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Rick’s Tech Tips
You probably heard about the trouble Samsung had a few years back with the batteries in their devices exploding and/or catching fire since it was all over the news at the time.
Well, I have something to tell you: This problem isn’t limited just to Samsung devices.
Truth be told, the lithium ion battery in any device can explode and/or catch fire if the conditions are right.
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
I receive dozens of tech questions every week, and many of them ask me for advice on the best way to cover a large multi-story home with a strong and fast Wi-Fi network.
I’ve written several posts about this very topic over the years, and the solution that I recommend tends to depend on the state of wireless technology at that particular point in time.
I recently had the opportunity to check out the amazing Netgear Orbi Tri-band WiFi system, and I can tell you that this is an excellent solution for ensuring that every room in your home has a strong and super-fast Wi-Fi connection to the Internet.
The Orbi system is extremely powerful, yet dead-simple to set up. Simply connect the Orbi base station router to your modem, then place the satellite unit in a central location in your home and set up your Wi-Fi network using the simple browser-based setup utility.
Here’s a very short video that demonstrates exactly what you can expect after installing an Orbi mesh WiFi system in your home: [Read more…]
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Question from Angela: Rick, I have a question about extended warranties.
I bought a new laptop last Saturday and as the cashier was ringing me up she tried her best to talk me into buying a 2 year extended warranty for almost $100.
I paid just a little over $300 for the laptop and $100 seemed excessive to me, so I declined.
Do you think I made the right decision? I have up to 30 days to change my mind and go back and buy it.
Rick’s answer: Angela, this is only my personal opinion and plenty of folks will disagree, but I think you made exactly the right choice in declining the extended warranty. [Read more…]
As you probably know, Facebook is a haven for crooks and scammers due to its massive 2+ billion world-wide user base.
An old Facebook scam that exploits the trust and love people have for their family members is once again making the rounds, and it’s easy to fall for this one if you aren’t careful.
There are subtle variations of the scam, but it typically works something like this: [Read more…]
Question from Helen: I have an account with a popular online business forum and I’ve forgotten my password.
I can still log in because Chrome has stored the password, but I’m afraid something will happen and the password will disappear on me.
Even though the password is saved I can’t read it because all it shows is a bunch of asterisks.
I tried resetting the password by clicking the “Forgot Password?” link, but it isn’t working.
Is there any way to retrieve my current password from Chrome or am I just out of luck? [Read more…]