RealtyTechBytes.com » Buying Technology Tools

Solve wireless network “blues”!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:00:40 +0000

So, I had this problem. My wife loves to watch movies on the TV. Recently we were fortunate enough to come into a big screen, flat panel TV that has taken her movie watching into a whole new dimension of entertainment. I am a member of NetFlix, but since my taste in movies tends to run to anything where people land on Mars or where things blow up, and her taste runs to Jane Austen, my choices from NetFlix were inevitably wrong.

One day I saw that the Wii console we bought for our grandsons to use could also be used to get movies on demand from NetFlix if I just got a special DVD from them to put into the Wii. The only catch was that the Wii had to have Internet access.

I wasn’t too concerned as I have two wireless networks in my house. One, on my over 15 year old PacBell DSL line (I still have a static IP address!), and the other on our Comcast cable system. I just “knew” that one of those networks could reach the family room from our home office. Wrong! The Wii could “see” both of them, but neither signal was strong enough to allow it to connect.

So, I went in search of ways to get a strong and reliable wireless signal into the family room. Although I could have crawled under the house and strung a network cable, I am way too lazy for that. Then I remembered reading about something called HomePlug™ networking. This is a networking standard that uses the wiring in your house to move the Internet connection around.

Click on the picture or go to http://budurl.com/WGXB102 to go to the page on Amazon that will show you the product that I bought. Be sure to click on the “Watch” button under the picture to watch a short Flash video that explains how it works. It won’t take long and it explains the process better than I can.

So, I bought the kit and shortly there after, I have a strong wireless signal in the family room that the Wii can connect to, AND that I can also use with any of my WiFi devices like the iPhone, Netbook, Laptop and my grandson’s Nintendo DSi XL game systems.

You don’t have to use this with a Wii. It could be very useful if you wanted to have a strong WiFi signal anywhere in your house. Just plug the second unit in anywhere you want. The first unit stays near the Router in your house. (Watch the video for details).

Once you have this set up, it’s truly plug it in and forget it. If you have a power failure, the network comes back up right after power is restored. It consumes very little power and comes in a variety of configurations. For instance, you can get models that have ethernet plugs at both ends if you didn’t want wireless. And some models are “green” in that they stop consuming power if there is no activity after a certain period of time.

From where I sit, this is an elegant solution to the issue of how to have the Internet available wherever I happen to want to use it. What do you think?

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Solve wireless network “blues”!

Own your own AT&T cell “tower”!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:00:14 +0000

On June 27th I told you about a solution that I was using to solve the almost non existent AT&T coverage in my office. Here is the link to that article in case you missed it: http://realtytechbytes.com/solve-poor-att-reception/

It actually worked quite nicely, until you picked up the phone. Once you did that, and took the phone out of the zPocket Wireless Range Extender YX-110 the signal would drop off to nothing and the call would drop.

The following week I told you what my solution was to that problem…a bluetooth adapter that allowed me to use a regular desk top telephone via my iPhone’s bluetooth adapter. That works very well too. If you missed that article, it is at the following link:
http://realtytechbytes.com/use-your-cellphone-with-your-home-or-office-phone-system/

But, I was intrigued with a new product from AT&T called the 3G MicroCell™. Here is what AT&T has to say about what it is: “AT&T 3G MicroCell acts like a mini cellular tower in your home or small business environment. It connects to AT&T’s network via your existing broadband Internet service (such as U-verse, DSL or cable) and is designed to support up to four simultaneous users in a home or small business setting.”

Essentially, you plug this device into a. power outlet, connect a network cable between it and your router, and it becomes your own private cell tower. There are some detailed steps to take to get it activated, but the instructions are clear and detailed enough so that the average user could get it done. The part of the activation process that you are involved in only takes a few minutes. But, it takes the device about an hour to finish the process in the background as it communicates with the AT&T network

It has to know where it is, so it needs to be a able to “see” a GPS satellite in order to get a GPS signal. This was of some concern to me as I have an inside office with no windows facing outside. Across the hall from my office is an office with outside windows and there was sufficient GPS signal getting to me that the device could get enough of a GPS signal to connect.

Here are some additional facts from the AT&T web site:

Device Features:
Enhanced coverage indoors – up to 5000 square feet.
No required additional monthly fees – just use the wireless minutes and data from your existing plan.
Available minute voice feature.
3G handset compatible – unlimitedworks with any AT&T 3G phone.
Supports 3G data services for customers without Wi-Fi capable handsets*.
Device is secure – cannot be accessed by unauthorized users, easy and secure online management of device settings
Seamless call hand-over – start calls on your 3G MicroCell and continue without interruption, even if you leave the building.

Device Requirements:
3G wireless phone
Broadband service over U-Verse, DSL or cable
Computer with Internet access for online registration

Additional Information:
Installing your device near a window is strongly recommended to ensure access to Global Positioning System (GPS). A GPS link is needed to verify the device location during the initial startup.

The 3G MicroCell is portable and may be moved, provided the new location is within the AT&T authorized service area and properly registered online.

Additionally, it can have up to 5 devices connected to it at once. When you set up the device, you tell it which phones are allowed to connect. Those are the only phones who will be able to use it, so you will be able to feel secure in using it.

The phone seamlessly connects to the MicroCell when you enter it’s range. If you are on a call that is routed through an AT&T cell tower when you enter the range of the MicroCell, you unfortunately stay on that tower. In my case, this means a dropped call. But, if I begin a call on the MicroCell, and then leave my office, it is handed off to the nearest cell tower seamlessly. So, I can start a call in my office and hit the road with the phone and keep the call alive. I just can’t do the reverse.

Here is a screen shot of my iPhone 4 connected to the MicroCell. (Click on the picture to see a larger picture) Notice that where it normally says “AT&T 3G” that it now says “AT&T M-Cell 3G”. Notice all of those lovely bars!

I’ve been using it with my iPhone 4 for a few weeks now with no problems, and with 5 bars of signal too. Which means I can get rid of my zPocket device. Any one want to buy it from me?

Use your cellphone with your home or office phone system

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:00:08 +0000

Last week I told you about how I solved my AT&T “no reception” problem at my office in San Ramon. (http://realtytechbytes.com/solve-poor-att-reception/) The solution works perfectly…if I want to use the speaker phone on my iPhone. If I pick up the phone to answer it I lose my reception! That’s because in order for the phone to get the advantages of the signal booster, it has to be placed into the holder.

Obviously, I could use my Bluetooth Headset, and in most cases that would be a good solution, but I’d like to be able to pick up and dial the phone without losing the signal, and frankly, the call quality on my BT headset is not all that great.

So, I went on a search to see if there was such a thing as a desktop telephone that could “talk” to my my iPhone. What I found was even better! The Siemens Gigaset Bluetooth Gateway was the answer to my quest. Watch the video for a quick overview of the device, but for a quick look, here are just a few of the features it has:

No land line needed
One time, one touch activation
Connect up to three bluetooth mobile phones
Displays caller id using directory name matching
Distinctive ring for each paired mobile phone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8rBExrzwxo&
I’ve been using this for about 6 months now and it has worked perfectly every time. By using this and last week’s device I am able to use my cell phone as my primary telecommunications device at my office, even in a location with poor AT&T coverage!

Here in the United States, it’s the 4th of July as I post this and for us it’s the time to celebrate our independence. As a former United States Marine, I take this day very seriously because I know first hand the sacrifices that it took to win that independence, and what it takes today to maintain it. Whatever this day means to you, I hope that it is a great day for you.

How to choose the cell phone that is right for you!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:00:56 +0000

Ever since Apple announced the 4G iPhone earlier this month, I have been doing some research on which phone I might want to buy when my current contract runs out in early July.

And, with the huge assortment of really capable phones available, it’s been an interesting process.

To start with, I took a look at a post that I wrote about how to choose a cell phone a few years ago. It turns out that what I wrote then is still valid now. (Either click the link above or here: http://realtytechbytes.com/what-cell-phone-should-i-buy/ to read it.) As it was then, choosing the right carrier for your needs is still the most important factor to consider.

To further aid the review process, I discovered that PC World Magazine’s current news stand issue (July 2010) has a great review on the top 5 phones at AT&T, SPRINT, Verizon and T-Mobile on page 38 to page 42. If you are considering a new phone, it would be worth picking up a copy.

If you don’t want to buy a magazine, you could go to http://www.pcworld.com/products/phones.html where PC World provides a ton of info on buying a new cell phone, along with many reviews.

Having done all of my research, when it comes time to replace my nearly 2 year old iPhone 3G, I’ll be going with the new iPhone 4G. Even though AT&T is not my favorite carrier (that honor goes to T-Mobile), I am such a fan of the iPhone that I will sign up again.

I use my current phone to manage my calendar, pick up email from 5 different accounts, set appointments, record audio (It’s surprisingly good at this), surf the web, interact with with my Google Voice Account, check time zones (family and friends worldwide), check weather around the world), track flights, do presentations, retrieve information from my Evernote account, listen to music and much, much more. Oh yeah, I occasionally make and receive phone calls with it as well. I have had very few calls that were dropped or garbled, contrary to what others tell me is their experience.

To all of that, the new iPhone 4G will allow me to record and edit HD video, organize files into folders, multi-task some applications, find my way around with the compass, take 5 megapixel pictures as opposed to the 2 megapixel pictures my current phone can do, use my Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard and much more.

It’s your phone, and it will be a part of your life for two years, so spend the time upfront in doing the research or you’ll be spending a long two years with the wrong phone.

What resources or criteria do you use to choose a phone?

Why I am not buying an iPad

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:00:39 +0000

Are you caught up in iPad fever? Is every one you know buying one and you are feeling left out? Well, bunky, you are not alone.

I was feeling the same way, even though I had made up my mind to wait it out until the second version comes out. But the constant onslaught of reviews, posts, pages, tweets and other new media ramblings and musings was starting to have it’s way with me.

It got to the point that I was almost convinced that I had to have one. Then I remembered that I had a Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC sitting in drawer. I’ve had this for a few years and only ever fire it up when I want to demonstrate why tablet computers are not a good deal for real estate agents! I’ve never really used this machine because I found it awkward to use the pen device to input information into the interface. I prefer a keyboard, even though I only use two fingers to type! Go figure.

My idea was to wipe off my personal info, restore it to factory condition (I still have the original packaging and documentation) and offer to trade it for an iPad on Craigslist. I am sure that there is someone out there who bought an iPad only to find out that it won’t really do what they wanted it to do. I thought that maybe they’d like to trade for this full featured Windows XP machine.

But, then I thought WHOA! What are you thinking? I already know that the iPad will not access our antiquated MLS system here in the San Francisco East Bay, it requires Internet Explorer in order to work and the iPad cannot run Internet Explorer. (For the record, I am a Firefox user and only use IE to access the MLS). Then I remembered how often I like to work with two or three programs running at a time, like Windows Live Writer, Word, my browser and so on. The iPad has limited ability to multi task so I wouldn’t be able to work in the way that I have become accustomed.

I also remembered that I do have the external keyboard for the tablet that allows me to use it like a laptop. I know that the iPad can be equipped with an external keyboard, but at additional cost.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the tablet PC could do everything that that the iPad could do except for running apps (No need for apps when I have the actual software already). The iPad can connect via built in 3G but I don’t need that as I have a Sprint MiFi which will give me that functionality. My tablet weighs 3.2 pounds which is twice what the heaviest iPad weighs. Th iPad is reported to have a long battery life of at least 9 hours. I am sure that the tablet won’t even come close to that.

The tablet has a slew of in/out connectors as opposed to the iPad which only offers the dock connector. In all ways, the tablet is a better computer that can do more the iPad. Knowing all of this, I brought the tablet out of storage this morning, and I have updated all the software on it and I am using it to write this blog post. I still might want to trade it for an iPad, but the fact remains that this device will perform much of what the iPad can do, some things the iPad cannot do, and it will tide me over until until Version 2 of the iPad shows up!

So why is it that I still want the iPad?

How about you? Are you feeling the pressure to buy an iPad?

There is not one word about the iPad in this post!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 02:00:23 +0000

As I write this post it is Easter, so Happy Easter to those of you, like me, that celebrate it. Since this is a day that I reserve for family, this will be a very short post.

A few weeks ago (http://realtytechbytes.com/idxworth-itor-not/) I asked for your help by filling out a short survey…out of over 1200 readers I only received 12 responses! So, please take a few minutes to fill it out.

If you wish to receive a copy of the survey results when I am finished gathering results, please leave your first name and email address when you complete the survey, otherwise you can remain anonymous.

I am not sure what results I will get, but I am sure that they will be interesting to any agent who is spending money on IDX or who is contemplating doing so!

Please go here to take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RBT67CK If you are having trouble taking the survey, please email me by using the contact form at http://realtytechbytes.com/contact-me/ and let me know.

And as promised, this post did not contain one word about the …!

backupify your social content

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:00:37 +0000

I had a minor disaster at my casa last week in which I lost all access to a VMWare Fusion Windows XP machine. Fortunately it was quickly resolved by using a backup. That started me thinking about what I have that is NOT backed up.

All of my computers use backup drives that are physically connected to my computer. They run continuous backups and are available to move my data to another machine if I need to do so. Or, they can be used to restore missing or corrupt data.

I also use MozyHome as another way to back up data. So in theory I am covered, right?

Not so quick. What about my social sites like Twitter and Facebook? It turns out that I have not been backing those up. What if my account at either site got trashed or even worse, cancelled? How could I recover my friends lists or pictures or the content that I have posted?

To put that in perspective, at Twitter I am following over 4500 people and over 4300 are following me. Trying to restore those lists without having a back up file would be impossible. The same holds true for my Facebook account where I have over 600 friends, many Notes, a few pictures and so on.

In my research to solve this problem I ran across a service that I am using and thought that you might like to know about it too.

This is a cloud based backup service that will use your login information to go to your Twitter, Google Docs, WordPress, GMail, Facebook, Zoho, Delicious, Flickr, Basecamp or Photobucket accounts and perform daily or weekly backups of your data.

The service acts as backup program and does not actually store your data on their servers. Instead, the data is stored on the Amazon S3 Web Services Cloud, which in my opinion was a really smart move on their part. To understand why I say this, click here to read more about Amazon S3 web services.

You can also download your data to your local computer once it has been backed up. This now gives you 3 copies of your data. The original is on Twitter, Facebook, etc. But, you also have a copy on the S3 cloud and the one on your hard drive. The chance of all three failing at once are very, very small.

Finally, until January 31st, you can get an account for free. Hmmm, sounds like a good deal to me. Better click on the backupify logo in this post or just click http://www.backupify.com and sign up.

About the Author: Jerry is a 23 year veteran of the real estate industry and has done it all from listing and selling, to managing single and multiple offices. He has been the IT Director for a major SF Bay Area company, and has also been the Training Director for another major SF Bay Area company. In addition to writing this blog, Jerry is the Principal of Jerry Kidd Training and Consulting, specializing in showing real estate professionals how to utilize today’s exciting social tools to create and nurture relationships with home buyers and sellers. Visit http://www.JerryKidd.com to learn more about the training and consulting services offered.

Measy BounceBack Essentials

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:00:25 +0000

Ok, now that was a weird title for this post wasn’t it?

I thought I’d combine the names of the two products I want to tell you about and make a title out of it. It either caused you to open the post right away because you were curious, or caused you to pass (in which case you aren’t reading this!).

We’ll start with BounceBack Essentials. This is an inexpensive backup solution for you. Hopefully you are all using some form of backup already. You could be using an online backup, or a portable hard drive, you could be backing up to a remote computer, you could be copying files to a USB stick or even burning CDs. With all the back up solutions that are available, why would you be interested in yet another one?

All of those solutions are great and they all have a place where they shine. But, none of those solutions will get you up and running immediately once a disaster occurs. BounceBack Essentials is a $29.00 software program for Windows (A Mac version is available for $39.00) that uses an external hard drive to make an exact duplicate of your computer on the external drive. The major selling point, in my opinion, is that BounceBack Essentials makes that external drive bootable! This means that if your main drive fails, you simply choose to boot from the backup drive and continue working! You can choose to restore your system immediately or at a future, more convenient time.

Watch a short YouTube video which explains the process, and then click on any of the links above to learn more:

The next thing I want to tell you about is Measy.

Measy is a website that can help you make decisions about buying HDTVs, digital cameras, DSLR Cameras, netbooks and SmartPhones! It does this by asking you to work you way through an interview that asks you questions about your preferences and expected use of the device you are researching.

They then display a ranked list of devices that they believe will fulfill you needs. Each of your criteria is explained and backed up by research that they have done on the web by using product reviews.

So, rather than be baffled by the plethora of choices that confront you when you are shopping for a gadget, check out Measy to see what the experts have to say!

Since this is a beta site, expect changes to come in the future. You can sign up for notification emails from them when they add new categories.

Oh, by the way, this one is free!

iPhone 3G pet peeve solved!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:00:27 +0000

I was one of those people who stood in line for over 6 hours in July of 2008 to buy the iPhone 3G when it came out. I wasn’t happy to do it, but I endured the wait because the reward was so worth it.

Then Apple came out with the iPhone 3GS. It had a feature that I really wanted and that was the ability to shoot video with the built in camera, something the 3G lacked, even though it’s camera and hardware was completely capable of doing it! I didn’t rush out to get the 3GS because I wasn’t “seasoned” enough in my contract with AT&T and would have had to buy my way out the contract so that I could enter into a new one with AT&T for the new phone. I wasn’t willing to do that.

There was another option for me to be able to shoot video on my iPhone 3G and that was to “jailbreak” my phone. Jail breaking a phone is the process of installing some software that allows you to install other software that permits the phone to do things that Apple and AT&T did not want done. Like shooting video!

The problem with jail breaking a phone is that it possibly violates the warranty and the possibility of “bricking” the phone is very real. “Bricking” is a term used to describe the phenomenon of rendering your phone unusable and irreparable. Even as geeky as I am, I didn’t want to risk that. So, I contented myself with the thought that I had to stick to my Flip camera for mobile video. I like the Flip and and have used it frequently. but it means carrying another device all the time.

I just ran across the answer to problem. Ustream has released an iPhone app that will allow my iPhone 3G (and the 3GS) to shoot live video and upload it to their website and make it available to be watched by others and embedded into my blog or Facebook page.

And, it’s FREE! It’s called Ustream Broadcaster and you get it at the iPhone App Store. You’ve got to have iTunes installed on your computer to get it.

They have a very extensive help page to get you up and running so you should be able to get this done in short order.

So, problem solved, angst with the iPhone reduced, but not gone. (When can I tether my iPhone to my laptop? Come on Apple and AT&T, get with it!)

How might you use this feature? I’m thinking it makes for a great tool when out on tour. If you see something your client might like, whip out your phone, shoot a quick video and Tweet about it or load it to your Facebook page (Both features are built into the app) and let your client know.

How are you going to use it? Share your ideas by leaving a comment.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Tech Tuesday…

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:00:22 +0000

What’s next…Weird Wednesday? Beat’s me, but in “honor” of all the shopping madness that we are experiencing this weekend, I wanted to share my favorite starting point with you. I like this site so much that I have made it my browser start page. It’s http://www.AllMyFaves.com.

The idea behind this gem is that you can find almost any website that you might need from one convenient location.

The picture doesn’t do it justice, so go ahead and click on it so that you can explore around the page. Each website has it’s own “chicklet” style icon, and clicking on one will take you to thee corresponding web site.

The categories run down the left side. Each week they feature some interesting sites. You can browse past weeks featured sites by clicking on “Weekly Faves”. You’ll be able to lose an entire afternoon if you aren’t careful!

In addition to the US version, there are versions for the UK, Canada, Brazil and India.

One more thing I want to tell you about is my Amazon store. I write about a lot of products in this blog. I use all of them myself (or I wouldn’t write about them). I buy them from my own funds, and I am not paid for writing about them. I like it that way and you should too.

However, I am frequently asked where to get the things I write about, so I created an Amazon store where you can go and buy them. Obviously many of the products can be bought elsewhere, but the Amazon name is one that I trust and feel comfortable in promoting. If you go to my store and buy something, I will make a small commission. The commissions range from pennies to dollars, depending on the product. I will not be getting rich quick from this store, but any purchase you make in my store will help to defray the costs of hosting this blog. And for that I would be grateful. You can get there by clicking this link (http://realtytechbytes.com/my-amazon-store-books-and-tools/), or by clicking the “My Amazon Store - Books and Tools” in the top navigation bar of the blog.

That’s it for me this week. I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving weekend.