World Backup Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually by the backup industry and tech industry all over the world on March 31 It highlights the importance of protecting data and keeping systems and computers secure.
Here are some gift ideas for World Backup Day – with all budgets in mind!
1 – Give the gift of an external hard drive or subscription to a backup cloud service. Who needs roses when you have peace of mind?
2 – Remind friends to back up phones, computers, and other technology like cameras and tablets. Back up all the technology!
3 – You might also want to encourage everyone to change their settings so that backups happen automatically. And if you’re especially tech-savvy, offer to help them change the settings, perhaps over a nice dinner!
4 – Set reminders on your calendar or smartphone that notify you weekly or monthly to do a data backup. This is the gift that keeps on giving.
5 – Encourage your family and friends to take the World Backup Day Pledge! “
“I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st.”
Remind your loved ones that backing up their data will help them recover precious memories and information quickly! Data loss can happen in a number of ways:
Device Theft (it happens, unfortunately)
Device Damage (don’t try to pretend you haven’t spilled something on your phone)
Viruses (yikes, you clicked that link?)
Human Error (yes, you did just hit the delete button)
Spread the love this World Backup Day! And be sure to check out the official World Backup Day website at worldbackupday.com/en/
Cordless tools have been making strides over the past few years, as batteries become more advanced, smaller, and lighter. Lithium ion batteries have been slowly increasing their capacity and run time while shrinking in size and weight. But there’s a new material on the market for cordless tools: graphene, a lightweight material that has changed the battery game.
Graphene batteries charge faster and can power larger tools
Because graphene is so conductive, adding it to a traditional lithium ion battery can reduce charging time by three times. Graphene is 100 times more conductive than copper, to give you some idea of how much faster charging could become with graphene. This means needing fewer batteries on hand, as you won’t need to wait as long to charge one if you’re working on a big project. This technology can make cordless tools more practical even for larger projects.
Since the material allows for faster charging, it also allows for faster discharging, meaning that batteries with graphene can yield enough power for larger tools that use more power. Using a battery-powered chainsaw or concrete drill that runs for more than an hour could be in our near future. Cordless tools that are already popular like sanders and drills can benefit from increased torque.
Increased efficiency for graphene batteries also means longer run time, allowing you to go for hours between charges. Imagine running your shop tools until lunchtime and then charging batteries on a lunch break and using them for the rest of the day. Graphene batteries are also more heat resistant, allowing them to work for longer without overheating.
Since graphene is a relatively new material, the batteries are more expensive—almost twice as much as a traditional lithium ion battery. There’s a limited selection of tools to choose from at the moment that will work with the current batteries, and unless you have a CAT cordless system already, you would need to replace any tools you have to match with the new CAT graphene batteries.
As the technology develops, graphene will likely become more widely available for a wider range of cordless tools. Rumors are circulating that some other major cordless tool brands are working on graphene batteries for their tools, so keep an eye out for those in the near future. As the technology becomes more widely available, graphene batteries should also become more affordable.
A wifi connection disruption is never welcome, whether you’re in the middle of submitting a big work project or streaming music to your smart speaker. In many cases, a quick check of your router can solve the problem—restarting and/or resetting the device can clear memory or cache issues, stabilize your network connection, or improve wireless signal problems.
Remember that a router is not the same thing as a modem (though you can buy a modem-router combo unit). Routers act as the interface between all of your wireless devices and the modem, which in turn connects the data from your home network to the internet and vice versa.
How to restart your router
Restarting your router can help improve the speed, performance, or stability of your connection. If you still have issues, you may need to reset the device by returning it to factory settings.
Unplug the router
The very first step is to unplug your router from its power source by removing the cord from the router’s power input. Wait at least 30 seconds for the device to cool down and go offline, then reconnect the power. Depending on the model, you may also need to press the Power button.
Once the power is on, wait at least 30 seconds—and up to a few minutes—for the router to boot back up and reconnect to the internet. If the problem has resolved, you’re all set. Otherwise, you may need to take additional steps.
Note: if you are rebooting both your modem and your router, plug the modem back in first and wait at least a minute before powering up the router.
Reset the router
Restarting your router won’t change the settings, but that may be the next best step in the quest to troubleshoot connection issues. There are several ways to conduct a router reset, the most complete being a hard reset back to factory settings. While the router is on, locate the Reset button on your device and press and hold for 30 seconds. (Some buttons will require a sharp, pointed object, like a paperclip, to access.)
Because this process deletes all custom settings, you’ll need to log into your router’s admin using the default username and password, which are usually printed on the router or in the user manual and change your wifi password.
Troubleshoot your connection and location
If restarting and resetting didn’t fix the problem, you may be dealing with a bad Ethernet cable or some barrier to your signal reaching where you need it. Try swapping out the cable and/or moving your router to an open, centralized location.
If none of these steps improve your connection, it may be time to replace your router.
What would you do if suddenly you lost all access to the internet? This happened to me last Saturday. Ok I freaked out a bit, but fortunately, I have an ethernet connection that was up and working. So, what happened to my laptop?
Not seeing this symbol can really mess up one’s day, so what did I do to solve the problem. I turned to Microsoft’s troubleshooter that was installed on my laptop. It said to touch Fn+F3 to enable Wi-Fi. I tried it…nothing. Tried it again…nothing. Digging further into the details, the troubleshooter said that the radio HW switch was turned off. Thanks, but no mention of how to turn it on.
You won’t believe what caused the loss of my Wi-Fi, or how many days and unsuccessful fixes it took to solve. Long story short. I stumbled upon the Acer Community Forum and started looking for an answer to the problem. No luck, but someone suggested uninstalling the latest Windows update (occurred the morning of my outage). I didn’t realize that an update could be uninstalled. Guess what? As soon as I did that, the orange Wi-Fi light came on. And stayed on.
The MS troubleshooter never mentioned that its own company could itself be the source of the problem and the solution could be uninstalling the update. So, one week later, I know, and now so do you.
Technology is fantastic when it works. But, when it doesn’t…
Unstable Wi-Fi is often caused by wireless congestion. Congestion problems are common in apartment complexes or densely-packed neighborhoods when too many people using Wi-Fi leads to connectivity problems.
Wireless congestion is caused by issues with two factors: frequency overlap and limited Wi-Fi channels.
1. Download and install a Wi-Fi Analysis App
On Windows, many free apps can analyze the quality of wireless channels. One of the best options is available on the Microsoft Store: Wi-Fi Analyzer. For those without Windows, search your respective operating system’s app store for “Wi-Fi Analyzer,” and you’ll see dozens of options.
2. Detect Unstable Wi-Fi
Using Wi-Fi Analyzer is dead simple. Just install and run the app. After installation, you can launch it by going to Windows Search (Windows key + S) > Wi-Fi Analyzer.
The tool should detect your Wi-Fi signal strength, ranging from zero to -100 decibel milliwatts (dBm). If you have a 5GHz network, a toggle at the bottom of the app interface allows you to switch between detecting 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
To analyze your wireless router’s signal quality, take the following actions:
Click on Analyze in the top menu bar.
Wi-Fi Analyzer then displays a visualization of the Wi-Fi networks in your vicinity. If two networks broadcast on the same channel, you’ll notice overlap. Each channel has a number between one and 161 on the 5GHz frequency and one through 11 on the 2.4GHz frequency.
When two networks overlap:
The X axis represents the channels available on the 2.4GHz spectrum. As you can see, channels four to seven are unoccupied. Channels five and six have no competition whatsoever. Given the app’s analysis, I should change my router’s 2.4GHz channel to either five or six.
But how do you change your router’s channel?
How to Change Your Router’s Channel
Accessing your router’s settings requires a browser, like Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Accessing its settings, unfortunately, varies between different router models, but some general rules apply.
Linksys routers: In your browser, navigate to 192.168.1.1.
You can complete an internet search to find the login URL for your specific router brand and model.
Most routers use “admin” as the login and “password” as the password. The login details may also be printed on the back of the router or in the instruction manual that came with it. If you cannot access your router, try searching the internet for your individual router’s access method.
For my own Telus router, changing the Wi-Fi channel is easy. First, I navigate to the router login address and enter my login and password. Changing the channel is usually located under Wireless Settings > Advanced Settings.
I then change the network channel to the option which offers a good connection, save the settings, and restart the router by power cycling it (turning it off and on again). Afterward, it stopped randomly disconnecting.
One thing to mention is that most modern routers include a dual-band feature that combines 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies onto a single network name or SSID. This feature is notoriously unreliable, and if you’re having network problems, I suggest disabling it as a precautionary step. On my Telus router, it’s referred to as SmartSteering. Other brands have completely different names.
How to Fix Unstable Wi-Fi? Decongest It!
If your Wi-Fi sucks, a Wi-Fi analysis app is the best way to find out your router’s ideal network settings. If you’re still getting unreliable internet after changing your router’s channel, consider troubleshooting your Wi-Fi problems. Sometimes ironing out the kinks on your home internet will fix those irritating reliability issues.
Even if you have a new TV that looks great, you might find yourself underwhelmed by the sound. One of the biggest problems with TV sound is dialog — you know, the voices of the actors that allow you to follow what’s going on. Sometimes loud sound effects and music can make the words too quiet to understand, and turning up the volume, or turning on subtitles, doesn’t work. The reason? Flatscreen TVs are so thin there’s nowhere for the speakers to go, and this means they can also sound thin.
But you don’t need to live with bad sound, because we’re here to help. If you’re struggling to understand the dialogue in your new favorite show, there may be a few speaker settings — similar to picture settings — you can tweak to fix the problem. You might also decide you need a new soundbar or other audio system to replace those TV speakers.
So if that dialogue sounds muffled and incomprehensible, whether you’re using the TV speakers or a separate sound system, here are three things you can do to fix it.
1. Check your TV’s sound settings
Bass in particular is the enemy of understandable speech: It tends to hide the frequencies that help us decipher what people are saying. Rather than play with individual bass and treble controls, the easiest thing to do is to try the preset sound modes first.
1. Use your remote to access the TV’s settings menu, then look for a section called Audio, Sound or something similar.
2. At the top of the menu should be a selection of presets such as Movie, User or Standard.
3. While watching a speech-heavy show or movie, cycle through the modes to see which one’s sound best.
If you’re finding the dialogue is mumbly, for example, try a Dialog, News or Speech Boost mode. If that’s not available, Movie or Standard is the next best option.
Also, try cycling through audio enhancements like Bass Boost or Surround, which often harm dialogue, or Night Mode, which can help (or not). Every TV and every room sounds different, so it’s worthwhile to experiment.
A little boost to treble may also help improve intelligibility. Once you’ve got the audio as good as you can, simply exit the menu. You usually don’t need to save it; the TV should remember.
2. Have a soundbar or speaker system? Try these tweaks
External speakers will sound better than what’s built into your TV, but they may need a little tweaking to help with dialogue too. Your speakers might be too close to the wall, for instance, or stuffed inside a cabinet.
Here are some common fixes for bad sound, and they don’t cost a cent. First, simply pick the kind of system that you have:
Soundbar
As with TVs in step 1, try setting the soundbar to a speech-enhancing mode, Movie or Standard.
If your system has a subwoofer, it could be too loud compared to the rest of the system. While explosions are fun, they shouldn’t be at the expense of a good story. If you have a separate bass or sub control, try turning it down.
AV or stereo system with speakers
If you have tower or bookshelf speakers, try moving them away from the walls and corners, and then point or “toe” them in towards the middle where you sit. Removing speaker grilles will also boost the midrange by a couple of decibels. These little changes alone won’t be enough to transform Sly Stallone into Laurence Olivier, but could be enough to discern what an actor is drawling about.
3. Buy a new soundbar
If the previous options aren’t cutting it for you, it may be time to invest in some new equipment. Thankfully excellent soundbars aren’t very expensive, and almost anything will sound better than a TV speaker. The Creative Stage, for example, is only about $90 and offers HDMI connections and a subwoofer. Vizio also makes an excellent range of soundbars.
There are some soundbars specifically designed to make speech more intelligible. For instance, when Zvox branched out into hearing aid design the company brought the tech to its range of AccuVoice soundbars. The company has models starting at $100, and it includes the flagship Zvox AV357.
Going the next step and buying a surround system also has added benefits — especially if the system has a dedicated center channel speaker. In surround mixes dialogue often comes primarily from the center channel and being able to increase its volume independently can really help.
(Note: I find it helpful to turn on cc, closed-captioning. This tool, found under settings usually, prints out on the screen the exact dialog being spoken. You may find the cc button on your tv remote also).
There are many reasons your iPhone or Android phone might not charge anymore — from rusted charging ports to broken cables. But a common issue is simply that your charging port, be it Lightning on the iPhone 13 or USB-C on phones like the Google Pixel 6 Pro is clogged with dirt and the cable can’t quite fit in properly.
Thankfully, this is one of the simplest, cheapest solutions to a charging problem. Here’s how to fix it.
Why is my charging port blocked?
There are no covers on your phone’s charging port, meaning they’re exposed to every bit of dust, dirt and debris they encounter. Every time you slide your phone into your pocket your phone will be susceptible to pocket fluff and if, like me, you’ve got pockets filled with detritus from accidentally washing your jeans with old receipts in the pockets then that’s asking for trouble. And that’s to say nothing of the biscuit crumbs I have in there. Do not ask me why I have biscuit crumbs in my pockets.
Day by day, this won’t be a problem, but those tiny bits of dust and fluff will build up over the months or years you have your phone, compacting together each time you plug in your charging cable until it forms a solid barrier that stops your charger from going all the way in and allowing it to connect and charge.
If you’ve had your phone for more than six months and you’re gradually finding the charger becoming less and less stable (particularly if you have to wiggle it around to get it to begin charging) then it’s highly likely that dirt in your port is the culprit.
How to clean out your phone’s charging port
It’s a simple task to unclog your phone’s port. You’ll need a cocktail stick, toothpick or other thin item that you can poke in to the port to scrape out the grime. Wood or plastic is better as it’s less likely to scrape against anything inside and potentially cause harm. I’ve done this using a metal SIM removal tool and while it worked well, it’s not the safest option for your phone.
Insert your tool of choice into the charging port until it won’t go further and gently start scraping away. With an iPhone’s Lightning port you can scrape back and forth, but with USB-C you’ll need to scrape around the charging connector, which sits in the middle of the port.
Eventually you’ll start to work the compacted debris loose and you’ll be able to encourage the dislodged material out of the port. It’s a satisfying process and you might be surprised at how much stuff actually comes out. Gently work on the sides of the port too, but be mindful not to scrape hard against any of the metal charging connectors.
Eventually you’ll have pretty much all of it out. It’s difficult to check for sure if you’ve gotten rid of it all as it’s tricky to see inside the port, even if you have a good light to hand. But once you’ve got a good amount of nonsense out, you can try your charging cable again.
Hopefully it’ll plug in more securely now and begin charging. If not, carry on trying to extract more dirt and then test the charger again. If that still doesn’t solve the issue it’s time to consider other solutions like a new cable or charger.
While you don’t always need the latest and greatest tech gadgets, there are times when the need to upgrade is essential. This is the case for many people, with cellular networks phasing out the 3G standard. Older smartphones will lose most of their essential functions, including the ability to make and receive calls and texts.
The 3G shutdown will also affect many car models that rely on a network connection for features like GPS, voice assistants and emergency call services.
It doesn’t stop there, either. The shutdown will impact virtually any connected device running solely on a 3G network. Read on for details and tips on how to avoid being left behind.
3G is going extinct in 2022
With billions of smartphones out there, many people will first feel the impact of the 3G shutdown. Cellular networks began deploying 4G LTE networks in 2010 and phone manufacturers followed with compatible models.
More than a decade later, the three biggest providers have announced they’re phasing out 3G networks in 2022:
AT&T said it will shut down 3G networks in February.
Verizon said it will pull the plug on 3G on December 31.
T-Mobile said it will shut down Sprint 3G networks on March 31. T-Mobile’s own 3G networks will be gone by July 1.
There’s only so much wireless spectrum and infrastructure out there, so the old must be cleared to make way for the new. As 3G phases out, newer 4G and 5G networks will see improvements in performance.
If you use an iPhone 5 or older, you’re out of luck. The same goes for Samsung phones preceding the Droid Charge. If your Amazon Kindle uses AT&T’s Whispernet service, it’ll also be bricked.
Luckily, many cellphone companies are offering special upgrade incentives and pricing if you need a new phone. Check with your provider for any available 3G retirement plans. They can also tell you if your phone will be affected.
Did your car make the list?
Newer cars are adapting 4G and 5G connectivity for safety and convenience features. That’s not to say you’ll have to ditch your 3G-only capable vehicle. In some cases, you may be able to get an update, though you may be charged for it or even face a subscription fee.
Popular car models from major manufacturers will be affected, including the 2014-2017 Acura MDX, 2013-2018 Audi A4/Allroad, 2018-2020 Honda Accord (Touring trim), all Lexus models produced from 2010-2017, Tesla Model S vehicles produced before June 2015, and the 2013-2017 Toyota Camry, among others.
Beyond phones and cars
Virtually any connected device running solely on a 3G network will be affected by the shutdown. Even with Wi-Fi support, use will be limited. The FCC lists tablets, home security, smartwatches and medical devices among the impacted groups of devices. If your 3G device uses cellular connectivity as a backup when its wired network connection goes down, it will also cease to function properly.
Some of the newest medical devices still run on 3G and even 2G networks, since they are cheaper to produce. Contact the manufacturer of your device via their official website or phone number. If you have to upgrade, make sure that 4G support is included.
The FCC’s Lifeline program can assist low-income consumers with phone and internet services with a discount. Go to fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers for more information.
The FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program provides a discount of up to $50 per month for broadband service. A one-time discount of $100 for a computer or tablet is also available.
The change is coming whether you like it or not and it’s coming soon. Start getting ready now.
🚨 What it means for you
The 3G shutdown will be far-reaching and impact a lot more than just your cellphone. If you have older internet-connected devices at home, expect at least some of them to lose important features that rely on a cell connection.
✅ Use a connected medical device? Contact your doctor or the manufacturer to check if there is any upgrade you need to make now.
✅ As with any big development in the tech world, you can bet scammers will jump on it. Be wary of emails, texts and letters from companies saying you need to take action. A reputable company will never ask for your personal details unprompted. If you receive a notification, contact the company through another means to confirm it is legitimate.
By Albert Khoury
Source: The 3G shutdown impacts more than just your phone (komando.com)
You’ve seen the light. Now what does it mean? Credit: Shutterstock / DenPhotos
Every now and again, I see a tiny dot-shaped light appear at the top of my iPhone screen. Sometimes it’s orange. Sometimes it’s green.
I never really questioned it, until one day I was like, Hmm, what if it’s important? I should probably figure this out.
Apple Support’s explanation of the orange and green iPhone dots Credit: Apple
Orange dot
The orange dot is telling you that your iPhone microphone is being used by an app. It’ll appear when you use voice memos, maybe briefly after you close out of your camera, or if you’re using any app that exclusively records your voice.
Green dot
The green dot is telling you that your iPhone camera is being used by an app. You’ll see it when opening your camera, or taking pictures on Instagram, Snapchat, or any social media app that allows you to take pictures and post them.
That’s pretty much it. Neither the orange or the green indicate anything particularly concerning. You can exhale now. Check out the Apple Support page for further details, if you want.
If you’ve just installed iOS 15 and you’re now seeing a message that says that your ‘iPhone storage almost full,’ then you’re not alone.
In fact, it seems like it’s quite a widespread problem, and the exact cause is unclear.
It’s certainly not a lack of storage space. Some affected users report having tens of gigabytes free.
So, if you’re affected by this ‘iPhone storage almost full’ bug, what should you do?
Do nothing.
Wait it out for a fix from Apple.
What you shouldn’t do is start deleting stuff because:
That doesn’t appear to fix the problem
That’s a path to data loss and more headaches
I’ve spoken to an Apple support agent contact who tells me that Apple is aware of this bug, there’s nothing that support techs can do about it, and that it’s something that Apple will need to fix as part of the iOS 15.x update.
