Category Archives: How-To

SmartRG network hard drive – SAMBA version too old

The SmartRG router (supplied by Sonic ISP) has the option of mounting a hard drive for access by all computers on the network via the SAMBA protocol. But the SmartRG router supplied has an old version of the SAMBA protocol, … Continue reading

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Temporary fix for updating external HPFS/NTFS/exFAT hard drive’s permissions so Plex can access

When I plugged in my external hard drive that was on Windows to a Linux machine (Raspberry Pi 3), it was automatically mounted at /media/brian/Brian-HD, but the permissions were drw- — — 1 brian brian. I needed Plex to be able … Continue reading

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Factory Resetting Nexlux LED Light Strip

The Nexlux LED Strip Lights sold on Amazon have a confusing set of “How to restore factory settings?” instructions First, to add a device, install their app (Magic Home Pro app on Google Play or Magic Home WiFi on App Store) and … Continue reading

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Saving Tree Style Tabs into Bookmarks with Firefox

On Firefox, my favorite add-on is Tree Style Tabs (download), because you can see all of your tabs and their names tabs have hierarchy (parent > children > grandchildren) Once you use it, you will always want to use it, especially … Continue reading

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NAT Loopback on Xfinity

The current Xfinity routers (end of 2017) do not support NAT Loopback and have no options for enabling NAT Loopback. What is NAT Loopack? NAT Loopback or Hairpinning is when Device_A behind a router tries to access another Device_B behind … Continue reading

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Plex loading local subtitles

Plex tends to do a good job of loading local subtitle files (usually .srt) and it can even automatically load subtitles for you [2]. But sometimes, it will not load a file that is in your directory with your video … Continue reading

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Nextcloud Snap Installation

The Nextcloud installation page has two sets of instructions now: automatic and manual. Previously on this website, I have described the manual steps to setting up Nextcloud. It is a good learning experience and worth a try, but even better is … Continue reading

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Setting up the Etekcity WiFi Smart Plug with the VeSync app and 2.4 GHz connection

The Etekcity WiFi Smart Plug Mini Outlet with Energy Monitoring (2 Pack), Works with Amazon Alexa Echo, No Hub Required, 1 Minute to Set Up, White is a good smart outlet. It goes for about $30 for a pair [1]. … Continue reading

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UPnP on Plex

Getting your Plex server to use UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) will increase speeds, along with allowing it to run on more clients. For example, one Smart TV’s Plex app did not work until UPnP was enabled on the server’s … Continue reading

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A Cruise Vacation’s not obvious and not needed essentials

These are all of the things I wanted when I was on my last cruise. You can decide what will help you on your next cruise. Offline Data Offline map of your ports will be helpful when you are walking … Continue reading

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