In the continuing saga with tech I am left with many questions. On Monday I spoke with a representative online about internet/television packages. Yesterday the self install kit arrives. Amazing, almost overnight equipment is delivered. Getting an actual representative to appear at your home in another matter altogether, the very reason I decided to do it myself. How hard can it be to screw some wires together? They even sent a picture of what it should look like when I'm done. A diagram.
This isn't my first go around with this stuff and so I have reservations. I'm aware I'm going to have to create passwords, enter passwords, create a home network and name all of that in some order. The issue will be in establishing all of that to work together. Then I'll have to write all that in a book in an attempt to remember what it all is. What's the password for the router? What is the password for your Google acct, for your e-mail account, Roku account, Frndly account, and a host of others. Yup, I have an old fashioned rolodex filled with those things, some are ten years old or older. Which is which? Well, first you have to remember if something is case sensitive. Some are, some aren't. You do have to include upper case, lower case, numbers and special characters. Or, so I've read in advertisement I could just put all of that into one place and only have to remember one password for everything. I don't know about that seems like I would be making it easier for those hackers to me. One and done, got everything. The computer is always asking me if I want it to save my passwords, autofill them. I always decline, for the obvious reason. You can't hack my rolodex! You couldn't figure that out if I handed to you, I can't most of the time. It's a political rolodex, it says this, but means that.
So I have a box of equipment, complete with cables, ready to be installed. I'm mentally preparing myself. Now we all know this install will involve the moving of furniture, finding places to plug everything in and routing the cables. All of that is a frustration in itself. I have learned from past experience that not all coax cable is the same. Better be using RG-6 or it might not work at all. How old is that cable in the wall? Could be an issue. Then there is the issue of "gateways" and what they will allow. That's where it really gets techy. I've been reading, studying up on all that.
But you can use wireless! That's what the tech guy will tell you. Sounds great to me until you try to establish your network and get all your "devices" connected. I have a dual band router, just to complicate things. My desktop is on one band, the chromebook is another, and there is the printer, the google home thing and two phones. And, of course, you need to secure your home network so the neighbors don't steal your internet. Hey, you're using up the internet and slowing my stuff down. I'm paying the bill and buffering. Yes, I know about buffering. don't buy the cheapest internet connection. Just have to remember the wi-fi password for when visitors come. That is getting to be less an issue, as most people have unlimited data plans on their phones these days. Grandkids used to ask all the time. In fact they explained the whole secure your network/internet thing to me. Well, sorta.
Today however I'll be doing something more low tech, the laundry. It's laundry day. I have some more reading to do about all of this stuff, questions that need answers. I do need to get more organized before I begin. I need to just slow down, take notes, write everything down as I go. I'm learning to write things down PRECISELY so as to avoid frustration. You know when you get that message, the password is incorrect! No it isn't I just entered that! Then after some time realizing you didn't use the upper case letter in the right spot, oops, my bad. Anxiety attack! Don't have any problem doing the laundry though, just throw it in the washer and start it going. Everything is colorfast, no sorting for me. No passwords, no networks and no buffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment