How-To Geek

There is a specific, sinking feeling that every Plex user knows intimately. You log into your server, ready to unwind with your meticulously curated media library, and you are greeted not by the familiar grid of movie posters, but by a sterile orange screen. The database is corrupted and the carefully hand-picked collections you spent weeks building have vanished into the digital ether.

Smart home devices can get expensive quickly, especially if they rely on subscriptions or cloud services to unlock their full utility. That is why I've switched to using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for as many smart home projects as I can. It is small, inexpensive, and low-power, but it is also exceptionally versatile.

While Windows 11 has been one of the largest visual and under-the-hood overhauls Windows has ever seen, a ton of UI elements, options, and even apps from older Windows versions still linger in Windows 11’s nooks and crannies. While some, like the Control Panel, Command Prompt, and Device Manager, are hiding in plain sight, many more are buried beneath the surface.

The BMW M3 turns 40 this year, and unlike me, it’s still quick in middle age!

Luxury SUVs have gotten so good across the board that they almost start blending together. Most of them chase the same formula too—quiet cabins, smooth rides, big screens, and just enough performance to feel expensive.

Here we are, facing down the lane of the third week of May. Who's ready to roll a strike with three movies that have come to Netflix this month and that have been knocking down movies on the Netflix Top 10 like bowling pins? If your focus hasn't been locked on Remarkably Bright Creatures or the excellent new Martin Short documentary, then check out the movie selection below.

Bluetooth trackers are useful, but for situations where you need precise location tracking—like if you lose your keys inside your home and don’t want to play hide and seek with the tracker’s alert sounds—Ultra Wideband (UWB) comes to the rescue.

For years, Korean cars have struggled to shake off an outdated reputation for questionable reliability. Even as Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis dramatically improved build quality, technology, and refinement, many buyers continued to assume Japanese brands were the safer long-term choice. However, modern reliability data is starting to tell a very different story.

Hyundai and Kia basically struck gold with two SUVs that families can’t seem to stop buying. The Palisade leans into the more polished, comfortable, almost upscale vibe, while the Telluride has always played the slightly cooler, more aggressive sibling.

Netflix has a new animated champion in Swapped. The body-swap comedy starring Michael B. Jordan set the single-week viewing record for a Netflix animated original with 38.7 million views during the May 4-10 period. While it won't reach the heights of KPop Demon Hunters, Swapped is a win for Netflix and its animated slate.

The worst thing about internet issues is that they can be caused by any number of reasons. That makes troubleshooting so very tedious.

As summer approaches, so does the excitement of watching thrilling movies that are fast-paced, easy to binge, and widely appealing. From pulse-pounding thrillers to emotionally charged dramas, exhilarating high-stakes storytelling thrives on conflict, risk, and consequence, and that’s the sandbox we’re playing in this week.

Craftsman used to have tools that could survive decades of heavy abuse, and you feel that durability the moment you pick them up. If you buy basic modern hand tools from a big box store, you already know they lack that heavy feel. They have shiny finishes and high-tooth ratchets, but the computer designs trim weight to save on manufacturing costs, leading to weak steel that breaks under pressure.

With all due respect to the new movies added on streaming last week, this week's selections blow last week's additions out of the water. Lurker on HBO Max and The Crash on Netflix were definitely highlights. However, this week is so good that those two might not have made the cut.

We’ve had multi-gig networking for several years now, but where does it actually make sense? I think that multi-gig internet is a waste of money, as most servers can’t serve you files at those speeds anyway. However, a multi-gig LAN absolutely changed how I use my homelab.

I love Gemini in Android Auto; there are so many times it is better than the old Assistant. However, there are too many issues Google did not solve before putting it in cars. It's as if the company wanted to put it in cars before making sure everything worked. Some things make me really wish I could go back to Google Assistant, especially when I need a true assistant, and not just a conversation partner. I handle most things from my phone before driving off, so I don't need the extra help on the road.

While multi-gig WAN (wide area network, your connection to the outside world) sounds great, it’s entirely unnecessary right now, at least, for getting multi-gig speeds on your LAN. A LAN is a local area network, and you can easily achieve multi-gig speeds using various other methods instead of replacing your router. In fact, replacing your router is the most expensive way to achieve 2.5GbE speeds on your LAN.

A Raspberry Pi is a decent self-hosting server if you're careful about what services you host. Unfortunately, Plex's default settings tend to be too much for even a Raspberry Pi 5 to handle.

Most people pick a browser once and never think about it again, which is how Chrome ends up with a hundred extensions, a cluttered toolbar, and a memory footprint that slows everything down. Samsung Browser on Windows is worth a serious look at because the integration between the two is genuinely useful in ways that go beyond basic bookmark syncing. Samsung Browser left Galaxy phones, and I'm so happy about it.

Fancy taking on some at-home projects to create smart gadgets without splashing too much cash? Here are 3 upgrades you can make to your tech to create a smart home, while only spending $24 on an Arduino board.