How-To Geek

Creating automations in Home Assistant can be a long and time-consuming process. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, however. There are some useful blueprints that you can use to create complex automations in next to no time.

Another weekend arrives, and lucky for us, so does another opportunity for a cozy binge with some of the best shows Amazon Prime Video has to offer—two of which I’ve seen and did not regret watching. My top recommendation, though, is the first thing I’ll be diving into this weekend, right along with you. It’s hard for voracious consumers like me to avoid shows that boast a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

I’m tired of trying to plug my printer in and failing multiple times because of the archaic USB-B connector on it. That connector is 30 years old, and it’s time to ditch it. Arduino did, even on its lowest-cost microcontrollers. If Arduino can embrace USB-C, so can printer manufacturers.

Storage prices have been steadily climbing over the past few months, with no slowdown in sight, while files keep getting bigger. Windows doesn’t always make it easy to manage your drive, and before you buy more of that expensive storage space, there’s an easier solution.

The 2026 K4 Hatchback takes everything Kia learned from the K4 Sedan and wraps it in a tighter, more playful shape. After seeing it in the flesh at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, it’s clear this five-door was built with Civic shoppers in mind.

Smart home devices being discontinued and turned into bricks is a common occurrence, but larger companies like Google and Amazon usually keep their devices running for a long time. That's not true for the Fire TV Blaster, which is getting killed only a year after Amazon stopped selling it.

I was very late to the party with Notion. I tried the all-in-one workspace app a couple of years ago and didn't really get the hype. I recently tried it again, and now that I know just how much you can do by combining Notion with the automation software n8n, I kind of wish I'd left it alone. It's awesome—and that's the problem.

The latest Windows 11 security update from January 2026 is causing a frustrating bug that makes some PCs refuse to shut down or hibernate after installation. This issue stems from the monthly Patch Tuesday bundle, specifically update KB5073455, on devices running Windows 11, version 23H2.

Excel's fill handle is fine for a few rows, but in a big dataset, it's an error waiting to happen. Why drag and drop when you can automate? The MAP function lets you write a single formula that spills logic across your whole sheet, keeping your data clean and your workflow streamlined.

The Steam Deck is my go-to platform for retro gaming; I’ve even dedicated a 1TB microSD card to it. But it’s ill-suited to multiplayer sessions and non-portable use. Though I could invest in yet another USB hub, I’d rather make use of hardware I’ve already got, like my under-utilized Raspberry Pi.

LibreELEC is a Linux-based operating system that’s designed purely with media consumption in mind. Pair it with an old (or new) Raspberry Pi and hide it behind the TV for an invisible and highly capable media center setup.

Minivans and off-road capability don’t usually belong in the same sentence, but one American people-mover concept is challenging that assumption. With a focus on rugged design, enhanced traction systems, and adventurous styling cues, it pushes the idea of what a family van can do, not just on pavement, but on unpaved backroads too. It turns heads not because it debuted at a major show, but because it signals a new direction in how minivans can be configured for modern lifestyles.

If you've been following me for a while, you know Fedora Linux is not one of my favorite distributions. There are many spin-off distributions though that base themselves on Fedora, though, that I would recommend.

A smart home might feel out of reach if you're renting. However, there are several smart home upgrades that you can make that don't involve changing fixtures, drilling holes, or messing with wiring. You may find that there's a lot you can do without violating the terms of your rental agreement, and you can easily take everything with you if you move.

Slimbook has sold PCs with desktop Linux for a while now, and today the company announced a premium Linux-powered laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor and up to 128GB RAM. Say hello to the Slimbook Executive.

If you're like me, you're tired of seeing the phrase "price hike" in headlines about the streaming services you're paying for. I got so tired I decided to use my movie collection to build what you might call a personal streaming service. Here's what it involved.

If you're new to setting up security cameras from scratch, the task of home security can seem daunting. But luckily, you can have a trial run with free-to-use security camera apps that only require your phone and one spare device that you probably have on hand.

When you type a web address (aka a URL) in the address bar of your browser, that's not actually the address of the server your computer connects to. That's a "friendly" name that humans can remember, but it has to be translated into an IP address. An IP address is the exact address of a specific device on a network, which would be a web server, when visiting a website.

January is already flying by, and if your good intentions are still intact, you may be itching to continue improving your smart home. If you have some free time this weekend, here are three Home Assistant projects you might want to try.

Police procedurals have been winning over viewers for over 70 years. From Dragnet and Hill Street Blues to NYPD Blue and NCIS, police-driven TV shows are extremely reliable forms of content. Many of these procedurals have found new audiences thanks to their resurgence on streaming.