The Solid Signal Blog

Is it really possible that Windows 11 came out over two years ago? Yes, it was all the way back in June 2021 that Microsoft started moving us all over to the centered start menu. I wrote about it back then, too. By Microsoft’s timeline, that means it’s almost time for Windows 12. Yet, just as I did with Windows 11, I have to ask whether anyone is really looking forward to that. Windows 11 is finally getting good Windows 11’s 23H2 update finally gives us some of the good stuff we’ve been waiting for. I don’t know why it took so long, but you can finally ungroup items on the taskbar much as you could in Windows 10 and earlier versions. For the last three years I’ve been running an app called Start11 to restore this function. It’s not...

In the last several months, we’ve gotten a look at the new contenders in the virtual reality arena. Apple, as usual, thinks you’ll shell out an insane amount of money for something that feels innately cool. Meta (formerly Facebook and Oculus) continue to improve their Quest series headsets with higher quality and faster processors. There’s only one question to really ask: is it going to take this time? Virtual reality isn’t new The idea of putting on a headset with a pair of screens that make you feel like you’re in another reality isn’t new. It was all the rage in the 1990s. At the time, the technology was definitely not ready. Users experienced nausea from slow-reacting headsets and the image quality was, well about what you’d...

About a dozen years ago, Solid Signal started selling its own satellite meter. Our customers told us that they wanted a less expensive alternative to the meters available at the time, and we were able to find an option that met most people’s needs. You can still read my review of it, here. But is this meter still a workable option today? Let’s take a look. If your system hasn’t changed since 2012… If you’re still using the exact same hardware you used in 2012, the SATLOOK LITE will still work for you. There’s a lot about the DIRECTV and DISH satellite landscape that hasn’t changed since then. For example, DIRECTV is still offering H24 and H25 receivers at SolidSignal.com, and we also offer the Hopper with Sling alongside newer...

I would be willing to bet that whole weeks go by these days where no one orders new landline service from their local provider. I’ve even seen new homes built without telephone wiring. That’s how dead the technology is. However, the idea that you would get internet service without TV or landline phone was still fairly new in 2018 when I wrote this article. In it, I defined the term “dry loop internet” as it was used in those days. Dry loop what? Dry loop internet describes internet service that doesn’t have TV or phone attached to it. The term didn’t last long. It turns out it was really only used during that period of time when folks were giving up landlines. But, in that article I managed to capture that point in time when everyone...

At Solid Signal, we’re asked that question dozens of times every day. You know what, it would be so great to write this article with one definitive answer. The truth is that the answer is different for different people. That’s why encourage folks to call us and get a free, no-obligation antenna recommendation.. There are so many factors to consider that there’s no one answer that fits everyone. Here are some of the things you should consider: How far away are you from the broadcast towers? This is probably the most important question. People in big cities may be only a few miles from a tower, while out in the “burbs” you might be 50 miles or more from the broadcast sites. The further away you are, the more likely it is that you’ll...

Sometimes, in this wonderful world we all share, an idea takes off that sounds too stupid to work. Take, for example, Starlink. The idea that you would put 5,000 super-cheap satellites in very low earth orbit sounds like a joke. But, it works. It works very well in fact, and if you want Starlink service you should call us at 888-233-7563. But that’s not really the topic of the story. When Elon Musk’s SpaceX was able to prove that Starlink was a hit, other billionaires took notice. They started floating ideas of their own. In one case, “floating” was a literal idea. It’s been proposed several times that you could provide internet service to an area by using multiple small balloons or one big blimp. This idea sounds like a hybrid of...

March 24-30, 1979 This week Ken welcomes writer, podcaster, and lover of all things Mego, the man behind Plaid Stallions, Brian Heiler to the show. Ken and Brian discuss Canada, how long Ken has been following Brian’s work, memorizing TV Guide as a kid, being the TV Oracle, late night horror and monster movies, Crestwood books, V, tourist traps, Hollywood Museum, Slim Goodbody, Mr. Rourke as devil or angel, Fantasy Island, toothless Animal House TV rip offs, fountain pens, how small pop culture used to be, being a smoker, Canada vs US buying cigarettes, loving cigarette machines even though you don’t smoke, The Frozen Dead, The Last Man on Earth, Dracula ‘79, Cliff Hangers, Track and Field for women by Colgate, disco, Forever...

Even though DIRECTV’s Gemini Air is flying off the shelves at Solid Signal, folks ask us every day if they need to buy it. That kind of question has even made it into some of the comments on our Youtubes. So, I’m hoping that by writing this article, Google will pick it up and help people understand why they might — or might not — want a Gemini Air device. Real quick, what is Gemini Air? Gemini Air is a small device about the size of a streaming stick. It gives you access to all the streaming apps you want like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and that sort of thing. It’s also the best way to use DIRECTV’s own live TV streaming service, which they call DIRECTV for Internet. With DIRECTV for Internet, you get nearly the same channels and...

Here’s a podcast that talks about antennas in a way you can understand. Check it out, shop for an antenna at Solid Signal - Signal Solutions including HDTV Antennas, DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite equipment and home entertainment supplies and accessories, or call us at 888-233-7563! Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below. Amazon...

When I sat down to write this article, I realized that I’d already written something like it, believe it or not. And believe it or not, it was five whole years ago. Don’t believe me? Here it is. Back then, 5G was really just a theory that was starting to get implemented, but now it’s sort of the standard for cell phones. And yet, there are no “consumer 5G boosters.” Or, well, there sort of are. This is why I need to write a whole new article. Where I thought 5G would go, five years ago When 5G was first pitched, it resembled the “5G+” or “UWB” sort of 5G that you get in dense city centers. Super high speed service that runs on frequencies over 28GHz. The big problem at the time was how you were going to roll that out to the whole...

Dear readers, it’s interesting to me that I’m just now getting around to writing this article. Why? Because it was, perhaps, one of the first tech questions I was asked in my lifetime. I believe the first time someone told me they wanted a wireless TV antenna was about 1984. For it to have taken nearly forty years to document the answer does seem weird, doesn’t it? So let’s jump in. The “wireless over-the-air antenna” that everyone wants Here’s what people really want. They want to put an antenna up on their roof and magically, perhaps through the use of a smaller antenna on their TVs, receive a signal. In this perfect scenario, there would be no wires at all. This isn’t going to happen and there are several reasons why. 1. You need...

Here’s one thing we all all agree on: We want to charge our phones quickly. But how can you know it’s safe? It’s confusing. The most common terms you’ll hear when you talk about charging a cell phone are Qi and QC. A lot of people think Qualcomm Quick Charging (QC) is the same as the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi standard. After all, how many things start with Q anyway, and both of them have to so with cell phones. So, you can be forgiven for thinking they’re the same thing. Let’s talk about why they aren’t. It’s the wire. Qi is a wireless charging standard. It’s designed to let you put your phone down, without even having to plug it in, and then it just charges for you. However, because of the way that wireless charging works, it’s...

Here’s some freaky stuff to think about. Time is an essentially human invention. It doesn’t exist other than our observation of it. Now there are ways in which we can say that time passes whether or not we know it. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about hours, minutes, seconds, even years. They’re all made up. All of them. For some bizarre reason we measure small bits of time using a crazy Babylonian scheme that counts things from 1 to 60. I can’t even begin to tell you how little sense that makes. It would make far more sense to have 10 hours in a day, 100 minutes in an hour, and 100 seconds in a minute. But we don’t. When it comes to measuring larger bits of time, we say that a year is the amount of time it takes for the...

This week brings boats from all over the world to the Bahia Mar and its surrounding marinas for the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. It’s the largest floating exhibition in the world, at least that’s what their marketing material says. Every year, the team from Signal Connect comes to Fort Lauderdale to meet with the marine community. Every year, we’re sad to go once the show is over. That is, every year except this year, because we’re here to stay! Welcome to Signal Connect’s Florida Branch Starting this year, Signal Connect has a stocking branch in Florida. What’s a stocking branch, you say? We’re keeping the most popular items in Florida so they can be hand-delivered to the marina when needed. In the past, customers would...

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