Tech Tips & Tricks That Actually Feel Magical – Decoding the Arcane Arts of Technology (SM)
MURS Radio is a license-free emergency communications tool hiding in the VHF spectrum that outperforms GMRS and FRS where it matters most: in forests, hills, and rural terrain. Known as the Multi-Use Radio Service, this forgotten VHF service deserves a spot in every emergency kit. Long-range communication can be critical during a grid-down emergency, and … Read more
Your old Wi-Fi router is letting you down. If you’re wondering whether a Wi-Fi 7 router upgrade is worth it, you’re not alone. We are officially living in the era of Wi-Fi 7, and tech stores are packed with routers promising blistering speeds that make your current WPA2 router look like a dinosaur. If you … Read more
There’s a persistent myth that if you run a VPN, you’re protected from hackers. So does a VPN protect you? Not the way most people think. Here’s what a VPN does and what it absolutely does not do, and why believing the myth is dangerous. What a VPN Does Well A virtual private network does … Read more
Charging your phone to 100% every night is killing your battery faster. Learn why the 20-80% rule is the right way to charge and how to make your battery last years longer.
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NordVPN — Why I’ve Stuck With It for Years When people ask me for a VPN recommendation, I give them the same answer every time: NordVPN. Not because I’m paid to say it. Not because of marketing hype. I recommend it because I’ve been using it for years, I trust it with my actual data, … Read more
I live in a very rural area. Regrettably, crime out here in the middle of nowhere keeps getting worse. My home is equipped with mutli-layer security and home automation — of which I will NOT be discussing here in detail. But I do follow state-of-the-art developments in the technology…my system does evolve. Here are my … Read more
If you’ve been lurking in Starlink Facebook groups or browsing Reddit’s r/Starlink community trying to figure out which plan to buy, you’ve probably come away with the impression that faster is always better — and that if you’re not paying for the highest tier available, you’re somehow leaving performance on the table. That conventional wisdom … Read more
Stop depending on surge protectors – you need a UPS instead Your Surge Protector Is Lying to You: Why Every Home Needs an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) Why so many people depend soley on surge protectors — not UPSs — escapes me. I know better. With all due respect, you should too. You’ve done the … Read more
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through our links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Home Assistant vs Hubitat: Which Local Smart Home Hub Should You Buy in 2026? Home Assistant vs Hubitat — if you’re looking for the best local smart home hub without cloud dependency, … Read more
Hubitat and Alexa have been the perfect smart home couple in my house for 3 years. Hubitat runs everything locally and fast, Alexa is just the voice. That was true until I accidentally deleted the entire integration while trying to move one Zigbee plug to Home Assistant. If your setup is broken and Alexa keeps … Read more