Home & Garden Shows

April 7th, 2010 admin

Our Spring home and garden show tour is officially over.  We trekked from Russell to Hays and finished up in Great Bend.  These shows are a great way to get the Brainy Bunch name and our Security product noticed by quite a few people.  We had three grand prize winners who all received a FREE security system with a year of FREE monitoring.    Here are the lucky winners from the shows.

Tammy Mitchell – Russell
Kathryn Wallert – Russell
Lynn Maneth – Great Bend

If you are interested in a security system there is no need to wait for Spring 2011.  You can give us a call at 888-565-2724 to setup a FREE no obligation consultation.

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Brainy Bunch News | No Comments »

The Brainy Bunch Will Go Anywhere… Try At Least

March 12th, 2010 admin

Thanks to the rain and the dedication of our team we bring you these pictures.  I guess the roads weren’t quite ready for the Scion.

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By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Brainy Bunch News | No Comments »

Great Package Tracking Site

February 26th, 2010 admin

trackthis I have been using this site for a year or so now and I am hooked.  Whether you are waiting for a package from UPS, FedEx or US Postal Service it works like a charm.  It is a pretty basic idea and the shipping companies have been doing it for years already.  The good thing about “Trackthis” is how easy it is to use and you now have one single site to go to for all your tracking needs.  Another great part about this is that you can use one of your existing accounts with Trackthis.  You can use your Google, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, OpenID or Windows Live ID to sign into your Trackthis account… that means fewer passwords to remember.

The process of setting up a package to be tracked couldn’t be simpler.  You give the package a name, put in the tracking number and choose which carrier it is with.  You can also set it up to get your notifications for delivery updates only.  I am a bit of a control freak so I like to see each time a packages hits a different part of the country.

Another great feature is how you can be notified.  They currently support SMS (text messaging), e-mail, Twitter or Facebook.  Again it is a pretty basic idea but if you buy a lot of stuff online it may be a handy website to keep track of.

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

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Recent Windows Update….What Went Wrong???

February 18th, 2010 jbeyer

On February 9th Microsoft released an update patch set to fix this 17 year old bug; KB977165. Many users after installing this update experienced a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or continuous boot loops upon restarting their computers. This update caused issues for users of various antivirus and security services on their systems. Although the update was unrelated to SecureIT they went out of their way to help resolve this issue for their customers. This included helping customers boot into safe mode, and renaming conflicting components used by the SecureIT software. Microsoft still does not know what has caused this issue and have currently pulled the update patch from windows update for now.

So what did Microsoft release February 9th, 2010 that appeared to have broken so many computers? Several weeks ago a Google engineer published proof-of-concept attack code. This code if used correctly could exploit a bug or vulnerability that resided in all 32-bit versions of Windows. This vulnerability affects the Windows Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) subsystem. The VDM subsystem was added to Windows on July 1993 with their release of Windows NT. Windows NT was Microsoft’s first 32-bit operating system. All of today’s operating systems, windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 are all base off of Windows NT. The VDM allows Windows NT and later to run DOS and 16-bit software.

If you are still experiencing issues caused by the Microsoft patch there are a number of resources that are reaching out to help consumers including Microsoft and SecureIT. Microsoft is offering assistance for home users; no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFET or visiting http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977165. Customers of Nex-Tech SecureIT can also receive assistance by calling 877-373-3320 or visiting www.pclive.com. As always Nex-Tech Internet Help-Desk and Brainy Bunch services are available at 888-565-3200.

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Fill Out Any PDF Online

February 15th, 2010 admin

Have you ever been sent a PDF that needed to be filled out and sent back?  In the old days you might print it, fill it out manually, scan it to your computer then e-mail it back to the sender.  Even the most technical of us didn’t enjoy the process and thought it was crazy in our online world today.  Now there is a solution for all of us lazy or efficient pdf’ers out there.. FillAnyPDF!

fillanypdf FillAnyPDF is a very handy website that allows you to fill out any PDF online.  The process is done in three easy steps.  First you upload the file, second you fill out the form and third you download the form back to your pc.  You can even use your tablet pc to sign an document if necessary.  Since I came across this site I have used if multiple times and it works great.  It is currently in beta and free to use so enjoy.

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites | No Comments »

Review of Cacoo

January 20th, 2010 admin

While working on a presentation this last week I found a need for some network diagrams.  Instead of using the old traditional desktop application Microsoft Visio I decided to try out a new web application I recently ran across.  Cacoo can handle the normal functions you would need to create diagrams plus it ads multiple user support. 

Now not many people will use this functionality but if you are one of those people you will understand the value.  Another great reason to use Cacoo is simply the ability to have all of your diagrams available from any web browser.  All of your Cacoo diagrams are stored in the cloud so you don’t have to worry about moving files around.

The final “cool” feature of Cacoo is for people who may post their diagrams on their website or blog.  If you embed a Cacoo diagram into your website and you edit your diagram from the Cacoo website it will automatically update the version on your blog.  For a better understanding of how Cacoo works take a look at their promo video.  I haven’t had a lot of experience with Cacoo but I do recommend it to those with this specific need.

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites, Software Reviews | No Comments »

Port forwarding for Xbox Live

January 18th, 2010 jbeyer

clip_image004One of the most popular gaming consoles today is the XBOX 360.  There’s nothing more enjoyable than getting together with friends and playing a few games.  But with XBOX Live, those friends may be hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.  It is truly a whole new gaming experience.  Unfortunately, this experience can be nice and smooth, or otherwise unbearable with lag time and intermittent connection.  With today’s high paced games, milliseconds truly are a measurement of time.

While milliseconds seem so small, you may think that there is no way a few of those can cause any real harm.  The truth is, with today’s electronics, a millisecond can mean the difference between a frag in Halo 3, and a missed catch in Madden.  When a system measures these fractions of a second, they often report it as their “ping time” or the time in milliseconds it takes for information to be sent from one system to another The faster the pings, the better the experience.

With the advantages of the high speed Internet we have today, the average ping times continue to get smaller and smaller.  The issue is that there tends to me more and more devices in the home that are using the Internet.  There may be more than one computer or home gaming system, along with attached wireless routers to provide full home coverage.  Most Internet connections can range from 512K to 3Mb in most locations and some up to 10Mb.  All of these however are reporting your download speed.  While download speed is important for browsing the Internet or downloading music, it is your upload speed that your gaming heavily depends on.  For most Internet connections, your upload speed is only a fraction of your download speed.  It also often costs more money to get more upload than download due to bandwidth supply and equipment costs.

XBOX Live games will vary on how much upload you truly need.  One of the most demanding is Halo 3.  The more people in the game, the more upload speed you need.  This means that if one were to play with 4 total people or 2 on 2, the experience might be quite enjoyable.  However, playing something like Big Team Battle, where there is a total of 16 players, this requires quadruple the bandwidth.  A good rule of thumb is to have at least 512K upload.  Remember that if a computer is downloading music or if you’re sharing your music, this will take up some of that bandwidth as well.  Either purchase more bandwidth or make sure these devices are shut off while gaming.

Today’s article is about the typical settings you see in homes today.  This is where you have an incoming Internet connection that goes to a router or a wireless router to provide Internet service for all the pc’s and devices in the home.  The problem with a router is that it must translate all the connections from all the devices inside the home to one external device going out to the Internet.  While typically most routers today do this quite well, when it comes to gaming you can never be sure.  So, in order to guarantee that people won’t have issues connecting to your XBOX 360, we need to make sure that the lines of communication are open.

First we will start at the router.  The example here will be on a Linksys router (WRT54G or GL).  To begin, make sure that you have a working Internet connection, and then proceed to log into the router following the steps below:

Setting up the router:

1. First we want to log in, so bring up Internet Explorer or whatever browser you use.  In the address bar, clear it out and put in your routers IP address, which in most cases is 192.168.1.1 and hit enter on your keyboard or click go.

2. It will prompt you to log in, which if the password has not been changed by default on a Linksys router, there is no username and the password is “admin.”  If you have changed the credentials, please use your own.

3. Once logged in, click on the applications and gaming tab at the top of the screen.  Here you will see a list of ports being forwarded.  Click in the next available box under “Application” and type in “xbox.”  Under “Start” we want to enter in “3074” and enter “3074” under “End” as well.  For protocol, leave it set to “Both.”  Under the IP address, the first three sections will be filled out already (192.168.1.), we want to put 250 in the blank box.  250 is often available and not used by DHCP to give addresses to the devices on your network.  We want to repeat this process for the other two ports which need to be forwarded; they are TCP port 80 and TCP/UDP port 53. Make sure to check “enable” and click “save settings” at the bottom.

4. Repeat the same steps in step 3 by going to the next available box under “Start” and type in “xbox2.”  “Start” and “End” will both be “88.” Protocol is “Both.”  The end of “IP address” will be “250.”  Check to make sure “Enable” is checked and click “save settings.”

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Click for larger graphic

Next we need to setup your XBOX 360. It is recommended for gaming that you try to avoid wireless connections and use a wired one. With wireless, there is always a chance of interference or dropped connection. By using a wired connection, the odds of this happening are slim to none.

Setting up XBOX 360

1. In the dashboard of the XBOX 360, we want to move to the system tab on the far right. Under this tab we want to choose “Network Settings.”

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2. Next, choose “Edit Settings.” Here we want to select IP settings by pressing “A.” Make sure to choose “Manual.” From here we need to setup the following:
a. IP address 192.168.1.250
b. Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
c. Gateway 192.168.1.1 (router’s IP address)

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3. Next we want to change the DNS servers to “Manual” as well. Depending on your ISP, these numbers will vary. Please contact your Internet Helpdesk or type “find them” if you know them. Nex-Tech’s are 24.225.5.2 and 24.225.0.1.

4. It will run a test to see if it can connect to XBOX Live. The main thing you are looking for is your “NAT Type” listed at the bottom. We hope to see this at “Open.” If not, you may experience some online issues in games such as Halo 3. If this is an older router you are using, you might want to check the firmware version of your router. If you don’t know how to do this, you can contact the Brainy Bunch (888-565-2724), as they can assist you in upgrading it if needed. If that doesn’t work, you may want to invest in a new router that says it’s “XBOX Live compatible.” For more assistance on “NAT type” visit http://www.xbox.com/.

Below shows the possible connections you can have to other players.

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By having a NAT type open, you are now ready to experience less lag and ping times, ultimately creating the best user experience. Remember, the better the upload, the better the experience as well. Make sure to stop by your Internet Service Provider and see what package plans will best suite your needs. Often you can get an increase in upload for a fee.
Terms used in this article:
Lag – Lag is a symptom of latency often seen as a delay in information reaching the end system (in this case the XBOX.) Latency is the time taken for a packet of data to be sent from a start system to the end system (XBOX to XBOX live server and vice versa.)

Milliseconds – 1 millisecond is .001 seconds. On average, human reaction time is 180 to 200 milliseconds.

Frag – Frag, in a gaming sense, means to kill someone temporarily in computer games.

Ping – Ping is a computer tool used to find the distance in milliseconds that information travels from one device to another. The lower the ping time, the better. (This is explained in this article as well.)

NAT – Network Address Translation (NAT) is a technology used on home networks to maintain your privacy when connected to the Internet. Unlike the other tests, this last one does not pass or fail. Instead, it reports your network’s level of NAT restrictions in the categories of Open, Moderate, or Strict. These restrictions do not prevent you from connecting to Xbox Live but can limit your ability to locate friends and other players once on the service.

 

image By Jason Zeller
Internet Help Desk Tech
jzeller@nex-tech.com

Posted in How To Guides | No Comments »

A New Glove For Gamers

January 13th, 2010 admin

peregrine Over the years there have been many attempts at a gaming glove.  In my opinion all have failed until now… maybe.  The Peregrine could just be a game changer (pun intended).  If you are not a hard core gamer you probably won’t understand why this is a must have item.  It allows for over 30 different button combinations.  It is very customizable and handy for real time strategy and first person shooter type games.  The price is $129.95 and looked very useful in the demonstration.

Even if you aren’t a gamer chances are you know one.  You might keep your eye on this company during 2010 to see how successful they are before you make the investment for Xmas 2010.

 

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »

Tiny Projectors Are Finally Here

January 12th, 2010 admin

There were a few of these on the show floor but this one caught my eye.  It is the “ShowWX” from Microvision.  They claim they are the worlds first laser pico projector.  Pico projectors have been talked about for a few years now and it looks like the wait is finally over.    Those of us who use projectors often will truly appreciate the size of this one.  Having the ability to take a projector of this size with you wherever you go is very intriguing.  These are not meant to replace a home theater projector but those days are coming.  Just think how nice it would be to show a picture up to 200” from any device with a TV or VGA out option.

showmxprojector

 

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »

Control Your PC From the Couch

January 10th, 2010 admin

Here is a pretty handy little combination keyboard and mouse, the Cideko Air Keyboard.  It is small enough to not get in the way on your coffee table but large enough you can actually type.  The mouse is built into the keyboard and works via motion sensing much like a Wii remote.  If you have a PC hooked up to your big screen television this is a great addition.

cidekokeyboard

 

By Justin McClung
Internet Solutions Manager
justin@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »