Christmas is coming and with the present state of the economy people are looking into getting some of their old hardware cleaned up and reused. The used / refurbished laptop market is booming! The problems that we in the IT industry keep having are the same as usual. The biggest roadblock on a reload is that no on knows where their software / license keys went. Luckily, for O/S reloads that's not as bad as it used to be. Most manufacturers have been integrating the OEM keys into the BIOS! So now all we need is a good ISO or flash drive with whatever O/S your unit came with and we're good to go (Windows 8/10 units only - I've never seen a PC with 7 have this)! The other huge benefit is Microsoft letting Windows 7/8 users go to 10 for free. This is great and now we have an O/S, but what about the software we need to actually use it? Here's a list of our picks for free software to replace those lost / nonexistent packages:
Our Choice for the Best Free Antivirus:
Yup you guessed it - Bitdefender
Our reasoning was as follows:
Low Resource footprint
One of the highest detection rates
Free - no bloatware
The only thing I didn't like about it was the non optional free registration. It's a PITA for IT people installing it for customers.
OK, so you have your shiny new and no cost antivirus - you're safe right? Wrong. No Antivirus / Malware suite is 100% flawless. There a re a lot of Zero day threats and browser hijacks that make it impossible to catch everything. To help combat that we've been adding this: Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Protection for web browsers. This works alongside your antivirus to help keep your computer clean and malware free.
Another option that deserves honorable mention is the Comodo security suite. It's free for private / commercial use (yes you heard that right - it's even free for businesses!), it works very well (it's a little too picky if anything - think old school zone alarm picky), & it doesn't plaster you with harassment to upgrade to the paid version. In our tests. Bitdefender had lower resource utilization and a more accurate detection rate. But, Comodo has a firewall built-in and a number of other security features not found in most of the other free packages.
Our Choice for a Productivity Suite:
LibreOffice
or
OpenOffice.org
So, What's the difference? The answer is not much. LibreOffice is a fork of OpenOffice. They are very similar and function very much the same. They are both great packages and really it's a matter of preference. I liked the installer / less bloated feel to LibreOffice vs OpenOffice. They are both very good free alternatives for M$ Office.
Photo Editing / Organization:
Picasa
This is a great no-frills app to organize, edit, & share your photos. The interface is clean and it has a great feature set.
Browser:
This is a huge debate and is entirely a matter of preference. I'm leaning toward Edge and Firefox ATM. I was a die hard Chrome fanboy, but this last update effectively nerfing Squid proxy authentication was the last straw. In our tests Edge was the fastest, followed by Chrome, then Firefox. The major pitfall for Edge is the lack of addons. Both Chrome and Firefox have them in droves. Our favorites are: LastPass, Adblock/Adguard, & WOT.
Gaming:
Steam & Origin
They both have free games (origin gives away about 6-8 per year) & have great interfaces, but I tend to lean toward Steam. They have a huge content library and with sites like Humble Bundle & Bundle Stars selling keys for a little bit of nothing; it makes it easy to amass a huge game library.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
Firewalls, UTM's, & Bears - Oh My!
As most of us in the industry know: Microsoft is not longer going to be supporting TMG 2010... sort of. They will be continuing to supply security updates and definition updates until 2020 for current subscribers. Unfortunately they will no longer be selling it and supporting/taking on new customers. TMG is a really great UTM and works like a champ! It's rock solid for the most part but fails in a couple of areas:
1. Reporting - Yes you can get reports out of it, but they are hard to read and just plain a PITA to generate anything with specifics.
2. Malware / Antivirus Integration - Again, it's there and works... sort of. It's not the best engine for either and requires a subscription that will no longer be available.
3. ISP Fail-over / Load Balancing - If you have a DHCP or PPPoE connection this needs a bunch of scheduled power shell scripts to work properly. The problem I have with this is that our local ISP's assign our static IP addresses in a odd manner. You must be configured for DHCP and they take care of it by MAC Address on their end. Yup - PITA!
Now the areas where TMG really shines:
1. Firewall - It's a very good SPI firewall with NAT and it's rock solid. The rule ordering takes a minute to figure out, but after that it's cake!
2. Reverse Proxy - The built-in wizards do most of the work and handle web servers and Exchange with no problem at all. You can even do per domain forwarding.
Note: This function is native to Windows Server 2012 IIS now!
3. Per User Rules and Authentication - Single Sign-on and smooth sailing!
4. Proxy Client - The proxy client helps out non-proxy aware apps and routes them throught the TMG gateway with the user's auth information.
I'm not going to list the rest of the great features this product has but, it works like a champ and is still one of the best UTM's out there.
I've been doing a lot of work lately and I've trimmed the list down to (3) options. I had very specific criteria that I had to meet. It's my opinion that these options are 100% necessary anymore, but i'm sure that some people don't need the features.
Criteria:
1. Authenticate with our active directory forest
2. Have per user and per group policies
3. Be able to do content filtering per user / group
4. Be a very good SPI Firewall
5. SPEED!!!!!! (Our current TMG drops about 15 MBPS off our speed)
6. Integrated Anti-Virus and Malware Protection
7. Easy to use, read, & schedule reporting
8. Support multiple "Zones" (DMZ, WiFi, LAN, etc.)
9. Support UPS Shutdown / Startup
The Hardware We Will be Using:
1u Rackable Server
2 x Xeon Quad Core CPU's
8 GB DDR3 ECC RAM
1 x 120 GB O/S Drive
1 x 320 GB Log Drive
Dual Intel GB Server NIC's (Onboard)
1 x Intel Quad Server NIC (PCI-e x 8)
(Yes I know it's overkill but, you can snag them cheap!)
The TMG Alternatives:
1. PFSense - This UTM is very easy to install and a bear to configure. Plus, the update to 2.2 breaks a whole bunch of functionality. At this point if you stick to 2.1, read the forums, know Linux, & have the patience of Job; this will work for you. The Squid LDAP Authentication doesn't work properly without a lot of messing around so, you have to drop to the command prompt and install SAMBA & Heimdal for NTLM Authentication. There are a lot of great walk through's on their forum on how to accomplish this. LDAP does work in SquidGuard and PfSense itself and the VPN authenticates perfectly with it. Also, HAVP w/ ClamAV works but needs some tweaking. The overall speed is very good and the firewall works perfectly! Next I added SNORT & it works out of the box and has a great interface. For content filtering, I tested both SquidGuard & Dansguardian. Both packages worked properly and the customization / group policies worked fine. It's worth mentioning that the ISP fail-over worked like a champ.
Summary: I was able to get PfSense up and running, but it was painful. Only about 50% of the packages work out of the box. The rest (AKA the useful ones) need extensive tweaking / modification. After it was up and running, It worked perfectly and was rock solid. I ended up getting rid of it b/c the updates completely nerf the whole thing and I knew that at some point I would click the update button. That and i'm not a huge BSD fan. This firewall distro isn't for the faint of heart and it'll test both your skills and patience.
2. DIY Firewall / UTM based on Ubuntu or CEntOS - This was the second thing I tried after my PfSense frustration. The benefit to this system was that I could upgrade / update it fairly painlessly and It was in a more familiar environment. This setup fell short of what I was looking for. The speed was excellent, the compatibility was there, & installation was cake. What I didn't like was the lack of a good GUI (and don't webmin me - seriously just stop), the ISP fail-over requires a script scheduled with CRON (Just Like TMG), & it was a lot more resource heavy than the other options I tried.
Summary: Lots and lots of options, easy to install, great speed, & easy to upgrade. The bad: You have to manually do everything, lots of CRON jobs, scripting, & there's no real GUI.
3. Endian Community / Paid - This is my favorite UTM distro and what we're going to be running. First, i'll start with the bad. You MUST INSTALL FROM A CD!!! This is stupid. Most of the 1U servers don't have an optical drive and if I was starting from scratch with an Atom build I wouldn't add one. Luckily I had an old USB DVD laying around and after I got that all taken care of (which I should have done in the first place instead of wasting an hour screwing around with thumb drives) installation was cake and very smooth. The GUI config package setup is a cake walk. The ISP redundancy was simple and menu driven, NTLM authentication worked perfectly the first time (I almost fainted!), & the firewall rules are simple. It looks like they used Squid/SquidGuard/I-CAP/ClamAV for their proxying. Here's a huge difference in this vs ANY other package: You can have authenticated and transparent proxying on different interfaces!!!!!!! That's awesome. I can keep my LAN safe and logged & have my "Public" zone filtered and AV/Malware protected!
Summary: I love and am currently running this distro. The ease of administration / updating / expanding this system make it an excellent option IMO.
What I took away from this experience was this: If you are currently running TMG and you're happy with it - Leave it alone! There are a number of add-ons etc. for it and it just works. If you are looking at building a very inexpensive / light weight UTM, then Endian should be your next look.
1. Reporting - Yes you can get reports out of it, but they are hard to read and just plain a PITA to generate anything with specifics.
2. Malware / Antivirus Integration - Again, it's there and works... sort of. It's not the best engine for either and requires a subscription that will no longer be available.
3. ISP Fail-over / Load Balancing - If you have a DHCP or PPPoE connection this needs a bunch of scheduled power shell scripts to work properly. The problem I have with this is that our local ISP's assign our static IP addresses in a odd manner. You must be configured for DHCP and they take care of it by MAC Address on their end. Yup - PITA!
Now the areas where TMG really shines:
1. Firewall - It's a very good SPI firewall with NAT and it's rock solid. The rule ordering takes a minute to figure out, but after that it's cake!
2. Reverse Proxy - The built-in wizards do most of the work and handle web servers and Exchange with no problem at all. You can even do per domain forwarding.
Note: This function is native to Windows Server 2012 IIS now!
3. Per User Rules and Authentication - Single Sign-on and smooth sailing!
4. Proxy Client - The proxy client helps out non-proxy aware apps and routes them throught the TMG gateway with the user's auth information.
I'm not going to list the rest of the great features this product has but, it works like a champ and is still one of the best UTM's out there.
I've been doing a lot of work lately and I've trimmed the list down to (3) options. I had very specific criteria that I had to meet. It's my opinion that these options are 100% necessary anymore, but i'm sure that some people don't need the features.
Criteria:
1. Authenticate with our active directory forest
2. Have per user and per group policies
3. Be able to do content filtering per user / group
4. Be a very good SPI Firewall
5. SPEED!!!!!! (Our current TMG drops about 15 MBPS off our speed)
6. Integrated Anti-Virus and Malware Protection
7. Easy to use, read, & schedule reporting
8. Support multiple "Zones" (DMZ, WiFi, LAN, etc.)
9. Support UPS Shutdown / Startup
The Hardware We Will be Using:
1u Rackable Server
2 x Xeon Quad Core CPU's
8 GB DDR3 ECC RAM
1 x 120 GB O/S Drive
1 x 320 GB Log Drive
Dual Intel GB Server NIC's (Onboard)
1 x Intel Quad Server NIC (PCI-e x 8)
(Yes I know it's overkill but, you can snag them cheap!)
The TMG Alternatives:
1. PFSense - This UTM is very easy to install and a bear to configure. Plus, the update to 2.2 breaks a whole bunch of functionality. At this point if you stick to 2.1, read the forums, know Linux, & have the patience of Job; this will work for you. The Squid LDAP Authentication doesn't work properly without a lot of messing around so, you have to drop to the command prompt and install SAMBA & Heimdal for NTLM Authentication. There are a lot of great walk through's on their forum on how to accomplish this. LDAP does work in SquidGuard and PfSense itself and the VPN authenticates perfectly with it. Also, HAVP w/ ClamAV works but needs some tweaking. The overall speed is very good and the firewall works perfectly! Next I added SNORT & it works out of the box and has a great interface. For content filtering, I tested both SquidGuard & Dansguardian. Both packages worked properly and the customization / group policies worked fine. It's worth mentioning that the ISP fail-over worked like a champ.
Summary: I was able to get PfSense up and running, but it was painful. Only about 50% of the packages work out of the box. The rest (AKA the useful ones) need extensive tweaking / modification. After it was up and running, It worked perfectly and was rock solid. I ended up getting rid of it b/c the updates completely nerf the whole thing and I knew that at some point I would click the update button. That and i'm not a huge BSD fan. This firewall distro isn't for the faint of heart and it'll test both your skills and patience.
2. DIY Firewall / UTM based on Ubuntu or CEntOS - This was the second thing I tried after my PfSense frustration. The benefit to this system was that I could upgrade / update it fairly painlessly and It was in a more familiar environment. This setup fell short of what I was looking for. The speed was excellent, the compatibility was there, & installation was cake. What I didn't like was the lack of a good GUI (and don't webmin me - seriously just stop), the ISP fail-over requires a script scheduled with CRON (Just Like TMG), & it was a lot more resource heavy than the other options I tried.
Summary: Lots and lots of options, easy to install, great speed, & easy to upgrade. The bad: You have to manually do everything, lots of CRON jobs, scripting, & there's no real GUI.
3. Endian Community / Paid - This is my favorite UTM distro and what we're going to be running. First, i'll start with the bad. You MUST INSTALL FROM A CD!!! This is stupid. Most of the 1U servers don't have an optical drive and if I was starting from scratch with an Atom build I wouldn't add one. Luckily I had an old USB DVD laying around and after I got that all taken care of (which I should have done in the first place instead of wasting an hour screwing around with thumb drives) installation was cake and very smooth. The GUI config package setup is a cake walk. The ISP redundancy was simple and menu driven, NTLM authentication worked perfectly the first time (I almost fainted!), & the firewall rules are simple. It looks like they used Squid/SquidGuard/I-CAP/ClamAV for their proxying. Here's a huge difference in this vs ANY other package: You can have authenticated and transparent proxying on different interfaces!!!!!!! That's awesome. I can keep my LAN safe and logged & have my "Public" zone filtered and AV/Malware protected!
Summary: I love and am currently running this distro. The ease of administration / updating / expanding this system make it an excellent option IMO.
What I took away from this experience was this: If you are currently running TMG and you're happy with it - Leave it alone! There are a number of add-ons etc. for it and it just works. If you are looking at building a very inexpensive / light weight UTM, then Endian should be your next look.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Alternative Cell Providers - Save Money!
I wanted to get this out there for those that don't know and update those that do. As we all know, the classic cell providers are still doing to us what the cable companies of old did: over charge us and nickel and dime us to death. Then there's the iron clad - murder your wallet if you think about canceling early contracts. Most of you are familiar with NET10 & StraitTalk but, they aren't the only other players! I'm going to list a few alternatives and my thoughts on each.
1. RedPocket Mobile - These guys are a great alternative if you already have an AT&T phone. You order their SIM, call or activate online, and you're done.
The Good:
They'll port your phone number.
They have the exact same AT&T Service you're used to.
Their pricing structure is very competitive.
They aren't cancel happy if you stream a bit.
They offer up to 3GB @ 4G then throttle it to 2G and it's still unlimited usage.
Both setup and cancellation are quick and painless.
They offer auto renew via paypal!
They now have CDMA & GSM Support!
The Bad:
Technical support isn't real great and their command of the English language leaves much to be desired. Luckily I only had to call once.
Their phone offerings aren't the best. I BYOD my phone so it wasn't an issue.
They do have a reasonable use clause in there about the data usage. I never had an issue in the year I was with them. I'm betting if you're not stupid and stream movies over 3/4G you'll be fine.
You can only get their SIMs online. You can order them direct, from ebay, or buy them on Amazon.
2. Republic Wireless -
The good:
Their Plans!
$10 for unlimited talk/text over cell and unlimited Data over WiFi
Number porting from your existing cell service.
The Bad:
It looks a lot like sprint coverage... so a bit of roaming in our area.
You have to buy their phone.
3. Strait Talk & Net10
The good:
They both have decent rates.
Verizon Coverage (CDMA) & AT&T (GSM) Coverage available
CDMA Service now available!
They can port over your number
The Bad:
They can both be a little cancel happy if you're "abusing" the "unlimited" data
Note: As long as you're not streaming movies you'll be fine.
For GSM phones you'll need a SIM - they are about $10 @ Walmart
You may also have to pay a $7.99 fee to activate your phone.
"Unlimited" Data means 2-3GB @ 3/4G and the rest at 2G - Still not too shabby for the price!
1. RedPocket Mobile - These guys are a great alternative if you already have an AT&T phone. You order their SIM, call or activate online, and you're done.
The Good:
They'll port your phone number.
They have the exact same AT&T Service you're used to.
Their pricing structure is very competitive.
They aren't cancel happy if you stream a bit.
They offer up to 3GB @ 4G then throttle it to 2G and it's still unlimited usage.
Both setup and cancellation are quick and painless.
They offer auto renew via paypal!
They now have CDMA & GSM Support!
The Bad:
Technical support isn't real great and their command of the English language leaves much to be desired. Luckily I only had to call once.
Their phone offerings aren't the best. I BYOD my phone so it wasn't an issue.
They do have a reasonable use clause in there about the data usage. I never had an issue in the year I was with them. I'm betting if you're not stupid and stream movies over 3/4G you'll be fine.
You can only get their SIMs online. You can order them direct, from ebay, or buy them on Amazon.
2. Republic Wireless -
The good:
Their Plans!
$10 for unlimited talk/text over cell and unlimited Data over WiFi
Number porting from your existing cell service.
The Bad:
It looks a lot like sprint coverage... so a bit of roaming in our area.
You have to buy their phone.
3. Strait Talk & Net10
The good:
They both have decent rates.
Verizon Coverage (CDMA) & AT&T (GSM) Coverage available
CDMA Service now available!
They can port over your number
The Bad:
They can both be a little cancel happy if you're "abusing" the "unlimited" data
Note: As long as you're not streaming movies you'll be fine.
For GSM phones you'll need a SIM - they are about $10 @ Walmart
You may also have to pay a $7.99 fee to activate your phone.
"Unlimited" Data means 2-3GB @ 3/4G and the rest at 2G - Still not too shabby for the price!
Monday, April 6, 2015
Wireless Network Hardware - Best for the Money!
I wanted to go over some of our top wireless hardware picks. You'll notice a lot of Ubiquiti love. They make some of the best equipment in general let alone at the price point.
Wireless Access Point:
G/N/Overall: Ubiquiti PicoStation M2HP
AC: Ubiquiti UniFi AC
Cheap / Retro Fit: Cisco E1200 Router
Outdoor: Ubiquiti Rocket 5GHZ (or 2.4) w/ Sector Antenna (also available in 2.4)
Notes: AC is awesome, but unless you have hardware that can utilize it there isn't really any point. The PicoStation's get a little warm but their range and speed are second to none. The E1200 has the wonderful benefit of being a $15 wireless G/N. Plus you can add DD-WRT for more functionality. The E1200 is a router but you can use it as an AP with either firmware.
The Rocket Units are really great. They have excellent range and speed, but can be kinda rough to program initially. After you get them setup properly they are bullet proof. The Sector Antenna is semi-directional. If you're looking for an omni-directional solution you need this antenna (also available in 2.4).
Routers:
Wired: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite-3
Wireless G/N: Budget New: Ubiquiti Air Router, Budget Used: Cisco WRT-610N
Wireless AC: Netgear Nighthawk AC1900
Cheap: Cisco E1200 Router
Notes: ATM nothing beats the Nighthawk... except the newer night hawk! That router is fast - very fast. You're definitely getting what you pay for as far as speed. Given the age of the units, it's still too early to see what kind of longevity they'll have. I've personally not had good luck with Netgear anything living much past the end of it's warranty but, I haven't seen any bad reviews on the Nighthawk yet.
If you're building a small high performance network: the EdgeRouter is the router for you. It is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) SMB routers out there. This little unit is wired only. I prefer that in a business / performance environment. It takes the WiFi load off the router, removes the reconfig / reboot issues, and allows better coverage placement. I'd pair this up with a couple of PicoStations and you're in the zone!
The AirRouter and the Cisco both score pretty well in the speed department and are great overall pieces of equipment without killing the budget. A huge benefit to the Cisco is the fact that DD-WRT is readily available for it and fairly easy to install. Ubiquiti's firmware is a little rough if you've never messed with it before but, they have excellent forums and support. You'll also notice the Cisco E1200 again... because seriously, it's $15.
Wireless Bridge:
Best: Ubiquiti Air Fiber
Least Expensive: Ubiquiti NanoBeam
AP/Bridge Solution: Outdoor: Ubiquiti Rocket 5GHZ (or 2.4) w/ Sector Antenna (also available in 2.4)
Notes: The Air fiber is incredible! Putting it bluntly: It goes stupid fast. It's less expensive than it's peers from other companies, but at $1500 per unit it's a little cost prohibitive - unless you need it. The NanoBeam's are really inexpensive, have amazing range, and have good WiFi speeds. If you need to have an AP in the mix you can use a pair of Rockets or a Rocket and a NanoBeam mix.
A Few Notes About 5GHZ vs 2.4GHZ:
1. You cannot mix them or their antennas.
2. 5GHZ is faster and gets less interference than 2.4GHZ.
3. 2.4GHZ usually has a bit longer range.
4. Omni-Directional Antenna's have less range than directional.
There's too many solution to include them all! If you need a custom system - contact us (Facebook, Google plus etc.) and we'll do our best to help you.
Wireless Access Point:
G/N/Overall: Ubiquiti PicoStation M2HP
AC: Ubiquiti UniFi AC
Cheap / Retro Fit: Cisco E1200 Router
Outdoor: Ubiquiti Rocket 5GHZ (or 2.4) w/ Sector Antenna (also available in 2.4)
Notes: AC is awesome, but unless you have hardware that can utilize it there isn't really any point. The PicoStation's get a little warm but their range and speed are second to none. The E1200 has the wonderful benefit of being a $15 wireless G/N. Plus you can add DD-WRT for more functionality. The E1200 is a router but you can use it as an AP with either firmware.
The Rocket Units are really great. They have excellent range and speed, but can be kinda rough to program initially. After you get them setup properly they are bullet proof. The Sector Antenna is semi-directional. If you're looking for an omni-directional solution you need this antenna (also available in 2.4).
Routers:
Wired: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite-3
Wireless G/N: Budget New: Ubiquiti Air Router, Budget Used: Cisco WRT-610N
Wireless AC: Netgear Nighthawk AC1900
Cheap: Cisco E1200 Router
Notes: ATM nothing beats the Nighthawk... except the newer night hawk! That router is fast - very fast. You're definitely getting what you pay for as far as speed. Given the age of the units, it's still too early to see what kind of longevity they'll have. I've personally not had good luck with Netgear anything living much past the end of it's warranty but, I haven't seen any bad reviews on the Nighthawk yet.
If you're building a small high performance network: the EdgeRouter is the router for you. It is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) SMB routers out there. This little unit is wired only. I prefer that in a business / performance environment. It takes the WiFi load off the router, removes the reconfig / reboot issues, and allows better coverage placement. I'd pair this up with a couple of PicoStations and you're in the zone!
The AirRouter and the Cisco both score pretty well in the speed department and are great overall pieces of equipment without killing the budget. A huge benefit to the Cisco is the fact that DD-WRT is readily available for it and fairly easy to install. Ubiquiti's firmware is a little rough if you've never messed with it before but, they have excellent forums and support. You'll also notice the Cisco E1200 again... because seriously, it's $15.
Wireless Bridge:
Best: Ubiquiti Air Fiber
Least Expensive: Ubiquiti NanoBeam
AP/Bridge Solution: Outdoor: Ubiquiti Rocket 5GHZ (or 2.4) w/ Sector Antenna (also available in 2.4)
Notes: The Air fiber is incredible! Putting it bluntly: It goes stupid fast. It's less expensive than it's peers from other companies, but at $1500 per unit it's a little cost prohibitive - unless you need it. The NanoBeam's are really inexpensive, have amazing range, and have good WiFi speeds. If you need to have an AP in the mix you can use a pair of Rockets or a Rocket and a NanoBeam mix.
A Few Notes About 5GHZ vs 2.4GHZ:
1. You cannot mix them or their antennas.
2. 5GHZ is faster and gets less interference than 2.4GHZ.
3. 2.4GHZ usually has a bit longer range.
4. Omni-Directional Antenna's have less range than directional.
There's too many solution to include them all! If you need a custom system - contact us (Facebook, Google plus etc.) and we'll do our best to help you.
Home Network Setup & Cutting The Cable
I just did some updates to my home network and I wanted to share my latest setup.
Internet Service:
Time Warner Cable - 20/2 MBPS (free upgrade from 15/2 - always re-negotiate about a month after your current promotion expires!)
Cable Modem:
Motorola SB6121 Docsis 3.0
Notes: I use this modem specifically because it doesn't have a router or WAP. I had an all-in-1 but, as we know: most all-in-1's don't really do any of their functions as well as the individual components. I also use my own modem to skip out on paying the rental fee my ISP charges. You'll have to call them and get the MAC address switched for your account if you already had a modem.
Router:
Cisco / Linksys WRT-610N v2
Notes: The v2 version of this router has more RAM so try to get that one. I flashed mine with dd-wrt and I haven't looked back! That said, if you're not tech savvy - you can leave the Cisco firmware, but be sure to upgrade it to it's latest version. It's also good to configure both the 2.4 GHZ and 5GHZ. I have mine setup with 802.11G ONLY on the 2.4 GHZ and Channel 5 and I have the 5GHZ setup N ONLY. I have Unique SSID's setup for both modes. I don't use the WiFi in my router that often. I have other AP's that are closer to their targets. I also don't use the other integrated service (NAS etc.) They have a huge performance hit and I have other devices for that. You can see the dd-wrt install instructions here.
Switch:
Cisco / Linksys 8 Port Gigabit Switch
Notes: This is the best bang for your buck (IMO). I have this in my workbench area as this is where most of my hardware lives. I have my main PC, VOIP, & Streaming Xbox 360 connected to the gigabit switch in the router.
AP2:
Cisco E1200 v2 Router
Notes: Now, This isn't a bad router. In fact, it's the first router I had AD (After Divorce). It has full on N and works like a champ (no 5GHZ though). I have it running N/G mixed mode in 2.4GHZ on Channel 6 - 20MHZ, dd-wrt, and a guest network setup jailed to the free version of sputnik (it's built into dd-wrt). Again - I got the v2 b/c it has more RAM but the v1 would be fine in this case. You can see how to configure dd-wrt as an AP here. You can see the dd-wrt install instructions here. This unit handles a large part of my WiFi traffic. It feeds my bedroom TV's Amazon Fire Stick, my laptop, the cell phone, tablets, & my guests.
AP3:
Cisco E1200 v2 Router
Notes: LOL! These things are cheap and work like a champ! I have a second unit feeding my Amazon Fire TV and living room. It's in N ONLY mode 40 MHZ Upper. So, no channel overlap! It's overkill but, I don't like buffering... and like I said it's cheap.
VOIP:
Obi100 w/ Google Voice as the provider.
Notes: This thing isn't the easiest to configure. You can see a decent walk-through here. After configuration, this thing is solid as a rock! This is one piece of hardware that is truly " Set it and Forget it". Pairing it up with Google voice means that every analog phone in my home is lit up and can make free telephone calls! I did have to Static Lease this unit and add it to the DMZ in the main router b/c I had some connectivity issues during initial setup. Obihai has since updated their firmware and I don't think that's necessary any more.
Phone:
Panasonic KX-TGE233B Dect 6.0 w/ integrated answering machine
Notes: I picked this unit based on price and features. The Uniden and V-Tech equivalents seem to have better battery life and are a bit louder. That said, this unit has served me well and it was cheap.
NAS:
Synology DS150j
Notes: I had an Intel NAS that grew legs AD. It worked well but, it had limits (no RAID0 or JBOD as the biggest PITA's). I acquired one of these Synology units and a pair of 2 TB Seagate NAS drives really cheap so, I wasn't expecting much. Yup, I was totally wrong! This unit consistently out performs the Intel and I have it in RAID 1 w/ an external USB 2TB backup drive. It has amazing speed, a great interface, and tons of free apps and plugins! It's also easy to setup shares and the security settings are very intuitive. It also has a DLNA media server built in for your videos. I keep a PC Image, picture, home videos, and software installations on mine and it's perfect.
Streaming Devices:
Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire TV, & an Xbox 360
Notes: My living room TV is powered by the Amazon Fire TV (Full Size), my office by the Xbox 360, and my bedroom by the Amazon Fire Stick. They all have Netflix, Crunchy Roll, Crackle, & Kodi (everything but the 360). You can open up the 360 steaming options with playon and some of it's plugins.
Power Protection:
(3) APC Smart Strips, (2) APC Standard Surge Proctors, & (2) APC 550VA UPS Units
Notes: I have (1) UPS on the master router / cable modem - (1) UPS on the Switch / NAS / AP setup, & the smart strip on the TV / Fire TV setup. I have the 2nd AP and the upstairs TV's on the electronics grade APC surge protectors. I also have my PC and Bench area on an APC Smart Strip each.
Summary:
IMO this is a really good setup (LOL - If not the best) w/ lots of options. I used inexpensive commodity hardware and I've been able to get excellent speed and resiliency. This is just 1 way to "cut the cord" and have an amazing network at home. Here is the wiring diagram for my setup:
Cable Modem --> Cisco Router --> Switch --> AP1 --> Fire TV
--> PC --> AP2 --> Guest Network
--> VOIP --> Bedroom Fire TV Stick
--> Xbox 360 --> Main WiFi
--> Bench PC's
--> NAS
Total Monthly Cost for Internet, TV, & Home Phone: $57.98 (including Netflix)
I get asked constantly about what I'm running: people want to duplicate my setup and speed. The real secret is the gigabit and wireless N (AC would be better but, it's cost prohibitive at this point). I could also have used less AP's. I have them split like that specifically for load balancing / WiFi coverage. I use routers in lieu of AP's b/c they generally have better processors and more RAM so, better speed all around.
Some of our followers will notice that i'm not running a playon / Plex server w/ Roku units anymore. I did this b/c the Fire TV units don't need it, have a better interface (Kodi), are faster, and I don't have to run a PC. I'm also saving electricity and I don't have the "Windows Update Factor" messing with my streaming.
FYI: I linked all the parts from Amazon. You don't have to get them from there. Sometimes you can snag a great deal on eBay or Newegg, just to name a couple. You need to shop around for the best deals. I'm a huge Amazon fan-boy (esp. with Prime!) and they are easy to deal with but, they don't always have the best deal.
Internet Service:
Time Warner Cable - 20/2 MBPS (free upgrade from 15/2 - always re-negotiate about a month after your current promotion expires!)
Cable Modem:
Motorola SB6121 Docsis 3.0
Notes: I use this modem specifically because it doesn't have a router or WAP. I had an all-in-1 but, as we know: most all-in-1's don't really do any of their functions as well as the individual components. I also use my own modem to skip out on paying the rental fee my ISP charges. You'll have to call them and get the MAC address switched for your account if you already had a modem.
Router:
Cisco / Linksys WRT-610N v2
Notes: The v2 version of this router has more RAM so try to get that one. I flashed mine with dd-wrt and I haven't looked back! That said, if you're not tech savvy - you can leave the Cisco firmware, but be sure to upgrade it to it's latest version. It's also good to configure both the 2.4 GHZ and 5GHZ. I have mine setup with 802.11G ONLY on the 2.4 GHZ and Channel 5 and I have the 5GHZ setup N ONLY. I have Unique SSID's setup for both modes. I don't use the WiFi in my router that often. I have other AP's that are closer to their targets. I also don't use the other integrated service (NAS etc.) They have a huge performance hit and I have other devices for that. You can see the dd-wrt install instructions here.
Switch:
Cisco / Linksys 8 Port Gigabit Switch
Notes: This is the best bang for your buck (IMO). I have this in my workbench area as this is where most of my hardware lives. I have my main PC, VOIP, & Streaming Xbox 360 connected to the gigabit switch in the router.
AP2:
Cisco E1200 v2 Router
Notes: Now, This isn't a bad router. In fact, it's the first router I had AD (After Divorce). It has full on N and works like a champ (no 5GHZ though). I have it running N/G mixed mode in 2.4GHZ on Channel 6 - 20MHZ, dd-wrt, and a guest network setup jailed to the free version of sputnik (it's built into dd-wrt). Again - I got the v2 b/c it has more RAM but the v1 would be fine in this case. You can see how to configure dd-wrt as an AP here. You can see the dd-wrt install instructions here. This unit handles a large part of my WiFi traffic. It feeds my bedroom TV's Amazon Fire Stick, my laptop, the cell phone, tablets, & my guests.
AP3:
Cisco E1200 v2 Router
Notes: LOL! These things are cheap and work like a champ! I have a second unit feeding my Amazon Fire TV and living room. It's in N ONLY mode 40 MHZ Upper. So, no channel overlap! It's overkill but, I don't like buffering... and like I said it's cheap.
VOIP:
Obi100 w/ Google Voice as the provider.
Notes: This thing isn't the easiest to configure. You can see a decent walk-through here. After configuration, this thing is solid as a rock! This is one piece of hardware that is truly " Set it and Forget it". Pairing it up with Google voice means that every analog phone in my home is lit up and can make free telephone calls! I did have to Static Lease this unit and add it to the DMZ in the main router b/c I had some connectivity issues during initial setup. Obihai has since updated their firmware and I don't think that's necessary any more.
Phone:
Panasonic KX-TGE233B Dect 6.0 w/ integrated answering machine
Notes: I picked this unit based on price and features. The Uniden and V-Tech equivalents seem to have better battery life and are a bit louder. That said, this unit has served me well and it was cheap.
NAS:
Synology DS150j
Notes: I had an Intel NAS that grew legs AD. It worked well but, it had limits (no RAID0 or JBOD as the biggest PITA's). I acquired one of these Synology units and a pair of 2 TB Seagate NAS drives really cheap so, I wasn't expecting much. Yup, I was totally wrong! This unit consistently out performs the Intel and I have it in RAID 1 w/ an external USB 2TB backup drive. It has amazing speed, a great interface, and tons of free apps and plugins! It's also easy to setup shares and the security settings are very intuitive. It also has a DLNA media server built in for your videos. I keep a PC Image, picture, home videos, and software installations on mine and it's perfect.
Streaming Devices:
Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire TV, & an Xbox 360
Notes: My living room TV is powered by the Amazon Fire TV (Full Size), my office by the Xbox 360, and my bedroom by the Amazon Fire Stick. They all have Netflix, Crunchy Roll, Crackle, & Kodi (everything but the 360). You can open up the 360 steaming options with playon and some of it's plugins.
Power Protection:
(3) APC Smart Strips, (2) APC Standard Surge Proctors, & (2) APC 550VA UPS Units
Notes: I have (1) UPS on the master router / cable modem - (1) UPS on the Switch / NAS / AP setup, & the smart strip on the TV / Fire TV setup. I have the 2nd AP and the upstairs TV's on the electronics grade APC surge protectors. I also have my PC and Bench area on an APC Smart Strip each.
Summary:
IMO this is a really good setup (LOL - If not the best) w/ lots of options. I used inexpensive commodity hardware and I've been able to get excellent speed and resiliency. This is just 1 way to "cut the cord" and have an amazing network at home. Here is the wiring diagram for my setup:
Cable Modem --> Cisco Router --> Switch --> AP1 --> Fire TV
--> PC --> AP2 --> Guest Network
--> VOIP --> Bedroom Fire TV Stick
--> Xbox 360 --> Main WiFi
--> Bench PC's
--> NAS
Total Monthly Cost for Internet, TV, & Home Phone: $57.98 (including Netflix)
I get asked constantly about what I'm running: people want to duplicate my setup and speed. The real secret is the gigabit and wireless N (AC would be better but, it's cost prohibitive at this point). I could also have used less AP's. I have them split like that specifically for load balancing / WiFi coverage. I use routers in lieu of AP's b/c they generally have better processors and more RAM so, better speed all around.
Some of our followers will notice that i'm not running a playon / Plex server w/ Roku units anymore. I did this b/c the Fire TV units don't need it, have a better interface (Kodi), are faster, and I don't have to run a PC. I'm also saving electricity and I don't have the "Windows Update Factor" messing with my streaming.
FYI: I linked all the parts from Amazon. You don't have to get them from there. Sometimes you can snag a great deal on eBay or Newegg, just to name a couple. You need to shop around for the best deals. I'm a huge Amazon fan-boy (esp. with Prime!) and they are easy to deal with but, they don't always have the best deal.
Friday, April 3, 2015
** Article / Site Updates **
1. For ease of use we added links to our top menu for (2) of our most popular articles!
For posterity sake here are some of our most popular posts:
2015 Malware Removal Guide
Kodi Setup Guide **Constantly Updated as we figure out new stuff!**
Amazon Fire TV Guide / Review - See the Kodi Setup Guide for everything else.
Original Post
Update 1
Update 2
NOTE: Please read through all 3 posts before you start.
2. If you're using Adblock and some of the other Chrome extensions like Chris suggested: Please disable them for this blog (Adblock - Click the Icon and then click the button to disable for this site). There aren't that many ads, they are un-intrusive, & they have some really great tech deals! Thanks in advance.
3. We're now mobile friendly! The site and content is now optimized for cell phones, tablets, and other handheld devices.
For posterity sake here are some of our most popular posts:
2015 Malware Removal Guide
Kodi Setup Guide **Constantly Updated as we figure out new stuff!**
Amazon Fire TV Guide / Review - See the Kodi Setup Guide for everything else.
Original Post
Update 1
Update 2
NOTE: Please read through all 3 posts before you start.
2. If you're using Adblock and some of the other Chrome extensions like Chris suggested: Please disable them for this blog (Adblock - Click the Icon and then click the button to disable for this site). There aren't that many ads, they are un-intrusive, & they have some really great tech deals! Thanks in advance.
3. We're now mobile friendly! The site and content is now optimized for cell phones, tablets, and other handheld devices.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
XBMC / KODI A set up guide.
Ok, Kodi is awesome! Take my word on this and download it here - then install it.
A side note everything on this post assumes that you followed the set up given here , there are so many ways to set up Kodi/XBMC the info here may not work on some of the other set ups.
This article is a work in progress. I will be coming back and editing this article, adding to it as I discover new processes, find tweaks, and more.
This first set up will get you most of the really good stuff in a hurry.
The downloads page will let you know that it's available on a variety of platforms the set up is similar regardless of the platform. Just choose your platform, download it, and get it installed.
Note: If you have an i-device, you'll need to jailbreak it first and install Kodi from Cydia. This is the ONLY way to get Kodi! --P
Phase 1: Adding Fusion
After Kodi is installed, go to system --> sub menu file manager. Next, click on add source --> a box comes up wanting a path, in this box type"http://fusion.xbmchub.com". There is also a box at the bottom of the window that popped up for naming the media source. You must put something in here! Name it something apt like ".fusion". It really doesn't matter what you name it. Finally, click OK &
go back out to the main menu and into the "system" --> sub menu "settings".
Phase 2: Installing What We Need to Get Started
Under settings (near the bottom) is a button that says add-ons, click it. Next, click on the install from zip file item. This will bring up a list. Then, you need to find the source you added (it will be the name you chose). If you followed me exactly it will be ".fusion". Once you click inside your file find the folder "start here". Next, you will see a list of files. Choose plugin.program.addoninstaller-1.2.0.zip, then click it and hit OK. It will take a few seconds and you will get a message in the bottom right saying it was installed. Then, go back and do the same with plugin.video.hubwizard-1.1.9.zip. Note: The #'s may change. As before, you'll get a report in a few seconds saying it has installed. Finally. go back and install the third one as well.
Phase 3: The Setup
After they have all installed --> exit out to the main menu and go to programs -> config wizard click in and find your operating system. Most of us will be using Windows but most platforms are supported. Note: I run Kodi on my tablet and my phone (Android) as well. At this point, the config wizard will run and install the most common add-ons for each category and install their basic configuration.
Tweaks:
Now, I'm going to cover some basic set-up settings & tweaks for Genesis, this is the best plug in available(IMO) as it actually pulls its streams from many sources. It covers a lot of ground 100% on its own.
So, from the main menu go to Video --> add-ons --> find Genesis. Next, right click on it and go to Add-on settings. Then, go to the "Playback" tab. The first item is "Auto-play" tick the bubble on the right --> click OK. This will find a working stream for you and you won't have to pick from the piles of links manually when you pick a movie, which can get frustrating as there can be many dead links, this removes that issue.
Note: This only takes care of Standard Def Stuff. If you'd like to have the HD content work the same way you need to tick the HD Hosts (Might already be ticked) and HD Hosts in Auto-Play options.
OK, the next big setting for Genesis: click into Genesis --> Movies --> Genres. Now, go to the menu on the left side of the screen that pops out when your mouse gets near. At the top of that menu it says View: it usually defaults at list but it could be a few things, click on it until it says "media info". Then, right click on any movie in the list and click set Movies View. This will give you a description of the movie your mouse is on similar to how Netflix gives movie descriptions when you hover over a particular title.
Windowed mode - go to System->settings->system. top line is Display mode hit one of the arrows on the right till it says Windowed.
Leave comments or ask me on Facebook if you have questions or something is not clear.
**Update(s)**
The Awesomeness of NAVI-X
I was messing around with some of the new features that Chris found and I decided to give Navi-X another go. It's incredibly popular and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I was never able to get any of the search results etc. to work properly and it was clunky to navigate. Here's the secret:
Start Navi-X --> Start Here (Big Green Button) --> Most Viewed Last 24 Hrs --> Choose one of the sources and test out it's content. If you like it go back to the list --> Right Click on it (or options button) --> Add to Favorites. There are a ton of Live TV and Movie Streams. -P. You can also sign up on the Navi-X website and create your own links page click here.
Stopping the Twitter Feed
System --> Settings --> Addons --> Enabled Addons --> Services --> Disable Twitter
Changing the Wallpaper
Programs --> Addons - Maintenance Tool --> System Tweaks --> Wallpaper Downloads --> Pick a category --> Pick a wallpaper --> It will ask you to set the download location the first time. I used my c:\Username\Pictures folder --> ok --> After the download finishes you'll notice Kodi's background go black --> Exit Kodi and Restart it --> Voila! Your new wall paper is set!
Changing the Bottom Quick-Links
System --> Settings --> Appearance --> Skin / Settings --> Add-on Shortcuts --> Click the one you want to change and pick it's replacement!
Opinions and some general info on Add-ons
Crunchyroll (Netflix of Anime)-> If your a big anime fan or named Manny you should get his add on. go to video -> add ons -> get more -> roll down to Crunchyroll and install it. It has the options to load your account, I would do so. Right click add-on settings to add your account info. Huge selection of anime here.( you will need to sign up on the Crunchyroll website for an account.) My one complaint about the Crunchyroll plug-in is it lacks a search feature(unless I missed it), let me know if any thing is incorrect I will get it corrected.
1Channel/PrimeWire - This is my back up to Genesis I find that if i can't find it on Genesis I find it here. If you go in the Settings right click on 1Channel and go to Video Playback tab, tick the automatically play sources circle. If you are like myself and don't like having to pick through links.
EarthCam - This is a neat add-on as it will let you view web cams from all over. While it's cool to look at some of them it's more a novelty in my opinion I generally uninstall it.
Ice Films - Another movie/ TV site not much different than Genesis or 1 channel. It's my third in line go to for movies. A note on Ice films when you first run it, It will want to install a meta container hit yes, It fails often but keep hitting yes whenever it asks eventually it succeeds, no idea why it does this but it does.
Fix Excessive Buffering / Cache Full Error
First, there's a couple of things to remember:
1. These fixes aren't a magic bullet.
2. If you have a poor internet connection: tweaking all the settings in the world won't fix your issues. Head over to speedtest.net and check your speed - you'll need at least 2MBPS for SD and 5 for HD. If you don't have the speed: it will work - it'll just buffer a lot.
3. Some sources are slow and cannot keep up with streaming so they buffer... a lot.
4. The Amazon Fire TV has a bug with being hardwired. Just unplug it and go wireless if you have a good enough signal.
5. If you are using 2.4GHZ wireless: check for and change to an available channel to avoid interference. Or, you can switch over to 5GHZ.
6. 5GHZ has more bandwidth / speed than 2.4. Try switching your wireless to N from G (or AC if you have money to burn).
The tweaks:
Start Kodi and go to --> Programs --> Addons --> Maintenance Tool --> System Tweaks --> Create / Edit Advanced Settings --> Edit Settings --> Network Settings --> Network and adjust the following:
cachemembuffersize set to 204000000 (it will use 408MB of your devices RAM - cut that in half for lower end devices)
NOTE: If you have a good mechanical drive and you don't care about how much space Kodi uses: Set this to 0. That will tell Kodi to use you HDD for Cache space. If you don't have a fast mechanical or if you have and SSD/FLASH drive: Set it to the number above **DO NOT SET THIS TO 0!** It will prematurely murder your drive in it's sleep.
buffermode set to 1 (This tells it to basically cache everything)
readbufferfactor set to 20
Next go back approximately 3 screens and choose Write XML File. Finally restart Kodi - Done!
** Settings tested on an Amazon Fire TV & Stick, A P4 w/ HT PC (1.2GB RAM, 160GB Sata, Windows 7 Starter), and an I5 2500k PC (16GB RAM, 2x120GB SSD's RAID0, Windows 8.1 PRO & some other awesome stuff).
A side note everything on this post assumes that you followed the set up given here , there are so many ways to set up Kodi/XBMC the info here may not work on some of the other set ups.
This article is a work in progress. I will be coming back and editing this article, adding to it as I discover new processes, find tweaks, and more.
This first set up will get you most of the really good stuff in a hurry.
The downloads page will let you know that it's available on a variety of platforms the set up is similar regardless of the platform. Just choose your platform, download it, and get it installed.
Note: If you have an i-device, you'll need to jailbreak it first and install Kodi from Cydia. This is the ONLY way to get Kodi! --P
Phase 1: Adding Fusion
After Kodi is installed, go to system --> sub menu file manager. Next, click on add source --> a box comes up wanting a path, in this box type"http://fusion.xbmchub.com". There is also a box at the bottom of the window that popped up for naming the media source. You must put something in here! Name it something apt like ".fusion". It really doesn't matter what you name it. Finally, click OK &
go back out to the main menu and into the "system" --> sub menu "settings".
Phase 2: Installing What We Need to Get Started
Under settings (near the bottom) is a button that says add-ons, click it. Next, click on the install from zip file item. This will bring up a list. Then, you need to find the source you added (it will be the name you chose). If you followed me exactly it will be ".fusion". Once you click inside your file find the folder "start here". Next, you will see a list of files. Choose plugin.program.addoninstaller-1.2.0.zip, then click it and hit OK. It will take a few seconds and you will get a message in the bottom right saying it was installed. Then, go back and do the same with plugin.video.hubwizard-1.1.9.zip. Note: The #'s may change. As before, you'll get a report in a few seconds saying it has installed. Finally. go back and install the third one as well.
Phase 3: The Setup
After they have all installed --> exit out to the main menu and go to programs -> config wizard click in and find your operating system. Most of us will be using Windows but most platforms are supported. Note: I run Kodi on my tablet and my phone (Android) as well. At this point, the config wizard will run and install the most common add-ons for each category and install their basic configuration.
Tweaks:
Now, I'm going to cover some basic set-up settings & tweaks for Genesis, this is the best plug in available(IMO) as it actually pulls its streams from many sources. It covers a lot of ground 100% on its own.
So, from the main menu go to Video --> add-ons --> find Genesis. Next, right click on it and go to Add-on settings. Then, go to the "Playback" tab. The first item is "Auto-play" tick the bubble on the right --> click OK. This will find a working stream for you and you won't have to pick from the piles of links manually when you pick a movie, which can get frustrating as there can be many dead links, this removes that issue.
Note: This only takes care of Standard Def Stuff. If you'd like to have the HD content work the same way you need to tick the HD Hosts (Might already be ticked) and HD Hosts in Auto-Play options.
OK, the next big setting for Genesis: click into Genesis --> Movies --> Genres. Now, go to the menu on the left side of the screen that pops out when your mouse gets near. At the top of that menu it says View: it usually defaults at list but it could be a few things, click on it until it says "media info". Then, right click on any movie in the list and click set Movies View. This will give you a description of the movie your mouse is on similar to how Netflix gives movie descriptions when you hover over a particular title.
Windowed mode - go to System->settings->system. top line is Display mode hit one of the arrows on the right till it says Windowed.
Leave comments or ask me on Facebook if you have questions or something is not clear.
**Update(s)**
The Awesomeness of NAVI-X
I was messing around with some of the new features that Chris found and I decided to give Navi-X another go. It's incredibly popular and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I was never able to get any of the search results etc. to work properly and it was clunky to navigate. Here's the secret:
Start Navi-X --> Start Here (Big Green Button) --> Most Viewed Last 24 Hrs --> Choose one of the sources and test out it's content. If you like it go back to the list --> Right Click on it (or options button) --> Add to Favorites. There are a ton of Live TV and Movie Streams. -P. You can also sign up on the Navi-X website and create your own links page click here.
Stopping the Twitter Feed
System --> Settings --> Addons --> Enabled Addons --> Services --> Disable Twitter
Changing the Wallpaper
Programs --> Addons - Maintenance Tool --> System Tweaks --> Wallpaper Downloads --> Pick a category --> Pick a wallpaper --> It will ask you to set the download location the first time. I used my c:\Username\Pictures folder --> ok --> After the download finishes you'll notice Kodi's background go black --> Exit Kodi and Restart it --> Voila! Your new wall paper is set!
Changing the Bottom Quick-Links
System --> Settings --> Appearance --> Skin / Settings --> Add-on Shortcuts --> Click the one you want to change and pick it's replacement!
Opinions and some general info on Add-ons
Crunchyroll (Netflix of Anime)-> If your a big anime fan or named Manny you should get his add on. go to video -> add ons -> get more -> roll down to Crunchyroll and install it. It has the options to load your account, I would do so. Right click add-on settings to add your account info. Huge selection of anime here.( you will need to sign up on the Crunchyroll website for an account.) My one complaint about the Crunchyroll plug-in is it lacks a search feature(unless I missed it), let me know if any thing is incorrect I will get it corrected.
1Channel/PrimeWire - This is my back up to Genesis I find that if i can't find it on Genesis I find it here. If you go in the Settings right click on 1Channel and go to Video Playback tab, tick the automatically play sources circle. If you are like myself and don't like having to pick through links.
EarthCam - This is a neat add-on as it will let you view web cams from all over. While it's cool to look at some of them it's more a novelty in my opinion I generally uninstall it.
Ice Films - Another movie/ TV site not much different than Genesis or 1 channel. It's my third in line go to for movies. A note on Ice films when you first run it, It will want to install a meta container hit yes, It fails often but keep hitting yes whenever it asks eventually it succeeds, no idea why it does this but it does.
Fix Excessive Buffering / Cache Full Error
First, there's a couple of things to remember:
1. These fixes aren't a magic bullet.
2. If you have a poor internet connection: tweaking all the settings in the world won't fix your issues. Head over to speedtest.net and check your speed - you'll need at least 2MBPS for SD and 5 for HD. If you don't have the speed: it will work - it'll just buffer a lot.
3. Some sources are slow and cannot keep up with streaming so they buffer... a lot.
4. The Amazon Fire TV has a bug with being hardwired. Just unplug it and go wireless if you have a good enough signal.
5. If you are using 2.4GHZ wireless: check for and change to an available channel to avoid interference. Or, you can switch over to 5GHZ.
6. 5GHZ has more bandwidth / speed than 2.4. Try switching your wireless to N from G (or AC if you have money to burn).
The tweaks:
Start Kodi and go to --> Programs --> Addons --> Maintenance Tool --> System Tweaks --> Create / Edit Advanced Settings --> Edit Settings --> Network Settings --> Network and adjust the following:
cachemembuffersize set to 204000000 (it will use 408MB of your devices RAM - cut that in half for lower end devices)
NOTE: If you have a good mechanical drive and you don't care about how much space Kodi uses: Set this to 0. That will tell Kodi to use you HDD for Cache space. If you don't have a fast mechanical or if you have and SSD/FLASH drive: Set it to the number above **DO NOT SET THIS TO 0!** It will prematurely murder your drive in it's sleep.
buffermode set to 1 (This tells it to basically cache everything)
readbufferfactor set to 20
Next go back approximately 3 screens and choose Write XML File. Finally restart Kodi - Done!
** Settings tested on an Amazon Fire TV & Stick, A P4 w/ HT PC (1.2GB RAM, 160GB Sata, Windows 7 Starter), and an I5 2500k PC (16GB RAM, 2x120GB SSD's RAID0, Windows 8.1 PRO & some other awesome stuff).
Friday, March 13, 2015
Malware Removal Guide for 2015
Chris just dealt with a Malware situation that brought a bunch of stuff to my attention. My old Malware Removal Guide works great for Windows 7 and below but doesn't quite take care of 8/8.1. I figured i'd write up a quick updated process with some new tweaks and whatnot.
So without further ado, here is the updated guide with a XP/Vista/7 and 8/8.1 sections:
So without further ado, here is the updated guide with a XP/Vista/7 and 8/8.1 sections:
Preliminary: You may want to try a system restore first (go back to a date that the system was working properly) - then run through the following processes. You'll also note that the Windows 8/8.1 section is basically the same as the XP/7 section. That's because it is. The only real difference is the lack of the ability to use Combofix in 8. You would do well to run most of these utilities in "Safe Mode". Here's a link to the Bleeping computer article on enabling "Safe Mode" for Windows 8.
We found that some of the particularly nasty Malware can only be ripped out in "Safe Mode".
Step 9: Run Norton Power Eraser & Let it do it's thing. When it's finished remove the items it finds.
We found that some of the particularly nasty Malware can only be ripped out in "Safe Mode".
Windows XP/Vista/7:
Step 1: Disable your antivirus packages "Real Time" protection.
Step 2: Download the following utilities: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Rkill, ADWCleaner, JRT, Combofix, Kaspersky's TDSSKiller, & Norton's Power Eraser
Note 1: On a badly infected machine it's best to download them on a clean PC and thumb drive them over.
Note 2: If you are unable to Start PC B/C of Ransom-ware (FBI/NSA or the like) your only choice is to go grab a copy of Hitman Pro. Here is a link to the Bleeping Computer Removal Article.
Note 3: If your PC is working fairly well you can start this process with Malwarebytes if not, you'll do it at the end.
Step 3: If you are using a flash drive make a directory on the "C" drive and copy over your utilities.
Step 4: Run Rkill and let it complete
Step 5: Run TDSSKiller & Restart if necessary.
Note 4: If you restarted - make sure your antivirus package is still disabled and re-run Rkill
Step 6: Run JRT - Update / Reboot if Necessary
Step 7: Run ADWCleaner - You Scan first then, clean & it will make you restart.
Step 8: Run Combofix and let it complete. This takes forever so you may want to go get a coffee or something. After it completes it will restart the PC and create a log file. The log file creation takes a while too, so be prepared to wait.
Note 5: Combofix is a very powerful utility and can completely nerf you system. Be very careful with both this and Norton Power Eraser. Use both of these utilities AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Note 6: Power Erase WILL find valid applications! You'll have to re-install them after the process is completed and you've verified your PC is Malware / Trojan / Virus free.
Step 10: Boot normally, install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Update it, & run a complete system scan. Clean anything it finds, reboot, & do it again.
You should be clean at this point!!!!!!
Windows 8/8.1
Step 1: Disable your antivirus packages "Real Time" protection.
Step 2: Download the following utilities: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Rkill, ADWCleaner, JRT, Kaspersky's TDSSKiller, & Norton's Power Eraser
Note 1: On a badly infected machine it's best to download them on a clean PC and thumb drive them over.
Note 2: If you are unable to Start PC B/C of Ransom-ware (FBI/NSA or the like) your only choice is to go grab a copy of Hitman Pro. Here is a link to the Bleeping Computer Removal Article.
Note 3: If your PC is working fairly well you can start this process with Malwarebytes if not, you'll do it at the end.
Step 3: If you are using a flash drive make a directory on the "C" drive and copy over your utilities.
Step 4: Run Rkill and let it complete
Step 5: Run TDSSKiller & Restart if necessary.
Note 4: If you restarted - make sure your antivirus package is still disabled and re-run Rkill
Step 6: Run JRT - Update / Reboot if Necessary
Step 7: Run ADWCleaner - You Scan first then, clean & it will make you restart.
Step 8: Run Norton Power Eraser & Let it do it's thing. When it's finished remove the items it finds.
Note 6: Power Eraser WILL find valid applications! You'll have to re-install them after the process is completed and you've verified your PC is Malware / Trojan / Virus free. This utility is very powerful and can nerf your system: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Step 9: Boot normally, install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Update it, & run a complete system scan. Clean anything it finds, reboot, & do it again.
You should be clean at this point!!!!!!
Special thanks to the people at Bleeping Computer - It's my opinion that they are one of the best sources of information on the net!
Disclaimer: We are not responsible for anything that happens to your computer or your data. You are following these instructions at your own risk.
This article addresses standard Malware. If you have any of the Crypto Variants; they require a completely different process. Here is the information & removal procedure: How to remove Crypto Locker and it's Variants.
Our free Antivirus Pick:
Yep, it's Still BitDefender. There are no PUPS and it's very light weight but, still does a great job.
Our free Antivirus Pick:
Yep, it's Still BitDefender. There are no PUPS and it's very light weight but, still does a great job.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
A word from our sponsor....
**Quick Update**
You'll notice that we now have (very minimal) advertising! If you see something you like: Please, do us a favor and click on it. We promise to use the money for bills, pizza, and hardware!
You'll notice that we now have (very minimal) advertising! If you see something you like: Please, do us a favor and click on it. We promise to use the money for bills, pizza, and hardware!
Security of course . . .
So, despite the fact that I tend to watch my security regularly; I found myself in a mess last night. After I returned home from work, I found my system is getting a warning from my Norton Internet Security that it had stopped a Trojan from attacking my system. A few minutes later I was under attack by something else (I don't recall the name of it & it ended up being a very long night). As I investigated what was going on, I found a lot in my NIS history that I didn't like. Firewall changes being my prime concern at that moment. I have a theory as to how I came to be infected but I don't know for sure so I won't get into that.
I eventually started breaking out the usual tools, running Malware Bytes & Norton Internet Security both were giving me a clean bill of health. Regardless, every-time I did anything with Chrome I got the warning about the Trojan! I started going through the Bleeping Computer tool set. ADW,JRT, etc, etc (See the Malware removal guide on this blog if you are not familiar with these tools). These tools seemed to track down the problems but they didn't manage to remove them (much to my chagrin and surprise). Eventually I had expended every resource I was aware of at that time and I was still "under constant attack". At this point I had figured out that my Chrome and Opera were infected in some manner and there was a "fake add on" according to Norton.
On the side: I normally am a Kaspersky user but my new mother board came with a trial for Norton Internet Security, so I decided to give it a shot. After some research on the web about backdoor Trojan 39, I found out about a tool I actually had but was unaware of Norton's Power eraser. It's available at the link preceding this and it comes with a warning that it is a powerful tool and can do damage to your Operating system. I decided that that I would risk it (of course I would, this willing to take a risk is why I end up with these kind of infections!). It scanned very quickly and came up with a short list of "offenders" and its recommendations on what to do about them. It allowed me to click a link and go to the files in question which made it fairly easy to decide what had go. A quick click and it removed my problem files, followed with a system reboot and my system is clean again.
So, that was my adventure in internet security for last night.
Lesson learned Norton seems to be redeeming it self in the Anti Virus arena. I believe I will even sign up when my trial runs out in 30 days for the Internet Security suite. They also provide powerful tools to anybody who needs them and the best part is: It didn't include any PUPs (potentially unwanted programs)! Bleeping Computer and their tools are awesome and I believe they would have handled the situation as well if I could have run them in Safe Mode (this was my failure not the tool sets - Windows 8/8.1 don't come with a readily accessible way to start the PC in safe mode anymore).
**Note:**
You can re-enable Safe-Mode in Windows 8/8.1 by following this article over at Bleeping Computer.
I eventually started breaking out the usual tools, running Malware Bytes & Norton Internet Security both were giving me a clean bill of health. Regardless, every-time I did anything with Chrome I got the warning about the Trojan! I started going through the Bleeping Computer tool set. ADW,JRT, etc, etc (See the Malware removal guide on this blog if you are not familiar with these tools). These tools seemed to track down the problems but they didn't manage to remove them (much to my chagrin and surprise). Eventually I had expended every resource I was aware of at that time and I was still "under constant attack". At this point I had figured out that my Chrome and Opera were infected in some manner and there was a "fake add on" according to Norton.
On the side: I normally am a Kaspersky user but my new mother board came with a trial for Norton Internet Security, so I decided to give it a shot. After some research on the web about backdoor Trojan 39, I found out about a tool I actually had but was unaware of Norton's Power eraser. It's available at the link preceding this and it comes with a warning that it is a powerful tool and can do damage to your Operating system. I decided that that I would risk it (of course I would, this willing to take a risk is why I end up with these kind of infections!). It scanned very quickly and came up with a short list of "offenders" and its recommendations on what to do about them. It allowed me to click a link and go to the files in question which made it fairly easy to decide what had go. A quick click and it removed my problem files, followed with a system reboot and my system is clean again.
So, that was my adventure in internet security for last night.
Lesson learned Norton seems to be redeeming it self in the Anti Virus arena. I believe I will even sign up when my trial runs out in 30 days for the Internet Security suite. They also provide powerful tools to anybody who needs them and the best part is: It didn't include any PUPs (potentially unwanted programs)! Bleeping Computer and their tools are awesome and I believe they would have handled the situation as well if I could have run them in Safe Mode (this was my failure not the tool sets - Windows 8/8.1 don't come with a readily accessible way to start the PC in safe mode anymore).
**Note:**
You can re-enable Safe-Mode in Windows 8/8.1 by following this article over at Bleeping Computer.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Some great extensions for Chrome.
I used to avoid Chrome extensions for the most part, regarding them as something that will only add overhead and slow things down. I was wrong, There are many great extensions. I cant speak for all of them but the security extensions I just tried are awesome.
Ad-guard - This extension blocks ads , totally removing the advertisements from my Yahoo mail. It also removes the commercials at the beginning of You-tube clips. This has many other functions but its removal of advertisements brings a couple benefits pages load faster and the removal of ads helps keep ad-ware off your computer.
WOT - Web of Trust. This page allows you to rate pages and shows you their current rating based on what other users have said. It also marks pages in searches much like Internet security software would do.
Disconnect - This extension visualizes and blocks invisible websites that track your search and browsing history. Speeding up your browsing and increasing privacy.
These three extensions are going on every computer I work on or own. There is protection from malware, ad-ware, and virus'. But they also increase your performance on the web.
here is a great link for helping You-Tube stop buffering as much:You-Tube Anti Suck.
Another great link to Phil's Anti Malware Procedure. I have used this procedure many times now and it has always worked great. I do use Malware Bytes as well a great free program.
Sorry got off track, security is a big deal though.back to some more extensions for Chrome.
Fox Tab speed dial - I have been using this one for quite some time. It allows you to create pages of big buttons that you click and it takes you to a predestined web page of your choice. It also allows you control of what the button will look like through a selection area.
Last Pass - This extension will help you manage your passwords.
Google Translate - This is self explanatory.
IE Tab - So you don't have to deal with Internet Explorer anymore!
Some other extensions I have no experience with but I will be checking out.
Edit this Cookie -
Web Boost - I tried this out last night in conjunction with the you tube anti suck procedure and with ad-guard. I had very noticeable speed improvement while on the net.
U-Torrent -
If you know of any great extensions let us know there are thousands of them and just not enough time to try them all.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Amazon Fire TV **Update**
Ok, So I purchased myself an Amazon Fire TV & an Amazon Fire TV Stick. The initial Kodi install took me a bit to figure everything out, but the second one was done in 15 minutes! The Fire TV doesn't get warm or use hardly any power, is crazy fast, easy to side-load Kodi, & has a great app selection. The Stick for video streaming and Kodi use isn't noticeably slower! It lags behind on the games, but is still very usable. I also noticed that the stick tends to run on the warm side. That said, it doesn't get anywhere near as hot as the generic xbmc/kodi boxes (like the midnight etc.) get. It's really important to note that it's probably not a good idea to root these devices. Amazon released an update that will perma-brick rooted units. Plus, you can side-load almost any ARM APK so why bother? These units are amazing and I am impressed. I have since retired my PlayOn/Roku setup and use the Amazon devices exclusively.
Rapid Fire Post! - SSD Cache Drives and why you might need one!
Some of you might already know about these but, it was news to me. Sandisk and Corsair have a solution for you if you're on of the millions who bought an "out of the box" PC and you only have a 1 or 2 TB mechanical drive without a proper SSD. These drive work along with your mechanical and cache you commonly used things to load faster. It looks a lot like readyboost on steroids!
Sandisk ReadyCache
Corsiair Accelerator **Discontinued** - Check eBay
Note: This isn't a replacement for a proper SSD setup; it only provides a way to get some more performance without reloading your O/S etc.
Sandisk ReadyCache
Corsiair Accelerator **Discontinued** - Check eBay
Note: This isn't a replacement for a proper SSD setup; it only provides a way to get some more performance without reloading your O/S etc.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Free Game From Origin
This month's on the house is: Theme Hospital! Grab you copy for the low low price of free:
https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house
https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house
Amazon Fire TV - Update!
I got my Fire TV yesterday... and it's awesome!!! It took about 15 minutes to side load Kodi and all my favorite addons and then about 5 more to fix the shortcuts with llama!
Notes:
1. USTVNow-DIXIE works like a champ and now I have networks again!!!
2. It uses ADB over the LAN! You just need ADBFire and your IP!!!
3. The batteries that were included were dead!!! It's been really cold and I had good Coppertop Duracell's anyway.
4. The remote is slick and isn't iRDA so it doesn't appear to need line of sight.
5. It's only about as big as 2 packs of cigarettes!!!
6. There has been entirely too many exclamation points in this post!!!
Notes:
1. USTVNow-DIXIE works like a champ and now I have networks again!!!
2. It uses ADB over the LAN! You just need ADBFire and your IP!!!
3. The batteries that were included were dead!!! It's been really cold and I had good Coppertop Duracell's anyway.
4. The remote is slick and isn't iRDA so it doesn't appear to need line of sight.
5. It's only about as big as 2 packs of cigarettes!!!
6. There has been entirely too many exclamation points in this post!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Amazon Fire TV + XBMC = The complete Solution!
I just wanted to get this information out there really quick so here it is:
A lot of you have seen my Plex/PlayOn/Roku solution and some of you are running it right now. We're all aware of the android XBMC devices like this one but, are also aware of the caveats of using one (slow, overheats, other random network weirdness, etc.). In typical Amazon fashion they've come out with an awesome / earth shattering device for cheap! Previously the best option was an apple TV I or II but, now that the Fire TV's are out we've got a much better option. The cool part: You can use either the stick or the full size TV! The stick is a dual core with a bit less RAM and no voice navigation but, it's only $39. The full size is a Snapdragon Quad-core monster that will handle everything you can throw at it. You can side load XBMC without voiding your warranty or rooting the device! I'll be including the links to purchase any of these awesome devices and how to side load XBMC (courtesy of Lilliputing and others).
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon Fire TV
or Refurbished - Note: 2-5 week lead time on this one!
Side Loading Instructions
or the YouTube Video
Shortcut adjustment
Good Luck!
A lot of you have seen my Plex/PlayOn/Roku solution and some of you are running it right now. We're all aware of the android XBMC devices like this one but, are also aware of the caveats of using one (slow, overheats, other random network weirdness, etc.). In typical Amazon fashion they've come out with an awesome / earth shattering device for cheap! Previously the best option was an apple TV I or II but, now that the Fire TV's are out we've got a much better option. The cool part: You can use either the stick or the full size TV! The stick is a dual core with a bit less RAM and no voice navigation but, it's only $39. The full size is a Snapdragon Quad-core monster that will handle everything you can throw at it. You can side load XBMC without voiding your warranty or rooting the device! I'll be including the links to purchase any of these awesome devices and how to side load XBMC (courtesy of Lilliputing and others).
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon Fire TV
or Refurbished - Note: 2-5 week lead time on this one!
Side Loading Instructions
or the YouTube Video
Shortcut adjustment
Good Luck!
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