Network Camera and Security Solutions

February 1, 2018 by Nathan Drager

Network camera technology has gotten to the point where someone can literally go down to their local big box store and buy a complete network camera system with multiple cameras and a DVR to store and review video. For a Do-It-Yourself person, that might be all that is needed. On the other hand, (and there is more than one time this scenario has occurred) a client might purchase the camera system, get home (or to the office), open the box, figure out they may have bitten off more than they could chew, and bring that camera system right back to the store for a return/refund. Which is fine, but going that route doesn’t solve the problem the client was trying to address when they bought the system in the first place.

We at Quantum PC can help. We are knowledgeable professionals that work with our clients to develop a network camera solution to meet their needs. It’s safe to say that a client looking to have cameras for their residence will have different priorities than a client looking to have cameras installed at a place of business. Further, a car dealership (for example), may have different priorities than a bank. We at Quantum PC help identify those priorities and use our experience build a solution that addresses those priorities.

Let’s take a step back in this post and look at some questions that a client should be able to answer when developing a network camera system. There are plenty, but in this post, we ask three.

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Smart Home Automation – Voice Activated Electronics

January 1, 2018 by Nathan Drager

In case you have any doubt, we are living in a golden era of technological advancements. A few decades ago, we could rely on corded phones to communicate. Today we have “tiny” computers in our pockets that hold simultaneous communication functions. 1952 is the year when computers first understood human voice.

In 2000, significant tech development revolved around smartphones. The next big step in 2017 is the development of smart homes with voice-activated electronics. Smart home automation gives you a new level of control. The likes of Google Assistant and Siri are some of the platforms that have taken the smart home industry to another level.

Here are the voice-activated electronics that will enable you to tap into high-tech, dive in luxury and turn your home into a smart haven.
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How Many Good Battery Habits Do You Really Have?

July 6, 2017 by Nathan Drager

Batteries are rarely talked about – until they’re drained – then we’ll tell everyone as we beg desperately for a charger, hoping to get enough juice to last the day. The truth is, they’re a miracle of engineering that gets taken for granted when full and cursed when flat. If it feels like your battery is running out faster, you might be right. But it’s not because of ‘battery memory’ and needing to be cycled (that’s an older battery type called NiMh), it’s because the modern LITHIUM-ION batteries in phones and laptops just simply wear out over time. Fortunately, extending your battery life is easier than you think! Which of the following GOOD battery habits do you have?

1. Charge whenever you can: Lithium-ion batteries don’t like being charged all the way up and then drained all the way down. No wonder, it even sounds exhausting. Give them a little charge here and there, and they’ll be happy.

2. Leave your laptop plugged in all the time: You can’t over-charge the battery, it will just sit there waiting to be used. The laptop also helps out by cutting the flow of power when the battery registers as fully charged.

3. Watch for overheating: If you can, remove your laptop battery while charging, because while it won’t overcharge, it may overheat. You might also consider removing the battery if you’re using your laptop plugged in all the time. Sure, you might lose data if there’s a power outage, but overheating is a far more common occurrence and it’s been proven to degrade battery life considerably. Check your vents are clear with good airflow, and if necessary, help it out with a cooling laptop stand.

4. Leave your phone plugged in all night: Just like your laptop, your charger knows to stop when the battery is full. Those chargers do generate heat though, so make sure you have enough airflow around both charger and phone, and never sleep with it under your pillow.

5. Charge batteries before storing: If you’re blessed with backup batteries, make sure to give them a half charge before storing. They’ll naturally discharge and age over time, so this gives them a fighting chance to still be viable when you need them.

6. Keep your cool: We know to avoid water with our phones, but we’re less careful about exposing it to heat. This includes leaving it in your car all day, placing it on top of your PC, or even in a sunny spot by the window. Wireless and rapid chargers can also be an issue, as the amount of heat they generate will affect your battery.

How did you go? Is keeping your lithium-ion battery happy easier than you thought? Your battery will wear out over time, but you can push that day a few years into the future if you remember to keep it charged and keep it cool.

Having battery issues or questions? We can help! Call us at (920) 256-1214.

Revive Your Slow Computer with an Easy Bottleneck Blitz

March 31, 2017 by Nathan Drager

Old age creeps up slowly – unless you’re a computer. Then it seems to happen overnight. One day you’re logging in normally and jumping right into the action, the next day booting up takes so long you not only have time to make a cup of coffee, you could have run out to the local café for the good stuff.

This is the stage where many people throw their hands in the air and start wishing for a new computer.Except your computer isn’t broken and doesn’t need replacing, it’s just….slow.Time-wasting, focus-losing, frustratingly slow.

Like any machine, computers have parts that wear out – particularly if they have moving parts that are in near-constant use. The hard drive is the #1 cause of speed bottlenecks in most computers. Traditional hard drives are made up of a stack of round magnetic platters, spinning at up to 7200rpms, while a read/write head on a mechanical arm whizzes back and forth.Eventually, the platters take longer to spin up, unable to reach full throttle, and the mechanical arm becomes sluggish. Which leaves you waiting. And waiting…

SSD’s Can Give Aging Computers A New Lease On Life

The new era of hard drives is here with Solid State Drives – and they have no moving parts.

Zero.

They’re actually a lot like your USB stick that continually takes a beating but still performs perfectly.

Making a simple upgrade to SSD can knock minutes (an eternity) off boot time, as well streamlines regular computer operations with rapid fire functionality. They’re:

Cool – Don’t generate heat, which means other components also run more efficiently
Durable – No moving parts to wear out
Compact – A little larger and thicker than a credit card
Long-lasting – You’re actually more likely to replace your entire system before the SSD wears out
Lightning fast – Data is accessed instantly
Suitable for all systems– laptop, desktop and even netbook

Upgrading your tired hard drive to a super-fast SSD can be done within one day.

Give us a call at (920) 256-1214 if you would like to look into upgrading to a solid state drive.

Windows Vista End-of-Life: What This Means For You

March 31, 2017 by Nathan Drager

The countdown is on for Windows Vista users. On 11th April 2017, Microsoft will cease all support and security patching, just like they did with previous Windows versions. Naturally, you’re rather attached to your current operating system and not exactly leaping for joy at this news!

Unfortunately, the longer your computer goes without an upgrade, the higher the chance of a complete system breach. While you’re watching the count-down and thinking about scheduling an upgrade sometime soon, cyber-criminals are making plans of their own. As time progresses, they’ll actively target out-of-date systems and search for vulnerabilities.

Even the most stalwart Vista user must finally upgrade, as continuing to use it will expose your computer to some pretty confronting risks, including:

Security risks: While Microsoft may have patched the gaps exploited during the Vista lifetime, there are many more just waiting to be discovered. It gets worse: your antivirus program is unlikely to intercept these attacks. Hackers are extremely fast to exploit newly-discovered vulnerabilities and without Microsoft working just as fast to close them, the risk increases exponentially every time you turn the computer on.

Compliance risks: For business users, this is a big one. Many businesses are subject to conditions that require them to run an operating system that’s regularly patched. For those working with sensitive, legal or private data, this is even more important. Continuing to use an unsupported operating system (OS) places not just the system security at risk, but also the entire business.

Software incompatibility: New applications are created exclusively for current operating systems. This means you can’t upgrade past the software you now have and will soon be phased out of new updates and options across all application types.

No support: Vista mainstream support was stopped back in 2012, but there were always avenues if you were really stuck with something. This includes a quick Google search, an expert on call, or even sympathetic support staff at Microsoft helpdesk willing to bend the rules; as of the 11th of April though, that all stops. The only support available will be outdated pieces you can locate with Google, solutions which may send you in circles with no resolution.

Windows Vista End-of-Life: What This Means For You

The solution is quite simple: upgrade your computers to Windows 10 well before the April 11 deadline.
Windows 10 is the latest release and will give your upgrade investment the most value over time, as well as the best security Windows users have ever seen. Vista will continue to work after April 11, but every day you use it puts your system at increasingly higher levels of risk.

Get in contact by calling us at (920) 256-1214 to upgrade your Windows.

How to Spot a Tech Scam before you get Stung

March 4, 2017 by Nathan Drager

Hello All,

I’m calling out tech scammers and the tricks they’re using to con millions out of computer owners each year.

If your computer had a virus, you’d want to know about it ASAP, right?

Before your important files become corrupted, you lose your photos and your digital life is essentially destroyed. Even thinking about it is terrifying.

Tech scammers know we’d be lost without our computers, and that we don’t always know what’s going on behind the screen – which is why they’ve been able to swindle millions from every day people across the world.

The scam goes like this:

You receive a random phone call from someone with a heavy accent (usually hard to understand) saying they’re from Microsoft, or an alarming pop-up appears on the screen, saying it looks like your system has been infected with a virus.

To fix the problem, they need to you to download some support software, which they’ll give you a special link for.

A technician then uses that software to gain access to your system and make it appear your system is riddled with viruses. Flashing screens, mysterious diagnostics whizzing by, fabricated errors…they’ll do or say anything to make you panic. They’ll even go as far as claiming your system has been infected with illegal content and if not corrected, you’ll face criminal charges.

Demands for credit card information follow immediately after. Once paid, they simply stop fiddling with your system to make it seem the problem is fixed. To continue the scam, they’ll soon access your system to recreate the problem, this time offering a subscription for ongoing protection.

What to do if you’re targeted by a tech scam

1. Don’t taunt them. Just hang up. Right now you’re only a phone number in their system and they’ll move onto the next – if you give them cause to target you personally, you may find yourself in a dangerous situation.
The real Microsoft will never randomly call people like this. Ever.
2. If a pop-up appears, immediately run an anti-virus scan. Don’t click the pop-up or call the number.

What to do if you’ve already been scammed

It’s okay. It feels horrible, but you’re not alone and the situation can be corrected.

Call your financial institution and have the charges reversed and your card reissued. It’s easier than you might think and helps the authorities locate the scammers.

Then give us a call at (920) 256-1214 and we’ll make sure they no longer have access to your computer.