Cyber Power Battery Backup 850VA vs 650VA

This post will compare features of the Cyber Power Battery Backup with Surge Protection Model SX65OU 350 watts VERSUS the Cyber Power Battery Backup with Surge Protection Model EC850LCD EC Series 850 Watts.

I powered a: small lamp, TV, notebook, router, digital phone and 1 tablet for 2.5 hours using the CPBB 850 Watts during a power outage and experienced no problems. Two hours is above the indicated average usage information. Although the device states that the average runtime is 52 minutes, it truly depends the amount of power drawn. I used the CPBB 350 Watts during a power outage and I was able to power 3 Amazon Fire HD-10 tablets (only to 40%), 2 cell phones (100%), a router/modem, a small lamp and an Amazon Echo Show 5 for 2 hours. The CPBB 850 Watts has a significant watt advantage over the 350 Watts. 

In addition, I highly recommend that you disable the sound alerts on the surge protector, via the PC app. If you do not disable the alerts, the device will make sounds all of the time, even when there is no outage.

They are both great products but the CPBB 850 Watts is superior. My advice, go bigger.

Review of the TP-Link Archer C2300 Dual Band MU-MIMO Gigabit Wi-Fi Router

Pros

1. Security features available to configure using router interface
2. Easy Setup
3. Gigabit LAN, keeps up with current available speeds, perfect for a home office
4. USB port for FTP network directly connected to router
5. FTP option plays video and audio very well. Which allows you to stream media (movies, music, podcasts) that you have connected to the routers USB port. I tested it on a Firestick, tablet and a phone and it works great.
6. Fast data speeds
7. Set end device optimization priority
8. Power & WIFI On/Off buttons
9. Is compatible with Charter cable modems

Cons

1. It doesnt have a stand and takes up significant space to lay the device flat
2. The power cord is short
3. Only 4 ethernet ports, which is standard but I'd prefer 6
   

• To access the FTP files: I used the VLC media player which I installed on my phone, computer and tablet. The audio quality was clear, it could have been better, but it was reasonable. The video quality was exceptional. The router allows you to access the files on the local network and via the internet.

1. In VLC you can Select New Stream and type in the IP address of the FTP server or local network. Or you can also search for the share folder under Local Network in the VLC app on your personal device(s) to access the files. 

• Recommend the product: Yes! I really like the end user device optimization priority option, which enables a user to allow certain devices to maintain optimal data speeds over others. Which is a plus, especially if there are multiple devices in the home. Last but not least, which I believe is the best feature of all, is the USB port, which allows you to access your media from any device, anywhere. - Incentive Post

Ring Solar Panel Not Charging the Ring Camera

The Ring Solar Panel was not supplying a significant charge to the connected Ring Stick Up Cam Battery HD, 3rd Generation. Some days the charge would increase by 5%. On most days the charge did not increase at all. So, I swapped the battery and made sure the cables were snug, but that did not make a difference. Next, I contacted Ring customer service and they informed me that the Ring Solar Panel was not meant to provide a full charge to any device. After making some changes to the device settings, I have determined that the solar panel is capable of providing a full charge. In my case, I made several setting changes, in order to receive a consistent, full-charge from the solar panel.

I. Description of the Ring Solar Panel from Ring:

a. A few hours of direct sunlight a day will charge your Ring camera. 

b. The description also states, "Requires several hours of direct sunlight every day. Ability to recharge varies based on device settings, motion notifications"

Ring Stick Up Cam Battery HD

Ring Solar Panel

II. Changes I made in the Ring App to increase the Solar Panel charge

a. Device Settings > Video Settings > Video Recording Length> 20s. This was a significant change, approximately a 50% increase. I believe the positive effect was due in part because I am on a busy street and receive frequent alerts. So decreasing the length of the video, equals less battery usage.

b. Power Settings > Motion Frequency > Frequently, which produced mild results

c. Power Settings > Advance Motion Detection, turned on, which trims empty footage, mild results

d. Device Settings > Snapshot Capture > Every 1 Hour, which produced mild results

III. Since making the setting changes, the Ring battery level has been consistently at 98%-100%

Quarantine Home-Office Hacks: Episode 1

Some of you settled on taking a monitor home to work. I decided not to. Because to me, it meant more wires and less space. I have a Toshiba ThinkPad, running Windows 10, which has one HDMI port. I also have a LED TV which doubles as a monitor. So I decided to connect my laptop to my monitor. The benefit of my setup, is that it allows me to use both my laptop and TV monitor as screens.

I also sometimes prefer to avoid physically touching the laptop. To do that I use a mouse which I connect to the laptop, then I use the On-Screen Keyboard option on the laptop. The On-Screen Keyboard works for me because I do not type much. To find your On-Screen Keyboard, just type either  "osk" or On-screen Keyboard in the Search menu. To close your laptop lid and use your additional monitor as a screen, go to Settings>System>Power & then select the option to do nothing when the laptop lids closes.

I prefer the Extend option because it allows me to utilize more desktop space. I am able to recreate the affect of having multiple screens by selecting the Extend option. My second choice would be Duplicate. I do not use the Duplicate option often, because I prefer the affect of more space, not a replica used space. To me, the Duplicate option would be best for someone who wants to project their PC onto a bigger screen.

How to Extend Your Laptop Screen to Your TV Monitor using Windows 10

1. Plug a HDMI cable from your laptop to your TV Monitor (use a cable that is compatible with your devices)

2. Using your laptop, navigate to the taskbar, then click on the notification bar then select Project

3. Select Extend 

4. You should now see a display on both screens

Review of the TP-Link N300 WiFi Extender

I wanted an extra Ethernet port, but I did not want to purchase a new router nor did I want to run lots of additional wiring. I researched several extenders before I decided on the TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi Extender. I needed it because the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) from my internet service provider was in a space, that didn’t allow from much wiggle room. So, I read the reviews and initially decided on the Netgear Wi-Fi Range Extender EX3700. I liked the fact that it was dual band, however I could not get the Ethernet port to work. It was a major deal breaker because I could foresee myself using the Ethernet port for guests. Then I read feedback on various websites and determined that other users could not get the Ethernet port to as well. So I returned the Netgear Wi-Fi Range Extender EX3700.

Ultimately, I chose the TP-Link N300 WiFi Extender. Download/Upload speeds were identical to the WIFI speeds coming from my router. Because it’s a single band extender, I was not really concerned with speed variation. If you are concerned with speed, you should purchase a dual band extender. The Ethernet port worked great. The user interface is user friendly and you must be connected to the network to access the management page. Or you can download their App to manage the device on your portable device. The power supply is attached to the device, which is nice because it’s one less cord to run. 

I primairly use the extender to connect cameras, computers and VOIP phones. This product is very reliable and provides speeds very similar to a direct router connection. However, I do experience some quality of service loss, that I do not experience with a direct ethernet or WIFI connection. The distance of my cameras from the access point create an automatic signal loss, which I cannot attribute to the quality of the product. The extender works great with my cameras and provides a signal at distances my router cannot reach. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product.

  

PROS:

Ethernet port

Easy to setup

You can manage the extender via the App

CONS:

Bulky

 

Conclusion:

I recommend this product

Adobe Reader Could Not Open PDF...Damaged

I received an error message which stated "Adobe Reader could not open pdf because it is not a supported file type or has been damaged" when opening PDF files, while using Adobe Reader Acrobat DC and while using another PDF reader program. I changed file associations and that did not work. I have used Adobe Acrobat Reader DC in the past and had no issues opening documents until recently. I did not want to reinstall another program. So I simply repaired the program and I was able to open PDF documents with no issues.

Error Message

Repair Steps using Windows 10

Control Panel>Programs and Features >select Adobe Reader>select Change>choose the repair option>restart

AD installation stalls at the "Creating the NTDS settings object"

I attempted to install AD on a 2nd server so that I could upgrade it to a domain controller. For simplicity purposes I named all of the Admin passwords the same (test environment). I waited 5, 8, 10 minutes and the install would initiate but never complete and stall on the "Creating the NTDS Settings object for this Active Directory Domain Controller on the remote AD DC dc1-full.corp.contoso.com" step. So I searched for various solutions and I found the Microsoft support article 2737935, which states the issue was likely caused by the Default and Domain Admin passwords being the same.

The article also recommended to delete the failed upgrade PC in AD, remove the server from domain, remove AD,  restart and reinstall. I tried those steps several times and I got the same error. I even changed the default Admin passwords and completed the steps in the article. Luckily I did not have much configuration done on that server, so I removed it from AD and the domain. Next I deleted the server all together. Then, I created another server under a similar name and then I was able to install AD and upgrade the new server with no issues. I do not know if changing the Admin passwords helped but I was able to resolve the issue.

Docsis 2 vs Docsis 3 and Beyond

In the market for a new modem? Don’t forget to read the specifications. DOCSIS 2 modems are still in demand and available for purchase. However DOCSIS 3 modems include channel bonding which is a feature that provides much more speed capability. Channel bonding using multiple frequency channels on a modem to transmit data, thereby increasing the overall download and upload speed. For example the ARRIS Surfboard 32X Cable Modem - White (SB6190) is listed as a “32X”, which means 8 downstream by 4 upstream channels.-1 No, 32X isn’t the highest there are 256x modems available for gigabit speeds.

For the average user I would recommend a DOCSIS 3 modem. Although most users don’t require speeds in excess of 30 Mbps for future assurance of quality service, you should choose a DOCSIS 3 or higher. To me, the best thing about DOCSIS 3 is that you have the ability to maintain consistent download/upload speeds during peak service times with channel bonding.-2 Check with your internet provider to determine which channel bonding combination is best for your desired speed.

1- http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/24802/~/DOCSIS -2-vs.-DOCSIS -3-differences?cid=wmt_netgear_organic
2- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4-9ZtThZHs (great description of channel bonding)
3- Based on the specifications of the ARRIS / Motorola SURFboard SB5101U DOCSIS 2.0 Cable Modem
4- Based on the specifications of the ARRIS - SURFboard 600 Series DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem – White - 32x