Just a heads-up: these are designed to live under the eaves of your roof. They’re a bit pricey, so if you use them for a different project, they might not last as long as expected.

Pennsylvania winter is officially over, which means the back patio is clean, put back together, and ready for action! Regular blog readers know that outdoor lighting has been a major trial-and-error journey for me. First, we tried solar flame lights. Then came the Philips Hue era—which, unfortunately, only lasted a few years before connector corrosion cut their lives short.

So as you can see below we got it all cleaned up and now it was time to put the Govee lights to the test.

It wasn’t hard running the lights basically just digging out the ground and hiding the wire’s and making sure the Govee LED’s were not exposed. I’m sure there might be easier and cheaper ways of doing this however I just had these lights sitting in a box and I wanted to put them to use.

So now that the lights have been all buried in the ground it was time to wait for night and see how they actually look. It actually came out really cool check out the YouTube video below for the results. I loved this so much I decided to do this in the front of my house going up the sidewalk. That post will be coming soon.

PURCHASE Govee Outdoor Lights 2: https://amzn.to/4v9MbS7

Watch the video

Step 1: Configure the AT&T BGW320-500

1. Connect a computer or phone directly to the BGW320 via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
2. Open a web browser and navigate to http://192.168.1.254.
3. Log in using the Device Access Code found on the sticker on the side/bottom of your gateway.
4. Go to Firewall > IP Passthrough.
5. Change the Allocation Mode to Passthrough.
6. Set Passthrough Mode to DHCPS-Fixed.
7. Under Passthrough Fixed MAC Address, choose your Orbi router’s MAC address from the drop-down list (or enter it manually).
8. Click Save (you will be prompted to reboot the gateway)

Step 2: Turn off AT&T Wi-Fi

To prevent interference, disable the BGW320’s internal wireless radios:

1. Still logged into the BGW320 interface, go to Home Network > Wi-Fi.
2. Change the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi Operation to Off.
3. Click Save

Purchase: NBS AT&T BGW-320 500 802.11a/n/ac/ax

Purchase: NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series Tri-Band WiFi 7 Mesh Network System

A few days later I had some friends over for a cookout and had them playing about 75%-80% max volume.  About 10 minutes later I could hear a crackle and distortion coming out of one of the speakers.  So I just simply disconnected that one speaker and sent it back.  Now about a week later the same thing happened to the other speaker same crackle and distortion.  The reviews on Amazon were all mixed so I thought I would try them out for myself.

Running the cable from the Sonos Connect Amp was a breeze and simple its just connecting the (2) audio cables to the Left and Right audio channels.  So if you are looking to extend outdoor speakers or just run multiple speakers off your Connect Amp you can.

Thoughts

So if you’re looking for something that looks nice and you aren’t going to play them that loud it may work for you.

I recently upgraded the speakers to the TIC TFS6-SL 8″ Professional Outdoor Weather-Resistant Coaxial Rock Speaker (Slate)

I’m still testing these and I will post an article about them in the future they are definitely a lot more bulkier then the OSD Audio Rock Speakers.

So because of the distance that my shed and patio are from my house.  I had to purchase another Hue Bridge which is fine because it keeps the house and the outside separate from one another.  I already have Google WiFi, Power outlets and a switch tied into my shed so everything is connected on the same network.  I also purchased a Phillips Hue switch which I was able to mount under the eave of the shed so water won’t affect it.

I recently this week just purchased a Phillips Hue Motion and Daylight/Nighttime sensor.  Which I will write an article later on how that installation goes and plays with the Phillips Hue Calla lights.

I used an Android app called Hue Pro which is totally worth the money if your invested a lot into Phillips Hue.  That’s the application that I used to achieve the lighting effects in the videos below.

String functions and how to use them
With string functions, you can create expressions in Access that manipulate text in a variety of ways. For example, you might want to display only part of a serial number on a form. Or, you might need to join (concatenate) several strings together, such as a last name and a first name. If you’re not savvy with expressions yet, see Build an expression.

If you have been using an old database for quite sometime the new update broke the reference to the MSCAL.OCX.  So if you have been using an old database you probably already have the MSCAL.OCX file already installed on your PC and you can skip the installation of the OCX step below.

If not you need to download the MSCAL.OCX

On 64bit you need to add the file to C:\Windows\SysWoW64\

On 32bit you need to add the file to C:\Windows\System32\

Next In Office 365 you need to access the Visual Basic Editor you can do this by :

1. Open the database.
2. Press ALT+F11 to start Visual Basic Editor.
3. On the Tools menu, click References

Once you have the References opened click on Browse and locate your MSCAL.OCX.

Restart the Access 365 and your errors should be resolved.

One of the things I was looking for was being able to add torrents remotely from the Chromebook over to my PC/qBittorrent.

At first I tried using a program called Remote Torrent Adder via the Chrome web store however I could never get it to work with qBittorrent and the Chromebook.  I went a different route since the Chromebook is mostly app driven.  I figured if I added Torrent manager on the Chromebook it should communicate with the server.

I installed the app from the Google Playstore “Transdrone“.  This works every time and flawlessly.

Once you have the Transdrone program installed on your Chromebook.  You need to open it up to configure it to your qBittorrent server on your remote PC/Server.  If you aren’t using qBittorrent I’m sure it will work the same way.

Head over to your favorite torrent sites and once you click on the “Magnet”.  It will ask you which program you would like to use choose “Transdrone”.  You can also make it remember your selection so every time you click on the magnet it will automatically be added to transdrone.

Since my home already has a Logitech pop bridge installed.  I wasn’t able to just add another bridge inside of my app.

This is pretty much a “hack”.

Here’s how I was able to achieve getting (2) Logitech POP Bridges on the same network.

Step 1.  I’m using an Samsung Note 10+ Android device.  I’m not sure how to do this on an Apple; however on other android devices that are non-Samsung and do not have the Samsung knox where you can install another instance of an app.  You can download and an App on the play store to clone your existing Logitech Pop App.

Step 2.  In your Samsung Knox App install “Logitech Pop”.

Step 3.  Next open the Logitech Pop application and add your bridge.  Make sure your phone’s near the bridge.

Step 4.  Once the bridge has been setup you can begin to add your Logitech pop buttons.  Also make sure the buttons are pretty close to the bridge to eliminate any issues adding them.

Some other things to take into consideration you need to have Wifi where you are adding your Logitech POP bridge.  My patio is very far away from my house however I used Google WiFi to extend my existing WiFi over to my shed/patio.

What’s great now when I want to go out on my patio I can simply just push one of the Logitech POP buttons and it will shuffle all music from my Plex library.  Check out the different scene’s I added below.

The 1st “Push” will start shuffling all songs from my Plex Media Server library.

The double “Push” will skip to the next track.

The push & hold will turn off the current music playing and turn off my Phillips hue Calla lights.

• Battery would last roughly 1-2 month’s (I have kids they are constantly triggering it).
• Was bulky never really looked great on my house.
• Purchased solar cover to go around it, made it even more bulky & never charged unless direct sun hit it constantly.

Anyways after getting frustrated and seeing a sale on the Ring Doorbell Elite I decided to order.  The hardest part of my installation was running the CAT5 ethernet cable.

Step 1.

My house is an older house so I needed to rip off the molding/trim going around the door so I would be able to hide and drill a hole for the Ethernet cable.  Then I had to drill a hole behind the molding into the basement.  After that was done I ran the cable over to my switch / power which is also located in the basement.  This where you will hook up the POE (Power over ethernet) device that Ring supplies you with the Doorbell elite.

Step 2.

Next I used a 3/8 inch  long spade bit to drill the hole from the siding into the house.  This caused a problem because I totally forgot in my old house it was plaster walls when I was drilling from the outside in I heard a bunch of crumbling.  Either way the wife wanted to paint this room.  (So more delays I had to spackle, sand and re-paint the room after the cable was ran).

Step 3.

Now that the hole was drilled, the ethernet cable through the floor and installed down into the basement.  I needed to cut out the hole for the actual ring device.  So with this I just used a razor blade and kept scoring the siding until it finally came out.

Step 4.

Next once I was done with the hole and made sure the Ring device was going to fit.  I started to crimp the cables.  I work for an internet company so crimping these was a breeze however if you are unfamiliar you will need the following.  This can be tricky if its your first time doing it, I would suggest watching a YouTube video.  Once you have both sides crimped plug in the one end that says Power Out – to Ring Device and then plug the pre-made cable into your switch/router.   Now outside plug the other end into your Ring Doorbell Elite.

• You need a pair of RJ45/Ethernet crimpers
• RJ45/Ethernet Ends
• View the RJ45 wiring diagram (same on both sides)

Step 5.

Now that everything is installed and the ethernet cables are connected.  I would download the Ring app and begin installing the Ring Doorbell Elite before you finally screw everything down.  Once everything is setup to your satisfaction begin to screw in your Ring Doorbell Elite.

That’s pretty much it.  I’m so pleased with the Ring Doorbell Elite!  No longer do I have to swap out batteries.  I know the price tag on this Doorbell is very expensive but its worth it.

I wish I had more of the installation I bought a GoPro for the video but it didn’t turn out that well.

First Step.

We rarely used our swimming pool.  So this spring we decided to finally tear it down.  Good news is we posted it on Facebook and someone bought it and took it down themselves.  (All I had to do what get rid of the liner).

Ok, So taking the pool down took about roughly 2 hour’s to get everything packed up and the liner cut up and thrown away.

Step 2.

Last year my wife and I built a patio near our kids swing set so we had somewhere to hang out.  I decided instead of just killing the power that was ran over to the pool, I was going to have an electrician come and replace the 230 line that was ran to the pool over to the shed.

Right when I had the power ran this is when I actually got the idea of installing Sonos and a Ring camera over to the shed.

I had to dig about a 30′ foot long trench and about a foot deep.  I even had the little one help.

The next day the electrician came out ran all the cabling and outlets to the shed.

Step 3.

My next step was to a add a ceiling light inside the shed so I could see what I was actually doing.  Mr Beam’s worked great for the last 2 years however now that I have power it was time to upgrade.

Purchase:  Hykolity 5000K LED Shop Light Linkable, 4FT Daylight 42W LED Ceiling Lights for Garages, Workshops, Basements, Hanging or FlushMount, with Plug and Pull Chain

Step 4.

Now that the power and lighting has been installed the next step was to extend my WiFi and network over to the shed.  I was really considering just running a CAT5 over  however the electrician was kind enough to fill the hole back in for me.  So since I already have Google WiFI in almost every room of my house I purchased another one.

Step 5.

I ran out of outlets in the shed so I decided to purchase a nice wall mountable surge/power strip.

Purchase:  Stanley 31610 SurgeMax Pro 9 Outlet Metal Surge Protector, Black

Step 6.

So now I went to Lowes and bought a piece of plywood and a circle saw to make perfect holes for the cables.

Purchase:  Desk Grommet (5 Pack) + Hole Saw kit – Ultimate Grommet Hole Bundle Kit 2-3/8″

Step 7.

Next was the expensive and fun part.  We needed to purchase the Sonos AMP so we would control Sonos and group all speakers from inside the house and outside now.  I also purchased the Sonos AMP mount so the Sonos AMP and wiring could be mounted to the plywood.  My shed’s small so I try to pack as much as I can so I wanted everything to be secure inside there.

Purchase:  Sonos Amp, The Versatile Amplifier for powering All Your Entertainment

Purchase: Sanus Wall Mount for Sonos Amp – Slim Black Design with Lockable Latch for Security

Step 8.

So now that the Sonos AMP has been installed I connected it to the Google WiFi.  Powered it on and started running speaker cable to connect to the outdoor speakers.  I decided to purchase Klipsch Outdoor speakers just from reading a ton of reviews on them.

Installing the speakers were so easy.  The mounting brackets were awesome.

I also went and purchased outdoor speaker covers so they don’t get wet.

Purchase:  Klipsch AW-650 Indoor/Outdoor Speaker – Black (Pair)

Purchase:  Two Sun Dust & Water Resistant Speaker Covers Bags for Definitive Technology AW 6500, Klipsch AW-650 and Pyle 6.5 Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers by SoundCover

That’s all!

Addison Approves!

Changing out the RAM was such a breeze.

First step would be unscrewing the single screw from the bottom of the G7 laptop.

Next get something flat where you could pop up the clips from around the laptop.

Once you have the bottom enclosure of the laptop removed you will see the RAM like shown in the image below.  You need to push on the side of the clip holding the ram into place and the RAM will pop out.  Take note on how it’s inserted because you need to insert the new RAM the way.

Once the RAM has been installed, place the bottom casing back on the laptop be sure to snap in all the clips and tighten the center screw.

Next power on the laptop, you will see a message telling you the amount of system ram has been installed.