Various factors impact a router’s operational lifespan, including its build quality, thermal handling capabilities, use patterns, installation locations, and eventually technological obsolescence. How Long Do Routers Really Last? At the current pace of change, the average lifespan for a router is probably about five years. Upgrading every five years ensures that you’ll always have the best features and performance without unnecessary side-grades. However, a router can last a whole lot longer than that if it’s well maintained and meets your needs....

Here’s how a scanner takes a physical document, reproduces its content, and then transfers the data into a computer file that can be uploaded and shared digitally. Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) Array While scanners are made up of several different parts, the core component is the charged-coupled device (CCD) array. A CCD array is a collection of light-sensitive diodes that converts photons (light) into electrons or electrical charges. These diodes are known more commonly as photosites....

According to a study from the National Science Foundation, women only earn 18% of computer science bachelor’s degrees and only 20% of engineering degrees in the US. And, while women make up 50% of the college-educated workforce, they only hold 28% of science and engineering positions. TechGirlz is a nonprofit giving young girls the tools and the confidence to enter into the tech workforce, whatever that may look like for them....

How to Add Apps to a SmartCast TV SmartCast TVs come with a broad selection of more than 100 preinstalled core apps available on your SmartCast home screen. There’s no functionality for downloading additional apps; however, new apps become available periodically and are available immediately after an update. If there’s an app you want to use that isn’t available on your screen, you may still be able to access its content by downloading the app to your mobile device and using the TV’s built-in Chromecast or AirPlay technology....

Inspect the Card Reader and the Area Near the PIN Pad Many banks and merchants realize that skimming is on the rise and will often post a picture of what the real device is supposed to look like, so you will see that there is something attached that is not supposed to be there if a skimmer is present. Of course, a card skimmer could put a fake picture over the real image, so this isn’t a fail-safe way to spot a skimmer....

The Basics of Flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons It’s essential to understand the basics of flowers before diving breeding them. The nuance of how flowers grow can trip you up at first. Every island starts with a native flower that grows from the very first day. The flower is one of the game’s eight “common” flowers: Cosmos, Hyacinths, Lilies, Mums, Pansies, Roses, Tulips, and Windflowers. You can acquire other common flowers by purchasing them from the store....

Connect an iPad MFI Certified Controller Manufacturers, such as SteelSeries, have begun producing controllers specifically designed for mobile devices such as Apple’s iPad — these products are known as ‘Made For iPhone’ or MFI devices. If you’ve picked up a wireless controller from such a company, it will need to be connected via Bluetooth. While each device connects in a slightly different manner, and we recommend referencing the manual included with your device, you can follow these general steps for a helping hand with the process....

Should I Encrypt My Mac? If you’re concerned about the security and privacy of your files you definitely should consider encrypting your Mac. However, there are a couple of things to consider before you begin the process. Please take these potential risks and drawbacks into consideration before you attempt any encryption. First, while encryption won’t slow down your Mac’s performance, it will slow its read/write speed as it will need to encrypt and decrypt data on the fly....

This might seem like a weird thing to do, since most of us use GPS for tasks that need our real location, like when finding directions and weather updates. However, there are legitimate reasons to change your phone’s location to a fake one. Unfortunately, doing so isn’t very straightforward. There isn’t a “fake GPS location” setting built in to either iOS or Android, and neither do most apps let you spoof your location through a simple option....

What Is The Blue Screen of Death? What Causes It? A Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), aka a STOP Error, appears when an issue is so serious that Windows must stop loading. It’s usually hardware or driver related; most will show a STOP code to help you figure out the root cause. If the blue screen flashes and your computer reboots automatically you’ll need to disable the ‘automatic restart on system failure’ setting....

How to Use Share Play on Your PS4 Here’s how to share games on your PS4 using Share Play. You need to have a PlayStation Plus subscription to initiate a Share Play session, but your friend doesn’t. How to Share All Your Games on PS4 Another way to share your games requires you to access their PS4 or trust them with your login information. If you set a friend’s PS4 as your primary console, they can then log in with their account, download any games you have purchased, and play them....

Use Steam on a Chromebook by Installing Steam as a Linux App The first way to use Steam on a Chromebook is to install Steam as a regular Linux app. This is a somewhat complex process that requires you to enable Linux apps on your Chromebook, then install Steam using terminal commands. This option is only available if your Chromebook supports regular Linux apps, which not all Chromebooks do. Enable Linux Apps on a Chromebook If your Chromebook is capable of running regular Linux apps, you’ll have to enable the feature before you can install Steam....

Understanding the Mac’s Surround Sound Capabilities A Mac computer can pass AC3 files, the file format used for Dolby Digital, directly to its optical audio output. Macs can also send surround sound via an HDMI connection, and even use AirPlay to send surround information to an Apple TV. The process can be as simple as plugging in an AV receiver with surround sound decoders or hooking up an Apple TV up to an AV receiver....

Connect Flash Drives to Head Unit USB Ports Connecting a USB flash drive to a head unit USB port is literally a plug and play type of situation. There’s a chance that you could simply dump some music onto your drive, hook it up, and have everything work. If everything doesn’t work right out of the box, then there are a handful of compatibility issues to check out. Head Unit Digital Music File Types The first thing to look at is a file format, which refers to the way that your music files are encoded....

Where to Watch NBA Playoffs Games If you want to watch every game in the NBA playoffs, or at least have the option, then these are the channels that you’ll need to have access to: ABC: For the 17th consecutive year, ABC has the sole rights to broadcast the NBA Finals. If you want to watch the finals, you need access to ABC.ESPN: ESPN has the rights to the Western Conference Finals....

How to Get a Luck Potion in Minecraft Since there is no recipe to brew a luck potion in Minecraft, the only way to obtain one in survival mode is to enable cheats and then enter a specific console command. Here’s how you can give yourself a luck potion in Minecraft: How to Get Luck Potions in Minecraft Creative Mode If you’re playing in creative mode instead of survival mode, it’s even easier to get your hands on a luck potion....

Check the manufacturer’s website to see if the speaker you want to connect is Alexa-compatible. If so, Alexa could be used through the manufacturer’s app (with a few caveats). If not, you can connect it through an Echo device. This guide will walk you through how to connect Alexa to a Bluetooth speaker, depending on what devices you’re using. Ask Alexa Alexa is meant to be a digital assistant controlled by your voice....

We’ve all deleted files accidentally or simply changed our minds about the necessity of a particular file or folder, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re now second-guessing that last delete. These steps should apply to all Windows operating systems that use the Recycle Bin including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and more. How to Restore Deleted Files From the Recycle Bin Time Required: Restoring deleted files should only take a few minutes, but it depends mostly on how quickly you can find the files you want to restore as well as how large they are....

How to Change Your Settings to Save Data If you’re not connecting two Android devices—maybe you’re connecting a tablet to a Mifi or any other non-Android mobile hotspot like the iPhone—this hidden setting should come in handy: This should help you conserve more mobile data when you’re sharing your wireless data with your tablet, phone, or another mobile device. Tap Data Saver and then enable Use Data Saver. Skip to Step 5....

How to Create a Peacock Account and Start Watching Getting started with Peacock is easy. Try it out for free, and then decide if a Premium or Premium Plus account is worth it for you. Follow these steps to sign up: How to Upgrade to Peacock Premium or Premium Plus When you upgrade your Peacock account, you automatically start a free seven-day trial. You’re charged if you don’t cancel before the end of the trial....