Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Can I use my HughesNet satellite Internet modem in two places?

Posted on October 16, 2017

Question from Carl F.: I live in rural Georgia but I also own a second home (a cabin) in the Missouri Ozarks. Both homes have a HughesNet satellite antenna installed.

I spend most of my time in Georgia but I head to the Ozarks for a couple of weeks several times a year.

My question is can I just take my HughesNet modem with me when I go to Missouri and plug it into that dish?

My cabin is in a pretty isolated area and satellite Internet is the only viable broadband option I have out there. There isn’t even a cellular signal available or I’d just get myself a hotspot box.

Anyway, it seems to me I should be able to just plug the modem into either satellite dish and have it work. Or am I missing something?

I’d just take the modem with me next time and give it a try but I’m afraid it might mess something up.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Browse the Internet securely with your Opera browser’s built-in VPN feature

Posted on October 16, 2017

Important Update: Opera has announced that they’ll be removing the integrated VPN from their browsers on April 30, 2018.

I really enjoyed having my VPN seamlessly integrated with my web browser, but things are what they are. It sure was nice while it lasted.

Note: The original post begins below.

If you ever use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to securely use the Internet with your laptop or desktop PC, you should know that the fantastic Opera browser now has a VPN feature built right in to it!

Opera’s free VPN service allows you to safely access the Internet via open Wi-Fi hotspots such as those commonly found in restaurants, coffee shops and many other types of venues.

And the best part is you can do it without having to install a browser extension or sign into a VPS server!

Once the VPS feature is turned on, your Opera browser will automatically create a secure, encrypted connection between your PC and an Opera-owned VPN server. It really is as simple as that!

Simply follow the steps below to download the latest version of Opera and turn on the VPN feature: [Read more…]

Great deal: 7″ Fire Tablet with Alexa

Posted on October 14, 2017

Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a huge fan of Amazon’s Fire line of tablets. Quite simply, I don’t think you could find a better tablet anywhere at the same price.

As luck would have it, right now you can get an awesome deal on their 7″ Fire Tablet with Alexa. (#ad)

In fact, you can pick up this great tablet for about what you’d pay for a cheap no-name knock-off Android tablet!

I won’t go into all the features of this little jewel in this post, but I will tell you that you won’t find a better tablet than this one at anywhere close to this price!

Click here (#ad) to check out the 7″ Fire Tablet with Alexa at Amazon.

If you think your friends would like this post, I’d love you to share it! Thanks a bunch!

How to earn money from your blog without placing ads on it

Posted on October 13, 2017

Not all that long ago it was very easy to make money from your blog if it had decent traffic.

In the stone ages of blogging (circa 2010 and before) all you had to do was place a few contextual ads or banners on your pages and watch the money flow in month after month.

If your blog had a lot of visitors, you could earn a good passive income simply by placing ads on it.

But things are different now. In recent years ads have fallen out of favor with both bloggers and their readers. [Read more…]

Review: Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK 15.6 Inch Laptop

Posted on October 10, 2017

Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK Laptop — (#ad)

Windows 10 has been out for quite some time now, and there are a plethora of new laptops running Windows 10 to choose from these days.

I recently had a chance to check out the new Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK 15.6 Inch Laptop (#ad), and it appears to be a pretty solid machine.

Even though it has a full-size screen and keyboard, thanks to its relatively thin design it feels compact when you’re carrying it around. That’s a big plus when you’re having to slog your way through an airport or walk to the library. [Read more…]