Don't be a bandwidth hog

Last week, I met up with a client who was working onsite at one of their client's networks.   Halfway through my visit, the IT Admin of the network popped his head into the conference room we were using to ask us if we were uploading large amounts of data.   Their normally high-speed internet connection was running extremely slowly.

We had been downloading data, but not aware of any uploading.   After taking a closer look at my client's computer, I noticed that it was running Carbonite, an in-the-cloud backup service.  The Carbonite software was set to continuously backup the data on her computer.  In this case, after we were finished downloading the large files we were working with, Carbonite was busy uploading them for safe keeping.  All the time, it was using quite a substantial bit of the bandwidth, which made for one unhappy IT Guy.

Later that week, I was at a client's network that has very limited bandwidth to begin with.   They are in a location that is only serviced by T1 lines and they max out at 6 Mbps.   They were holding an annual conference and using some video conferencing technology to allow a few remote people to attend their conference.   The remote users could not get the video portion of the conference to work and were left with audio only.   I took a look at the bandwidth and half of it was being used up by something unknown.   After trekking around the building, I stumbled upon a guest on the network that was streaming Pandora Radio on their laptop.  I kindly asked them to turn off the Pandora and when they did the bandwidth was restored and the remote conference users were able to get their video connection to display.

At most networks, there is never enough bandwidth.  If you are a guest on a network, you might want to make sure to turn off your applications that use up a lot of bandwidth to avoid being a bandwidth hog.  Especially, if you don't need to be using them while on-site.   Basically, any program that streams music, video, uploads or downloads files will use bandwidth and create a grumpier than usual IT Guy.   You don't want that.

How to automatically dial an extension with a smartphone

[Nerd Scale: 1 out of 5 pocket protectors]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are like me, you make frequent calls to companies that have phone switchboards or auto-attendants that require an extension number in order to get connected to the correct person or department.  Did you know that you can program a contact's extension on your smartphone so it will automatically dial it when you place a call?

 

There are two ways of accomplishing this.

 

The Pause Option:

Most switch-boards or auto-attendants allow you to skip the pre-recorded greeting and dial the extension whenever you want.   The PAUSE option on a smartphone will allow you to append the extension to the number stored for the contact by adding a comma followed by the extension.

 

For example, if you are dialing the number 303-555-1234 ext 100, using the Pause option, you would enter the number in your phone as 3035551234,100.   When dialed, your phone will call 303-555-1234, pause until it detects the auto-attendant has answered and then dial the extension.

 

Most smartphones will have a ?#+ or +*# key that appears on the number pad when entering phone numbers for a contact.   If you press this key, you will see more input options.   Some phones will have a key named PAUSE and some will have a comma key.   Press the appropriate key and then type in the extension number.

 

 

 

The Wait Option:

 

Some switch-boards or auto-attendants do not allow you to skip the greeting and require you to wait for it to end before entering the extension.   In these situations, the WAIT key is what you need.   The Wait option is entered similarly to the Pause options, but instead of using a comma, you will use the semi-colon.

 

For example, if you are dialing the number 303-555-1234 ext 100, using the Wait option, you would enter the number in your phone as 3035551234;100.  When dialed, your phone will call 303-555-1234 and present you with a message that reads something similar to

 

"Send the following tones?100" 

 

and will wait until you press the SEND key that appears on your smartphone before it dials the extension.

 

For those of you on the go, the PAUSE option is a great way to truly be hands-free when calling contacts that require extensions.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.

 

 

Protect your compute's performance by looking out for packaged software.

There are many things that can negatively effect the performance of a computer: age, faulty hardware, faulty software, viruses or malicious software.

This week it has seemed as if all the systems I serviced had slowness caused by the McAfee Security Scan.  Over the past week, I have encountered this issue so many times that I am in danger of misdiagnosing the next slow computer I encounter simply because I am on auto-pilot.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this McAfee software.   The problem I am seeing is McAfee Security Scan is getting installed on computers that already have anti-virus software installed on them.   A computer becomes slower after any anti-virus software is installed.   That's the nature of anti-virus software and it is a necessary evil we tolerate to protect our systems.   But when you install multiple anti-virus software solutions on the same system it can become extremely non-responsive.

The question is: "How is it getting installed?"  It is common practice for software vendors to include other software installations within their install programs.  I like to refer to this as Packaged Software. 

Awhile back, the McAfee Security Scan was packaged with the Adobe Reader install.   Today, if you download the Adobe Reader, it will come packaged with Google Chrome and the Google Toolbar. 

You will notice in the image above, Adobe offers you the option to not include the Google software prior to downloading the Adobe Reader.   Most software installs that contain packaged software will give you the option to refuse the install of the packaged software during the install or prior to downloading.

Like everything security related with computers, vigilance is the key.  Make sure when you are installing software that you are taking the time to ensure other software is not being installed on your system. 

If you find packaged software that you think is slowing the performance of your computer but you are not quite sure if you should uninstall it, give as a call at Binkley IT Consulting and we will help.

Happy 4th of July

 

 

 

 

 

“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope”. ~Winston Churchill

 

“Liberty is the breath of life to nations” ~ Bernard Shaw

 

 

Here is a list of fireworks shows in Colorado.  Have a fun and safe celebration:

 

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/list-of-2013-july-4th-firework-shows-throughout-colorado

Some of my favorite technology

This week a client asked me to share some of my favorite technology.   Here are my top 5 pieces of technology that I use nearly everyday that make my life easier or more enjoyable:

 

Wagan EL2405 100-Watt Smart AC USB Invertor with DC socket 

 

 

My office is my car and this little device allows me to charge my laptop, cell phone and iPad at the same time by plugging into my cars cigarette lighter socket.  On those days when I have forgotten to charge my laptop at home, it gives me peace of mind to know that I can charge my laptop as I drive to a client's location.  I was able to purchase this on amazon for $23.

 

 

Q-See Surveillance System

 

 

I installed one of the Q-See systems in my house after a rash of break-ins in my neighborhood.  My system came with 8 cameras and a DVR to record activity.   The system can be set up so it will notify me via email when activity is recorded.  Also, I can watch a live video stream from the security cameras from my iPad or Computer via an internet connection.  Not only does this give me a little peace of mind, but it allowed my home insurance rates to be lowered.  The Q-See system starts $300 and can go as high as $2000 depending the number and type of cameras your purchase.

 

 

Western Digital TV Live Hub

 

Years ago, I started converting all my DVDs to a digital format and storing them on Network Accessible Storage devices in order to stream them to my TVs and computers.   At the time, I was using the original AppleTV to stream to my television.   The problem with the original and new AppleTVs was their inability accept video formats other than .m4v or .mov video files.   The conversion time for certain DVDs to these formats could take up to 12 hours depending on the processor my computer had.  

 

After becoming tired of the encoding processes, I found the Western Digital TV.  This device would play almost any video format, including VOB files.   I am now able to simply rip a DVD or BluRay and store it for playback without having to encode it into another format.  This save me time without losing any video quality that comes along with the encoding process.   The Western Digital TV Hub allows me to stream my content to other Western Digital TV devices, so now I can really store all my movies in one location and access them from any TV in my house.  Also, the devices will connect to services such as Netflix or Hulu.  The WDTV Live Hub costs around $200.

 

Airport Express

 

The airport express is a nifty little device.   It can function in one of three roles: network print server, wifi extender or wireless audio.   I use my airport express devices to stream audio throughout my house.   I can plug speakers into the airport express and then using an iPod, iPad or computer I can control the streaming of music from iTunes or other Apps such as Pandora or iHeartRadio that is configured to use the AirPlay technology from Apple.   This makes Saturday morning house cleaning much more enjoyable as my music easily follows me from room to room.  The Airport Express costs about $99.

 

iTouchless Bio-matic Fingerprint Door Lock

 

It is embarrassing how often my wife and I would lock ourselves out of our house.  It happened so often that I eventually broke down and spent the money on the iTouchless biometric door lock.  It was kind of pricey at $300, but it has more than paid for itself over the years.  The iTouchless was not necessarily easy to install, but it was worth the effort I had to put into the installation process.  It is powered by four double a batteries and  I found that those batteries would power this device for nearly two years.  The storing of fingerprints into the iTouchless is quite easy and I find the biometric reader does a fine job scanning my fingerprints.  It also has a keypad that I can use to program a numeric code that will allow access. This is by far my favorite piece of technology because I never have to worry about taking my house key with me.   My key is always with me now.

An inexpensive fix for a dead monitor.

[Nerd Scale: 2.5 out of 5 pocket protectors]

If your monitor has died, don't purchase a new one just yet.   There might be an inexpensive way to repair it.

Over the past week, I encountered 5 dead monitors.  The interesting thing I noticed common with each one of the bad monitors was their 2007 manufacturing date.   That got me thinking about an article I read a few years back discussing the flooding of the tech market with bad capacitors.  According to this Wikipedia post, the problem with bad capacitors has been occurring for the last decade.  I wondered if the problem with these dead monitors was just bad capacitors and so I decided to take a look.

I dismantled a client's dead Samsung SyncMaster 203B monitor.  When this monitor was new, it cost over $200.  Once I got the monitor apart, it did seem like the problem might be a capacitor issue.   On the circuit board that controlled the power supply, there were 4 capacitors that were visibly damaged.   You can tell when a capacitor has gone bad by taking a look at its head.  If the head is concave, you have a bad capacitor.  The head is supposed to be flat or convex.

I went online and found a company that had these capacitors for sale.   I ordered the capacitors and a few days later the shipment arrived.   Using a soldering gun, I removed the old capacitors and soldered the new ones back onto the circuit board.

It's important to note when soldering capacitors to the circuit board, you must line up the negative pole to the negative hole on the circuit board.   Typically, the capacitor will have a wide stripe on one side of the capacitor that indicates the negative side.   Also, the circuit board usually has a bolded arc indicating where the negative side should be attached.

 

And wouldn't you know it?  After putting the monitor back together it worked like it was brand new.

For a couple of dollars' worth of capacitors, a tiny bit of solder and about 20 minutes of work, I was able to keep a $200 monitor working, which made for one happy client.

So far, I have had a chance to repair 2 of the 5 monitors, and both of them are working after replacing the bad capacitors.  I will keep my fingers crossed for the next three.

If you have a monitor that has died, maybe you should try replacing the capacitors before throwing it away and buying a new one.   If you need help, Binkley IT Consulting will be there for you.

Warning: capacitors store electrical energy and it is potentially dangerous to work inside a monitor.  If you do, make sure to take proper safety measures to avoid injury.

What kind of impression is your email address making?

[Nerd Scale: 0 out of 5 pocket protectors]

In business, it's important to make a good first impression.    And then it's important to make a

good second, third, and forth impression.   That first impression, though, is pivotal.  It's difficult to forget a good first impression and nearly impossible to forget a bad one.

People judge us quickly and for reasons that have nothing to do with what we offer as a business.  This is why we wake up in the morning, brush our teeth, comb our hair and put on a snazzy outfit.   It is important to impress.

When you walk into that business meeting or networking event, flash your million dollar smile, give a firm handshake and present your business card, are you making a great first impression?

 

I network with a lot of small business owners.  I pass out and accept a lot of business cards.  I am surprised at how many business owners do not use their Domain Name in their email addresses.  For example, this morning I was at a networking event where I met an independent Financial Planner I’ll call Bob. When Bob gave me his card, I took a look at his email address and sure enough it was listed as bob@aol.com.

Bob just made a bad first impression. And although he was dressed to the nines, had a great smile and an even better elevator pitch, I couldn't stop thinking, "Why doesn't Bob have a business email address?".  

Using a free email account is the fashion equivalent of wearing flip-flops with a business suit and gives the impression your business is not a real business. You never want to give the impression your business is a fly-by-night organization or even worse that you don't have a good IT Guy.

Migrating from a free email account to a corporate style account is a fairly easy process, and is surprisingly affordable. For the cost of double decaffeinated, two percent Americano, you can purchase a monthly subscription to Microsoft's Hosted Exchange or Google's Business Apps. That's about $4 per month per mailbox. With that, you get cool features such as Shared Calendars and a mailbox that will sync properly with all your devices.

As it turns out, Bob has hired Binkley IT Consulting to migrate his free account to a Hosted Microsoft Exchange account.  By this time tomorrow, he can purchase new business cards that display his email address as bob@fbnfinancials.com.

 

That's one less worry Bob will have as he tries to make a good impression.

Now if I could only get him to get that piece of lettuce out of his teeth...I'm sure there's an app for that.