The Solid Signal Blog

Get the latest on the world of Technology from our friends at SolidSignal.COM
Good cell service isn’t just “optional” today. Without our phones, we would be cut off from most of the things that define our lives. Yet, even though cell phones have been available to the masses for over 20 years, most buildings are still designed to block those critical signals. In a quest to make buildings energy-efficient, we’ve designed them to block infrared and solar radiation. Unfortunately these same steps often block cell signals. Luckily there’s a solution Even decades after the first models came out, most folks don’t know about cell phone signal boosters. They’re easy to use, easy to install, and incredibly powerful. Their mission is simple: bring signal into your home, massively amplify it, and pump it out to your phone...
Welcome to the age of the modern house! Imagine a scenario in which your house anticipates your need, adapts to your tastes, and even converses with you. Making your house a smart and effective living place is no longer a pipe dream thanks to technological advancements. This post will examine the essential gadgets that may turn your home into a state-of-the-art smart home. Key Takeaways The convenience, security, and energy efficiency of a smart home are improved. Modern smart homes must include smart speakers, smart thermostats, and smart lighting. Peace of mind is offered by home security systems. Automated vacuums and smart equipment make housework easier. Filters with a Merv 16 rating enhance indoor air quality and reduce...
June 20-26, 1987 THE TV GUIDANCE COUNSELOR MATT-A-THON CONTINUES! This week’s Matt is fellow North Shore kid, the man behind over 25k songs, filmmaker, podcaster, it’s Motern Media’s Matt Farley. Ken and Matt discuss New England eccentric driven artists, the motivational power of spite, the power of novelty, putting in the work, using non-actors, making money as an artist, being a consumer, Strawberries, regional Mass record stores, Coconuts, how Lechmere curated your musical tastes, The Liberty Tree Mall, meeting Scott Baio, the power of mico-niche, Markie Post, Sledgehammer, bad sports, The Red Sox, badnwagons, K-Mart Swimwear, Jello, cigarette ads, Dana Hersey’s Movie Loft, Spenser for Hire, Karl’s Sausage Kitchen, Golden...
The AIM meter from AT&T is one awesome piece of gear. From top to bottom it’s designed to make the job of a satellite installer easier. It has a guided mode that helps you figure out where the problems are. It can help with aiming and setup. It’s the only meter out there that will help you align today’s SWM dishes and commercial installations. For DIRECTV installers, it doesn’t get any better. Where can you get firmware for the AIM meter? AT&T has closed their satinstalltraining site, which hasn’t been updated for a few years. For that reason, we’ve taken a copy of the latest AIM firmware and put it here. We don’t claim any copyright on this data and it was taken directly from the AT&T site. We made no changes to it at all. Here’s...
Todat, smart assistants and home automation are old hat. You think nothing of connecting to your thermostat or doorbell with your phone. You’ve probably used a voice assistant for everything from settling bets to opening your garage door. The connected world has been with us for about six years at this point. Or has it been longer? It turns out that home automation has been around longer than you think. And, thanks to YouTuber “Avboden,” we have the receipts to prove it. Take a look at this This YouTube video shows a working home automation system complete with touchscreen video, installed way back in 1985. The video was shot recently and clearly there have been updates to the system since the copyright date on the monitor is 1990...
Here are some important towing tips for increased safety and enjoyment in your RV travels. Know how to tow before you buy, and every time you head out on the road. You will have less hassles, more fun and will help promote RV safety. Here are ten towing tips to get you started. Understand the basics Start at the beginning. Read our tips on managing RV weight. Understand the weight definitions and the importance of weight distribution in towing. Do this before you buy. Obtain and carefully read manufacturer’s manuals and product-specific fifth wheel travel towing tips. Make sure you understand their definitions of weight-related terminology. If you are planning to tow a trailer or fifth wheel, the major truck makers have Towing...
Whenever I look at one of the KING auto-aiming satellite dishes, I can’t help but be impressed. I mean think about it a second. These things are barely more than a foot wide. They aim themselves. And when you consider the price, they are incredibly good values. In-motion systems for RVs and boats are routinely in the mid 4-figures, and yes they do more than the KING products. But if you’re looking for something to work for you quickly when you’re parked, it’s amazing that you can get something like this for such a low price. Let me put it this way. It’s actually cheaper to buy a KING dish than it is to buy a satellite meter for DIRECTV or DISH and aim it yourself. If you ask me, that’s pretty impressive. How to aim a KING portable...
Our phone support line at 888-233-7563 is open during East Coast business hours. People call us because they know that they’ll get good information from qualified techs. Here’s an instance of a very common question that our Solid Signal techs get. It’s not as cut-and-dried as it used to be, though, so it’s worth putting some information out on the internet to try to clear things up. Going month-to-month with your DIRECTV Satellite account Technically, if you haven’t had any upgrades to your system in over two years, you are month-to-month. You can cancel at any time. But that’s not really what people mean when they ask the question. They want to know if it’s something like Netflix where you can cancel and pick it up a few months later...
MATT-A-THON CONCLUDES May 9-15, 1992 This week Ken welcomes the host of the We Watch Wrestling Podcast, fellow New Englander, comedian Matt McCarthy to the show. Ken and Matt discuss Matt’s rabbit holes, GWF, Killer Kowalski, Freddie Prinz Jr, Cable Access, New England, Tony Rumble, Bob Mould, self abuse based public crimes, laserdiscs, classical music, yuppies, dead formats, VHS, Justin Case, VHS Cases, WSBK TV38, Marvin’s collection, taped off TV with original commercials content, Monty Python, Dana Hersey, We Don’t Knock, Silver Bullet, Dana Gould, Ask the Manager, Providence, Dialing for Dollars, Richard Simmons greatest photo ever, Meredith Viera, PM Magazine, Evening Magazine, The Golden Girls series finale, obsession...
Updated for 2023! Ah, the eternal struggle. Is it better to have an easy installation or to have some ability to upgrade in the future? It’s hard to know, but once you make the decision, it’s hard to change. DIRECTV’s been using the SWM system for about four years to make installations easier and more reliable. For most people who use a single DVR and two or three receivers or clients, it’s a no-brainer. They want the simplest possible system, devoid of extra wires and boxes. On the other hand, Solid Signal’s fans are usually a little more advanced than that. Our loyal followers sometimes come up with systems that even the top engineers can’t match. So let’s look at the advantages of both. SWM-enabled dish If your HD dish has only...
Have you been doing home theater and A/V installations for a while? If so, you might remember the BNC connector that was used for component connections in the 2000s and before. It has been used for SD video and HD video, but it’s rarely seen in consumer electronics today. Is it dead? A quick look at the BNC connector First let’s talk about the BNC connector. The Bayonet-style Neill-Concelman connector was patented in the 1950s as a combination of the N(Neill) and C(Concelman) connector styles. While N-connectors are still around, the C connector is no longer used. The goal was to have a connector for TV use that connected easily but stayed connected, and to have a metal sheath over the center conductor (unlike the F connector that...
Even if you’re no scientist, you know that color has an effect on the brain. Color’s association with emotion is baked into our language. You can be blue if you’re sad, green with envy, see red if you’re angry, and so forth. But, scientists have only learned in the last few decades that there is a scientific basis to the way color affects the way we behave. In an effort to help employees feel more refreshed, workplaces in the late 20th and early 21st century started adopting full-spectrum lighting. Traditional fluorescents, which give off a greenish-brown light without a lot of blue to it, had a demonstrated effect in making people feel more fatigued. Full-spectrum light, which more closely mimics daylight, has been proven time and...
Hundreds of stations all across the country have been blacked out on DIRECTV for over six weeks. With football season coming, it’s clear that something has to be done. Our frustrated podcaster lets all his frustrations out. Ready to do something about the channels that have been blacked out? Call us at 888-233-7563 for more options. 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...
Reprinted with permission from the weBoost blog Your sales team plays a crucial role in driving revenue and business growth. To excel in their efforts, sales professionals rely on technology, including 5G connectivity. In-building 5G solutions connect them with clients, provide access to customer data, and help them close deals. Reliable indoor connectivity can significantly enhance sales team performance. This article explores how dependable in-building 5G can revolutionize sales operations and improve overall outcomes for your business. If you don’t have a strong in-building 5G solution, we’ll tell you how to fix cell signal issues so your sales team can do their job. The role of cellular connectivity in sales Cellular...
Commercial satellite TV is about as different from residential satellite TV as you can get. That may seem surprising since commercial setups use pretty much the same parts as residential ones. But, you’ll also find some very specific parts in place that are rarely found in homes. The reason is simple: commercial setups need to be much more reliable. A lost satellite signal in a home is bad, but it’s a lot worse if it affects 50 TVs in a sports bar or 500 apartments in a senior living facility. Putting in commercial grade equipment helps everything run better, for a longer period of time. The commercial specs for DIRECTV include the use of an amplifier and a polarity locker. But do you need these items in every commercial install...