Do you feel the need, the need for router speed? One of the most common complaints about computers is their speed, but when it ...

<img src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/blog-electronics-router.jpg?w=700" />
Do you feel the need, the need for router speed?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
One of the most common complaints about computers is their speed, but when it comes to the internet, a lot of those variables are outside the reign of your computer itself. There are many external factors that could be slowing your internet down, your router being a key component in how quickly you are able to you surf the web. &nbsp;
The main one &ndash; of course &ndash; is the speed of the internet that you are paying for. If you are only spending a little bit a month on a low-speed plan, then you should expect to get low speeds. But if you are getting speeds much lower than what you are paying for &ndash; and a simple online speed test can tell you -- there could be myriad reasons why.
The internet is essentially a stream of data, but think of it like an actual water stream. Different parts of it can cause bottlenecks, making the once-rushing water to become a trickle by the time it finally reaches the end that is you on your computer. We wouldn&rsquo;t suggest diving down a dry waterfall, and you shouldn&rsquo;t surf the internet on a dry and bad connection, either. Let&rsquo;s see what we can do today to get that data flowing again!
&nbsp;
<h2>Wireless vs. Wired</h2>
This is probably one of the first things you should look at when trying to diagnose a problem with internet speed. There are a few hard facts of life: death, taxes, and that wireless connections just aren&rsquo;t going to be as good as wired ones.
Even if your stream is a raging river full of rapids, if it evaporates into the thin air, it&rsquo;s going to lose some of its potency, right? Yes. The answer is yes.
This is what happens with your wireless connections, too. Even if you have super-fast internet coming into your router, if you are only using a wireless connection, you can expect to see much slower speeds. When speed is concerned, always go with a hardline, wired connection.
&nbsp;
<h2>Router Type</h2>
Let&rsquo;s stick to the metaphor a little further here &ndash; if you are surfing the ocean on a piece of driftwood, you aren&rsquo;t going to go as fast as if you are using a top-of-the-line professional surfboard.
The same is true for internet &ndash; if you are using an old and dilapidated router, your surfing speeds are going to be just like that of the driftwood: sinkingly slow.
In most cases, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will probably provide you with a router, and many of these routers are going to be ... probably not good. We always recommended that you get your own router &ndash; one that can handle the latest wireless and wired standards and has decent speed.

<img src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/image2 _15_.jpg?w=700" />
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<h2>Identifying Interference </h2>
So, if you still have slow internet, what else could the problem be? Again, loads of things.
If you live in a dense city or apartment complex, Wi-Fi interference could be an issue. If you go into your router settings on your computer (usually just by typing in 192.168.1.1 into an internet browser), you can often change what channel the router is operating on. Most people don&rsquo;t do this, so most routers end up working on the same channel. Messing with these settings can help on the wireless end, at least.
&nbsp;
Internet speed can be a tricky river to navigate, but hopefully with these helpful tips, you feel a little more confident braving those rapids for yourself than you did before.
And if not &ndash; don&rsquo;t worry about it! We&rsquo;re always here to help you with all of your electronics-related needs, so come on by and say hi! We don&rsquo;t gigabite, we promise.

How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Most Out of Your Router

Not sure what this USB-C is all about? Read on to find out what it stands for, what it can be used for, and more! 

<img src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/2019/Image 1 _1_.jpg?w=700" />
Electronics can be tricky.
It&rsquo;s hard enough trying to figure out which plug goes to what, especially when plugs with the same name might not all work on the same devices &ndash; we&rsquo;re looking at you, USV.
&nbsp;It&rsquo;s a lot to take in!
Electronics are supposed to be fun and functional, not headache inducing! As your local electronics store, part of our mission is not only to sell you the best products in town, but also to help keep our customers educated on all the various happenings going on in the world of electronics. For this month, let&rsquo;s start with USB, and help break down exactly what this USB-C is that you may keep hearing getting tossed around.
&nbsp;
What is USB?
Universal Serial Bus. That&rsquo;s what USB stands for, but no, your kids aren&rsquo;t going to ride a USB to school.
From flash drives to cell phones, chargers to computer keyboards, you probably use &ndash; or at least rely on &ndash; USB devices many times a day without even knowing it. USB ports are everywhere, and most of the time they really don&rsquo;t require much thought. They&rsquo;ve become so commonplace, even the technologically inept among us know how to plug a USB cord in to connect something to, well, something else.
USB can be used for devices to connect to each other, talk to each other, and also as a power supply. That&rsquo;s pretty nifty if you think about it &ndash; all just from three little letters.
&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/2019/Image 2 _1_.jpg?w=700" />
So, uhh, what about USB-C?
Depending what type of phone you have &ndash; or what other devices you encounter in the wild on a daily basis &ndash; you may have noticed USB cables that have one end that looks like what you are used to &hellip; and one end that looks slightly different. The problem is that other end could be a host of different things: Mini-A, Mini-B, Micro-USB, and so on and so forth. If you&rsquo;ve ever grabbed a USB cord and tried to use it on a device that it wouldn&rsquo;t fit into, then you were probably dealing with differing types of connectors.&nbsp;
USB-C then, is a newer type of USB connection. It can provide video output from your device, and can be used for high-power charging on everything from a MacBook to a Nintendo Switch, meaning your devices will get the juice they need to last longer, quicker.
&nbsp;
And there you have it! While you might not be able to dominate a USB-based category on Jeopardy now, at least you have some background on what it stands for, what it can be used for, and what those new shaped USB-C plugs are all about! Make sure to keep an eye on our blog, and check back next month for another entry in our customer education series. And in the meantime, remember we&rsquo;re always right here in town when you are shopping for new electronics!&nbsp;

What is USB-C and What Does It Mean For You? 

Ready to control your home with only your voice? Here’s how home automation and voice control work together! 

<img alt="How Voice Control Can Play a Role in Your Home" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2018/CI - How voice control can play a role1.jpg?w=700" style="width: 100%;" />
The adage goes that the pen is mightier than the sword, but do you know what&rsquo;s more powerful than both put together, blended, and served on the rocks? Your voice.
It&rsquo;s true. Can you control your entire house with a pen? Nope. A sword isn&rsquo;t going to help you unlock your door or turn on your stereo system from the other side of the house, either. It might be good for opening giant letters as a giant letter opener, but that&rsquo;s about it when it comes to household tasks.
But, with the advent of Alexa -- and its integration with your high-end home automation systems -- voice control is the wave of the future. We want to be your instructor and help you get comfortable on a surfboard so you can ride that wave all by yourself.
So, grab your sun tan lotion, your board shorts, and let&rsquo;s head to the beach &hellip; of voice control. Voice control. This blog is going to teach you about voice control. Surf&rsquo;s up!
Echoes Of Elan
If you already have an Elan system in your home &ndash; or even if you are still deciding which smart home system to install &ndash; you probably didn&rsquo;t know that the Elan 8 software supports voice control.
Yup. Not only that, it was also awarded the Human Interface of the Year at CES 2017 by the Consumer Technology Association&rsquo;s Mark of Excellence Aware Program Committee &ndash; so you know that it&rsquo;s the real deal. The award recognizes the product that best combines ergonomics and technology to make its interface easier to use.
How does it work with voice control, though? Elan works with Alexa, and since it can be integrated with your whole home, you really can control most things all with a simple voice command. Even your home TV sets!
In fact, with Elan and Alexa, you can have a total of 64 different on and off inputs around your home. That&rsquo;s a lot of power just from talking. For more info on how Alexa and Elan systems work together, check out some of the nitty-gritty tech details <a href="http://www.elanportal.com/supportdocs/catalog/Amazon%20Alexa.PDF">right here.</a>
Chatting with Crestron
<img alt="How Voice Control Can Play a Role in Your Home" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2018/CI - How voice control can play a role2.jpg?w=700" style="width: 100%;" />
Elan isn&rsquo;t the only company in the voice-controlled-home game. Crestron is also integrated with Alexa and through their system, you can use Alexa to control your home&rsquo;s lights, thermostat, shades, media, and other presets.
Maybe you get chilly at night, but don&rsquo;t want to get out from under your blanket to adjust the thermostat? Boom. Voice control that baby. Decided to sleep in, but the sun is streaming through the open blinds and right into your face? &ldquo;Hey Alexa, shut those blinds.&rdquo; Without leaving your bed &ndash; or your blanket &ndash; you&rsquo;ll have the power of Alexa and Crestron right at the literal tip of your tongue. If you want to check if your Crestron set is compatible, the details are over on <a href="https://www.crestron.com/en-US/Partners/Integrated-Partners/Amazon-Alexa">Crestron&rsquo;s site</a>.
And if your current Crestron set isn&rsquo;t compatible, it might be time for an upgrade. Give us a call today, and we&rsquo;ll help get you on the path of the Way of the Voice. Welcome to the future. We&rsquo;ll happily help you get here.

<img style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" alt="How Voice Control Can Play a Role in Your Home" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2018/CI - How voice control can play a role1.jpg" width="205" />


Ready to control your home with only your voice? Here’s how home automation and voice control work together!

How Voice Control Can Play a Role in Your Home

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How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Most Out of Your Router

What is USB-C and What Does It Mean For You?

How Voice Control Can Play a Role in Your Home

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