The Cordcutter’s Manifesto, pt.1
Thursday, May 18, 2017
This is the third time I’ve written about ridding your life of endless cords. It’s probably not the last though!
There’s nothing more that gets on my nerves than seeing a giant mess of wiring. You see it almost daily. Sitting at a library looking under the computer desks, sitting at your own desk, looking behind your entertainment center — YOU NAME IT!
Today, there are so many ways that anybody can take advantage of in order to either reduce their number of cords and wires or eliminate them totally. Below are a couple of basic techniques and devices that I have used over the years to remedy these issues.
Handheld Vacuum:
I don’t enjoy pulling out a full-size vacuum every time I spill something in my kitchen. You have to track down a free outlet with in range, and the worst part (for me) is tripping over the cord and the cord getting in my way in general. These devices are essentially modern-day DustBusters, rechargeable and handheld vacuum cleaners with more power. There are many options, but it seems like Black and Decker is making the best reviewed models. They come with great batteries, many tools, and look decent as well.
Wireless Keyboard & Mouse for Home Theater PC:
Most people like to use an Apple TV, Kindle Fire Stick, Roku, or something similar for steaming on their television. I prefer to have the option of streaming from any service and also being able to play movies stored on my computer/network. My setup includes a tiny HTPC (Google this) connected to my mini-projector. After using the keyboard and mouse that were connected via USB every time I needed to play or pause my media, I thought about buying a separate wireless mouse and keyboard, but that seemed excessive and difficult to use from a couch. This small device, the Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard with Mouse, solves this issue. It is small enough to fit in your hand and includes a tiny touchpad on the right side, back-lit keys, a driverless USB dongle, and even a laser pointer! What more could you ask for?
PowerLine Ethernet to WiFi Access Point Adapters:
If you live in a house and only have one wireless access point, chances are you may have some dead spots with less-than-ideal wireless fidelity (weak signal strength). The cheap way to maybe solve this is to buy a WiFi extender, but in order for these devices to work well, their placed location must be able to receive a strong signal from your current access point, which is not always an easy task. This device works around that using powerline ethernet, a technology that allows you to transmit networking signals through your home’s electrical wiring. In this use case, you would plug one adapter into a power outlet where your current access point or router is. The other adapter will be plugged into a power outlet where the wireless dead zone is. The first adapter sends out the networking signals through your power lines and into the second adapter. The second adapter takes the signal, and since it is also a wireless access point, it broadcasts the signal into a new WiFi network. TP-Link makes a model, the AV500, that includes the 2 adapters you will need. Success! Your dead zone should be eliminated.
by: Mekkel Richards