Wednesday 9th January 2019
Updated 18/05/2023: Updated the two links in the section "PowerLine Adapters".
Roku
Roku is a streaming video device which connects to an HDMI port on your TV and connects to the Internet via wi-fi or an Ethernet cable. Essentially, it turns a dumb TV into a smart TV for as little as £30. Margaret had an issue with her Roku stick which came up with a message saying "HDCP Unauthorized Content Disabled". I don't know what this means, but this, and most other Roku errors can be fixed by completely disconnecting the Roku and its power connection and then re-connecting. This solved the problem Margaret was having.
For more details on Roku devices, visit their web site at:-
PowerLine Adapters
Talk of smart TVs and Roku led to a discussion about how they can be connected to your Internet, i.e.your router. While some devices (including Roku) can connect via wi-fi, some (e.g. some Humax digi-boxes) cannot. To get the best, fastest connection, it is generally better to connect by a network cable rather than wi-fi if possible. However, it is not always convenient to run a network cable from your router to the device. One excellent solution to this is to use powerline adapters. These are devices which allow the network data to travel through the mains wiring of your house and, while they are not quite as good as a direct network cable (aka Ethernet cable), they are much better than using wi-fi.
For a basic system, you need a pair of powerline adapters. Position one close to your router and connect it to your router with a short Ethernet cable. Position the second one wherever it is required in your house (e.g. near the TV/digi-box) and use another Ethernet cable to connect it to your device. I recommend using adapters with a 'passthrough' mains socket - this means you do not lose a mains socket. The adapter near the router only needs a single Ethernet port. The one at the other end may have more than one Ethernet port, which is useful if you have several devices to connect.
Here is a video which shows how to use powerline adapters:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFo_obQH0Y0
TP-Link do a large range of reasonably priced powerline adapters, some of which have a wi-fi access point at the far end. See their site at:-
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/powerline/
They are available from all the usual suppliers - Amazon, Argos, Tesco, Asda, Salisburys, Currys, etc.
Note that you can add additional powerline adapters which you 'pair' with the one by your router, to get good Internet to several parts of your home.
Windows 10 1809 Update - What's Happening?
The latest version of Windows 10 is 1809. It was first released on 2nd October last year, but then halted on 6th Oct after problems with some users' data being deleted. The problem was fixed and the release was re-started on 13th November. Microsoft continue to release it gradually to specific makes and models of PC, but, if you go to Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update and click on Check for Updates, you may get it sooner. If you definitely want to install it, you can go to the Microsoft Download site:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
If you just want to update the PC you are currently using, you can click on Update Now on the above site.
Also, on the above site, you can create a Windows 10 Installation media. Click on Download tool now to download and run the Media Creation Tool. When you run this tool, select the option to create the installation media on a USB stick - you need a blank USB stick with at least 8GB capacity. Having created the USB Installation stick, you can use it in 2 ways:-
If you are updating to W10 from W7 or W8.1, then technically you need to purchase a W10 Product Key which currently costs £119.99 and is available from the Microsoft Store:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/b/windows
However, Microsoft did originally offer free upgrades from 7/8.1 to 10 for the first year. It seems that this free upgrade still works according this article from ZDNet:-
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/
So, you can try it. DO make an Image Backup, if possible, before you attempt these updates, just in case it does not work.
Google Home/Amazon Echo
Following a comment from Tony, it is worth mentioning that smart speakers such as Google Home and Amazon Echo have a Bluetooth capability. Initially, you have to pair the speaker with your Bluetooth device. Once paired, you can ask the speaker to "connect" by voice command. So, if you have a mobile device with music stored on it and you play that music, you can connect to the speaker via Bluetooth so the music plays on the speaker, rather than the mobile device. Alternatively, if you are streaming music to the smart speaker (e.g. from Spotify or Amazon Music) you can Bluetooth that sound to larger, better speakers.
Chromecast
A bit of a discussion about Chromecast arose. A Google Chromecast is a small device which plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and connects to your network by wi-fi. This Google Support page explains how to set up your Chromecast device:-
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/2998456
Apps on your mobile device which support Chromecast (e.g. Chrome, YouTube, Google Photos, etc) allow you to 'cast' what you are seeing on your mobile device onto your TV (assuming that's what you have connected the Chromecast to). Once the cast is established, the Chromecast receives the video from the Internet (not from your mobile device) so your mobile device does not have to remain on.
Tony asked about casting from the Sky app (on an iPad) to Chromecast. As I understand it, the Sky Go app does not support Chromecast. However, apparently the Now TV app, which allows you to watch certain Sky channels on a contract-free pay-as-you-go basis does support Chromecast.
The latest version of Windows 10 is 1809. It was first released on 2nd October last year, but then halted on 6th Oct after problems with some users' data being deleted. The problem was fixed and the release was re-started on 13th November. Microsoft continue to release it gradually to specific makes and models of PC, but, if you go to Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update and click on Check for Updates, you may get it sooner. If you definitely want to install it, you can go to the Microsoft Download site:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
If you just want to update the PC you are currently using, you can click on Update Now on the above site.
Also, on the above site, you can create a Windows 10 Installation media. Click on Download tool now to download and run the Media Creation Tool. When you run this tool, select the option to create the installation media on a USB stick - you need a blank USB stick with at least 8GB capacity. Having created the USB Installation stick, you can use it in 2 ways:-
- If you have a system with Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, boot that system, then insert the USB stick and find and run setup.exe on the memory stick.
- If you have a system which does not have Windows or will not boot, insert the USB stick and boot from it and follow the on-screen instructions. (Note, you will usually have to press F12 or F9 immediately after power on to access the boot device selection menu.)
If you are updating to W10 from W7 or W8.1, then technically you need to purchase a W10 Product Key which currently costs £119.99 and is available from the Microsoft Store:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/b/windows
However, Microsoft did originally offer free upgrades from 7/8.1 to 10 for the first year. It seems that this free upgrade still works according this article from ZDNet:-
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/
So, you can try it. DO make an Image Backup, if possible, before you attempt these updates, just in case it does not work.
Google Home/Amazon Echo
Following a comment from Tony, it is worth mentioning that smart speakers such as Google Home and Amazon Echo have a Bluetooth capability. Initially, you have to pair the speaker with your Bluetooth device. Once paired, you can ask the speaker to "connect" by voice command. So, if you have a mobile device with music stored on it and you play that music, you can connect to the speaker via Bluetooth so the music plays on the speaker, rather than the mobile device. Alternatively, if you are streaming music to the smart speaker (e.g. from Spotify or Amazon Music) you can Bluetooth that sound to larger, better speakers.
Chromecast
A bit of a discussion about Chromecast arose. A Google Chromecast is a small device which plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and connects to your network by wi-fi. This Google Support page explains how to set up your Chromecast device:-
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/2998456
Apps on your mobile device which support Chromecast (e.g. Chrome, YouTube, Google Photos, etc) allow you to 'cast' what you are seeing on your mobile device onto your TV (assuming that's what you have connected the Chromecast to). Once the cast is established, the Chromecast receives the video from the Internet (not from your mobile device) so your mobile device does not have to remain on.
Tony asked about casting from the Sky app (on an iPad) to Chromecast. As I understand it, the Sky Go app does not support Chromecast. However, apparently the Now TV app, which allows you to watch certain Sky channels on a contract-free pay-as-you-go basis does support Chromecast.
This Day In 2007
On
9th January 2007 at the MacWorld Convention, Steve Jobs (then CEO of
Apple) announced the introduction of the first iPhone which was actually
released later that year on 29th June 2007. That was really the
start of the smartphone revolution and now, there are about 3 billion
smartphones in the world. Apple have around 24% of the smartphone market with
the rest being Android phones with Samsung and Huawei leading the way.
Flexible Phone Screen
Arthur asked about the new flexible screen mobile devices which recently appeared on the market. I had seen it on TV, but could not remember the name of it. Since the Club I looked this up and it is made by a Chinese company called Royale. It's currently on display at CES 2019 (Consumer Electronics Show). There are numerous videos on YouTube demonstrating it, including this one:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33iWJOBNL2o
Flexible Phone Screen
Arthur asked about the new flexible screen mobile devices which recently appeared on the market. I had seen it on TV, but could not remember the name of it. Since the Club I looked this up and it is made by a Chinese company called Royale. It's currently on display at CES 2019 (Consumer Electronics Show). There are numerous videos on YouTube demonstrating it, including this one:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33iWJOBNL2o
Tech Support Scams
Microsoft
have had some recent success in co-operation with law-enforcement in India in
clamping down on the scam technical support calls which claim to be from
Microsoft. See this site for more details:-
As
the above article mentions, you can report any experiences of such scams to
Microsoft using this form:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/concern/scamLastPass
Linda asked about using LastPass. You can visit their site at:-
https://www.lastpass.com/
LastPass is an online password storage vault/manager. You need to create a LastPass account by using your email address and a Master Password. This password should be fairly long and strong as this will be the key to your vault which will then reveal all the other accounts and passwords which you have stored.
On a PC, you use LastPass in your web browser by adding the LastPass extension to your browser. This adds a LastPass button to your browser's toolbar. Click this button to sign in, change your preferences, or open your vault to view or edit existing stored credentials. Once signed in, when you visit a site which requires a log-in, LastPass will offer to remember those credentials for you. Next time you visit that same log-in page, LastPass will locate the relevant credentials in your vault and automatically populate the username and password fields for you. Essentially, this enables you to have different, long, complicated passwords for all the sites you visit because you never have to remember them again. You just have to remember the one password - the master password to your LastPass vault.
There is a LastPass app for your mobile device which includes its own web browser. It supports fingerprint sign-in to your vault on the app. To sign into an app whose credentials you have stored, just press and hold on the username box and select the required credentials.
It takes a little getting used to, but it is really convenient and, I believe, very secure. LastPass do not store your master password, so don't forget it, because only you know it! It's free, so why not give it a try, just putting a handful of credentials in to start with.
Next Session
Wed
13th February 2019 1:30 to 3:30pm.
Topics:-
HTTPS secure web pages - What are they? How do they work?
HTTPS secure web pages - What are they? How do they work?
