Bridging CD-R King's New Powerline Ethernet

CD-R King is known for their low cost gadgets & other items here in the Philippines. I am here to just add how you can use their new Powerline Ethernet to extend your Wifi and / or LAN cables in your Home or Small Office.

To start, what will you need?

• CD-R King's "Internet Through Power Outlet + Wi-Fi (Powerline Ethernet)" : Code COM-NET025-CC
• Working internet connection
• Extra outlets located near your Router and a PC / Laptop

So what does CD-R King's Powerline Ethernet do? Well, it basically functions like a LAN cable extension with another wireless router at the other end. The main difference though is that you will just use your power outlets to extend the network rather than using a very long LAN cable that can be bothersome and disturbing to see.

So this article is to explain how I bridged the connections connected to the main router with those connected to the Powerline Ethernet to make it function much like an extension of your LAN cables and a repeater for your WIFI.

So why bridge? Bridging is practical for the specific purpose of extending a particular network to a different type of network. e.g. There is a wired network and a wireless network. If there is a device that is connected to both networks, bridging the two networks through this device will make all devices in both networks visible to each other and even possible to interact with each other.

So this is how I did it:

1. Simply follow the instructions in the manual of the Powerline Ethernet for physical installation. You can base your physical setup with mine, which is the following:
• I plugged in the single port powerline in to the extra outlet near the router.
• It's only LAN port is connected to my router's LAN port.
• I plugged in the 2 port with wifi powerline in to the extra outlet near the PC / laptop.
• The 2 LAN ports are connected to my PC's Ethernet port and my Epson M200 network printer / scanner. (Powerline Wifi will be turned on to extend WIFI to this part of our office.)
2. Turn on your PC / Laptop that is LAN connected to the 2 port powerline.
3. Go to internet explorer / google chrome / etc...
4. Type in "192.168.12.1" in the web address.
5. Type in the default username and password to login. (Default is user: admin, password: admin)
6. At the display, I clicked Internet Setup and change some configurations:
• I changed Connection Type to Bridge.
• Do not put checks in the Port Binding LAN Port and WLAN Port options.
7. Next, you can click Wireless Setup, then click Wireless Basic.
8. Change the following in the screen to extend your wifi:
• Leave the Enable Wireless Interface checked.
• Change the Wireless Network Name (SSID) to that of the same broadcasted wifi SSID by your wireless router.
9. Next, you can click Wireless Setup again, but then click Wireless Security.
10. Change it into the same wireless security mode that your wireless router is using...most wireless routers are using WPA/WPA2-PSK.
• Change the Pre-Shared Key into the password of the wifi network you want to extend.
11. After go to LAN Setup and remove the check in the Enable DHCP Server.

Important: All instructions from this point forward should be done when you completed all of the above. This is because you will no longer be able to access 192.168.12.1 after doing the next steps.

1. Go to MAINTENANCE and click Backup and Restore.
2. There, click reboot and wait out the timer.
3. This should do it, but establishment of the settings will not be immediate. Once fully established, you will notice that you will no longer be able to access 192.168.12.1 in the web browser.
4. You might think we are finished but...hold on...you still will not be able to connect to the internet. This is because your Powerline Ethernet settings might be in place, but your router still does not detect the changes. This can take forever to wait out.
5. To hasten the establishment of your bridged connection, go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.
6. Right-click ethernet and click properties.
7. Look for IPv4 in the middle. Left-click it, then look for and click the Properties button.
8. Click the "Use the following IP address" button and type in any of the following sample IP addresses, "192.168.1.1" or "192.168.1.2". Then press the Ok button.
9. You will see at the bottom right of your screen that your network connection will have an exclamation point. Right-click it and click troubleshoot problems.
10. Wait for a prompt. It should say, "DHCP is not enabled for Ethernet" and you will have the option to click, "Try these repairs as an administrator". Click it.
11. Wait for the next prompt saying, "Automatically update your network settings". Click "Apply this fix".
12. And, VOILA! You will see that troubleshooting is finished and that your connection is now established. Click close and you can now browse the internet and see all the network devices in your bridged network.

You should be able to access internet and other network PCs / Laptops / Shared Printers  and Wireless Printer or scanners.

Do comment if you had any problems...thank you. Hope this helps some of you out there.

Fix to Internet Explorer Prompt - "Application blocked by security settings your security settings have blocked an untrusted..."

This is a simple prompt that is easy to fix. I received this error when I applied for a PLDT myHome and Consumer Bills online account, to see my bills online.

When I opened my bills I always get an "application blocked" prompt. I just click continue but I cannot download the bill. I can only view it. Fixing it made it possible for me to download the bill.

The one blocking the app is Java. So the fix is to go into it's options and configure it.

1. Java configurations can be accessed by either typing "Configure Java" in the start menu or going to Java in the program listing of the start menu and locating it.
2. After the Java window pops up, simply click the Security tab and press the "Edit Site List".
3. Press Add first, then type in the website shown in the "application blocked" prompt. Press Add again. It will then be included in the Exception Site list.
4. Open the bill again after restarting your internet explorer / browser. You will be asked by a prompt asking to run a program. Press Run. This is always asked every time this window is opened.
5. You will see something different at the bottom. But now you can use and press the download button above. Try it...

 The Java window should look like this:

Hope this helped some people.

Fixed (Catalyst Control Center cannot be started. There are currently no settings that can be configured...)

Hi guys, I encountered a problem with my ATI Radeon HD 4670 Video Card when I reformatted my PC from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. I downloaded the 13.9 Legacy Driver from the AMD / ATI website. After installing the driver, I expected to get a prompt to restart the PC because that is what normally happens when installing a Video Card driver...but in this case, I did not. So I was already thinking something is fishy. So I checked the notification icons for the ATI / AMD icon, I saw no icon. I right clicked on the desktop screen and saw the usual Catalyst Control Center option. I clicked it and as I expected...an error prompt, "Catalyst Control Center cannot be started. There are currently no settings that can be configured..."

Disturbed already...I still went on my reformatting...but as I installed Adobe Creative Suite...I got a whole lot of errors...most of which pointing to system / PC requirements not being met...So this brought me to think it had something to do with the ATI Video Card.

Searching in the internet, I found some suggested fixes that worked for some...but not for me. To list them down, these are:

1. Manually updating the display driver in the device manager. By pointing the driver installation to the downloaded ATI driver.
2. Another is installing "ccc2_install.exe" to C:\Program Files\AMD\CCC2\Install. (I cannot find the program.)
3. Last is basically uninstalling the Video Card Driver and complete software and then using an AMD Clean Uninstall executable file.

After so many searches...I decided to use CPU-Z to determine the exact video card name and model because some downloaded drivers can be for a series like ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series for my ATI Radeon HD 4670. I looked up for a solution and still got the same results. So I decided to combine everything that I got above...and fixed my problem...

Simply, this is what I did:

1. I downloaded the latest ATI Radeon HD 4670 driver from the AMD website.
2. I also downloaded AMD Clean Uninstall Utility 1.4.0.0 from softpedia.
3. I uninstalled AMD from the Program and Features of Control Panel.
• Picking the express uninstall option.
4. After I deleted the AMD folder in the C: drive. (You can also delete all the files in the %temp% folder. - Type %temp% in the start menu search.)
5. I ran the AMD Clean Uninstall Utility and restarted.
6. I then, went on to install the latest 13.9 Legacy driver (latest as of this time) I previously got from the AMD site.
7. At the end of the installation, I got an error prompt showing not all programs installed and there was a link to a log of the installed programs. Clicking it, I saw that everything installed except only one program, the driver.
8. So I manually opened the device manager and uninstalled the display driver.
9. After, I reupdated the display driver and pointed it here: C:\AMD\. (This should be done after steps 6 to 7.)
10. I finally opened the Catalyst Control Center from the context menu at the desktop screen.

I do not know if this will work for you but I am just saying this worked for me...Hope this also works for many of you. Good luck!

Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) Network Upgrading

For this week I've been looking at our office network setup and I just want to upgrade it...

Our small office / home office (SOHO) setup:

1. Internet Connection - 1mbps pldt mydsl

2. Router - 150 mbps wifi-a/b/g/n with 1 10/100 wan and 4 10/100 lan ports, single band

3. Setup - All devices are only connected wirelessly. With 1 Lan port extending to my brother's wifi router

4. Connected Devices
>Office: 1PC and a max of 2 laptops

>Brother's router: 1PC and a laptop wirelessly connected
>Others: Probably a total of 4-7 smartphones and a NAS coming this January to serve as Samba, ftp and cloud server.
>Not Connected: CCTV and Smart TV (Ethernet Only / No Wifi)

5. Use - Email, internet browsing, light streaming and social networking. (Upon NAS inclusion, also data-linked records and reports updating and safekeeping)

6. Notables - We use printers. We also have occassional seminars in our place wherein as many as 30+ guests visit us for our company presentation. Some areas of our office not reached by wifi.

Upgrade Solution Plan
>DSL: 3mbps
>Router: 150mbps Wifi-N + Wifi-N Access Point
>Connections: Wired ethernet - Bro's Wifi Router, NAS, CCTV and an additional wifi access point
>Printers: 2 printers are shared to the network through PC USB 2.0. (Printers are shared on the PC)
*The access point will have scheduled usage only and have ethernet connections to the PC and Smart TV.

Nexus 5 seems like a good investment.

Check this article out. Bloat-free and with great hardware. The Nexus 5 seems to be a great buy.

Social Networks and Apps

With the number of social apps these days, people can surely mess up their own social network. So here are some things I know that I can recommend to remedy that.

1. Get the path app for your social network. It organizes it giving you the option of sharing content where you want it shared. This app links facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram and foursquare.
2. For your professional or business network I would suggest linkedin. It has a simple design and layout. It was made intelligently to cater to professionals and their business or client network.
3. Collaborating or organizing a big project with other people or groups of people? Get Trello. Though their android app is still in it’s development stage, when accessed from a browser on a PC, it makes collaborating easy. Simplified to making a reminder with due dates, notes and attachments then dragging and dropping it to the corresponding team/s checklist.
4. You want a personal organizer, notetaker with some sharing features to do some collaboration or share reviews to your friends or public much like a blog writer? Springpad would be the way to go. It houses all of these features organizing everything to separate notebooks. Giving each notebook the option to be kept a private notebook for your own notes and to-do lists, be a public notebook to be viewed and commented by anyone much like an open book or blog, or selected contributors for collaboration and cooperation with people.

I’ve tried many social apps but these are the ones that stood out the most. Try them out for yourselves and see. – Read on Path.

Social networking solution - The Path App

Lately I had been experimenting with different social apps and networks. I and my fiancee have a total of 11 social apps and/or networks. The mainstream online networks, 1 facebook account and 3 twitter accounts. My fiancee loves instagram. I am still a beginner when using linkedin. We both have blogger (blogspot) when we just want to talk about something. I am also active in using springpad. And last, due to this social app, PATH, I also made me tumblr, foursquare and flickr accounts. Also I have google+.

In a social aspect, i have a messed-up network.

Time passed by so fast that after facebook and twitter boomed in the social networking industry, lots of other people started making social apps and online networks. People saw the potential and the necessity of it in the current generation. This made socializing a pain in the ass.

So my advice aside from sticking to facebook and/or twitter only, destroy all links of all your social apps to each other and their corresponding networks, then get the PATH app. Path organizes everything in your social network. It simplifies sharing. Sharing what you want, where you want it to be shared. It also has a simple layout that makes sharing even easier. It now even has a search feature so you can search a particular shared event or memory.

All I can say is I love Path and I wish people start seeing the greatness in it. I just wish they linked blogger here as well since it is more easily seen in google searches.

I am actually writing this entry from Path. – Read on Path.

What Windows 8 devices should one buy?

My personal opinion and preference...Windows 8 would be perfect for a tablet and ultrabook hybrid. With features that can cater to 7 inch tablets to 13 inch ultrabooks (slim and lightweight laptops), a hybrid makes it ideal to maximize all Windows 8 functions. I would suggest the Microsoft Surface and the Sony Vaio Duo 11 if you want to buy now. But I would gladly wait for Windows 8 to further develop their pen or stylus features much alike to that of the s-pen of Samsung Galaxy Note devices. With the productivity of having refined stylus features, multi-window multitasking and access to the basic work office programs, add to it better hardware in the future this will surely be very useful to many people.

One can use Microsoft Office, Adobe and some Autodesk programs on these devices but do not expect a performance like that of PCs or Macs. This is for light workloads only.

For multimedia content I suggest sticking to Android and Apple mobile devices namely, Samsung and iPhone.

For heavy workloads, do those work on your workstations, PCs and Macs in your office or house

Mouth watering Android devices...

I can’t help but always look at these Android devices.

Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 & Asus Transformer Prime
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 & LG Google Nexus 4

Samsung Galaxy gadgets are mouth watery due to their features. But the Nexus 4 and Transformer Prime just can’t be neglected for me.

The Nexus 4 sports the latest 4.2 Jellybean and a great set of features and hardware that for me, are also very useful to have in smartphones while priced competitively with its Samsung counterparts.

The Transformer Prime has 1080p resolution showing great screen detail and viewing pleasure. Also, an additional battery pack in its keyboard dock makes it a viable laptop substitute.

Samsung’s standout feature for me is the multi-window multitasking feature. This is very productive adding to that a set of features making your smartphone incredibly convenient to use.

It really is just a matter of preference. Look up these devices and see for yourself which would you prefer.

Knowing gadget screens and display

Something to know before checking out your next prospective gadget. In-depth look on displays....Check this out.

File Management Guide

Computers are vital now containing nearly everything one needs. People use computers to store personal and work files. Personal files typically cover family, friends and the many interests of a person even add wedding concerns, for my case. Work files differ for any person but one just has to think of the different departments or clients you have to cooperate with or answer to in which it would even multiply if one manages multiple businesses.

So I'm pretty sure people out there to have these kind of problems with their files or memory space:

• Always getting your computer's memory maxed. And no matter how much you expand it (either by getting a computer memory upgrade, network attached storage or external hardrive), you still get the same problem in just a few days, weeks or months.
• Losing important files in a maze of folders
• Duplicating files confusing you and even giving you the hassle of opening each file so as to know which version you are looking for

 This had always been a problem for typical computer owners today.

There is no single answer to this but one really just have to learn to manage it or else you will always find yourself wasting money and memory space altogether even losing very important files.

I think the solution lies in the mixture of three options one does to fix these kind of problems.

1. Expanding Memory Space
2. Deleting Files or Reformatting
3. Re-organizing Files

The first one being the easiest and most typically used option, while the last being the most tedious and rarely used one.

I have a lazy habit of just dragging items to the desktop and keeping the downloads in my download folder so I always end up doing the third option. Here are some things I do and learned to have to do:

Back-up your work files
Laptop or computers get corrupted, so in these kind of events you won't have to worry. I suggest keeping it at a cloud or an external hardrive. You can probably make your own schedule for this, I do this once a week.

Separate your personal, media and work files.
I suggest this kind of physical separation:

• Media Entertainment: Network Attached Storage
• Office / Work: Laptop/Desktop with backup (cloud storage or external hardrive)
• Personal files: External Hardrive 

Put a system in your files
Take advantage of the following:

• Use a simple filing hierarchy and an easy to follow file naming scheme (Author/Series/Book/Ch01-Audiobook.mp3)
• Put version numbers at the end of a filename of a regularly updated and changed file so as not to overwrite and lose previous ones
• Take advantage of using tags or putting info in the properties section of a file so when all else fails, you can use the advanced search function and just type those in. 

Do not hesitate to delete files not needed
Knowing what is not needed is entirely up to you but I typically just answer these questions in my head:

1. Is this important?
2. Do I use this regularly?
3. Is this accessible and downloadable from a site? Is it editable once retrieved?
4. Is this an easy to retype or recreate document?

Answering these questions give me the idea as to what I should do with my files. Having a yes, no answer to Q1 and Q2 would mean I will just put the file in my backup. But a yes for both would mean to keep it in my computer. Finally, two no's for the first two questions would mean deleting it. The next two rows of questions are secondary and are optional, but they can aid you further in what you can do with the file.

These are just some things I do. And I hope this can help any of you out there. If any of you would like to suggest other methods, feel free to do so. C=

Game Entry: GUILD WARS 2

I have not played any MMORPGs ever since Guild Wars' second installment. This is because after playing it, I grew to love it and be loyal to it. I have nothing against other games, I really just want nothing else but Guild Wars. I loved the world they made, artistic, beautiful and scenic. I loved the history and story of the world they made in Guild Wars. I loved their payment scheme wherein you only have to pay one big lump sum to play and have full access to all features of the game.

And ever since I heard that they had plans of upgrading their game (Guild Wars 2) I just kept on waiting, not playing other MMORPGs during the wait.

Just reading about their development, I got more excited to get it. Seeing as to how they made the interface simpler, the scenes and background more artistic and beautiful, questing and playing more explorative and interactive, I just really have to feel this revolutionary MMORPG. I also loved the fact that they are moving away from the tank-healer-DPS party tandem and adding features that extend it to your mobile. (Most excited about "The Extended Experience" app) I also love their idea of having dynamic events.

Finally it has come!

I had the chance of buying it just last week but I just had no desktop PC that can accomodate it at maximum settings. I've waited for this game and I do not want to be playing it at minimum settings...this game deserves to be played at its best. I guess I will be saving up now.

In spite of all the hype the game has, I was able to see just a handful of comments and criticisms this past week. This is normal for initial releases. Give the developers time to refine and adjust their system to what is needed.

This is a great game I tell you. Try it out and see for yourself. https://www.guildwars2.com/

I know lots of people are already enjoying this game now and I very much envy them.

What say you about this newly released Guild Wars 2 game?