How-To Geek

As summer starts approaching fast, you have probably gotten your backyard all ready for people to come and hang out, or just for yourself to spend some time in the sun. However, even when everything is set up, you may realize your Wi-Fi signal strength isn’t the best out there.

Google packs every new Android update with a huge number of useful features, many of which fly under the radar while the spotlight stays on the big stuff. As we move towards the 17th major Android release cycle this year, it’s easier than ever to lose track of just how much has been added over time.

At its core, a router simply directs network traffic between devices and networks. In other words, it doesn't need internet access to be useful. If you've got a spare router around, you can put it to good use in a number of ways, even if you never connect it to the internet.

Luxury cars often come with an unspoken cost beyond the sticker price: maintenance. Premium badges may promise upscale cabins and refined driving dynamics, but keeping them on the road can be surprisingly expensive. According to CarEdge, BMW owners can expect to spend an estimated $5,145 on maintenance during the first five years of ownership, a figure that quickly adds up when compared to some of its rivals.

When you live in a detached single-family home, a few yard tools feel like essentials. You'll probably get a lawn mower and a string trimmer. Maybe you'll get a leaf blower. I'm here to tell you, after a decade of homeownership, that a mini chainsaw deserves as high a place on that list.

"What movie do I want to watch" is the million-dollar question that I constantly ask myself every day. Sometimes, I'm ready to go. I know exactly what I want to watch and when I want to stream. Unfortunately, that only happens about half the time. The other half of the time, it can be a struggle to narrow my choices to a single movie. I even have difficulty getting my list down to three movies, let alone one.

Buying based on size alone usually leads to one of two problems: you either overspend on massive capacity you won't use for a decade, or you underbuy and find yourself shopping for more storage in less than a year.

I know what you're thinking. "But the Raspberry Pi is way too expensive now." and "there are so many other alternatives." I will admit right off the bat that there's some truth to both of these statements.

Covering free and open source software has always had a degree of fun, but there was a time when we were starved for choice. These days, it's just the opposite. There are many excellent open source apps out there, but without marketing budgets, it's easy for these gems to fall through the cracks. Here are some of the ones I've been genuinely impressed by recently.

The Toyota Tacoma is one of America's most popular midsize pickups, and the 2026 model year gives potential buyers a range of options across eight trim levels, from a more basic work truck to a full-on, high-speed desert off-roader.

Our lives are more digital than ever. Year after year, we keep adding to the ever-growing pile of photos, videos, downloads, documents, and media on our computers, phones, NAS devices, and cloud storage accounts while barely removing anything. Because of this, it's easy to lose track of just how much data has accumulated—and the hidden costs that come with it.

I love my Kindle, and it's easily my favorite piece of tech that I own. What I don't love is Amazon's horrendous ads that show up on the cover screen all the time. So I ripped those ugly ad pages out and replaced them with these beautiful custom wallpapers.

Audiophiles and audio enthusiasts love to argue about which features are a meaningful investment and which are just a flashy waste of money. One of the most hotly debated topics is audio cables themselves. Does gold plating matter? Do fancy connections really make a difference? What is the real improvement between a coat hanger and a $1,000 premium audio cable?

You’ve probably seen carbon fiber used in high-end products, like on race car wings and road bike frames. Many modern 3D printers have nozzles that are tough enough to print filaments that are infused with carbon fiber, but not everyone is aware of the potential dangers associated with doing so.

If you ever used a computer in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, your first foray into programming was most likely with BASIC. Here are the reasons why Python has taken its place as the language of choice for people learning to program.

Some Android apps do one thing really well, and that’s it. No ads, no in-app purchases—just providing a feature that Android itself doesn’t have. Caffeine is one such app, and it’s been following me around for years on countless phones.

Your Home Assistant server can seem fine on the surface, while deep down it’s crying out for some attention. This can range from missing entities and services to performance problems that are slowing down your whole home.

If you're still typing long, comma-heavy CONCATENATE formulas to merge text in Excel, you're doing more manual work than necessary. Since switching to four alternatives that make combining data faster, cleaner, and far less frustrating, I haven't looked back.

Laptops are getting kind of expensive these days. Sometimes, they can also be a bit of a pain in the neck to travel with, depending on the situation.

Bosch fans know the company makes all sorts of excellent corded and cordless power tools, especially for masonry trades or woodworking. And while many of you likely own a Bosch drill, random orbit sander, or other basics, the brand also makes several lesser-known tools with a lot to like.