How-To Geek

Of all the computer technologies we use every day, there probably isn't one stuffed with more cryptic jargon than networking gear. Looking through your router settings, it's normal to feel your eyes glaze over as the options might as well be in Greek.

Spotify Premium hit $12.99 a month in the US this February. That’s the third price hike since 2023, and when you do the math, you're looking at roughly $156 a year just for music.

If you own an older Ford Focus or Fusion with a manual transmission, you might need to head back to the dealership, even if you already had a safety recall performed in the past. Ford Motor Company has issued an updated safety recall for select Focus and Fusion models because dealership service departments previously installed a software fix incorrectly.

Google takes a “minimal” approach to Pixel phones, but don’t make the mistake of thinking all the best features are all available right out of the box. There’s some good stuff just waiting to be discovered, and Google doesn't do the best job of telling you about it.

We’ve all heard plenty about the end of Windows 10 support, but that deadline feels a lot more real when you look around your own house and realize you still have a perfectly usable PC or two that can’t make the jump to Windows 11. That was the spot I found myself in. These weren’t dead computers, but they also weren’t machines I wanted to leave stranded on an unsupported version of Windows forever.

While you can stick to just making the 3D printing projects that everyone always talks about, like Gridfinity, a Flexy Rex, or other toys, there are a lot of projects to do that nobody ever highlights. Here are five 3D printing projects that I think are fantastic and deserve way more attention than they get.

Experimenting with Docker containers has become a bit of a hobby lately. Recently, I talked about four of my favorite daily-use containers. Since then, I've “done my homework” and discovered a few more useful containers, and have had a few recommended to me by a very enthusiastic community.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been in production since 1979, outlasting most of the vehicles it originally competed against. Built for military use in cooperation with Austrian manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the G-Wagen crossed into civilian life and never looked back. Today, it is as much a status symbol as it is an SUV, the kind of vehicle you see outside a swanky Beverly Hills restaurant and deep in a Colorado canyon on the same weekend.

What makes a classic movie? There are different definitions of a classic movie. You can have the classics of the 1930s and 1940s that paved the way for future filmmakers. There are cult classics that aged well despite receiving mixed reactions upon release. You can have modern classics within the last 30 years that continue to age gracefully.

An HDMI cable is an HDMI cable, right? Wrong! HDMI has been around forever at this point and there have been so many revisions and updates. Which is great for the advancement of video and audio technology, but not so great for ensuring you have the right cables to get the picture quality you need.

If you're a phone enthusiast in the U.S., you probably take the option of Google Fi for granted. But I live in Canada. I'm not allowed to use Google Fi as it's simply unavailable outside the States. I wish it were, as it's the best carrier for someone like me.

For years, one name has dominated the SUV sales charts, earning a reputation as the default choice for families looking for practicality, efficiency, and reliability. That dominance, however, is being tested. Production challenges have limited availability at a time when competition in the SUV segment is fiercer than ever, creating an opportunity for rivals to gain ground.

There are plenty of ways to trigger smart home automations. Schedules are great for things that you need to happen at the same time each day, and motion sensors are a good way to make automations respond to your physical presence. There are many times when a cheap NFC tag is by far the best option.

As good as Amazon's Fire TV Sticks are, pretty much every user knows that they become a lot more sluggish over time. It isn't because the hardware has suddenly become obsolete. Although they were never powerhouses in terms of performance, they remain capable for many years. The most likely culprit is that the storage is running low, and it's an easy fix.

Android Auto feels pretty great straight out of the box. I can't lie that it impressed me the first time I tried it out in a new car. It instantly makes navigation and media feel a lot more intuitive and integrated than a standard phone mount or factory navigation system ever could.

If you're still on Wi-Fi 5, you're probably waiting for Wi-Fi 7 routers to come down in price before you upgrade. However, it's going to be a while before Wi-Fi 7 prices are reasonable for even midrange gear.

Cars are getting more complicated each year. As they become more computerized and complex, the number of tasks that a non-mechanic owner can handle themselves decreases. However, there are still plenty of basic maintenance and repair tasks that almost anyone can do in their own garage. All you need is the right equipment.

The iPad has been around for a long time, and while a lot of the hardware is now too old to be useful, some of the components can still be put to good use. I ripped apart an old iPad and turned it into an always-on display for my smart home cameras.

When you're buying an eReader, it's tempting to get whatever is most convenient or powerful. You don't want to miss out on a must-have feature or shop from a small brand, right?

One of my homelab goals was to replace Google Drive. I hate paying Google money. However, the further I got into trying to replace Google Drive, the more I realized that Google Drive was the solution I was searching for—so I realized it was time to embrace Google after all.