In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent tackles a unique smart home dilemma from a viewer named John, who runs his home automation through Android while his wife uses Apple devices. John wants to know if he can use an old iPad as a home hub to give his wife easier access to their home's smart features, like thermostats, greenhouse controls, and outlets, without having to go through his phone.

• Android-first setup is actually advantageous, as it means devices are already configured independently rather than being locked into Apple's HomeKit ecosystem
• For HomeKit-compatible devices, adding them to the wife's iPhone/iPad is as simple as scanning the HomeKit codes in Apple's Home app

Some suggested approaches for the iPad hub:

• Use as a portable control panel that can move between rooms
• Mount it permanently as a dedicated control center using a device such as elago's Home Hub Mount, which allows for clean cable management.
• Mikah recommends using Home Assistant (home-assistant.io) as a powerful third-party solution that works with more devices than just HomeKit or Google Home, has robust automation capabilities, and has apps for multiple platforms, making it accessible to both users.
• Mikah also emphasizes the importance of "smart," which means proactive automation, giving examples like automatic fan control based on humidity sensor readings, proximity-based lighting control, and custom scenes triggered by pressure sensors.

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Mikah addresses a listener question about why their TCL TV and cable box sometimes turn on automatically after a power outage. He explains the likely causes and offers troubleshooting tips. Mikah also shares an important follow-up from a previous episode about internet speeds and the limitations of the Apple TV 4K's Ethernet port.

Main Topic:
• Richard asks why his TCL TV and cable box sometimes turn on by themselves after brief power outages
• Mikah explains that TCL TVs have a "Fast TV Start" feature that keeps the TV in a powered-on state to maintain network connections, causing it to turn back on when power is restored
• HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) allows devices to communicate and control each other, which may cause the cable box to turn on when the TV powers on
• Mikah advises checking the TV and cable box settings for features like Fast TV Start, sleep/hibernation modes, and HDMI-CEC to adjust the behavior
• Many smart home devices, such as lights and robot vacuums, also have auto-on features that should be configured to prevent unexpected behavior after power outages

Follow-up:
• Thomas points out that in a previous episode (195), the Apple TV 4K used to test internet speeds has a maximum throughput of about 990 Mbps due to its Gigabit Ethernet port
• For the listener (Ross) to accurately test their 2.5 Gbps internet speed, they should ensure their Mac supports the full 2.5 Gbps that the adapter provides
• The Apple TV 4K's Wi-Fi 6 support may allow for faster speeds than its Ethernet port, depending on the router and environment

Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected]

Host: Mikah Sargent

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On Hands-On Tech, Mikah helps Omar schedule his daughter's Mac to shut down at a specific time, Jed disables his children's iPads as the two-factor authentication points, and Ben has several questions related to iCloud Shared Albums, along with other viewers' questions!

• Omar is looking for a way to shut down his daughter's Mac at a specific time.
  • For Omar:
  • Type the following: sudo pmset repeat shutdown MTWRFSU 11:00:00
  • Type the following to confirm the schedule has been set: sudo pmset -g sched
  • To cancel the repeating shutdown, type the following: sudo pmset repeat cancel
• Wayne is wondering why he is unable to use a public Wi-Fi network on his phone, even though his phone shows that he is connected to that network.
• Jed is trying to find a way to remove his children's iPads from being used as the primary two-factor authentication points.
• Ben has several questions about iCloud Shares Albums and asks Mikah for as much help as possible.
• And Vernon follows up with Mikah after getting help from a few episodes ago!

Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected]

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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On Hands-On Tech, Mikah continues to answer more of your submitted questions, such as reclaiming Gmail storage from deleted emails, connecting an older iPad to a newer Wi-Fi network, and why you might not be getting exactly close to the speeds you should be getting with your internet service provider.

• Jack wonders why, after deleting old emails in his Gmail account, why he doesn't have more space in his account.
• Ronald asks a follow-up question from a previous episode involving his new Mac and whether he can use Spinrite to maintain a formatted external drive.
• Hassan has an Eero router with WPA3 enabled, but he has to connect an older iPad to the network, which won't work on the network. Is there a workaround he can do to get the iPad to work on the Eero network?
• Ray wants to know about uploading his .pst files from his Outlook client to another email provider like Gmail or Yahoo so he doesn't have to utilize the Outlook client anymore when accessing his emails.
• And Ross wonders if he can do anything to get access to speeds as close as the 2.5Gbps he is paying for with his ISP.

Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected].

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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In this detailed episode, Mikah Sargent tackles a diverse range of tech challenges, from bulk email deletion and password management to troubleshooting a freezing MacBook and exploring unconventional monitor setups. Listeners will gain practical solutions for common tech frustrations and even insights into Linux encryption!

• Vernon wants to know how to quickly delete over 83,000 emails in their Gmail account.
• Miroslav wants to know if there's a way to export passwords from Apple's Password Manager on iPhone or iPad without using a Mac or PC.
• Charlotte wants to know why her 2020 MacBook Air keeps freezing when using Zoom and Chrome, and how to alleviate the issue.
• Charles wonders how to properly set up full disk encryption on his Debian and Manjaro Linux installations.
• Mark wants to know if a 55-inch QLED TV can be a good replacement for his current ultrawide monitor for text-based work.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers questions about what to do with old electronics, extracting photos out of downloaded files and maintaining the original photo names, how to properly manage your phone's battery, and a question from a listen about the best way to manage their router setup!

• Kelli came across some old electronics her father had years ago! She thinks they could be worth something but wonders if she should recycle them instead.
• Ray has their iPhone wirelessly charging at night while on Do Not Disturb. However, it randomly makes a sound at night! How can he get his phone to stop making that noise?
• Sean just downloaded their Google photos to back them up on an external drive. How can he keep the photos' original names when he extracts the files?
• Dan wonders how to manage their phone's battery life best when they keep it plugged in most of the time.
• Alan has three routers throughout his household in his home network. When he goes to different points in the house, he has to change the SSID to the router closest to where he is. Is there a simpler way of doing this before going to a Mesh router setup?

Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected]

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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In this episode of Hands-On Tech, host Mikah Sargent tackles crucial questions about home networking, Mac mini security, and tech troubleshooting. Absorb this week's helpful tips, from analyzing Orbi mesh WiFi performance to explaining lock screen best practices and VHS video enhancement solutions.

• Susan asks if her Orbi AX6000 tri-band mesh WiFi 6 router is adequate for her 4,000 square foot home, given she's experiencing TV streaming delays and slower WiFi speeds compared to cellular data.
• DA, a new Mac Mini user transitioning from Windows, wants to know how to disable the password requirement when waking up their computer.
• Bruce is having issues with his Synology NAS repeatedly disconnecting from his new M4 Mac Mini and requiring password re-entry after sleep or logout, despite using AutoMounter.
• David asks if he should upgrade the RAM on his new HP Pavilion PC beyond 16GB for video editing, and seeks recommendations for software to improve VHS video quality.
• Brad inquires whether it's safe to keep his iPhone 16 Pro Max on a charger all day and night, including while using an Anker power bank.
• (Follow-up) John provides an update on his previous question about getting an iPhone hotspot to work with older WiFi devices, sharing what solutions worked for him.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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On Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers questions such as about a feature in Linux that can allow you to cut and paste your entire drive, about passkeys and multiple accounts on the same website, and Mikah helps a listener with the process of transferring from working on a Windows machine to a new M4 Mac mini.

• Ole is looking for a feature in Linux that would allow him to move his Linux system and files from one drive to another without having to reinstall the operating system.
• Kevin is wondering if you can log into a website using passkeys if you have multiple accounts on that website.
• Gary has a follow-up to Mark's question about Kindle Sync from last week that could be useful for them.
• Ronald is planning to switch from his Dell Windows 10 computer to the new M4 Mac mini and has a slew of questions about when he will make the switch, from which Mac mini configuration he should go with, to using external drives with the computer, and which Thunderbolt hub Mikah recommends as well.
• And Stephen provides a follow-up on the question about smartphone hotspots from a few episodes ago, involving Jon's problem getting older hardware to connect to his iPhone hotspot.

Remember to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected]

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

On Hands-On Tech, Mikah continues to answer more of your questions, such as why Kindle books may not stay in sync between different devices, why you can't reconnect to your WiFi network after losing connection, and how you can get a reminder or a list to open up for you when walking into specified locations.

• Mark has a Kindle device and the Kindle app on several Apple devices. However when Mark reads a book in Kindle, his progress within the app doesn't stay synced between his Kindle device and apps. What can Mark do to fix the issue?
• John has used Windows 10 for a long time and doesn't want to upgrade to Windows 11. With Windows 10 going out of support soon, he's looking for alternatives to Windows that can run Microsoft Office that isn't Mac OS.
• When Dylan loses connection to his WiFi network on his Windows 11 laptop, he can't reconnect unless he restarts the PC. He's looked around for possible solutions and came across others having similar issues, even with Windows 10, and is looking for any insight from Mikah into troubleshooting the problem.
• Robby wants to know if there's a way to get their iPhone to send a reminder or a list that opens up when they walk into specific locations, such as a Best Buy or a grocery store.
• Steven asks a question related to last week's show about Passkeys and how he views them as a complicated, poorly thought-out plan. Should Steven wait to switch over to using Passkeys until things are better figured out with Passkey?
• And Todd follows up with their question about passkeys from last week's show.

Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! [email protected]

Host: Mikah Sargent

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

On Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers questions about adjusting a setting within the Google Maps app, whether there's a difference in audio and video quality between a Roku TV and an Amazon Fire stick, what music players will work for Android to play all the songs of an individual artist, getting legacy hardware to connect to an iPhone hotspot, and what passkeys are!

• Martin-Guy is a retired cyclist who uses Google Maps while cycling. However, the cycling times reference speed within the app is too fast for him. He's looking for a way to adjust that setting if possible or if there's an alternative app he can use that would allow him to make such an adjustment.
• Michael owns a 4K TCL Roku TV and the most recent Amazon Fire TV Stick. Is there a difference in audio or video quality between the Roku TV and the Amazon Fire TV Stick?
• Lane just got a Pixel 9 Pro and stores his music in a folder on the device. He uses an app called Musicolet as his player and wants to know if there's a way to play all the songs of a selected artist in shuffle mode or if there's another app that can do this.
• Jon is trying to connect older "legacy" hardware to his iPhone hotspot but is having trouble doing this and wonders if Mikah knows of any tricks to get this older hardware to connect to the hotspot.
• Todd has heard Mikah talk about Passkeys on the TWiT network many times in the past. However, he doesn't understand what a passkey is and asks Mikah for any insight he can share about passkeys.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor:

• cachefly.com/twit