Other Attention all Cheapskates

[OCD Solutions]

I don’t download any illegal content and I’m still sitting behind a VPN.

I’m about to setup a firewall using pfSense as well.

 

[Goldfishnado]

I don’t download any illegal content and I’m still sitting behind a VPN.

I’m about to setup a firewall using pfSense as well.

Same here only I have two different VPN subscriptions (one as a backup lol). pfSense is awesome and can be very powerful depending on the hardware you install it on.

 

[OCD Solutions]

That’s where I’m stuck right now. Looking for the perfect device to run it on with dual gigabit Ethernet ports. It’s not too resource heavy so I don’t know how good of a processor it really needs.

 

[Vumad]

I don’t download any illegal content and I’m still sitting behind a VPN.

I’m about to setup a firewall using pfSense as well.

Tell me what to buy. Thanks.

 

[Sanoman]

We dumped the spectrum cable 3 years ago.Price just kept going up.Had a few regrets,but went to the new version of rabbit ears and Netflix.Nothing much on prime time anyway.The antennae works great with about 20 channels.Which to me is good.I grew up with only 3 networks.
Come forward to now,we have Spectrum internet and Disney plus.That seems to be fine with plenty of content,as well as sports.But Spectrum internet keeps creeping up in price,so l need to figure out what to change and go to and get rid of that bill?
Any advise tech bro’s!?

 

[OCD Solutions]

NordVPN has been the front-runner for years but it's getting quite a bit of competition later. I'm not up on all the ins and outs but my boss is so I just get him to tell me what the best is. Same with the Firewall.

Here's the latest shake-down with the Top 10 VPN services.
https://www.top10vpn.com/best-vpn-f...9zErbjDW-eVG0pUwcsFol3AK749yJsVxoCKk4QAvD_BwE

I went with PrivateInternetAccess a few months back as it recommended by my boss who recently switched from a 10+ yr run on NordVPN.
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com
It's currently on sale for $1.89 month if you purchase a 24 months, ($45.36/2 years).
That's even better than when I purchased so I'm going to buy another 24 months.

The only drawback I've seen so far is that the VPN blocks outgoing gmail but I really don't send too many emails so it's easy enough to just disable, send and turn it back on.

 

[OCD Solutions]

We still have a 4Ch Tivo with the unlimited service on it if anyone is interested in that. We used it for a less than a year before we moved to GA and got DirectTV so it's been sitting in the closet now for over 5 years. It's a cable or OTA model so I don't believe it works with internet or streaming services.

I really need to dust it off, see what all it can do and list it up for sale.

 

[Big Kahuna]

We ordered 2 firesticks last night. Honestly, this route will be saving us 100.00 a month.

 

[OCD Solutions]

The Irony in our household, we have all the current streaming options, with Gigabit fiber to the house...and still keep paying $185/month for our DirectTV package.
Unfortunately we are under contract for at least 7 more months but also, we are hooked on the convenience of the Genie devices.

When our contract is up, we will likely still maintain a DirectTV Streaming package.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Tell me what to buy. Thanks.

You can build your own or buy a pre-built device.

Their entry level device, (SG-1100 for $179), is probably more than adequate for the average home user although if you have 1Gb service, it may limit your actual throughput.
https://store.netgate.com/pfSense/SG-1100.aspx

The next step up is the SG-3100 @ $399.
https://store.netgate.com/SG-3100.aspx

Unless you already had some suitable hardware sitting around, I think the SG-1100 will be hard to beat at the $179 price point but once you open the budget up to the $399 range, I think you would have a ton of options to build something yourself that would far exceed the SG-3100 and be much cheaper.

 

[mthomps]

Wow, mom and grandma dont need tv enough to explain what a VPN is to them. Popcorn time means something else in the slammer. We arent talking hull splashes registered as 750sx's here.

Get her landline/internet through her phone/isp provider. Internet ideally on cable modem. If not she probably won't notice.

All tv channel access go through YouTube tv. It is basically cable tv on demand. She can cast from her phone or use fire stick or chromecast devices. Cheapest way to have landline, internet, and tv. YouTube tv is monthly. Pay for landline/internet and YouTube tv. Cancel youtube tv whenever its month to month

 

[OCD Solutions]

Yeah, the VPN stuff is a bit of a diversion from the original topic but somebody asked, I answered.

I'm actually surprised at how easily my In-laws have picked up on the Firestick but not all elders are tech savvy so don't overlook simplifying the hardware side of this equation. They went from 5 remotes down to just 2, one for the TV, and one for their firestick. Plus we don't get calls from Mom anymore asking how to switch between the Cable box and the DVD player anymore.

I picked up a 24" Vizio for my office a couple weeks ago for $109 and it came with smart features and quite a few streaming apps already so do you really even need a streaming device these days? Less is more right so what's simpler than a TV with an internet connection and one remote? Plus, I don't think I've seen one yet that didn't come with Youtube and a sprinkling of other Apps that probably more than covers the basic user.

 

[Big Kahuna]

We only have 1 TV that is smart. Got it from work, got struck by lightning, only 1 of the 3 HDMI ports works now...... and it is slow to turn on, change channels.........

 

[OCD Solutions]

TV's are so cheap these days, even the smart ones.

I just bought 8 - 70" LG 4K UHD Smart TV's for a work project on Black Friday for $649 each. I don't need the smart feature but they come with it regardless.

 

[mthomps]

Smart TVs are so slow and clunky I bet they will be obsolete in a few years. Fire stick or chromecast does the heavy lifting much faster. I've been trying to convince my parents to get one for a year as well.

 

[Goldfishnado]

NordVPN has been the front-runner for years but it's getting quite a bit of competition later. I'm not up on all the ins and outs but my boss is so I just get him to tell me what the best is. Same with the Firewall.

Here's the latest shake-down with the Top 10 VPN services.
https://www.top10vpn.com/best-vpn-f...9zErbjDW-eVG0pUwcsFol3AK749yJsVxoCKk4QAvD_BwE

I went with PrivateInternetAccess a few months back as it recommended by my boss who recently switched from a 10+ yr run on NordVPN.
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com
It's currently on sale for $1.89 month if you purchase a 24 months, ($45.36/2 years).
That's even better than when I purchased so I'm going to buy another 24 months.

The only drawback I've seen so far is that the VPN blocks outgoing gmail but I really don't send too many emails so it's easy enough to just disable, send and turn it back on.

Unfortunately, PIA was bought out by Kape Technologies who own CyberGhost VPN which has a shady privacy record. They supposedly also pushed malware in their other VPN service in the past. I've got about 4 more years of time on my PIA account since you could get 1 year deals for $29 a few times a year and stack them on your account. Now I regret buying so many.

https://www.techradar.com/news/cyberghost-owner-buys-pia-for-dollar955m-to-create-vpn-giant

 

[OCD Solutions]

Is Kape shady or is Cyberghost VPN shady?

Edit: Looks like Cyberghost keeps records so yeah, that won’t be good. Hopefully they keep PIA intact as-is.

I only bought a year’s worth so I can change soon enough if I need.

 

[Balduccimoto]

I use Firestick and watch the free CBSN for the morning news. It's good to watch with my breakfast because they don't talk much about politics. The rest of the time i'm watching content on my prime subscription or youtube. Everything else is pirated behind the vpn IPVanish. Black Friday they had a sale $39 for a year.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Alright Firestick Guru’s, how do you record content?

I just spent 20 minutes setting up a Firestick Recast for my in-laws to discover that it only records O-T-A signals. I guess I need to do better research before I advise peeps on new tech.

Is there a device that allows users to record streaming content besides software like Playon? Does TiVo offer a streaming DVR?

 

[Goldfishnado]

Alright Firestick Guru’s, how do you record content?

I just spent 20 minutes setting up a Firestick Recast for my in-laws to discover that it only records O-T-A signals. I guess I need to do better research before I advise peeps on new tech.

Is there a device that allows users to record streaming content besides software like Playon? Does TiVo offer a streaming DVR?

The industry is still all over the place not just with content, but with devices and network dvr has taken over for the most part. Tivo does have a solution as well as SiliconDust. I've worked closely with both companies and they are both pretty solid, it just depends on your specific needs.