Let’s start this article off with some good news. The 2020s may have started off hard for hotel owners, but everything’s humming along now. This summer is expected to be the biggest ever for travel and hotels. While that will help your bank account in the long run, a lot of hotel owners have been cash strapped these last couple of years. That means necessary upgrades might have been skipped in order to make payroll. It was the right decision to make, but you might not be able to compete in this new market where demand is so high.
With all of that said, here are 5 tech upgrades for hotel owners that are really worth the money.
#5: New and upgraded wiring
There are few sayings in the hotel industry more common than “If it ain’t broke...
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In our busy lives, our homes go through a lot, inside and out. So, let’s do this together. From the inevitable blemishes on wooden flooring to the weather-worn patios, preserving the allure and utility of our surfaces is paramount for fostering a warm and inviting ambiance. Thus, we extend an invitation to embark on this collaborative journey with us. Let’s equip ourselves with the necessary tools, muster our determination, and commence this revitalizing endeavor together.
Elevating Atmosphere and Value
Enhancing both the inside and outside surfaces can greatly influence the vibe and value of your home. Gleaming floors, recently painted walls, and revamped outdoor areas can infuse your living space with a sense of freshness and...
Can you use one cellular signal booster to cover five buildings? That question came through our social channels and it seemed like a good one for a blog article. The answer, as they say on TV, may surprise you.
Yes you can do it.
You can use something like this WilsonPro Enterprise 4300 and put the antennas in four different buildings. You can even use a splitter to add a fifth antenna if you want. It’s one of the most powerful and advanced cellular signal boosters ever made and gives you a lot of options for boosting signal in a large area.
But, do you want to?
In order to get signal to five separate buildings, you’re talking about a lot of cable. You’re possibly burying it or running it through underground conduits. That means...
December 7-13, 1985
This week Ken welcomes writer, producer, professor, director and all around good guy Allan Arkush to the show.
Ken and Allan discuss Allan’s cool office, Allan’s record collection, Roger Corman, Emmy Nominations, directing or directing and producing over 400 episodes of TV, the path from 70s exploitation to 80s mainstream TV, having a high batting average of sold TV pilots. Fame, Summer pilot, Rock N Roll High School, telling stories through music, how popular Fame was in Israel, residuals, 80s NYC, directing videos for Elvis Costello, Bette Midler and Fleetwood Mac, the ones you turn down, why 1985 was a huge TV year for Allan, St. Elsewhere, Moonlighting, being able to be a style chameleon, being a cinema...
Are you a boat owner who needs things like marine anodes? If you’ve ever shopped for these items, you’ve probably noticed that you have to buy these products by the type of metal they are made of. These devices tend to be made out of a variety of different metals. Which one is best for your boat motor? It depends on a variety of factors, including which type of boat motor you have and what type of waters your craft travels. To help you develop a better understanding about marine anodes, Solid Signal shares this important information about marine electrical accessories.
Marine Sacrificial Anodes
To understand the metals used in marine electrical accessories, you first have to understand what sacrificial anodes are. These devices are...
A lot of people think of me as “the blog guy” at Solid Signal. The truth is that I also help a lot of customers directly, and I work with our tech team to make sure everyone’s getting the right answers. One thing I hear over and over again is the confusion about amplifying cable, satellite, and over-the-air signals. A lot of folks don’t understand the way digital signals work, and just figure that “more power” is better no matter what. The truth is a little different. Believe me, I’d love to sell everyone out there a distribution amplifier, but most folks don’t need one. I hope that this article will help you figure out if you need an amplifier in your home.
What’s the difference between a preamplifier (preamp) and a distribution...
Imagine your business without internet. I don’t mean the way it was back in the 1990s. I mean imagine trying to do business today without internet. The simple fact is, it can’t be done. You would lose pretty much all communication with the outside world. Your phone system probably travels through an internet connection. So does all of your written messaging. You’d lose the ability to process credit cards, your customers couldn’t reach you, and simply put, you’d be back to the stone age.
A strong business can weather that kind of blow for a couple of hours, but can you imagine what would happen if an internet outage lasted several days? It could take months or years for business to recover, based on people being unable to reach you...
Every now and again, I feel the need to write about the proposed next generation of television services, called ATSC 3.0 or NextGen TV. If it’s ever put in place, sometime after 2027, it has the opportunity to revolutionize TV viewing as we know it. With ATSC 3.0, you could get 4K over the air. You could get on-demand content. There’s a whole suite of services that could make watching over-the-air a lot more like streaming.
At this point in time, seven years after testing began, there are at least a few ATSC 3.0 channels in most major TV markets. You can buy devices that will let you decode these channels if you want to see what all the fuss is about.
Knowing this, a customer recently asked this question:
The answer’s a little more...
In this off-topic podcast, we look at the scary amount of open-source software and the very idea that the internet itself could fail because of one dude who’s doing stuff in his spare time. Listen, comment, then shop at https://www.solidsignal.com or call 888-233-7563 for the best customer service.
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you!
Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below...
The other day I was shopping and I ran across a 512GB solid state drive from a reputable manufacturer for about $50. The part of me that still thinks in 1985 terms was utterly totally floored. Back then, there was only about 512GB of data stored on the entire planet! What’s more, a ONE MEGABYTE hard drive was $1,000 in those days. With a little time spent on a calculator, I can figure out that I would have paid roughly $1.527 BILLION for that amount of storage back then, and it would have been in the form of large, clunky, mechanical hard drives. This is a silent, stable, memory stick that not only has no moving parts but is about the size of a postage stamp.
Let’s back up a second.
Mechanical hard drives
Wikipedia tells me that the...
I gotta tell you… I’ve been running this blog for a long time and yet I don’t think I’ll ever run out of funny-sounding terms to define. Some of them sound so improbable that you have to wonder.
Like, “feed horn.”
I’m not sure what you came into this article thinking a “feed horn” is, but it’s a fun-sounding word that can conjure up all sorts of images. In truth, it’s really not that exciting. It is, however, an important part of a satellite dish. In order to understand a feed horn, you have to understand how a satellite dish works.
It’s just a way to focus signals.
A satellite dish is an antenna that’s designed to pick up very, very, very high frequencies. There are two really distinguishing things about satellite transmissions...
Do you own or manage a bar or restaurant? If you do, you probably know this:
You probably subscribe to DIRECTV for your bar.
DIRECTV is still the only way to get NFL Sunday Ticket in a commercial setting.
DIRECTV equipment is incredibly reliable, lasting years and years.
If you’re like most bar and restaurant operators, you put in DIRECTV service a while ago. It might have been 25 or more years ago, and you might even still be using the same equipment from your HD upgrade in the late 2000s. After all, if it ain’t broke, right?
Here are two more facts you need to consider
I just gave you a list of three very positive things. But, there’s another side to this, and it’s worth pointing out these two things:
The number of DIRECTV...
Think back to those days back in the 2000s. Back then, you might have been an “early adopter.” You had a DVR and that’s where the stuff you wanted to watch sat. You had total control — you set up the recordings and you deleted them.
Then, on demand came. In a sense, on-demand is kind of like a cloud DVR. It stores stuff you want to watch plus a whole lot more. Some people jumped on it right away and stopped worrying so much about the DVR.
A few years later, streaming video really hit big. That wasn’t so long ago, right? I mean it wasn’t that long ago that a lot of people still had to deal with buffering and low quality when they wanted to stream.
It seems like the best of all words came with DIRECTV’s and Sling TV’s Cloud DVR. Let me...
As humans, we’re hard-wired to classify things. It not only feels satisfying to put something in a particular “bracket,” it was the difference between life and death for our long-dead ancestors whose lives depended on quick decisions. It’s that need to classify that makes us think that every 15 years or so, there’s a new “generation” of people. You don’t need me to tell you this. You might be a boomer, born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s. You might (but statistically aren’t) a Generation-Xer, born between the mid 1960s and about 1980. And so on, and so forth, through millennials and now the newest group to influence the world: Generation Z.
Gen Zers, according to the traditional definition, were born between the mid-1990s and...
The DIRECTV Genie 2 server is very reliable. It’s going to be very rare that you need to reboot it. Still, it is a computer, and no matter how reliable there are going to be cases when it’s necessary. Unlike older DIRECTV hardware, you can’t access the Genie 2 directly, since it has no video output. So, you’ll need another way.
This tutorial will show you how to reboot your HS17 Genie 2.
If the Genie clients still work
If you can use your remote to control a Genie client, then you can use the client to send a remote command to the Genie 2 server. Here are the steps:
While watching live TV, press the MENU button.
Press the left arrow until “What’s On Now” is highlighted.
Press the down arrow until “Settings” is highlighted.
Press...
The post Easy Fix to Common Signal Issues: 55% OFF appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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Reprinted with permission from the weBoost blog.
In 2024, staying connected for work, entertainment, or emergencies is more critical than it has ever been. And this means reliable cellular service is non-negotiable. Even so, we have all experienced frustrating moments when our cell phone signal drops, interrupting a call or bringing data to a standstill. This is where you need a signal booster, but what’s the best cell phone booster out there? This article will help you answer that question, so you can live with fewer interruptions—wherever you are.
What causes poor cell signal?
The reliability of cell service can be influenced by several signal-weakening factors, including building materials, distance from towers, network...
There’s an old saying that translates roughly to, “if you are patient enough, you will always be right.” In other words, every prediction you make will come true if you wait long enough. That seems to apply here to the idea of “Streampocalypse,” a term I originally coined back at the end of 2020. Even back then I was predicting that major streaming services would merge or close, and that’s certainly been happening. Take for example the merging of HBO and Discovery content. Granted, that one didn’t go so well. But that doesn’t mean things are going to get worse.
This week’s rumors point to… a little bit of a mess
Just in the last week, there have been three little tidbits of news that point to major consolidation in the streaming...
Personally I love the new Gemini remote. It’s easy to handle with one hand, has “just the right number” of buttons, and of course has advanced features like the voice button. But, we’ve had a lot of people call us about the backlighting. It seems that there are people who want to change it in some way.
Yes, the Gemini remote is backlit.
I go into details here, but yes the Gemini remote is backlit. There are some things on the internet you’ll read saying it isn’t, but it is most definitely backlit. Here’s a photo I took in near total darkness.
The issue is that the backlighting isn’t as bright as previous DIRECTV remotes. The light also doesn’t stay on very long. This has led some folks to believe that it isn’t backlit at all, but...
Look. You’re either a person who doesn’t mind a lot of wiring or you’re a person who wants to hide every wire you can. There isn’t much of a middle ground. If you’re trying to get TV into a spare room, you will have to make a choice as to how much wiring you really want. I went the extra mile to see if it was possible to eliminate practically all wiring in a spare room. And, I’m here to tell you all about it.
Problem 1: Wireless isn’t really wireless
If you have something like DIRECTV’s Gemini satellite client, you’ll be able to use a wireless connection between your Genie and the Gemini. But, once the connection gets to the Gemini, there are still wires. There’s the power cable to the wall, and the HDMI cable to the TV. If you’re...
The Solid Signal Blog is your resource for thousands of articles and reviews, with new content coming every day. 2023 marks our seventeeth year since our humble beginnings, and today over 250,000 people read the blog every month. Every month, the staff gets together and gathers articles that really seem like they have long-term appeal. Here’s the list for September, 2023:
Are your Wally and Tailgater having problems with Western Arc lately?
Choosing the right lens for your Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera
Can you use a phone charger (or your TV) to power your Gemini Air?
Get the real story: How does a splitter work?
What is “Eclipse Temurin?”
Can you use the DIRECTV Local Channel Connector (LCC) with the H26K Commercial Receiver?
Can...
Here’s something you probably didn’t know: your cell phone doesn’t work well unless it’s within about 1.5 miles of a cell tower. In some cases, like high-band 5G, you can lose service in as little as 500 feet. We tend not to think about this because the major carriers have done a great job of covering populated areas with cell towers. But what if you’re in the middle of nowhere? What if you’re out at sea?
That’s where Signal Connect comes in
There are specialized solutions available for this kind of problem, and they’re not some sort of magic. They’re just simple applications of electrical engineering. But, they’re not always simple to put into place. That’s why an expert like Signal Connect comes in.
What can be done about poor...
Call them Spirit duplicators or Ditto machines… if the mention of those words sends you back in time, you’re not alone. If you’re like me, you can actually still smell that duplicating fluid. Ah, there’s nothing like the smell of mimeographs in the morning. Smells like victory.
The purple perfection
In the days when photocopiers were expensive and finicky, the Ditto or mimeograph ruled supreme. These were simple machines that untrained people could use all day with little fear of breaking anything. Today’s teachers may do a lot online, but back in the 20th century, most teachers spent a lot of their time making copies to distribute to their classrooms. Ditto machines and mimeograph machines made that possible.
A Ditto is not a Mimeo...
There was a time when this blog was really focused on TiVos. Look, don’t blame me. I actually started authoring The Solid Signal Blog in 2012. Five years before that, we published this article about the TiVo HD. It was all-new, all-exciting, and all the rage back in the late 2000s.
Of course its specs seem puny today, when DIRECTV’s latest DVR gives you 200 hours of HD recording space and when virtually any device out there will let you stream content from Amazon. Still, I have to give “props” to TiVo for its early work here.
The TiVo HD was the latest in what was then a very successful line of DVRs from the company. At that time, the word “TiVo” was literally synonymous with DVR, and it was common to hear people say “I’ll TiVo that.”...
I’d like to take one more moment to congratulate the folks at DIRECTV for the speed and efficiency they showed during the satellite outage on February 27, 2024. Yes, some DIRECTV fans were left wondering why this happened at all, or why it couldn’t have been taken care of in minutes, I’m not one of them. To me it’s amazing how much can be done remotely to keep these satellites up and running. Just this morning I read another article about two satellites that came within 66 feet of crashing into each other. What really popped out was the international effort to track literally every satellite in the sky at all times.
Let’s remember, DIRECTV restored a large proportion of service to its customers before prime time and all service to all...
Boat owners rejoice: chances are that unless you’re on a long cruise, your satellite receivers will work. There are no hard and fast rules, but generally you will continue to get DIRECTV or DISH satellite TV at least 10 miles offshore.
How satellite TV works
All satellite TV transmissions are, essentially, spot beams. That is to say, they are designed to focus on the area of the planet where they’re needed. Even the widest beams, known as the “CONUS” beams, are designed so that they closely follow the borders of the United States. This is done on purpose. It’s not that they don’t want international customers, it’s that DIRECTV and DISH would need to get licenses for every country they cover. These licenses only cover the United...
All of a sudden we’ve all become much more aware of privacy on the web. Originally it was some of the news about Facebook and other social media. Then Europe enacted new privacy standards. That caused every web site to up its game. In 2024, we are all expecting Google to get rid of “cookies.” While I think that’s a good move it also creates a lot of uncertainty. It’s actually a good thing that we’re all paying a bit more attention, even though it can lead to some annoying popups like the one above.
You’ve probably noticed this “know your location” message on more than one web site, and you might have asked yourself, “why do they need to know?” That’s actually a really good question.
They probably don’t need to know…
When a web site...
If there ever was a clearer case of “don’t try this at home…” well I haven’t seen it. This story is true. As they used to say in old TV shows, some details have been changed to protect the innocent.
I was recently asked if it was ok to run a coaxial cable through a swimming pool. Apparently, this guy wanted to have DIRECTV programming out on the other side of his large backyard, too far for a wireless signal from his Genie 2. The easiest way, he figured, was a straight line. This straight line, apparently, went straight through the pool.
Does it seem like you should do this?
Coaxial cable is designed to be water-resistant, for sure. The rubber outer jacket should stop water from coming in. Coax cables work in the rain. They work in...
It seems like good internet service is as important as lights or heat these days. What would you do if you lost internet service? How would you even stay in touch with people. Now imagine not having internet at all, or worrying about it getting shut down because you couldn’t afford it.
That’s why the federal government created the Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP. If you or your kids qualify for pretty much any sort of federal aid, you can probably also qualify for a discount on your internet service and a one-time rebate on a new device. It’s a way to make sure you have the connection you need. To me, it seems like a great idea.
If you’re asking, “how does our government even function?”
The funding for the government’s...
If you have a Genie 2, you know that it generally has two green lights on the front. The top shows the general status of the system. The bottom shows the status of the wireless adapter. For the most part they stay green all the time. What happens if one of them changes color? What should you do?
First thing: check out our error code list.
This site maintains the most comprehensive listing of error codes and error lights for DIRECTV. You can find it here. You’ll find a list of the lights on your Genie 2 and what they do. A yellow or amber light indicates some sort of signal issue.
Before you do anything: are any of your channels affected?
An amber light can happen for a lot of reasons. It could mean a temporary signal outage on a...
June 13-19, 1970
This week Ken welcomes legendary bass-man, and all around punk rock royalty, Mr. Mike Watt to the show.
Ken and Mike discuss San Pedro, first meeting D. Boon, moving to San Pedro in 1967 from Navy Housing, living in the projects, saying no to Alameda, George being from Brocton, strong accents, how all the Minutemen were transplants to San Pedro, D. Boon’s mom, how trippy the Summer of 1970 was, Blue Oyster Cult, UHF stations, Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, not having a color TV, how The Prisoner is Mike’s favorite show, MAS*H, All in the Family, D. Boon’s love of Johnny Carson because his dad was from Nebraska, WWII movies, T. Rex, local horror hosts, the origin of “D.” in D. Boom, Steve McQueen...
See if this sounds familiar to you:
That’s a message from a customer after they got a new Gemini Air. People love the Gemini Air because it’s small and simple and has a real remote with easy-to-understand buttons. But every so often we get someone who complains about the Wi-Fi performance. Unlike other streaming devices, Gemini Air doesn’t have the ability to connect over wired Ethernet, so if your Wi-Fi doesn’t work with it then the device doesn’t work period. So what can you do?
One thing you can do to test
The easiest way to be sure there’s nothing wrong with your Gemini Air is to temporarily move it into the same room as your Wi-Fi router. If there isn’t a TV in that room, move the Gemini Air to a TV that’s as close to the...
DIRECTV’s Gemini Air has been one of the company’s best and most successful product launches. Folks just love the small size, voice-activated remote, and the ability to run DIRECTV’s internet streaming service alongside all the most popular apps. Personally I’m impressed by how easy it is to use and how it runs on USB-C power. The Gemini Air has gotten so popular that even home theater enthusiasts are getting interested in it. And that’s led to the question at the top of this article.
Real quick, what is “Dolby Audio” anyway?
When TV first started, all the sound was mono. In the 1980s, stereo was added. But that was just the beginning. Dolby Labs, a tech company that’s been around since the mid-20th century, has made it a mission to...
If you’re a DIRECTV satellite customer, you probably covet the Gemini Air. It’s an owned device, meaning no monthly mirroring fees. It’s the smallest DIRECTV device ever. It’s small enough to hide behind the TV. But, it’s designed specifically for the DIRECTV streaming service. It can’t be used as a Genie client.
One question we keep getting
People who call us tell us that they understand that the Gemini Air can’t be used in a DIRECTV satellite system. But, they also point out that if you use the DIRECTV app on a streaming device, you can sign in with your DIRECTV satellite credentials and use that app almost like a Genie client.
So, people ask — can you use the DIRECTV app on a Gemini Air, sign in with your satellite credentials...
This podcast is all about you! I answer listener question about this podcast and about what I do in general. Listen, shop at https://www.solidsignal.com, and call Signal Connect at 888-233-7563 for the best in customer service!
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you!
Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below.
Amazon
iTunes
Overcast
TuneIn
Spreaker
Player.fm
Spotify
Option 3...
If you are experiencing issues with local channels today, February 27, 2024, it’s not just you.
Users across the country are reporting issues with the 99 satellite for DIRECTV. This affects local channels in many markets, as well as several national channels. DIRECTV is working hard to resolve this issue and as I write this has no official statement on their site or on their X.com accounts.
What you can do:
You can tune to the standard definition version of the channels.
The standard definition versions are unaffected, although not every area has standard definition locals. Here’s a tutorial for Genie users to show SD duplicates. Here’s a tutorial for non-Genie users.
You can use the DIRECTV app on your phone or tablet.
The DIRECTV...
Streaming may be the hot thing, but you know that if you’re in your RV, satellite TV is still the best way to go. With satellite TV, you have service any time you have a view of the southern sky. You don’t need to be worried about being close enough to a cell tower. You don’t have to worry about data caps or tethering overages. It’s really simple: watch as much TV as you like, and pick any channel you like.
A lot of folks prefer DISH as the provider for their homes and RVs. DISH’s technology is a little more compatible with the RV lifestyle, allowing for smaller dishes that even work in motion if you’re willing to invest in them. DISH incorporates all the software and tools needed to run a mobile dish right into their receivers, and...
I was talking to someone recently and they told me that they really didn’t understand grounding. There are a lot of resources on this blog having to do with grounding. But, when I look at them, I realize that there’s no single article that goes over the grounding in a really basic way. So, I decided to write one.
Note: Experienced RF engineers will probably be tempted to point out minor inaccuracies in this article. I admit that I’m simplifying a lot of this so that it is as easy to understand as possible. If you’re really interested in the science of grounding, I encourage you to seek out college courses on the subject.
Basically, here’s what grounding is and why you need it
Stray electricity is everywhere. All life runs on...
A couple of weeks ago, our Solid Signal customer service reps were diagnosing an issue with a customer. This customer didn’t want to run long coax cables so they found a solution on another web site that they thought would help. They found a pair of devices that translate coax signals to Ethernet cables and back. Unfortunately, this didn’t do what they needed. It seemed like a good time to explain why that can’t be done with the tech available today.
Satellite TV is different from cable and over the air
It’s true that satellite, cable, and over-the-air all travel on coaxial cables. But there are big differences in the signal that comes from satellite dishes compared to those from cable or off-air. The biggest difference is the...
The post Our Brightest Flashlight – 57% OFF appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
In the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II, our hero travels to the “future” 2015 and looks in the window of an antique store. Here’s what he sees.
Universal Pictures
There among the other antiques is a 1984-era Macintosh. When this film was made, that computer was about four years old and still being used. Of course it’s played for a joke along with the VHS tapes, bottles of Perrier, and tube TV. But what if it isn’t a joke?
I’ve recently become aware that there’s a growing community of people who’ve taken an interest in 1980s and 1990s personal computers. I went down a Reddit rabbit hole the other day and I read one person saying,
I know exactly what they were throwing away
The original IBM PC was made largely from...
Once upon a time, if you wanted to take a vacation on your boat, you told people were leaving and you left. You didn’t think about watching TV, or checking emails, or shopping on Amazon. Your office staff knew that you were going to be out of touch, period. Well, those days are long past, and I think we’re all happier for it.
Today, you have a lot of different entertainment opportunities on your boat. You can choose traditional satellite television, which gives you hundreds of channels for one low price up to 100 miles offshore. You can choose a cellular solution which lets you stay connected without spending a lot, but you need to stay within about 10 miles. Or, you can choose satellite internet, which gives you access to the entire...
A while back, a customer was asking us if the picture quality on the Gemini Air was similar to the picture quality on other streaming boxes. I have to admit this sort of stopped me in my tracks because when it comes to streaming, I generally don’t consider picture quality. Streaming is more about convenience than picture quality, the way I see it.
How do you even know what quality you’re getting?
That’s sort of the real issue when it comes to streaming. The nature of streaming is that there are generally several different quality levels available when you choose to watch something. The experience is supposed to be optimized so that you get the best quality you can without buffering. Early in the streaming days, it was very common for...
Reprinted with permission from the weBoost blog.
If you’ve noticed that your weBoost cell signal booster isn’t delivering the performance it once did, there is probably a simple explanation. A decline in a signal booster’s effectiveness can result from various factors. But thankfully, most of them aren’t difficult to fix.
In this article, we’ll look at some common reasons why your cell signal booster isn’t working like it used to, and help you correct them.
Structural factors in cell signal booster performance
Sometimes, the reason your signal booster isn’t working like it used to is a fixable issue with physical structure. These structural factors that could affect your cell signal include:
Outside Obstructions
As growth...
Sedentary office work can wreak havoc on your health. You’ll experience more than a backache when sitting at an uncomfortable desk for hours on end, as common long-term negative injuries associated with office work include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and tennis elbow.
Fortunately, an ergonomic setup can alleviate these strains and preserve your health. A personalized approach to your workspace can also improve your comfort and productivity. It’s much easier to work when you’re not worried about the crick in your neck or the tingling in your fingers.
Making personalized ergonomic adjustments is surprisingly easy, too. Plenty of budget-friendly products exist to help personalize your workspace. Leaning on these products is...
The spirit of DIY satellite television is not dead! Every day we have people call Solid Signal because they’re trying to improve their satellite TV system. Most are customers of either DIRECTV or DISH, but there are still some enthusiasts out there working with the older-style C-Band “FTA” dishes. No matter how you get video from the sky, it’s pretty cool that a hobby like this is still thriving 40 years after home satellite television became possible.
However, because satellite TV has been around for so long, it’s possible to find a lot of information that’s out-of-date or confusing. This blog has is now in its 18th year and I try to make sure that the really old stuff is weeded out, but with 10,000 articles it’s always possible that...
In the age of generative artificial intelligence, clip art seems like a remnant of a long gone civilization. Today with just a short sentence you can get a very convincing image of virtually anything you want. Here’s the proof. I gave the words “sparkly rainbow muffin” to Photoshop. I got this back in under 30 seconds.
But, it wasn’t always like that. Until very recently, if you wanted to show something, you needed a photo of it. Before that, you probably used some sort of illustration, or as it was called in the 1990s, clip art. Clip art is a very interesting thing that’s pretty much disappeared with the exception of the occasional company newsletter. I remember when it was a must-have for anyone who did any sort of design...
Fixed Wireless Internet. I started talking about it years ago. Here’s an article from 2019 when I was already saying it was late in coming. It’s a really cool idea… dump the cable company, put a simple device in your home, and you have internet. When there is more than one choice for internet, the competition makes everyone better and the customer wins.
I’ll admit that fixed wireless internet has had a slow start. But here in 2024, it’s the hot new thing that everyone wants. All the major providers are working on fixed wireless options, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the dominant way people get internet at home by 2030.
Is fixed wireless internet the right option for you?
Wireless internet isn’t available everywhere. It...
An old teacher of mine was fond of saying, “just because you’re right, doesn’t also mean I can’t be right.” This was their way of saying that two things can be true if they don’t necessarily contradict each other. Why do I bring this up? Because here are two things that could possibly be true:
You can travel the country in your RV and enjoy yourself.
Your RV could be owned by a corporation and you could be getting great tax benefits.
Now here’s the thing I want to say right off the top: I’m not a tax attorney. In fact, you should never take financial advice from anyone in the internet, even if they are a tax attorney. But I know enough to try to point you in the right direction. Got it? Let’s get started.
Owning an RV through a...
Generally when I talk about Gemini on this blog I’m talking about the DIRECTV products that have come out in the last year or so. But, they’re far from the only things called Gemini. Google’s new AI is called Gemini, and so are a lot of other things. The word “Gemini” is Latin for “twins” and it’s been used for a lot of products over the years. That doesn’t explain why DIRECTV uses it for a single receiver but that’s another whole story.
There’s another Gemini, though, and it’s over 40 years old.
Say hello to Gemini. The 1983 Gemini, that is.
This game console, which came out in 1983, probably doesn’t seem familiar to you even if you were there back then. Yet, its story is not only interesting, it’s also sort of still important...
