Google Chromecast

While the final frontier of technology dominance has been the TV in the living room, companies very rarely make a splash. Even the hyped Apple can't crack the code, as their Apple TV turned out to be a blundering failure. Enter Google and their Chromecast. As of the last year, Google released the product called Chromecast. It isn't a set-top box or a whole TV, instead, its an HDMI device with a Wi-Fi chip in it. The entire function of this tiny widget is to bridge the content and apps from your phone, tablet and PC over to your TV. The cost is a tiny $35 and is available everywhere [Staples, Best Buy, RadioShack and all over online].

Setup is a breeze. The hardest part is connecting it to your TV, just plug it in and change the input. If its wall mounted, it can take a little longer since you aren't taking your TV off the wall to connect it quicker. Takes 5-7 minutes after you have the app installed. During the setup from your mobile device, the widget has the Wi-Fi profile configured, gets the latest firmware update and configures itself for the format of your TV.

What you need

• TV with available HDMI and USB port
• if you dont have USB, thats OK the kit comes with a Wall Adapter for it
• Mobile device with access to an App Store/Google Play to download the Chromecast app
• Wi-Fi network coverage that reaches the TV
• the stronger the signal, the smoother the experience will be

Picture quality was outstanding, worked with my Droid Razr Maxx HD, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy S4 without a hitch. At times, I've noticed the device doesnt want to connect, but turning the TV on/off does the trick. It could be the USB port on my TV not putting out enough power to drive the Chromecast which using the supplied AC Adapter would potentially resolve that, but I didn't want to run any wires and it happens very rarely. Netflix, YouTube, Revision 3 channels looked great on my TV in 1080p and I could multi-task on my device while the chromecast was streaming either browsing the web, looking for the next video to cast or adding something to the playback queue. All in all, easy and it doesnt require its own interface to interact with, just adds a button that lets you Cast to the TV of your choice if you have multiple Chromecasts on the same network.

All in all, I would totally recommend these. They're a steal at $35, a breeze to setup and for about $100 you can add online content to 3 TV's in your home/office without additional subscriptions.

Summertime Danger

Did you know…the summer months are the most dangerous for devices connected to wall outlets?

Here's why: In the summer, the electric grid experiences significant burdens from increased demand from fans and air conditioners. Why you may be comfy and cool in the office, your PC and network equipment is being battered by wild power variations at the outlet. It’s a problem because it can lead to unstable performance, shortened hardware lifespan, but worst of all...total system failure.

So how can we protect valuable equipment that your business depends on every day? Its simple. Any device that is critical to keeping your network and communications running should have a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply, aka battery backup) connected between the wall outlet and your equipment. This is the most important detail; it MUST have the following features:

• Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR)
• It helps by correcting low and high voltage conditions without using the battery (ie. brownouts)
• Power conditioning 
• This protects connected equipment from "Dirty Power" (surges, spikes, lightning, noise, etc)
• Accurate run-time needs
• Don't use a UPS that's smaller than your normal power requirement.
• Make sure you will have enough battery time to shut down the equipment and still have some charge left
• Remember,  batteries lose their charge over time

The good news is that protecting yourself from stable power is cheap! You may ask yourself "Why do I need this, everything is working fine", and it may be OK...for now. The cost incurred AFTER a power related failure is typically between 4 and 10 times more expensive than protecting yourself before it happened! Penny Wise, Dollar Foolish, it just doesn't pay.

We can help you stay protected so you don't need to sweat it.

Will Kutzler
F1 Networx Inc
http://www.f1networx.com

Check Out My New Credit Card Terminal !!!

We're used to things getting smaller, but usually the price doesn't follow. That is until you look at credit card processing...

I recently got the Square Card Reader over the weekend. Like all new technology, we have to take a grain of salt with it. This product though has blown away my expectations. Since spotting this a few months back, I was waiting to take the leap, and I'm glad I did!

Here's how it works....
Using your smartphone or tablet (Android / iOS), download the Square App and connect the FREE reader which they sent by mail. Plug the reader into the headphone jack, launch the app and you now have a credit card terminal! Punch in the amount to charge, swipe the card, hit the process transaction icon, done. You can even do manual card entry. You can even issue a refund right from your transaction history register on the device!

This is all great but how much does it cost? Simple: 2.75% per transaction (3.5% + 15cents for manual entry). Thats it. No minimums, no terminal fee or merchant fees, no tiered pricing, no guessing. I LOVE IT.

So what about the receipt and signature? No worries. The receipt gets emailed or text messaged to them on the spot! And the signature is entered right on the screen with their finger or a stylus.

Process the payment over 2G, 3G, 4G or WiFi, all the data is encrypted. They adhere to the highest industry standards (PCI Level 1).

The money is transferred within 1 business day via ACH, unlike PayPal which holds it in their account until you  initiate the transfer.

So what are you waiting for? Ditch the terminals from 1990 and get Square today! Available at Radioshack and Online at https://squareup.com/

You will need the following:

1. A Smartphone or Tablet
• Apple device running iOS 4.1 or higher (iPad iOS 5.0+ for register version)
• Android running 2.1 or higher 
2. A 3.5mm headset jack with microphone (audio jack adaptors are not supported)
3. A screen size specified as Normal or Large (Small screen sizes are not supported)
4. GPS enabled
5.  A data connection

This is a solid solution for anyone on the Go or even at a fixed location. They will provide you with multiple readers if you have several devices to swipe from, for free.

Are you an E-Hoarder??

We've all seen the episodes on TV where out in the middle of nowhere this house is packed with garbage as far as the eye can see. We just can't believe it! Many of us swear that we will never get that way, but the truth is, you probably already are a hoarder.... an E-Hoarder that is. Don't be scared though, depending on what industry you work in, it may be a requirement, like finance and legal for example.
The most common thing for people to retain massive histories of is e-mail. The typical worker gets about 105 emails per day. That's over 25,000 emails per year!! While for some this doesn't sound like much, keep in mind that when you send a message, it saves a copy in your sent items too. So for those of us with busy mailboxes, its no surprise to become overwhelmed with thousands of emails when the year ends. The root cause of our affliction has been due to progress in technology! But isn't technology supposed to help? Well it is, but the problem is that storing information has become cheaper to do! Back in 2000, 1 Gigabyte cost about $9, today that same Gigabyte costs closer to $.08! 1GB costs less than 1% vs. back in 2000, which enables the mentality, "Theres plenty of space on my server, so why bother deleting?". There in lies the problem....

We've subjected ourselves to information overload and bloated storage costs. It isn't storing all those emails that's the issue, there's no way to find what you're looking for unless its been promptly sorted! So now we require a search engine for our mailboxes. With search engines like Google and Bing, we're accustomed to instant and accurate search results, but on desktops and servers however, its a whole different ball game. Comparatively, searching our own data is similar to using a stone and chisel to take notes, its just not up to snuff. The inability to find the information we need can leave us in a heap of other troubles, particularly when it comes to litigation.

When you are being sued or vice versa, having your data properly classified is essential. E-discovery is the stage of the legal research process whereby legal teams are sifting through mountains of data to find information that is relevant to the case. The faster they can find relevant information, the lower your legal costs can be. The efficiency of your organization to purge data is also a key function as well. Knowing when you can wipe data from the systems is extremely important as it keeps your data set manageable.

So in short, do some house cleaning and consider upgrading your document management system as this would be a good time to do it.

-Will Kutzler
F1 Networx Inc.

What Internet "Speed" Really Means

We all want to go fast, especially on the internet, but so many consumers are misled everyday by the advertisements of service providers.

When they [Cable Company, FiOS, Whoever] say that they're the fastest, they really mean that their service has the most capacity. On a network, speed means how long it takes for a signal to go from your end of a network to another. The technical term for this is latency, measured in milliseconds.

The service providers are actually describing capacity, measured in Megabits (Mbps) or Gigabits (Gbps) per second. What this means is you have a connection that allows for a lot more traffic before it gets bogged down. Think of a 6 lane highway.

Depending on your needs, you may want lower latency instead of higher capacity. If you have a web server, lower latency is better when you have many small pieces to transmit. An FTP server is completely different because you would want to move those large files in less time or be able to handle more transfers at one time. With the FTP server, how long it takes to make the connection isn't as important as how much data it can move when there is a large volume of data to move.

Here's an easier way to understand it...

Latency:
You need to deliver a letter (small files like a webpage) to someone across the country. Low Latency (fast) means you hop into a Formula 1 racecar and zip it across the country. If you need to transport many letters, this connection is great. This would be a T1 or other dedicated connection.

Capacity:
Now while the race car is fast, it can't carry large packages or freight (big files on an FTP Server), therein lies the problem. Here you would use a slightly slower connection (an 18 wheel truck) , to handle much more in one delivery. It takes longer but if you are moving many large files or have many people to deliver to, you want more capacity, speed isn't as important.

Common Connection types:

• T1/metro Ethernet - fast (private highway for your files), expensive, corporate grade, guaranteed speed and up-time metrics
  
• Cable Internet - "slow", but has a lot of capacity shared across subscribers, no service up-time guarantee, cheap
  
• FiOS (Fiber) - faster than cable, has much more capacity than cable, but no service up-time guarantee, cheap

There are many other options, but for the small business, it really comes down to these 4.

Depending on your internet usage needs (web server, e-mail, FTP, VoIP) having a cable/fios connection may not be the best solution.

We've helped countless companies measure their needs with the connectivity they really need, not just what they've seen on TV.

Thanks for reading,

F1 Networx Inc.
New York's Premiere Technology Management Group
631-446-1221
http://www.f1networx.com