going to speed ...

Many people think that they don't upload much data, but that's not true. On the Internet, every item you look at something on the Internet requires upload data packets along the way, and a single item can require the upload of thousands or even millions of confirmation packets of data. It's a fundamental aspect of how the modern Internet works. The email, the youtube video, and merely browsing the web requires a lot of uploaded data. Well here's the dirty secret: A slow "upload speed" results in slow confirmation packets, which results in slow Internet. And ISPs like Comcast only talk about selling you "download speeds". Sadly, even Comcast's "Performance" 200 Megabit service is throttled to a 6 Megabit upload speed. That's great for 1999, but in today's internet? Performance? Hardly. So forget about dumping more money to Comcast to fix the problem, as the Comcast "pay more money for speed" is primarily about ...

Lots of people want to improve their on-line Internet performance. Can you imagine a highway where the speed limit is 200 MPH in the eastbound direction, but 5 MPH in the westbound direction?  It's completely nuts. One problem is that some service providers, like Comcast, provide poor upload speeds.  If you use services like Dropbox or Google Drive or Google photos, the upload speeds offered by Comcast could be peaking out - greatly slowing down performance across all your devices at any time of the day.  And this poor upload rate is true even with many of Comcast's "Performance" subscriptions. The upload lane on my Xfinity is often pegged out at the redline, even when I'm doing very little.  Why does Comcast have these decidedly old-school upload speed restrictions?  Admittedly their upload rates were pretty good for 1998, but that was a long time ago.  People use the Internet for more than AOL now, and Comcast has moved extraordinarily little....