How-To Geek

Ubuntu isn’t your only option for reviving old PCs through Linux. Xubuntu is a lighter version of Ubuntu capable of running on moderately old hardware. Let’s see how well it delivers the Ubuntu experience on an older laptop.

When you hear that a router supports Wi-Fi 7, you naturally expect it to pack three bands—2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz—along with other Wi-Fi 7 features such as MLO (Multi-Link Operation), 320MHz channels, and 4096-QAM. In reality, however, MLO is the only one of those three Wi-Fi 7 features that routers are required to support, which has resulted in many Wi-Fi 7 routers shipping with only two bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Why do they lack the 6GHz band, and are they still worth getting? I'll answer those two questions below.

You may already know that checking a project's status before you clone it with git is a good idea, but did you know there's a convenient and attractive way of showing those stats right in your terminal? Meet Onefetch.

Audi is raising the bar in the luxury SUV segment with the all-new 2027 Q7 and SQ7. The third-generation Q7 combines the practicality of a three-row family SUV with the performance, technology, and refinement buyers expect from the four-ring brand.

What's the first piece of advice almost anyone will give you when your internet is down?

Google and Apple might be rivals outside of AI assistants, but they're on friendlier terms when it comes to self-driving cars. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, has bought Apple's former autonomous vehicle proving ground in Wittman, Arizona for $220 million.

Compact SUVs have become the default choice for millions of buyers, but as prices continue to climb, many mainstream models are starting to overlap with used luxury alternatives. For the same money as a brand-new family crossover, shoppers can now find lightly used premium SUVs that offer stronger performance, higher-quality interiors, and a far more engaging driving experience.

I have been an on-again, off-again open source purist over the years, and that has meant using a lot of Linux—but desktop Linux is not the only option for those of us who like software to be "free as in freedom," regardless of whether you are looking for a phone OS, an alternative desktop, or just a bit of amusement.

Summer is slowly kicking in, which calls for a fresh list of exciting new shows and movies to stream in June. With Netflix's release slate for the month, you will not run out of new content to watch for a while. From returning shows to exclusive movies, the schedule is jam-packed.

Mesh Wi-Fi systems are marketed as the ultimate solution for seamless wireless coverage. By letting multiple intelligent nodes work together, they promise to eliminate dead zones while maintaining incredible speeds across a home. However, in a small apartment, this added complexity can actually hurt performance rather than improve it. Allow me to explain.

Home Assistant has two main software solutions for connecting your Zigbee smart home devices. Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA) is the native integration built directly into Home Assistant. Zigbee2MQTT is an independent, open-source project supported by a community of contributors. While ZHA is easy to use, there are plenty of reasons why Zigbee2MQTT is my Zigbee solution of choice.

Google is going all in on AI for the search engine. The company recently announced that it's going to soon replace the "ten blue links" with AI Overviews and AI Mode. I was already on the fence, but this pivot finally pushed me to self-host a search engine. And I'm glad I made the switch.

I love experimenting with different audio software, but I'm going to be totally honest here: I really do not like PlexAmp, especially when I'm using Android Auto. I've tried to get along with it. I really have. But there are, in my opinion, far better apps for Android Auto out there.

When Amazon introduced its Alexa smart speakers, it seemed like it was going to change the way we would control our smart homes. I bought several Echo devices for my home, but the reality never lived up to expectations. There are plenty of reasons why I stopped using Alexa.

If you've been manually copy-pasting prompts, jumping between Projects, or settling for inconsistent Claude output, you're doing it the hard way. Skills—Claude's modular, loadable prompt system—are specifically designed to solve this problem. That's evident in the skills catalog growing past 1.5 million entries.

If you own a laser cutter, you've probably run into the same problem: the machine itself is straightforward enough, but creating a good design file can feel like a separate, much more complicated project. Between juggling design software, manually prepping images, and preventing the snapping or burning of materials can bury anyone in technical busywork.

Home Assistant apps are software containers that are deployed by Home Assistant OS. This additional software runs alongside Home Assistant, rather than within it. They’re different to integrations (which only affect Home Assistant by adding new services and devices) and altogether more powerful.

Samsung makes excellent phones, and I've been buying and reviewing them for the last 14 years. A prime example is the fancy new Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is arguably the best Android you can buy. But after getting the Ultra and using it for a while, not only do I regret it, but I inevitably returned it and kept my older, smaller model.

It's 2026. A lot of us have given a whole lot of thought to our network setups. We've gone over settings that might make the network feel slow, addressed dead zones, and probably invested in things like a VPN to make sure the connection stays private and secure.