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Episode 1768 February 6, 2021

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Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Are Over-the-Air Updates for Cars Safe?

Watch Adam from California Comments

Adam is considering buying a Ford Mustang Mach E. He's come to the realization that they are just computers on wheels. He's leery of promised future OTA updates that companies are promising as a sales benefit. Leo says that the development time of cars has dropped from five years to three years on the Mach E, which Ford rushed to get to market. Leo says that the problem with software development in a car is that bugs can crop up and updates can happen on almost a weekly basis. Leo chose the Mustang over Tesla, though, because he thinks they will act more like a car company, not a software company. So the updates will be more bulletproof.

Why Am I Getting HDCP Error on Roku?

Watch Jose from Modesto, CA Comments

Jose has issues with his 4K HDR TV connected to Roku Ultra. He's getting HDCP copy protection errors. Leo says that copy protection never stops pirates. He can even order a box that strips copy protection from Amazon. So what's the point? All it does is punish those who follow the rules.

It sounds like an issue with Roku. There is a post in the Roku community forums that outlines what's going on and how to reboot the system to make it work. One thing to be sure of is to make sure the cables are HDCP compliant.

How Can I Better Control Audio in Google Meet for My Kid's Distance Learning Class?

Watch Jessica from Gorham, ME Comments

Jessica is trying to teach some students at home and some in the classroom at the same time. What she's been doing is treating all students as being at home, so they are all logged into Google Meetings. But the problem is, that kids keep forgetting to mute their mics and the feedback is driving her crazy. She would also like to project all the home kids onto the screen so the kids in the classroom can see them.

Leo says that Google Meet has built-in echo cancelation. So make sure that's enabled. Jessica can also mute everyone, but the kids lose the power to unmute if they want to ask/answer a question. 

As for casting, Jessica can also Chromecast to a TV set.  If the classroom TV supports casting, then she can just press a button and it will cast to the TV. Or she can buy a $40 Chromecast if it doesn't. 

There are also mics that can pick up everyone in the room. A shotgun mic would work. They are highly directional. Jessica could also get a mixer and a mic for every kid, but that would be expensive. 

Even better, get rid of the feedback by getting headphones like Plantronics and Jabra for everyone and use a headphone amplifier. Then there's no feedback at all.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Do I Need 2FA if I Use a Fingerprint to Log In?

Watch Ed from Clairmore, OK Comments

Ed wants to know if he needs 2-factor authentication if he's using a fingerprint to log in. Leo says that having a secondary authentication makes him more secure. But a fingerprint is pretty secure by itself. Banks also require a password plus the fingerprint or face recognition. That's pretty good. He will want to be sure his phone is kept in good control. 

Why Can't My Macbook Pro Run Zoom?

Watch Penny from Apple Valley, CA Comments

Penny and her boyfriend are both teachers, and they teach people gardening and welding. Both now require distance learning, but they aren't very computer savvy. Will her 2012 Macbook Pro do the job? Leo says that Apple limits what version of the operating system she can update to using that Mac. It's possible that the age would prevent updating to the latest macOS, which Zoom may require. But the 2012 model should be OK. Check out AnyMac.com to see what version of macOS is compatible. 

A new Macbook Air would only set Penny back $1000. Check Apple's refurb site for a few hundred less. That's what Leo would recommend. 

But the chatroom says that she can upgrade to macOS Catalina or ElCapitan. 10.15.7. Go to the app store. She'll probably have to upgrade twice. Once to Snow Leopard, and then to Catalina. But don't try to go BigSur.  She'll also likely need more RAM though, so Leo recommends going to Otherworld Computing or iFixit.com. They will show her how to double the RAM.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Should I Get an iPhone or iPad?

Watch Tom from Riverside, CA Comments

Tom is looking to get an iPhone or an iPad for work. He's never had one. Leo says to get an iPhone first. Get used to it. Then if he needs an iPad, he can go from there. He will also need an AppleTV if he wants to push the screen from the iPhone to the TV. It's called AirPlay. Plus, modern TVs can cast directly from the iPhone or iPad without an Apple TV because Apple TV is built-in. The Vizio Smartcast is a good one. 

How Can I Further Secure My Home Network?

Watch Kyle from Anaheim, CA Comments

Kyle is working from home and wants to beef up his home network security. Leo says that Kyle's work is probably using "endpoint security," which uses software on Kyle's computer to protect him. So he wants to be careful not to compete with that. Being on a home network with IoT devices, though, could be a weak link. 

Leo recommends separating the company assets from the home network. He can do that using a virtual local area network (VLAN). It's basically segmenting the network into two levels. Ask the IT guys about it. Then use a firewall to protect better on the home network side. Leo uses NextDNS.io for that. It's $20 a year and it blocks a lot of malware trying to take advantage of the IoT devices. 

How Can I Cut the Cable and Get OTA TV?

Watch Patrick from Redding, CA Comments

Patrick wants to cut the cable. How can he cancel cable and stream live TV? Leo says if he has straight access to a line of sight to the tower, then an antenna is the best option out there. What about a DVR? Leo says that there are two OTA DVRs. One is ChannelMaster, and the other is the Silicon Dust HD Home Run. Both will work with an antenna and home network, so he can stream to any TV in the house. Is there a monthly charge? Leo says just for the channel guide, though only for the HD Home Run. Channel Master doesn't charge. 

Patrick could also stream free locals with LoCast.org. What about AirTV? AirTV works with SLING and DISH. So they'll be subscription focused to get him to upgrade to SLING. The chatroom likes Tableau.

 Pat is also looking for a good password manager. Leo says that there are many. He uses LastPass. There's also an open-source option called BitWarden.

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