Q.) What's going on with digital vs. analog television?
A.) For some time now, the FCC has been trying to get the United States TV broadcasters and consumers to use digital television equipment for a number of reasons. Though digital television (DTV) has been slow to catch on, the FCC has officially set February 17, 2009 as the last day for traditional analog TV broadcasting, because they want to resell the RF VHF spectrum space for other projects. Don't worry though, you can purchase an ATSC set-top box to continue using an older TV once this occurs. For more information on the analog/digital television transition, see the following article.
Q.) My house was built in the mid-70's. What upgrades to the wiring might I want to make to allow my house to use current systems?
A.) Most likely in that time frame, houses were built with two-line phone cable that was daisy-chained from jack to jack, there is no networking wire, and the television cable is most likely RG59. Unless you have static problems on your phone lines, I would leave them as is. Your RG59 is another story. Due to the use of higher frequency signals for HD cable, you should upgrade to RG6, especially on longer cable runs since it attenuates the higher frequency signals. Regarding networking, your home will need to be evaluated on the feasibility to add networking wires. It is always best to add wires for performance and reliability considerations, yet if it is too difficult then a wireless access point may be the best solution.
Q.) I have a wireless network, yet my internet connection gets slow when I use it in the bedroom and on the deck. Why does this happen?
A.) WIFI networking using the popular 802.11b/g standards operates on signals at a very high frequency, 2.4ghz. Signals at this high frequency are reduced tremendously when they go through walls, bricks, and other normal building materials. You also have metal duct work in the walls, refrigerators, and other metal objects between the access point and your laptop. If metal is in the way, you will have a greatly reduced connection. You can try to re-orient the antennas on your wireless access point device or buy a signal booster or higher gain antenna. Also, you can purchase a higher quality card for your laptop computer or add a second wireless access point to your house. In houses with multiple access points, it is important that they are placed on different channels so they do not interfere with each other.
Q.) Why is the AM reception on my stereo so lousy?
A.) AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio is the oldest type of radio. Unfortunately, it is very susceptible to the electrical noise from fluorescent lighting and other electronic equipment. The best way to fix this is to relocate the AM tuner up high and away from all of these sources of noise. CyberNet has small, remotely locatable AM/FM radios that are mounted in the attic yet can be controlled from your house using a remote control or control pad.
Q.) Microsoft has recently released the Windows Vista operating system. Should I upgrade my PC or laptop?
A.) Windows Vista requires a much stronger system in terms of processor, memory, and graphics abilities to use most of its features. Running it on an under-powered machine provides very little benefit as it will have to be configured back "down" to the level of your current operating system for decent performance. In general, if your bought your PC more than six months ago and it was not a "powerhouse" PC at the time, you may experience performance issues if your upgrade to Windows Vista. Microsoft's website has additional information on the reccomended hardware to run Vista.
Q.) Can I use music from iTunes or my iPod for my whole-house audio system?
A.) We have written a tutorial specifically to discuss digital music as it relates to a whole-house audio system.
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