TommyLog – Just Don’t Panic

This morning during our morning prayers I said something bit different than I normally would say. Becky and I are planning on taking a little mini get-a-way to Madison this weekend. Drew does not handle change very well and Mom sometimes gets stressed when we have timelines to get everything done. So in my prayer I said “Don’t panic” thinking that was aimed at those 2, but little did I know it was pointed at me.

A few hours ago I got word that my father needs to have bypass surgery on heart. After a quick prayer of my own and a short chat with Dad on the phone, I am calm, cool and collected. This is the 1st time dad has ever been admitted to a hospital. Not too bad for a guy entering his 76th year. There’s a reason that my sister Nancy, a RN and her family live in Pittsford with my Mom and Dad. THANK YOU so much for your selfless services and being there for them!

Thank you Heavenly Father for the right words to say this morning and thank you for allowing me to take them to heart.

I love you dad, everything is going to be okay. No need to panic!

TommyLog TECH – Setting Up the NETGEAR NightHawk X6 Tri-Band WIFI Router #NETGEAR

Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog TECH, I continue my look at the NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router I welcomed to the TommyLog TECH labs a week ago with this unboxing video.

For this edition I want to see how easy it is to setup and get surfing on the Internet as well as take a look at some of the tools NETGEAR has supplied to configure the X6.

Setting up the X6 could not be easier. I just needed to plug in the power cord and wide area network WAN Ethernet connection from my cable modem and press the power button. I then used my MacBook Pro and WIFI connection to finish the setup. Once I selected the default NETGEAR SSID from my WIFI Network drop down, entered default password I was good to go. NETGEAR conveniently supplies the SSID info and password on a removable sticker on the top of the router plus it’s etched onto the bottom of the router, nice touch!

NOTE: I always suggest changing your default SSID and passwords. Leaving these unchanged is just asking for some trouble. Make sure to write them down in a safe secure place. For BEST results, keep the SSID and passwords of the 5G networks the same.

Once the WIFI connection was established, my open Firefox browser took right over and began to setup the router and then detected the Internet connection. Zero user interaction at all. BOOM! The setup even “phones home” to see if there was a newer version of firmware and alerted me that there was. It showed the bug fixes and features and allowed me to do it now or defer. I chose to install now. The firmware downloaded and updated and the router rebooted– all in one effortless motion. After a slight delay while the router rebooted, I was on the Internet. THAT’S IT! The X6 now pointed me to download the Macintosh version of NETGEAR genie app. I downloaded that as well as the genie app for my iPad. It’s available for bother mac and PC as well as IOS and Android. The IOS app happens to be universal, bonus!

NETGEAR_genie
Once you launch the NETGEAR genie app, you log in and there you have a plethora of settings and information. You can edit your SSID and passwords to all your networks. You can turn on and off guest WIFI access. There’s a network map area where you can see all the attached devises, see their connection speed, even block them from the network. I personally like the parental controls area where you can set up filters for different types of sites. You can block phishing sites, social media site, sites with adult content and tobacco, etc. One feature you will love is the ability to limit the amount of bandwidth you use. If you are on a metered monthly plan, this is a must. You can see how much bandwidth you have used in a given period as well as your average usage.

The NETGEAR genie app has many other features and tools I didn’t even dive into like setting up a network shareable printer or USB hard drive share. It even lets you find and stream media on your network.

From box to surfing the net in less than 5 minutes including a firmware update– The NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router is totally Tommy Approved!

For more information on how to get your very own NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R8000.aspx

[DISCLAIMER — I was asked to test tech stuff from NETGEAR. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

NETGEAR

TommyLog – Never be Silent #voiceshavepower #vzwbuzz

Today I want to take a serious tone with my vlog and talk about how few people are immune to abuse especially the Clifford family. We need to be more open about what happened and I as a dad need to reach out to make sure that everyone knows its ok to talk about it and to be silent is not an option.

TommyLog TECH – NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router #Netgear

Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech I would like to introduce you to the newest piece of technology to the TommyLog TECH labs – The NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router.

Before I dig into all the juicy features and set this bad boy up, I want to do an unboxing and show you what’s inside.

Stay tuned to my next TommyLog TECH as I set up and configure the Nighthawk X6 and lets see if it’s Tommy Approved.

For more information on how to get your very own NETGEAR AC3200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R8000.aspx

[DISCLAIMER — I was asked to test tech stuff from NETGEAR. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

NETGEAR

TommyLog TECH – Just Like Being there with Verizon 4G LTE & FaceTime #VZWBuzz #AD

Good morning kids, for today’s TommyLog TECH I want to talk about how technology helped bridge the gap and bring my son and me together.

This weekend it was hard for me to be at Tommy’s cross country meet as I was going out of down to attend the wedding of a friend in Door County, WI. Thanks to the thoughtful gesture by my good tech buddy Cole Reinke it was almost as good as bring there. Cole used Facetime along with his Verizon 4G LTE enabled iPhone to bring me right to the race. I could hear the wind, the crowds yelling and I was even able to cheer on Tommy as he ran by. All live and in real-time! It is just amazing how something so small, can make such a huge difference.

Technology can be more than this OS vs. that OS, megapixels or MHz. Today it was personal. Thanks Cole and THANK YOU Verizon!

Short and sweet, Verizon 4G LTE is totally 100% Tommy Approved!
To learn more about the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/LTE/Overview.html

For more information on how to get your very own 4G LTE capable smartphone from Verizon http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/4glte-devices

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]