Results 1 to 17 of 17

Thread: Think I'm over connected

  1. #1

    Thread Starter
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Modesto, Ca.
    Posts
    5,206

    Think I'm over connected

    My ATT gateway went down yesterday. All the people in India could say is they'll send me a new one. I actually could hear chickens in the back ground. lol

    So I was completely screwed up today. My house phone is a VOIP, so no phone. I use Alexa to control almost all my lights, use Harmony for my TV, Wemo switches, my AC Thermostat. Always read my new online. I don't use my cell phone for anything other than a phone when I'm away from home. So I'm cell phone illiterate. Tried to setup a hot spot from my phone but my plan doesn't provide that. It was a strange day.

    Then this afternoon my internet started working. lol It's been a real eye opener. I need an emergency internet plan, wound if there is such a thing.

  2. #2
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    24,482

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Well you might read https://hometechhacker.com/cellular-backup-internet/ and similar articles.

    I feel anxiety at the very thought of dealing with cell carriers myself. I got burned a few times with cost escalation, services just going away, and many tussles with customer support. I don't think they want to provide their low cost services, just advertise them - as loss-leaders they can bait and switch.

  3. #3
    PowerPoster ChrisE's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Frankfurt
    Posts
    3,048

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    I hate all this Alexa stuff, the other day I heard a joke about 'Alexa' and 'Greta thunberg'

    the command to Alexa: ...Alexa.. please turn up the heating by 2 degrees..
    response from Alexa: .... sorry will have to ask Greta first...

    I mean letting Alexa control your House
    to hunt a species to extinction is not logical !
    since 2010 the number of Tigers are rising again in 2016 - 3900 were counted. with Baby Callas it's 3901, my wife and I had 2-3 months the privilege of raising a Baby Tiger.

  4. #4
    Fanatic Member Delaney's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Paris, France
    Posts
    845

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisE View Post
    I mean letting Alexa control your House
    You wife's name is Alexa? (couldn't resist)
    The best friend of any programmer is a search engine
    "Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom" (J. Rohn)
    “They did not know it was impossible so they did it” (Mark Twain)

  5. #5
    PowerPoster ChrisE's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Frankfurt
    Posts
    3,048

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Quote Originally Posted by Delaney View Post
    You wife's name is Alexa? (couldn't resist)
    you bad bad Boy
    to hunt a species to extinction is not logical !
    since 2010 the number of Tigers are rising again in 2016 - 3900 were counted. with Baby Callas it's 3901, my wife and I had 2-3 months the privilege of raising a Baby Tiger.

  6. #6
    Fanatic Member Delaney's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Paris, France
    Posts
    845

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Name:  han-solo-who-me.jpg
Views: 233
Size:  33.2 KB


    By the ways, I hate this connected stuff. A bug and you cannot enter in your house, cannot open the windows, the shutters, cannot cook. Tell you wife if she has listened the last Police CD (Yes I know I'm old) and when you open the TV you can only have the channels with police movies.
    I know I am not really free and that my private life is not anymore really private but I try to have a bit of control anyway on what I read/watch/listen and buy.

    And with the covid, you cough in your house and Alexa locks the doors
    The best friend of any programmer is a search engine
    "Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom" (J. Rohn)
    “They did not know it was impossible so they did it” (Mark Twain)

  7. #7
    Junior Member wossy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    26

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    I used to be a Sky customer using a British Telecom PSTN line (60 year old overhead unshielded twisted pair copper wires) as the carrier. That used to be supposedly a 20 MBit/second connection but was more like 5.
    When it rained the internet would simply go away because of the crustiness of the wires to the pole outside. It was painful, and with members of my family complaining about it, stressful too.

    So last year I switched to an underground coax/fibre-optic system which is guaranteed to be over 105 MBit/sec all the time (and regularly tops 180 overnight). It's pure bliss (knock on wood). Probably 60-70% of people in my area are on fibre internet now and that is only increasing.

    Imagine my surprise then when BT went and dug up all the dirty old telephone poles in the neighbourhood and replaced them with shiny new telephone poles (but NOT changing out the wires to the homes!). Thus ensuring that a new generation of suckers can enjoy the benefits of flaky, intermittently terrible ADSL for another 30 years. Epic fail.
    On the bright side, I've still got pessimism and despair to fall back on.

  8. #8

    Thread Starter
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Modesto, Ca.
    Posts
    5,206

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    By the ways, I hate this connected stuff. A bug and you cannot enter in your house, cannot open the windows, the shutters, cannot cook. Tell you wife if she has listened the last Police CD (Yes I know I'm old) and when you open the TV you can only have the channels with police movies.
    I know I am not really free and that my private life is not anymore really private but I try to have a bit of control anyway on what I read/watch/listen and buy.

    And with the covid, you cough in your house and Alexa locks the doors
    That's not how it works. If there's a problem with the connection on the devices then they still work manually. Alexa doesn't control what to watch, it doesn't control your house. Alexa doesn't control you, you control Alexa.

    I love the convenience (just asked alexa how to spell that word). If I'm in bed and realize I didn't set the thermostat before going to bed or turn off the lights I can just do it by voice command. Many other things like that.

    I started this thread because I was surprised how much not having internet changed my life. The connected devices is one part but the main part is I realized I probably on the internet 4 or 5 hrs a day, now that I'm retired. Rely on it for all my daily information. I don't turn my Tv on during the day.

    The funny part was, when trying to connect to my pc using my phone or some other idea I had, my first thought was to use the internet to look up how to do it. lol

  9. #9
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    24,482

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    With Windows 10 you can even install Alexa on your desktop.

  10. #10

    Thread Starter
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Modesto, Ca.
    Posts
    5,206

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Problem solved, just went and bought a mobile hotspot and got a prepaid plan. lol

    So if my wifi goes down I can be up and running in a few minutes. Now I will be able to get my WiFi fix.

    My granddaughter, like a lot of others is doing inhome schooling, wifi going out could be a real problem. Wouldn't want to do it very long on a prepaid mobile hotspot. Video learning all day would cost a lot of money, $50 or more. You only get like 5G for $40. I just checked my wifi usage on my monthly home plan and it's between .5 to 7G a day, @ 2G a day average. I don't watch videos really, that's just normal browsing, maybe some downloading, not much.

  11. #11
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    39,027

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Quote Originally Posted by wossy View Post
    I used to be a Sky customer using a British Telecom PSTN line (60 year old overhead unshielded twisted pair copper wires) as the carrier. That used to be supposedly a 20 MBit/second connection but was more like 5.
    When it rained the internet would simply go away because of the crustiness of the wires to the pole outside.
    Yeah, I know what that was like. Of course, I was just using the net to watch tractor-pull videos, and I don't do that anymore. Tractors have just gotten too commercial, these days, what with satellite tracking, GPS, and laser leveling. It's not even work, these days.

    I guess I'm just an ex-tractor fan.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  12. #12
    Junior Member wossy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    26

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    Yeah, I know what that was like. Of course, I was just using the net to watch tractor-pull videos, and I don't do that anymore. Tractors have just gotten too commercial, these days, what with satellite tracking, GPS, and laser leveling. It's not even work, these days.

    I guess I'm just an ex-tractor fan.
    Am I a joke to you?

    What you just did was like that green 19 year old kid that turns up at the old blues bar with a brand new $2000 Fender and starts his set by saying "This next song is about the girl who broke my heart."

    Blues comes from the inside, man. Pain, love, loss, yearning. It's much the same with over-wrought extractor fan jokes. You can't just make them up, it takes ... SOUL!
    Last edited by wossy; Sep 15th, 2020 at 09:40 AM.
    On the bright side, I've still got pessimism and despair to fall back on.

  13. #13
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    39,027

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Nostalgia, it ain't what it used to be.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  14. #14
    Junior Member wossy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    26

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Keep taking the B12.
    On the bright side, I've still got pessimism and despair to fall back on.

  15. #15
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    39,027

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Is that some kind of British highway nomenclature, the vitamin, or something else?
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  16. #16
    Junior Member wossy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    26

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    Go left after the 2nd tablet.
    On the bright side, I've still got pessimism and despair to fall back on.

  17. #17
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    39,027

    Re: Think I'm over connected

    I'm already left, and I have a desk full of tablets. Should I be only counting the working tablets, or should I include the dead ones?
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  



Click Here to Expand Forum to Full Width