You can help prevent failure of your hardware by performing periodic maintenance on it. This involves routine cleaning inside the case and maintaining the hard drive with special utilities. You will need the following equipment: - A grounding wrist strap to prevent damage from ESD - A grounding mat,...

Digital media players, media hubs, or media adapters allow you to view or listen to digital media from your computer on your home entertainment center. Functionality and design varies among devices, but there are two basic types. One type connects to your network and allows you to upload all your video...

Determining the value of your data You determine the value of your data in part by the amount of work it would take to reproduce it and by how important you feel it is. Determining the value of your data aids you in deciding how often to back up and whether you should back up offsite. For example, I...

The first thing you need to decide is exactly what you want to control. Start by making a list of things you want to accomplish with your system. These may include the following: -Controlling lights -Controlling or monitoring thermostats -Video surveillance -Monitoring water and power systems -Remote...

Wireless cameras, especially aggressively marketed X10 wireless cameras, are a danger to your privacy. Because X10 cameras broadcast an unencrypted analog signal, all anyone needs to intercept it is an X10 video receiver plugged into a laptop. That's right; someone sitting in a car parked on the street...

Online Storage: When I say online, I'm not referring to the Internet. Here online refers to a backup that is readily accessible by users on the network. For a home WLAN, online storage could consist of a hard disk (or disks) on one of the computers on the network or an external hard drive attached to...

It's possible that software and hardware configuration errors could cause your network to behave erratically or not at all. Usually configuration errors prevent your devices from operating at all, but it's worth a review. If you have ruled out all other causes for your network trouble, try checking your...

There are several clever accessories for your car that extend the usefulness of your PDA. Because your PDA can interface with a GPS module, you can use it as a navigation aid. Of course, you can't really drive around town while holding your PDA in one hand and steering with the other. The answer is a...