Solutions

These days, just about anyone can find just about anything with a quick Google search. But where do you begin if your printer will work from one computer and not another? What do you do if a pop-up warning sounds a siren and tells you that you have a virus? When your Wi-Fi starts running slower, who do you call?

Home technology needs generally fall into five categories: making sure devices can talk to each other and the world; knowing how to use those devices; having devices contribute to quality of life; keeping everything running smoothly; and making sure that it’s all protected and secure, including the home itself.

The following examples illustrate a few problems and solutions from each of those broad categories, based on real-world issues solved by Molnar Home Computing.

Wi-Fi & Networking:

You’ve just purchased new Internet service from a big provider, and it came with a brand-new router with integrated Wi-Fi. Things are running great in the room with the router, even in nearby rooms. But when the house is full of devices, things start to get a little slow. In rooms on the other side of the house, or out in the back yard, matters get worse. Download speeds are awful. Videos run like old stop-motion Christmas specials. Connections randomly drop.

Solution 1: Wireless Repeater

Drop in a wireless router in access point mode to act as a wireless repeater, forming a mesh network. This is a relatively low cost solution, but you lose some Wi-Fi bandwidth rebroadcasting the signal, even if you use something with a minimum of 2×2 MIMO.

Solution 2: Wired Access Point

Run CAT-6 to a room near the problem areas. Plug a wireless access point into the Ethernet run. Configure the device to match your existing SSID. This costs more than the first option, but ends in zero Wi-Fi bandwidth loss rebroadcasting the signal.

Solution 3: Brazen Apathy

It’ll be better tomorrow, or next week. Or when the snow falls. Or the kids go to college. Or the rain stops. Or something. Just reboot. Don’t worry about it. This option has the advantage of being free, and the disadvantage of not actually solving anything.

Tutoring & Lessons

You see people using their tablets, computers, and phones and it feels like you’re moving in slow motion. Your car is stuck in second on the information superhighway, you don’t know how to shift, you’re missing exits, you lost your map, and you’re sure that with just a little help you’d be a lot better with all this technology stuff.

Solution 1: Self-Education

Buy a book, take a class, watch videos, read well-witten blog articles, and teach yourself how to use these things. This has the benefit of low to no cost, depending on the resources used for information: the drawback is the lack of real-time interaction.

Solution 2: Professional Lessons

Engage a professional with experiencing teaching technology concepts and practical applications. This provides instruction for the tasks you want to learn and a resource to answer your questions. The downside is that professionals (with rare exceptions) aren’t free.

Solution 3: Blissful Ignorance

Who needs technology anyway? You can still dial a phone and handwritten letters are nice. Ludditism will be vogue at some point: you’re ahead of your time. Unfortunately, while you wait for the revolution against the machines, you’ll be way behind.

Smart Home

You know there’s a better way to make sure all the lights are off and doors locked than checking and double-checking while rushing out of the house, but the list of names alone can be daunting: Alexa, Ecobee, August, Nest, HomePod, Arlo, Belkin, Schlage, Google Home, and more. How do you get started? How do you make sure everything can talk to everything else? How do you keep it all simple?

Solution 1: Research & Comparison

The Internet holds a wealth of information about smart home technology. Reputable sites offer everything from reviews to step-by-step guides to secure purchase links to comparisons among brands and product lines. The only costs here are the hardware and your time.

Solution 2: Professional Installation

You know what you want: streamlined, easy-to-use control over your home, from any device, anywhere. What’s the point of saving time if you’re investing all your time learning how? Hiring professionals costs more, but saves your most valuable resource: time.

Solution 3: Staunch Traditionalism

Light switches were invented a long time ago, and they still work (even if the kids forget that at times). The same goes for locks and looking outside to check the weather. Your CDs still play, and you don’t need a fancy “smart” speaker to find music for you.

Repairs & Upgrades

That thousand dollar laptop you just bought doesn’t feel like such a good investment lately. You can brew your morning coffee (and grind the beans – maybe even grow them) while you wait for it to boot up every day, and if you take it much more than twenty feet from the router, you can forget about getting anything done: if the battery doesn’t die, the Wi-Fi will.

Solution 1: Regular Maintenance

Maybe the laptop hasn’t gotten the same kind of attention you give other things around the house. The car gets semi-regular oil changes, and you usually remember to clean the lint filter in the dryer. Something like that would help the laptop, and not cost too much.

Solution 2: Cost-Effective Upgrades

Laptops are computers, and computers can be upgraded: a RAM upgrade and a solid state drive migration will make the laptop faster than it ever was, even when it was brand new. It won’t be as low cost as a cleaning, but it will definitely cost way less than a completely new laptop.

Solution 3: Misplaced Anger

OK, maybe not just bought – the Broncos hadn’t won a Super Bowl for a while and Glee was still showing new episodes when you got it, but it feels like yesterday. Shouldn’t that fancy extended warranty cover this? Aren’t these things supposed to just sort of run great forever?

Antivirus & Security

Solution 1

Buy a book, take a class, watch videos, read well-witten blog articles, and teach yourself how to use these things.

Pro: Low to no cost.

Con: No interaction.

Solution 2

Engage a professional with experiencing teaching technology concepts and practical applications.

Pro: Your needs are directly addressed and questions directly answered.

Con: Professionals (with rare exceptions) aren’t free.

Solution 3

Who needs technology anyway? You can still dial the phone (most of the time) and handwritten letters are nice.

Pro: Zero cost. Ludditism will likely be vogue at some point: you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Con: While you’re waiting for the revolution against the machines, you’ll be way behind the curve.

Testimonials

Claims of community focus, work ethics, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction are great. Evidence of those claims, from reviews by actual customers, is even better.

Charles Molnar was referred to us by a family friend. He is local and has been in the computer service business for a very long time. He came into our home and answered all of our questions, provided the computer services we required and enhanced its performance. He conducted himself in a very professional manner. We feel very confident in his abilities and will continue to rely on him in the future.

Frank M.

Charles fixed two laptops for me. It is a pleasure to work with him. He explains everything well, follows through with all my questions and problems and the most important, he is honest and I trust him managing my sensitive information.

Dr. Jorge D.

Charlie Molnar came highly recommended by a member of my church who had hired him for his own computer questions. The technical help I needed was well beyond my own skills and I knew I needed a professional. However, grabbing a name from the yellow pages or internet was out of the question. I am cautious who I allow access to my computer and my home. Nevertheless, upon meeting Charlie I knew my concerns were over. It was obvious from the start Charlie Molnar not only knew his craft he was also a man of integrity. Charlie installed programs I was interested in and helped me immeasurably with other confounding issues. I’m grateful for his professionalism, his teaching skills, willingness to help and quiet humor. I’m glad to know someone like Charlie is out there. I’ve already recommended him to friends and let my friend from church know what a great help Molnar Home Computing has been to me.

Marjorie A.

The MHC Philosophy

These days, it’s nearly impossible to avoid technology in the home, and the conversation has changed dramatically in a very short time. It’s no longer just about desktops or laptops, PCs or Macs.

Traditional wired phones have become a thing of the past with the move to cellular smart phones. Modern televisions have integrated Wi-Fi and can handle everything from Netflix to Hulu to Pandora. High-end refrigerators email you when you’re low on milk and even order another gallon for you. You can put dinner in the oven when you leave for work in the morning, then start it remotely so it’s done just when you need it – not burned because you worked an hour late. Doorbells with integrated cameras show you who’s come calling on your phone or tablet, even if you’re on vacation three thousand miles from home.

The swift saturation of technology into every aspect of home life has brought with it new opportunities and new challenges. We come to rely on everything working: when it doesn’t, we need the problem resolved quickly.

The professionals at MHC, LLC have experience across a wide range of home computing and home technology disciplines. We believe it’s our responsibility to use that experience to help our neighbors and our communities improve their quality of life, by empowering them to make the best use of their devices, and by keeping those devices running smoothly.