Which is best for me, Laptop or Tablet?

A lot of things have changes in recent years for Laptops and Tablets. Everything ranging from size, weight, screen resolution to battery life. So if you are in the market for either, then lets check out the differences and weigh the pros and con's. Please remember some things may matter or apply to others but that does not always mean it is the best choice. After years of building desktop computers, and having the chance to have these products around to mess around with helps determine their limits.

Let us start with a laptop; these range from a Tough-book by Panasonic which is great if you are out in the field and need something durable to thin and light. Also, operating systems can be Windows based, Google based (Chrome) and Apple (OSX). Personally, I have yet to use the Chrome operating system. However, seeing how a lot of programs most likely used daily cannot be used on Chrome. That really leaves you with Apple and Microsoft. Ruling this out now is best; if you are a gamer, then laptops are not the way to go unless you have the money to continually buy a new one more often then upgrading a desktop.
For the business oriented; I would suggest a Windows based laptop due to the vast amount of users on Windows. Normally a ultra-book for the those of you who are always on trips. It is easier to carry, windows operating system, quite fast now-a-days and does not use as much battery life. Outside of business users, are the average bear like myself. Most likely, you will use either Apple or Windows and the newer laptops will suite just about everything you need to do even on the go. Notebooks will come with dual to quad-core CPU technology, 4-8gb of RAM and 500 gigabyte to 1 Terabyte hard drive. Screen size will vary from 10.5" to 17". Battery life can range from 2-5 hours depending on what the user is doing.
Are you a touch screen kinda person? Well, I will explain more about this integration right after this segment of tablets.

Now Tablets; Smaller, versatile, fast and will always be ready to go. Technology now allows us to be mobile more so then before with Wi-Fi, 4G LTE services, and larger storage. With operating systems from Google (Android), Apple (iOS) and Microsoft (Windows).
What makes these tablets profitable? Well I just mentioned them above. Although, there are distinguishable features to each of the main competitors. Apple's Ipad line-ups have Retina displays. Apple is great for users who are not into changing a lot of settings and having the extra freedoms that Android offers. They are simple and adequate to take on challenges you may have to offer.
Android devices like the Galaxy Tab, Nexus are great for users who love to tweak, download anything and still get what they need done. Now Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles made their tablets a bit more specific; based for users who like to read. These two companies started off as E-Readers before stepping up into the big leagues as top performing Tablets. These two tablets are great for readers and are simple enough that kids enjoy them more then adults.
Tablets are great for emails, Internet browsing and apps. Although not best suited for writing for long periods of time, companies do offer Bluetooth keyboards. Battery life has increased to standby modes of days to months. Prolong use maybe between 5 to 10 hours depending on what you are doing.

Love notebooks and touchscreens? Here is where technology has gotten interesting. Being able to combine features from both worlds are great. The ability to draw, create presentations, apps, write proposals, and more by using a keyboard, touch-screen and stylus creates the touch-screen notebooks. Benefits of larger storage, Wi-fi, bigger displays that can rotate and more. If you cannot choose, why not pick both?

On the go and do not wish to carry a laptop, then great a tablet. If you need to get some serious work done and a tablet is too little to work with, grab a laptop. Want both? Then buy a touch-screen notebook.

Must have programs for your PC

Just wanted to do a quick post letting you know what  the best programs that everyone needs to have on their PC. Please note that almost if not all of these programs are FREE!

Anti-Virus: Advast Anti-Virus
File Compression/Extraction: 7zip
Photo Editing: Gimp 2.0
Audio & Video Codecs: K-Lite Codec Pack
Torrent Downloads: UTorrent (For those of you who download everything)
PDF Reader, Flash Player & Shockwave Player: Adobe (The three downloads are to the far right of the website).
Word Processing/Presentations: OpenOffice.org
Image Burning (ISO): IMGBurn
Cleaning software: CCCleaner
Anti-Malware: Malwarebytes

To get these great programs that I did not link, please go to Download.com. At the top of that website, type in each of the above programs you want to download. It has been my most trusted website for downloading programs for as long as I can remember.

Below are my visual aids to help navigate the website and steps to download and save them.

Live long & Prosper,

 

Byron

 

 Figure 1

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 Figure 3

Wireless Router Placment and Security Basics

Let us back pedal a moment from my previous post. Here are a few questions that HAVE to be answered when setting up a Wireless Router.

Terms:

SSID: The wireless routers name that is broad casted for devices to pick-up.
Wireless Channel: The channel at which your router is sending out to devices for specific use.
QoS: Stands for Quality of Service, this utility can automatically prioritize streaming of videos, gaming and Viop (Voice over protocol or calls/videos over the Internet).
Ethernet Cord: The cable that is used to connect devices together at faster speeds then telephone lines.
Wi-Fi: Stands for Wireless Fidelity, this is how communications work between wireless devices.
Wireless B,G,N and N+: B & G are the 2.4Ghz band while N & N+ are on the 5Ghz band
Wireless Signal: Information transmitted through the air between one or more devices.
Broadband Modem: Device that sends and receive data through wire (coaxial cable).
Channel bonding: Wireless-N will use more then one channel to improve speeds.

Placement:

1. What is the optimal location for maximum signal?
1. A high placement is best to achieve best signal. If you have a bi-level home, then the top level is the best opportunity. Wireless routers works best with their signal on downwards angle, not to mention if the router has external antennas, then creating a "V" from them works best.
2. Please keep in mind, the wireless signal needs to move freely and without too many obstacles. For placement, try not to have mirrors, microwaves, very thick walls or other devices that may use the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band. (IE: Older home phone with the 5.4Ghz, should be moved to another area of the home or upgraded to 6.0Ghz phone.)
2. Do I need have the Wireless router close to my broadband Modem?
1. No, You should have the distance of the 3'-6' of Ethernet cord between them. Some may believe this is a myth, others say it improves the Wireless routers performance and modems performance. For me, they are separated on either side on top of the hutch.

Security:

Interesting enough, but after some researching myself, it is apparent that hacking Wi-Fi is simple with little knowledge or just reading how some coding goes in a program. Let us examine some ways in defending ourselves. These are some basic ways to keep hackers at a distance and the neighbors from stealing your Wi-Fi. Please see the picture at the bottom of this post for visual aid.

Most of the wireless users now have Wireless-N routers (5Ghz band). While some of this will apply to them, their are still home users that only have Wireless-B & G (2.4Ghz band).

Let us now begin. Your SSID is short for the routers name that can be visible when scanning for Wi-Fi. Some users out there swear that turning off your SSID will stop threats of hacking. This "myth" is false. If anything, a hacker will see your hiding something and will take that as a challenge for them. SSID can be turned off, but has adverse affect to equipment connecting to it. Hackers will see this as a challenge, non the less through other programs, it will pick up on the signal.

The wireless channel can be left in auto mode however you should change this for best performance and security on the 2.4Ghz band (a,b & g). Most used channels are 1,6 & 11. So your best bet is to play around with the channels to find the best that is the furthest away from your neighbors. For example, some a Wi-Fi network is using channel 6, it will also partially use 4,5,7 & 8.  If you are an advance user, you can use a program to see what channels the other wi-fi networks are using.
For the wireless-N you should use channel 40 in order to have the best speed available by channel bonding. Channel bonding means the usage of other channels in order to achieve higher speeds.

Onto the security, while as WEP and WPA are the oldest security features, the newer router will have WPA2 (Pre-Shared Key). This is the newer version of WPA, and is the most effective. When changing over to WPA2, please make sure to use a long pass phrase using upper and lowercase letters, numbers & symbols. Write your new pass phrase down and keep it in a safe place that you will remember.

Now that the Wireless router is secure, your speeds higher and running smoother. Remember to view the pictures below for visual aid in accomplishing your secure network. The previous post will also help with keep your router running smoothly.

Live long & Prosper,

 

Byron

Figure 1



Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

 

Keeping your Wi-Fi running smooth

This post I will be discussing how to keep your wireless Internet or Wi-Fi to run smoothly. These tips and tricks will help maintain the best speeds and connectivity. The below terms are simple definitions of the words that I may or may not use in this post.

Terms:
Modem: Tech used for communications to your Internet service provider (ISP).
Wi-Fi: Wireless communications between devices.
Wireless Router: Equipment that is the "middle man" between your wireless device and the Internet.
Router IP: The routers specific IP (Internet Protocol) address used to access its setup or settings page.
Access Point: Much like the Wireless router, however this device is used to extend the coverage of the Wi-Fi within a certain area.

Why would I need to know how to access my Wireless router? You will need to access the page in order to setup, change or maintain your wireless router for optimum usage.
So where can I access my wi-fi's settings? They are located within your wireless router. Nowadays, they are very easy to log in to. For example, the newer Belkin routers offer a simple way although everything depends on what brand and model of wireless router you have. Here are some examples of Router IP address':

• 192.168.1.1
• 192.168.1.10
• 192.168.2.1
• http://myrouter

Lets take a look at the picture figure 1. Here you can see in the address bar the IP address. The main setup or settings page is displayed. This is where you will be able to locate the settings to improve connectivity on a basic level. Again, a lot of settings will vary on your make/model of the Wireless router.

As we move on, you should look into utilities in Figure 2. In this image, you can see the items of interest are circled and one is kind of starred. Let us look more in depth at the first circled section called "Restart router". Wireless routers or even modem/router combos all tend to have issues with connectivity and speed on a daily basis. In order to have check and balance, restarting your router often is seems to be necessary. The second circled section is called "Self Healing". This is much like restarting your router, however this is automated and can be setup to be done anytime and any day of the week. Since our family is heavy on the wireless, I opted to have my wireless router restart every morning at 4:30 a.m. Since the day I setup that automation, there is close to no problems. Now we can examine the starred section. Firmware upgrades are necessary in order to keep your wireless router up-to-date with current issues that have been reported from consumers to the company that makes your wireless router.

Foreword

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you follow my blog, there is always something to learn, even more me. After speaking with my mother, we both concluded that the best way for others to learn is from visual aids (pictures). Now "pictures can speak a thousand words", or so it has been said. Being an avid tech person for a lot of friends and family, I felt the need to help on a broader range in order to help more people searching for answers. Just this evening my Fiance's friend gave a ring and was having issues with your DSL modem & wi-fi. Spent the majority of my time searching for answers online that could never be found. Even after reading the PDF or "digital manuals", they reveal less then desired.  My next post will have details on wi-fi and how to keep it running smooth daily.
Moving forward, I would again, thank you for visiting my blog and the love and support of my family and friends.

Live long and prosper,

 

Byron