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2023-09-28T13:19:00.000+05:30

DIY: Transforming Unstable TP-Link Archer C6 Cloud Wi-Fi Router to a Stable OpenWRT-based Cloud Wi-Fi Router

2020-12-17T17:23:00.020+05:30

Last year in December I bought a TP-Link Archer C6 v2 Cloud Wi-Fi Router (EU make) to have Gigabit support on my Home Wi-Fi Router and also be future ready for the Internet Bandwidth upgrade. One of the reasons for choosing this model was – Dual Band Gigabit Router, MU-MIMO Support, 4 Antennas, Low Price and the most important – Cloud support. While the first couple of Firmware upgrades went on well and caused no issues, sever problems started arising from Firmware upgrades starting Mar’20 or so. The key issue was the stability issue with the 2.4 GHz Band. Devices connected to this Band will suddenly be thrown out even while the SSID would keep broadcasting (sometimes 2 – 3 times a day, sometimes in week or 10 days). After being patient for the initial couple of months, I found a Thread in TP-Link forum where many users kept complaining about this issue.

(https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/165494?page=50 )

With every firmware upgrade things went from bad to worse and other than the 2.4GHz stability issue, I also started facing issues with QoS, DDoS filtering and LAN access. Though the Router was under warranty I decided last night to go with the OpenWRT route. Though OpenWRT is a reputed non-OEM firmware, it did not have Cloud support for my Router. So with some experiments conducted on my RaspberryPi, I decided to make the Router an IoT device and install IoT services through which I could manage the Router from the cloud. Please go through the detailed instructions below if you want to make your Router an OpenWRT Cloud Router. Do keep in mind that you will loose product warranty for not using OEM firmware (though you can restore back to OEM firmware later on if required). You should also ensure that you have a Wi-Fi Router with sufficient on-board memory to support OpenWRT and other additional packages that need to be installed.

(DISCLAIMER: This Blog post is meant for the geeks who have good command over Linux and are able to fix issues encountered during the upgrade process. Though the instructions below have worked smoothly for me, you need to ensure that you have the correct knowledge to do any required troubleshooting and perform this upgrade. I also assume that you have basic knowledge of 3rd Party firmware upgrade process and exposure Remote.it IoT services. Please read other associated documentation before performing the below steps.)

Upgrade from TP-Link to OpenWRT firmware

1. Check your TP-Link Archer C6 firmware version from the Web Interface:

2. Download the latest firmware’s of OpenWRT (2 files):

a. openwrt-19.07.5-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c6-v2-squashfs-factory.bin

b. openwrt-19.07.5-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c6-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin

** DO NOT FORGET TO CONNECT AN ETHERNET CABLE AND TURN-OFF YOUR LAPTOP’S WI-FI DURING ANY FIRMWARE UPGRADE PROCESS **

3. For original TP-Link firmware versions 1.3.4 and higher, you can directly upgrade through the web interface (Ref: https://openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tp-link_archer_c6_v2 ).

4. For the rest you need to follow the procedure mentioned under “Flash using TFTP recover”.

5. For firmware mentioned in Point 3, you need to do a “Manual Upgrade” on your original firmware 1st using the “openwrt-19.07.5-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c6-v2-squashfs-factory.bin” file (no change in filename required).

6. Once the base OpenWRT firmware is installed you can login to the Web Interface through http://192.168.1.1 and using root/password as the credentials and then installing the sysupgrade firmware (openwrt-19.07.5-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c6-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin) from the menu “System -> Backup / Flash Firmware”.

7. You now have a fully functional OpenWRT firmware.

Installing “remote.it” IoT service for cloud management of the device

Remote.it provides interesting IoT services through which you can manage your IoT devices like RaspberryPi and other low power devices like OpenWRT-based routers. Please visit Remote.it for further details.

1. Update your OpenWRT packages:

root@ OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# opkg update
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/targets/ath79/generic/packages/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_core
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/targets/ath79/generic/packages/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/targets/ath79/generic/kmods/4.14.209-1-b84a5a29b1d5ae1dc33ccf9ba292ca1d/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_kmods
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/targets/ath79/generic/kmods/4.14.209-1-b84a5a29b1d5ae1dc33ccf9ba292ca1d/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_base
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/freifunk/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_freifunk
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/freifunk/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/luci/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_luci
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/luci/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/packages/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_packages
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/packages/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/routing/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_routing
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/routing/Packages.sig
Signature check passed.
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/telephony/Packages.gz
Updated list of available packages in /var/opkg-lists/openwrt_telephony
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/telephony/Packages.sig
Signature check passed

2. Install the curl package:

root@ OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# opkg install curl
Installing curl (7.66.0-3) to root...
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/curl_7.66.0-3_mips_24kc.ipk
Installing libmbedtls12 (2.16.8-1) to root...
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/libmbedtls12_2.16.8-1_mips_24kc.ipk
Installing ca-bundle (20200601-1) to root...
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/ca-bundle_20200601-1_all.ipk
Installing libcurl4 (7.66.0-3) to root...
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.5/packages/mips_24kc/base/libcurl4_7.66.0-3_mips_24kc.ipk
Configuring libmbedtls12.
Configuring ca-bundle.
Configuring libcurl4.
Configuring curl.

3. Now download the remoteit auto-install script:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~#curl -LkO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/remoteit/installer/master/scripts/auto-install.sh
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 12956  100 12956    0     0  13370      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 13841

You might encounter some minor errors, which you can temporarily ignore

4. Now make the autoinstall.sh script executable and run the script:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# chmod +x ./auto-install.sh 

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# ./auto-install.sh

********************************************************

remote.it platform and binary tester version 2.5.38

Current directory /root

Thu Dec 17 04:28:35 IST 2020

********************************************************

Linux OpenWRT-ArcherC6 4.14.209 #0 Sun Dec 6 07:31:03 2020 mips GNU/Linux

Detected architecture is mips

using tar file installer...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-24kec...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-24kec-musl...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-34kc...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-gcc-4.7.3...

Downloading and testing connectd.mipsel-bmc5354...

Downloading and testing connectd.mipsel-gcc342...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-24kec_static...

Downloading and testing connectd.mips-34kc_static...

Looks compatible.

connectd.mips-34kc_static is compatible!

Downloading and testing muxer.mips-34kc_static...

Downloading and testing demuxer.mips-34kc_static...

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 634880 Dec 17 04:29 connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar

We downloaded the file connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar to the current folder.

As root, or using sudo, move this file to the / folder.

e.g.

mv connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar /

Now switch folders to the / folder, e.g.

cd /

Then extract the files to your system with the following command:

tar xvhf connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar

5. The remoteit services are controlled through the connectd daemon. The connectd package will now download connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar

6. Execute the following commands to install connectd:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# mv connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar / 

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:~# cd / 

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/# tar xvhf connectd_2.5.38_mips-34kc_static.tar
usr/
usr/share/
usr/share/doc/
usr/share/doc/connectd/
usr/share/doc/connectd/connectd.pi.man.gz
usr/share/doc/connectd/changelog.gz
usr/share/doc/connectd/copyright
usr/share/connectd/
usr/share/connectd/scripts/
usr/share/connectd/scripts/connectd_start.add
usr/share/connectd/scripts/connectd_launch
usr/share/connectd/scripts/connectd_stop
usr/share/connectd/scripts/connectd_start_all
usr/bin/
usr/bin/connectd_schannel_link
usr/bin/connectd_start
usr/bin/connectd_options
usr/bin/connectd_schannel.mips-34kc_static
usr/bin/connectd_mp_configure
usr/bin/connectd.mips-34kc_static
usr/bin/connectd_library
usr/bin/connectd_installer
usr/bin/connectd_save_config
usr/bin/connectd_json
usr/bin/connectd_stop_all
usr/bin/connectd_schannel
usr/bin/connectd
usr/bin/connectd_control
usr/bin/connectd_wlib
usr/bin/connectd_d2d
usr/bin/connectd_task_notify
usr/bin/connectd_register
usr/bin/connectd_stop
usr/bin/connectd_claimcode
etc/
etc/connectd/
etc/connectd/builddate.txt
etc/connectd/oem_settings
etc/connectd/registration_key.txt
etc/connectd/bulk_identification_code.txt
etc/connectd/hardware_id.txt
etc/connectd/schannel.conf
lib/
lib/systemd/
lib/systemd/system/
lib/systemd/system/connectd_schannel.service
lib/systemd/system/connectd.service

7. Since the files referenced during servicestart-up is slightly different in OpenWRT as compare to a traditional Debian / Ubuntu system, we need to make some minor tweaks. The connectd 2.4.26 package assumes that the target operating system uses systemd for startup and shutdown of services. However, OpenWRT uses init.d instead. To make services installed onto init.d based systems such as OpenWRT, create the following file (Ref: https://forum.remote.it/t/onion-omega2s-remote-it-openwrt/148/2 ):

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/# vi /etc/init.d/connectd

Copy and paste these lines into the blank file, then save it.

connectd

#!/bin/sh /etc/rc.common 
# connectd startup script for init.d based systems 

START=90 

STOP=10 

start() { 

echo starting connectd 
/usr/bin/connectd_start_all 
/usr/bin/connectd_schannel start 
} 

stop() { 

echo stopping connectd 
/usr/bin/connectd_stop_all 
/usr/bin/connectd_schannel stop 

}

Make the file executable, e.g.

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/etc/init.d# chmod +x connectd

Finally, enable the command to run at startup:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/etc/init.d# service connectd enable 

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/etc/init.d# service connectd start

The remote.it Services should start at boot time, and should shut down when you issue either a reboot or power-off command.

8. Update your OpenWRT packages once again:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/etc/init.d# opkg update

9. You now need to add the SSH and HTTP services for your TP-Link Archer C6 OpenWRT firmware in your remote.it account to make the Router remotely available through SSH and HTTP on the remote.it portal.

Following is the method to add SSH service using the connectd_installer:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/# connectd_installer  

remote.it connection installer Version: 2.5.38 lib_v2.1.26

Modified: June 10, 2020 (library) November 10, 2020

Build date: Thu Nov 12 18:13:42 UTC 2020

curl with SSL support installed.

Checking the daemon for compatibility...

Using architecture mips-34kc_static...

Checking your network for compatibility...

Network connection OK...

Your network is compatible with remote.it services.

********************* Sign In Menu *********************

1) Sign in to your remote.it account

2) Exit

********************************************************

Choose a menu selection (1 - 2):

Please enter your remote.it Username (e-mail address):

<<remoteit.username>>

Please enter your remote.it password:

<<remoteit.password>>

==========================================

Allocated UID: 72:01:00:02:00:05:34:78.

Enter a name for your device (e.g. my_Pi_001).

The Device Name identifies your device in the remote.it portal.

Your services will be grouped under the Device Name.

Only letters, numbers, underscore, space and dash are allowed.

tpl-openwrt-ac6

Registering tpl-openwrt-ac6

.......

========================= Installed remote.it Services ======================

Service Name | Protocol | LAN Address | Port | Application

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Device Name: tpl-openwrt-ac6 Platform: mips-34kc_static

Hardware ID: 41:e7:2c:36:67:78-DO678tLo78YabI19ZaHA

============================ Main Menu ============================

1) Attach/reinstall a remote.it Service to an application

2) Attach/reinstall a remote.it Service to a LAN application

3) Remove a remote.it Service from an application

4) Remove all remote.it Services, then exit

5) Exit

===================================================================

'application' is any TCP service (e.g. SSH, VNC, HTTP, etc.)

running on this device. 'LAN application' is a TCP service

running on another device on this LAN.

===================================================================

Choose a menu selection (1 - 5):

*********** Protocol Selection Menu ***********

1) SSH on port 22

2) Web (HTTP) on port 80

3) Secure Web (HTTPS) on port 443

4) VNC on port 5900

5) nxWitness on port 7001

6) Samba (SMB) on port 445

7) Remote Desktop (RDP) on port 3389

8) NextCloud on port 443

9) OpenVPN on port 1194

10) Custom (TCP)

11) Return to previous menu

***********************************************

You can change the port value during install

***********************************************

Choose a menu selection (1 - 11):

The default port for SSH is 22.

Would you like to continue with the default port assignment? [y/n]

We will attach a remote.it Service to the following Application:

Protocol: ssh

Port #: 22

....

==========================================

Allocated UID: 72:01:00:02:00:05:34:79.

Enter a name for this remote.it service (e.g. ssh-Pi).

This name will be shown in your remote.it Service List.

Only letters, numbers, underscore, space and dash are allowed.

ssh-AC6

Registering ssh-AC6

.......

========================= Installed remote.it Services ======================

Service Name | Protocol | LAN Address | Port | Application

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ssh-AC6 | SSH | localhost | 22 | OK: dropbear

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Device Name: tpl-openwrt-ac6 Platform: mips-34kc_static

Hardware ID: 41:e7:2c:36:67:78-DO678tLo78YabI19ZaHA

============================ Main Menu ============================

1) Attach/reinstall a remote.it Service to an application

2) Attach/reinstall a remote.it Service to a LAN application

3) Remove a remote.it Service from an application

4) Remove all remote.it Services, then exit

5) Exit

===================================================================

'application' is any TCP service (e.g. SSH, VNC, HTTP, etc.)

running on this device. 'LAN application' is a TCP service

running on another device on this LAN.

===================================================================

Choose a menu selection (1 - 5):

Are you sure you want to exit? [y/n]

10. You can repeat the commands in Point 8 to add HTTP service for your Router gainst our remote.it account.

11. You now have a robust TP-Link Archer C6 Router with OpenWRT firmware and accessible over Cloud through SSH and HTTP access via the remote.it IoT services.

** OPTIONAL: Scripts to toggle Internet Connection LED from AMBER to GREEN

In case you want to control the Internet Connection LED state by toggling it from AMBER to GREEN (depending on the connected state), you can use these simple scripts -

Delete WAN LED setting in System-LED
Create 3 scripts in /usr/bin and make them executable

check.sh

#!/bin/sh
#
ping -q -w 4 -c 1 8.8.8.8 && /usr/bin/internet-on.sh || /usr/bin/internet-off.sh

internet-on.sh

#!/bin/sh
#

/bin/echo "255" > /sys/class/leds/tp-link:green:wan/brightness
/bin/echo "0" > /sys/class/leds/tp-link:amber:wan/brightness

internet-off.sh

#!/bin/sh
#

/bin/echo "0" > /sys/class/leds/tp-link:green:wan/brightness
/bin/echo "255" > /sys/class/leds/tp-link:amber:wan/brightness

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/usr/bin# chmod +x check.sh 
root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/usr/bin# chmod +x internet-on.sh
root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/usr/bin# chmod +x internet-off.sh

Create following task in cron and save it / or add the entry (to be added to crontab) in Scheduled Tasks:

root@OpenWRT-ArcherC6:/usr/bin# #crontab - e

crontab

*/1 * * * Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun /usr/bin/check.sh

NOTE: I also understand that TP-Link Archer C50 AC1200 Wi-Fi Router also has similar Hardware and similar issues, but it lacks Cloud support. So you may also want to try out with that Router too.

Do share your feedback once you have been successful in fixing this nagging issue of TP-Link Archer C6.

Google Drive File Stream download for non-GSuite Users

2020-11-03T23:37:00.008+05:30

#Google announced few months back that it will be offering #GoogleDriveFileStream even for non- #GSuite users. Surprisingly you still don't get a proper Download Page similar to #GoogleDrive #BackupAndSync.

After some searching found that you can download Drive File Stream from one of the following links -

https://support.google.com/a/answer/7491144?hl=en

https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7329379

Though the download file names are surprisingly different, they are the same files with the same version.

#DriveFileStream is like a Sharepoint drive mapped in #Windows #FileExplorer . Only those marked #offline will get downloaded.

Internet Revolution: From 33.6 kbps PSTN Dialup in 1999 to 1 Gbps Always-on Fibre Internet in 2020, we have come a long way!

2020-08-20T16:11:00.002+05:30

A few days back a read an article of Kapil Jain (from Tata Communications) about his 25 years journey of Internet in India starting with 15-Aug-1995. It makes me look back into my own journey not from 1995, but from 1996.

So in 1996 I joined NIIT (a reputed Computer Training institute in India) through the Bhavishyajyoti Scholarship scheme somewhere during mid-year. It was the Mumbai, Santacruz (W), Hasanabad Lane centre which was quite reputed those days. It was around the end of the year that Dial-up Internet connectivity arrived at the centre. There were many families invited to demonstrate what Internet was. I was lucky enough to get the first glance, being a volunteer in the centre. It was provided by VSNL those days and due to errors in Telephone lines, the connectivity would drop often. It would probably take a minute or 2 to just load an image in a website. The Internet was also available in 2 variants – Text and Graphical. If you had the Text package, then you would dial using Hyperterminal and then be presented with Linux logon prompt and post login we had to use the Lynx browser which would present the webpage in a non-graphical (Black & White) format. I had a close friend (Anish) who had all the latest things at his house in Vile Parle and other than NIIT, it was his place where I would explore all tech.

In 1999 I graduated in Physics and was presented with my first Intel Celeron powered PC along with a GVC 56k modem towards the end of May’99. My own PC provided a big platform to me to explore the things. By now Internet had stabilized and was offered by state-owned operator, MTNL, who also provided Landline Phones at Mumbai and Delhi. Connecting the Internet those days was associated with screeching sounds from the Dial-up Modem (I still have my first Dial-up Modem in my stash) and it also meant an increment to your Phone Bill, as the numbers were not toll-free. FYI - MTNL provided around 150 free calls those days (3 mins per call).

Around the year 2000 many new Internet Service providers also started offering services. Caltiger and Chikoo.com became very popular around that time with free Internet offered by using their proprietary dialers which also doubled up as Ad-bars. Gradually the method of delivering Internet started changing. Around 2000-2001 ISDN and Metro-ethernet links with around 256 kbps speeds were being offered to corporates and Cable Internet services were being offered to retail customers. MTNL also introduced with Toll-free numbers starting with 172 for Dial-up Internet around 2001-2002.

Gradually the services of MTNL also matured and I moved from a PSTN Dial-up modem to an ADSL Modem around 2003, since MTNL started offering Triband service (Telephone + ADSL Internet) on Telephone lines. The ADSL Internet probably provided the most stable Internet since it operated on a different frequency and did not interfere with regular Phone services. On 7-Jan-2003 I was gifted with my first Mobile Handset (a Nokia 3350) by my dad. Those days Internet on Mobile was commonly referred to by GPRS. The choice of Handset was mine, as this Handset was GPRS enabled and I used it occasionally to access Internet (Textual). Across all the handsets I changed over the next few years, I always ensured that I had a GPRS package enable.

Between 2003 and 2016 my ADSL speeds increased from 128 kbps to 8 Mbps and my download quota increased from 100 MB per month to 1 GB per month. During this entire period the Indian Independence Day of 15^th Aug would also remain special, as MTNL would mostly announce speed upgrades to their ADSL services. Over these year’s my connectivity also shifted from wired Internet to wireless Internet through a Wi-Fi Router.

Around 2010 I moved to UK and had my first experience of fast Internet using Verizons 20 Mbps Fibre connection which also included Phone and TV. When I returned to India I continued with MTNL’s services until 2016 (as described in the last para). The year 2016 introduced brought about a major shoft of connectivity at my home. I finally bid good bye to my long time Internet Service Provider (1999 – 2016) MTNL and moved to Hathway Docsis 3.0 Cable Internet, which provided speeds of 50 Mbps without any download quota (FUP). My engagement with Hathway was short-lived, due to their high latency, pathetic Customer Services and due to availability of a local ISP (Joister Broadband) providing Ethernet drops with better performance. Over the last 3 years I also moved from Fiber To the Building (FTTB) to a Fibre To The Home (FTTH).

It has been an amazing experience of going down the memory lane and realizing how Internet revolution happened in India. From shaky Dial-up connections to super stable Fibre Internet connections we have come a long way ahead. Internet has become a backbone of our life and with the current Covid19; Internet has become a basic necessity along with Food, Shelter and Clothing.

Do you really need a Google Drive Paid Upgrade?

2020-07-22T00:31:00.002+05:30

Problem!

My Google account is more than a decade old now. 15 GB for free storage seemed absolutely fine until a few years back, when I started running short of storage space with lot of my storage lost to Google Photos. While per Google "High Quality" photos/videos are not counted against your storage space, if your photos/videos are not lucky enough to get auto-converted by "Google Backup and Sync" application to the "High Quality" format, the size of the files then get counted against your storage quota in Google Drive.

What did I do then?

I deleted some obsolete files. I then created a shared folder in my wife's Google Drive account and moved around 9 GB of archived files to the shared folder located in my wife's account.

What went wrong?

While with deletion of files I could salavage some space, but I could still not find a major change after moving 9 GB of data to my wife's Google Drive account. The crux of the issue is the way how Google calculates storage quota's. Google calculates storage based on File/Folder ownership. While I moved 9 GB of data to my wife's account (on the shared folder), I still continued to remain the "Owner" for all the files/folders.

The Fix / Jugaad....

I kept a local copy of the 9 GB data, deleted all the 9 GB from the shared folder and emptied the "Bin" (Delete forever). Do you think this solved the problem? It is a yes and a no - Technically I had done the right things, but unfortunately Google has an issue with its "Bin"; even after deleting items forever, they kept reappearing and the ONLY way to salvage my space was to manually purge items in groups of files.

To manually delete items forever, you need to search for "is:trashed owner:me" in the Google Drive search bar. This will surprising keep showing you all the files which you had deleted forever. You now need to select all the files in search result using CTRL+A, Right Click and select "Delete forever". While this is a laborius task, but this was what I did for 2 hours to completely salavage 9 GB of deleted data.

How to manage all your Google Drive data from a single Windows Login?

Once I salavaged 9 GB of space, I then had to upload this data to my wife's account and then have the folder shared with me. Rather than using the browser for data upload, you can now use Google's "Backup and Sync" from the same windows login, as it now supports adding multiple accounts. While my primary account was already syncing with my Windows PC, I now added (configured) my wife's account in "Backup and Sync" and pointed towards the folder with 9 GB data and allowed the data to sync to my wife's account. I now just had to share this folder with my Google ID.

From the screenshot beside, you can see that 2 x instances of Google Backup and Sync are running.

So with some simple steps I have been able to give a whole new life to my Google Drive and also save some money by not subscribing to a "Google One" paid subscription.

Do give it and try and share your feedback/thoughts in the comment section below!

DIY: Fixing Android "System Update" Boot Loops with Open DNS

2020-04-17T13:37:00.001+05:30

Few days back I received a pop-up for Software Update for my 3 year old Lenovo Yoga Tab 3. This Tab is an excellent Tab having premium looks, finish and performance. This was probably the 2nd or 3rd update I have received over the years. While the previous updates went through smoothly, this update did not happen.

The system would always prompt for an update, auto-download it and start updating a little while later. The problem starts after the Tab reboots for update. After showing the progress bar for few minutes, the update crashes on the Recovery screen (as shown in the screen shot) with a "Status 7" error. While I wanted to investigate more on the error and fix it, I couldn't do as the ab would reboot to android, download the update, reboot and this went into a loop. After googling, found few solutions on disabling the "System Update" service, which unfortunately didn't work. Coming from a Network Admin background I realised that the best way to circumvent the System Update is to block the website from where the update is being downloaded.

Solution:

From a pretty long time I have been using Open DNS (now under Cisco Umbrella) rather than the ISP DNS, to secure my Home Network. Open DNS provides pretty useful features to monitor Internet usage at your Home. One of the features is to search for "Domains" being accessed from Home. Since it was a Lenovo Tab, I searched "Lenovo" in the "Domains" section and found 3 entries of the domain lenovomm.com . One among the 3 entries was pretty clear in indicating that it was the website from where the Software / Firmware update was being downloaded, viz. tabdl.ota.lenovomm.com .

So now I went to section of "Settings -> Web Content Filtering -> Manage individual domains" and then added "tabdl.ota.lenovomm.com" under the "Always block" doman list.

It takes 3 minutes to apply the changes. Once done, I once again went to "Settings -> System Update" in the Tab. While it still prompts that an update is available, but on clicking "Download" you receive an error "Sorry, an unknown error has occured, please quit and try again". This happens because we have blocked "tabdl.ota.lenovomm.com" from the DNS level.

The same method can be applied to any system which fails to apply firmware updates and leads to a Boot loop. You can even apply the same fix if you are able to look into your Router DNS logs and block the DNS entry at Router itself. I will now have to spend some time researching why the update kept failing, so that I can fix the issue and apply the "System Update" at the earliest.

Hope this Blog post helps you in fixing a similar issue. Do share your comments and feedback in the comments section below.

DIY Home-made Hand Sanitizer

2020-03-17T13:13:00.001+05:30

Due to the pandemic of Corona Virus, sale of Hand Sanitizers shot up. While trying to buy one for my family from Amazon, I ended up buying something which looked similar, but was a "Menthol perfumed Detton Disinfectant liquid". To ensure that my purchase doesn't go for a waste, I Googled and realised that making your own DIY Hand Sanitizer was really easy.

Ingredients -

1. Isopropyl Alcohol (99.9% pure).

2. Aloe Vera gel.

3. Essential Oils.

Isopropyl Alcohol is nothing but Surgical Spirit. What is commonly available in your local Chemist store is 70% pure. I was told that even a 70% pure sample is good for use. Aloe Vera has disinfectant properties. Since I already had a Dettol Disinfectant, it could act as a substitute for Aloe Vera gel. The essential oils are required to ensure that your skin remains hydrated.

I could get hold of a 100 ml Surgical Spirit of 70% purity, which was also running short of supply. I did some reverse calculations to find the right composition for my own Hand Sanitizer - if I wanted to make 1 bottle with 100 ml of Spirit, then I required 50 ml of Disinfectant. I quickly got hold of a dispenser, transferred full bottle (100 ml) of Surgical Spirit and used half of the empty bottle to measure Dettol Disinfectant (50 ml). Transferred the Disinfectant to the dispenser and that's it!

While I currently don't have Essential Oils, I still have a basic DIY Hand Sanitizer ready for use. If required, I can use a moisturizing lotion later on to ensure that my skin remains hydrated.

Why not try it out yourself and share your experience.

DIY: Making your RO Water Purifier compliant to Indian Laws

2020-01-25T19:59:00.002+05:30

Around mid-2018 when my old water purifier conked off, I went for a RO Water Purifier (Livpure Pep Pro++) knowing that the water from RO tasted sweet to your tongue. However I hadn't done much research on water purification techniques and water quality of the supply that I received in my Mumbai home.

Background:

From around early 2018 the activities around water conservation and ground water recharge had increased in India. In addition to that the Indian Supreme Court introduced a ban on RO Water Purifier systems setting a baseline on the TDS parameters which should be considered before deciding to buy RO systems - https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/ban-on-ro-systems-to-continue-in-delhi-supreme-court-declines-to-stay-ngt-order/1772112/ . The Supreme Court ruled that you need an RO system ONLY if the TDS is greater than 500 mg/litre (500 PPM).

So what is TDS?

Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities easily. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) comprise inorganic salts (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water.

For more information on water quality, please visit: https://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htm

Problem:

Since that ruling I kept feeling guilty on the amount of water that was rejected by my RO water purifier (70% rejected), also knowing that the water supply at my home had a TDS of 48 PPM, which actually doesn't require RO. I also noticed that my family members started falling sick more often over the past year as the output of RO water purifier had "0" PPM, which essentially means that every mineral and salt was being filtered.

Solution:

So do you think that your entire RO Water Purifier is faulty, no its absolutely NOT. The problem lies in the RO (Reverse Osmosis) Cartridge which is just one of the many other filtration cartridges present inside.

My RO Water Purifier followed the following filtration sequence:

TAP WATER => Sediment Filter => Pre-Carbon Filter => Anti-Scalant Filter => RO Filter (this filter has 2 output lines, one of the output line is the rejected water) filtered water => UV Filter => UF Filter => Post-Carbon Filter => FILTERED WATER.

So my RO Water Purifier has a 7 stage filtration process including the RO filtration. To make my RO Water Purifier compliant to the laws, what I had to do was a very simple task:

1. Connect the output of the Anti-Scalant Filter to the input of the UV Filter.

2. Remove the RO cartridge and realign the cartridges in my Water Purifier so that I could fit the outer housing.

So I took a spare pipe found in my stash, cut it as per length and connected the output of the Anti-Scalant Filter (Green olor cartridge shown in the picture on the right) to the input of the UV Filter (Silver color cartridge at the extreme left shown in the picture on the right).

While after taking the pic I had some teething issues fitting the outer housing, but I finally managed to successfully mount the outer housing by realigning the cartridges on the left (UV Filter, UF Filter, Post-Carbon Filter).

The pic on the left is the removed RO cartridge.

Result:

Now the filtered water I receive has gone through 6 stage filtration process and gives a TDS of 40 PPM.

Hopefully this post from me would be a useful guide for many to fix the RO Water Purifier TDS issues.

Do share your feedback.

Happy me with safe water and reduction of water wastage!

(Jal Rakshak)

Creating your UPI QR Code for easy FASTag Recharge

2020-01-08T00:41:00.000+05:30

Let's accept the fact that we live in a world with QR codes. QR (Quick Response) codes have made our lives very simple.

So I thought of making lives simple for the frequent travellers across Toll Plazas, who will now need to recharge their FASTag's frequently.

My now many of us know that NPCI has made our lives easy by enabling FASTag recharges seamless by transferrring the recharge amount to the UPI ID/VPA as per your FASTag linked Bank. For example: netc.@

I thought of going 1 Step above to make thing more simple. How about creating a QR code for the UPI ID/VPA linked to your FASTag. I will continue with the example of Vehicle Number MH02AB1234, which is procured through HDFC Bank.

To generate the QR code do the following:

1. Visit https://upiqr.in/.

2. Enter "Receiver/Payee Name" as "HDFC BANK LTD FASTAG". Please change this as per the Bank details of your linked FASTag.

3. Enter "Receiver/Payee VPA" as "netc.mh02ab1234@hdfcbank". Please change this as per the Bank details of your linked FASTag.

4. Now click on "Generate". You will now be presented with a QR Code, which can be downloaded as a PDF or Printed.

5. To make your life simple, I will suggest that you print this QR code and stick it in your Vehicle at a visible location.

So next time before approaching a Toll Plaza, just scan this QR Code through BHIM, Google Pay, PayTM UPI, PayZapp, Pockets, etc.... and make the necessary recharge to your FASTag balance.

Isn't it simple? Give it a try and share your thoughts.

Happy driving!

A FASTag which arrived SLOWly!

2019-12-06T13:23:00.000+05:30

Around early Aug'19 the news of Fastag implementation on Indian Toll Plazas had just started popping up. Being an early technology adopter of Technology I did some research and finally applied for it around end of August on PayTM. The application process was pretty simple - provide your Vehicle's Registration Number, upload the pics of your Driving License and RC Book. I received an acknowledgement of the application with an estimated delivery date of approx. 2+ weeks from the date of application.

1st Episode: Till the date of delivery there is absolutely no notification from PayTM. I also see that a Fastag Wallet on PayTM is created for me. Just before the delivery day I receive a notification from PayTM that due to technical reasons my Fastag application couldn't be processed, without any further details provided. The notification told me that I can apply once again.

2nd Episode: Around the 1st week of Oct'19 I applied once again. A similar story repeated - just before the day of delivery I received a similar notification from PayTM. Now my tempers started to run high. Having found no means to talk to a Voice Helpdesk and vent my frustration, I could only log a ticket through a Chat Helpdesk. I received a response after few days stating that since my earlier Fastag wallet wasn't cancelled, the new application got rejected. The Helpdesk now asked me to raise a ticket to cancel my Fastag wallet and once cancelled, apply once again. I obliged to this once again and applied once again once the wallet was cancelled.

3rd Episode: It's early November now and I have just applied once again for Fastag through PayTM with the estimated delivery date around 21st November. On 20th Nov though I keep my fingers crossed, receive a different notification from PayTM saying that it is taking more time to process the application and the Fastag will be delivered soon. This time I also receive a call from their Helpdesk and the lady on the other side is still unable to confirm when the Fastag would finally be delivered. After a week or so my worst fears come true, my application is again rejected stating technical reasons.

Final episode: It's just about 1st December and I still don't have the Fastag which was expected to go live by then. After this frustrating expereince I share my feedback with PayTM helpdesk on twitter only to receive some standard responses without even trying to understand the case history and be customer centric to resolve it.
I have now finally decided to take the HDFC Bank way by applying through HDFC Bank. The application process is pretty simple here too (just a little more information requested). At the end of my application I receive an Application number which also tells that it would be mailed to my email id and my Fastag would be delivered in the next 1 week (I am happy). This time I have started treading my path carefully. I take a screenshot of this Application acknowledgement. HDFC Bank also has its own flaws. I never receive the copy of the application. But after 5 days or so I receive notifications that my Fastag wallet is created (with credentials provided) and then I am notified that my Fastag will be delivered within the next 3-4 days. During this entire application process at HDFC, I tried calling the HDFC Fastag helpline 1800-120-1243 several times to check my application status. In most cases it ends up being busy or unanswered.

On 4th December I finally receive a FASTag in the SLOWest possible time. By now the deadline to commence Fastag operations has moved from 1st to 15th Dec. I should say that it has been a nightmare for me and many others who embarked on this journey. Hopefully the government will ensure that we have smoother rides across toll plazas rather than facing traffic snarls.

Your Smartphone laziness is increasing somebody's Business

2019-04-08T22:19:00.000+05:30

With fall in Internet prices and more accessibility to Internet, the sale of Smartphones has also already increased. However the trend shows that most users of Smartphones whether IT savvy or not is probably not using it the right way. In spite of wide-scale popularity of Cloud-based Picture sharing services (like, Google Photos, Amazon Photos, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and Video sharing services (like YouTube, Vimeo, Google Photos, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) only a handful of Smartphone users use the services in the most optimum way. Primarily WhatsApp and other messaging services have contributed to the larger problem of excessive data usage.

Instead of sharing Picture Albums, Video Albums and other Pictures/Videos through the popular Cloud-based Picture and Video sharing services, most Smartphone users still continue to forward content through WhatsApp. Smartphone users also don't change their default Camera settings to reduce the resolution. My experience says that a minimal 3 - 5 Megapixel still Photo and an HD 30 fps video is more than sufficient to watch on Phones, Tabs and large screens at Home/Office. Higher Picture resolution is only required if you really want to print a large Picture (like a Banner). This not only leads to a lot of spamming but increases the Bandwidth requirements and the Storage requirements of your Smartphone.

A 16 GB Smartphone which was more than sufficient for regular use a few years ago is no more sufficient and most users right now seek for 64 GB to 128 GB Storage on Phone and a 4G / 20 Mbps Broadband connection to have a smooth viewing experience. Its still not too late. A simple change in your lazy habits of blind Media forwarding can make a lot of difference.

Your Smartphone laziness is increasing somebody's business - Broadband Service Providers and Handset makers!

You may want to start with some few basic steps to change your daily habits -

Android is probably the most popular Mobile OS these days. If you have an Android Phone, you will then definitely have a Google Account. It is highly likely that all Photos and Videos on your Phone are getting synced to Google Photos.
Similar to Point 1 above your Photos / Videos may also be synced with any other popular service (the one's I mentioned at the beginning of my post).
Before forwarding large / multiple Photos / Videos on WhatsApp (or any other Messenger for that matter) think again! Instead of forwarding your Photos / Videos blindly create Albums on Google Photos (or any other similar service) and then click on share.
Google Photos gives you the option to share the link on WhatsApp.
Google Photos also allows you to add other Contributors. So if a group of people have gone for a Picnic. One of the members can create a Shared Album, upload Photos / Videos and share the link with others over WhatsApp. Others can then join the Album and also upload the Photos / Video they clicked.

Example -

Scenario 1 (Incorrect Practice): I receive a Video of 10 MB on WhatsApp. If I forward it to 5 people and all of them view the Video, then the total Bandwidth and Storage used is:

Bandwidth - 10 MB download + 10 MB Upload + 5 x 10 MB Download = 70 MB (Download + Upload)

Storage - 70 MB

Scenario 1 (Correct Practice): I receive the link of a YouTube Video of 10 MB on WhatsApp. If I share the link on WhatsApp with 5 people and all of them view the Video, then the total Bandwidth and Storage used is:

Bandwidth - 6 x 10 MB Download = 60 MB (Download)

Storage - 0 MB (Since it is already available on YouTube)

The above few steps is just a guideline. You may use this practice even by sharing media content on YouTube, Facebook, etc and then sharing the link on WhatsApp rather than the actual media.

A little change in your Standard Operating Procedure can do a lot of difference.

DIY: Tutorial - Speed up your Notebook by migrating OS from HDD to SSD

2018-11-30T23:46:00.003+05:30

In 2014 I bought an Intel i5 CPU based Asus Notebook with 4GB RAM and 1TB HDD. With Win 8.1 OS running the Notebook ran perfectly. Then came the Win 10 free upgrade, post which the Notebook dramatically slowed down. It would take almost 1 - 1.5 mins to login to Windows with all background Apps loaded. Also any resource hungry Multimedia Apps would load extremely slowly.

After hearing from few of my friends and watching some Youtube videos I learnt that you can dramatically speed-up your system not by just upgrading RAM or buying a new Notebook, but by migrating your existing Notebook's OS from a traditional magnetic HDD to a SSD.

While from the videos looked liked the migration was simple, I must admit that with the correct information and software the migration from HDD to SSD is really very smooth and seamless. I have now upgraded to a Samsung 250GB SATA III 860 EVO SSD. Believe me it now takes me little less than 15 secs to see my desktop with all background Apps loaded. My Windows experience has completely changed and I feel as if I am using an Ultrabook.

Without wasting any further time let me explain to you the process.

Tools and Software required -
1. Philips screwdriver and an old expired Credit/Debit card to open your Notebook.
2. New HDD Caddy to replace your existing DVD-ROM Caddy with SSD drive.
3. Minitool (also available as "EaseUS") Partition Wizard to facilitate the migration of OS from HDD to SSD.
4. USB 2.0 to 7 6 13Pin Slimline SATA Adapter Cable.
5. SSD Activation and Optimisation software Samsung Magician Software available from samsung.com/magician or from Alternate Google Search.

Disassembly Process -
1. Remove the screws from your Notebook and use the expired Plastic card to detach the cover to access your Notebook's motherboard.
2. Look into the location of your DVD-ROM Caddy and locate the screw which attaches the Caddy with the motherboard. Now remove the screw and detach the DVD-ROM Caddy from the Notebook.
3. Now measure the thickness of your DVD-ROM Caddy. It will either be a 9.5mm slim one or a standard 12.7mm one.

4. You need to order your HDD Caddy based on the thickness you find in Point 3. You also need to order a USB to SATA Slimline Port Adaptor so that yo can continue to use your Notebook's Internal DVD-ROM as an external DVD-ROM after the migration process.
5. Carefully remove the Faceplate (the plastic cover with Button on the DVD-ROM tray) and attach it to the new HDD Caddy. This step is important since the Faceplates are designed based on your Notebooks Design and molding. Attaching the Faceplate to the new HDD Caddy will ensure that the Notebook looks the same externally even after exchanging the DVD-ROM Caddy with the HDD Caddy.

5. Now insert your new Samsung SSD into the HDD Caddy and Fix it in the DVD-ROM Caddy Slot and screw it back to the motherboard.
6. Fix all the screws in Notebook and close bottom cover.

Migration Process -
1. Install Samsung Magician software and activate your SSD.

2. Install MiniTool Partition Wizard.
3. Run the Minitool Partition Wizard and in the main screen select "Migrate OS to SSD/HDD".
4. Now select "B. I would like to move my operating system.........". I selected this option because my original HDD had OS loaded in "C:\" and all data was stored on "D:\". What I would like to do is migrate the OS and all System Partitions, so that I can boot from the SSD and continue to use my old HDD for Data.

5. Now when you click next you can an option to resize the Partitions in the new SSD. This is because in my case my System Drive - C:\ was around 300GB but the OS and Program Files used only around 70GB. Other than my OS Parition I also had other System Partitions like UEFI (for Boot) and also RECOVERY Partition. Other than my OS Partition rest of my Partitions were only occupying 20GB in total. So I selected a resize option where the size of OS Parition - C:\ will be Total SSD size minus total size of other Partitions. I then replicate the rest of the System Partitions as it is. Now click "Apply" in the main screen for the Tool to commence the migration process. The Tool may prompt you to reboot as some System files may be in use. On rebooting, the Tool continues the migration process by creating all the required System Partitions and then copying the files.
6. Once the entire migration process is completed it prompts you to restart again. Now you need to enter your System BIOS and select to Boot from the "Windows Boot Manager" installed from your new SSD rather than from your old HDD.
7. Now you will see the dramatic change when you Boot. Without loosing any changes in settings you are straightaway taken to your desktop. What impressed me most is that the Tool removes the Partition label of your previous C:\ drive and hence you find that your old Data Drive - D:\ retains its label. This ensures that your migration is seamless.
8. You now need to load the MiniTool once again and select the option to Hide all the System Partitions like "UEFI", "RESTORE", "RECOVERY" which were created as part of the migration process. Hit "Apply" once again to apply the changes.
9. You can now run Samsung Magician and go to the Tab "Over Provisioning" (OP) and select OP on your SSD to increase SSD drive. Also ensure to move the Win 10 Pagefile from Windows System Performance option from the SSD to HDD. This will also increase your SSD's longevity.
9. Here are some screenshots of my Notebooks Partitions before and after migration -

10. The migration process is now complete. You can attach your Internal DVD-ROM Caddy with your Notebook's USB Port using the USB 2.0 to 7 6 13Pin Slimline SATA Adapter Cable.

With my detailed instructions in this Tutorial I am quite confident that you will try to DIY to speed up your Notebook rather than approaching a Hardware vendor for their service.

Do leave your comments and feedback.

Indian Driving License Digitization, NOC & Renewal Process for new Smart Card License

2018-08-24T16:56:00.001+05:30

While everybody thinks that you definitely need an Agent to convert your old booklet Driving License into a Smart Card and also to renew it, I took up a challenge this summer to check how the entire system works and was very pleased to get things smoothly done and also save some money. Rather than getting misguided by the Agents, you can follow the process below (as per your case) to get your old Booklet Driving License digitized, have NOC issued in old RTO and then apply for renewal and issuance of new Driving License.

Digitisation of Booklet DL (RTO Mumbai West - Andheri) [if your DL is not present on Central Repository] -

Fill Offline Application Form 9 (Rs.5) along with copy of Driving License and original Driving License.
Counter 19 closed. Counter 13 accepts form, verifies, signs and then sends to 1st Floor Assistant RTO - Hemant Patil - for 2nd sign.
After sign of Assistant RTO Counter 13 verifies and sends to Counter 15 for submission.
Counter 15 uploads data to Central Repository in 5-10 mins.
Once the data is uploaded on Central Repository you can view your License details on the parivahan Portal and also add your DL on the DigiLocker App.

NOC (to Transfer Services from RTO West to RTO North) -

Complete Online Application Form with Service as NOC.
Upload scanned copy (500 KB) of Driving License through the online wizard.
Make online fee payment of Rs.20 for NOC.
Print Application Form, Fee Receipt, Sign it and submit it along with copy of Driving License and original Driving License at Counter 13.
Counter 13 verifies, signs and sends you to Counter 10 for final approval.
Counter 10 approves the Application and sends to Counter 15.
Counter 15 accepts the Application and provides NOC along with Stamp and sign in 5-10 mins.

Change of Address and Renewal (RTO North) -

Complete Online Application Form with Service as Change of Address and DL Renewal.
Download Form 1A Medical Certificate from website, Print it and get it certified by a Govt. Authorized Doctor with Passport size Photo stuck on Page 2. Doctor Fees may vary from Rs.100 - Rs.200.
Upload scanned copy (500 KB) of Driving License, Address Proof (Aadhaar Card / Passport, etc.) and scanned copy of Form 1A through the online wizard.
Make online fee payment of Rs.666 for Change of Address and DL Renewal.
Print Application Form, Fee Receipt, Complete Form 9, Sign it and submit it along with copy of Driving License and Address Proof along with original Form 1A and NOC.
Visit Counter 3 at Borivali RTO and complete the Biometric formalities - Capture Photo and Signature. Not sure why it is called Biometric as Capture of Photo and Signature is typically not called Biometrics, rather Retina/IRIS scan, Fingerprint scan comes under Biometrics. Morever the RTO team should rely integration with Aaadhaar DB, as all the details are already captured there. It was very disappointing that the Photos were capture in an incorrect manner with the window behind the subject with a crazy Blue colored paper stuck, rather than capturing the photo with a White background.
Once the Photo and Signature is captured, head to Counter 4 to submit the documents along with the original Booklet Driving License. In your car always carry a copy of the Photo copy of the Driving License along with the Application submission online Acknowledgement, so that you can produce it to the Traffic Police if asked for.

Total cost of end to end process = 20 + 100 + 666 = Rs.786.

Cost as per RTO Agents = Rs.3000.

Time taken by doing it on your own or through the Agent is same, as physical presence is required during the process. In total I spent 1/2 day for Digitization and issuance of NOC at old RTO and 1/2 day to apply for Renewal at new RTO.

What are you waiting for? If you have a same case as mine, give it a try!

How to smartly use your Bluetooth Peripherals with Amazon Fire TV Stick

2018-03-05T14:18:00.000+05:30

So you have a new Amazon Fire TV Stick and some Bluetooth Peripherals like the Sony Ericsson MW600 BT Headset or say the JBL Flip 2 Speakers, then you may want to smartly want to integrate them into your Fire TV ecosystem by paring them.

One of the best feature with the Fire TV Stick as compared to few of its competitors is the availability of Bluetooth. You can pair a new Bluetooth device by going to Settings -> Controller and Bluetooth devices -> Other Bluetooth devices -> Add Bluetooth Device.

I have paired 2 of my most used Bluetooth Peripherals and achieved the following -

1. JBL Flip 3 Bluetooth Speakers - Once paired you can play music through any of the popular Fire TV Audio / Video apps and listen to the Music even by turning off your TV. It is also useful if you have a large room and watching a video where you need to carefully listen to some dialogue. Pairing with the BT speaker enables you to bring the Audio closer to you.

2. Sony Ericsson MW600 Bluetooth Headset - By pairing with the MW600 Headset you get a private Home Theater

experience in your Bed Room or Living Room. The Stereo Audio also gives an added immersive experience to your Movie watching experience. Even when you watch live Sports through the Headset, you feel as if you are inside the Stadium.

Pairing your Bluetooth devices also gives you access to the Playback Controls of the Audio / Video through the Bluetooth device. For eg, while watching a Movie through Prime Video using MW600, you can Play / Pause / Fast Forward / Rewind using the MW600 Controls itself without using the Voice Remote.

So you see there is more to enjoy with Fire TV Stick when paired with a Bluetooth peripheral. If you have explored more, please do share.....

mAadhaar & Unlocking your Aadhaar Biometrics

2017-10-31T00:04:00.000+05:30

We all now have to accept the fact that Aadhaar has become the defacto method used for e-KYC for Mobile subscriptions and many other e-commerce matters. The introduction of the mAadhaar App has also ensured that we can display our Aadhaar Card through our Smart Phones without carrying a physical copy of the Card. Very recently it is also being accepted as an ID proof for entry to Indian Airports.

The mAadhaar App provides a unique feature / option to keep your Biometrics locked and only unlock it when you want to get yourself authorized for any kind of Aadhaar linked transactions. So if you have suddenly realized that your Aadhaar authentication was declined recently, its not due to your fingerprints (lol), but because your Biometrics are locked out.

The screenshot on the right (see bottom left hand corner) shows you how your mAadhaar App will display when your Biometrics are locked. On clicking "CLICK TO UNLOCK", your Biometrics will get unlocked for 10 mins, during which you can perform any number of Aadhaar related authorizations.

I learnt it the hard way when I had to spend 15 mins at Vodafone store without realizing why my Biometric authentication was getting declined.

While I have now got accustomed getting my Biometrics unlocked before I visit any store, the latest trouble is with heavy load on Aadhaar Servers. I faced a tremendous issue last Sunday while collecting my Jio Phone from Reliance Digital Express, since my Biometrics were not getting unlocked as the mAadhaar App kept flashing "Server Not Responding" or "Check your Internet connectivity".

Finally after applying some logic and looking across on Internet, I found that you can Unlock / Disable your Biometric lock directly from the UIDAI Biometric Link - https://resident.uidai.gov.in/biometric-lock .

So in future if you see that you are unable to unlock your Aadhaar Biometrics using the mAadhaar App, don't panic, just visit the Portal above. Login using your Aadhaar number and OTP, and post login you will find 2 options - either to temporarily UNLOCK your Biometric Lock (for 10 mins) or permanently DISABLE the Biometric Lock.

Tech Review: Logitech K480 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard

2017-10-15T23:43:00.001+05:30

My Notebook started to behave erratically from past few months and I was urgently looking out for some device which could help me in leveraging the existing Tab's which I had at home and give me a Notebook experience.

What better to use than Logitech's K480 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard . I had been keenly tracking this product on e-commerce portal's from past few months and went I found a lightning deal (effective price of INR 1,600) on PayTM Mall, went for it.

While the device might look small on pics, it comes in the size of an A4 size paper. Mind you, though it might not be that sleek, but definitely after using this product for few days, you will fall in love with it. By using this Bluetooth Keyboard with an iPad you can surely get most of your Desktop Publishing jobs done.

Features & Pros -

1. Solid build quality and Sturdy.

2. Cradle with Silicone coating which can hold - 1 x iPad Mini + 1 x 5' Phone or 1 x iPad 9.7' or 1 x iPad 12'. While I speak about iPad, you can use any Tab of similar size.

3. Good Tactile Keys and sufficient space between keys reduces chances of mis-typing.

4. Can pair with devices of all known Platforms - Apple - iOS/MacOS, Android, ChromeOS and Windows.

5. Works with a pair of AAA batteries with advertised Battery life of 2 years.

6. Shortcut keys for Search, Home Screen, Frequent Apps, Media Control for all Platforms.

7. Dial Switch to connected with 1 of the 3 paired devices.

8. Dedicated keys to pair with with Androis/Windows/ChromeOS and iOS/MacOS.

9. A solid replacement for the soft touch On-Screen Keyboard to convert your Tab into a full-fledged PC.

10. Due to Dial Switch you can keep both a small Tab and your Phone on the cradle and switch typing from one device to another just by turning the dial.

Cons -

1. Power Switch at bottom.

2. Slightly heavy than expected.

3. Since this is a Bluetooth keyboard it will deplete the paired devices' Battery faster.

You may also visit the link which I have shared above and understand all features in detail from Logitech's Portal. It comes in 2 x colors - Black and White. I bought both and gifted one to a friend. If you have a Silver iPad, I would suggest going for the White Keyboard and if you have the Space Grey iPad, I would suggest going for the Black Keyboard.

If you were always planning to go for a Bluetooth Keyboard, look no further. Get yourself a Logitech K480 this Diwali and share your feedback with me.

DIY: Custom-made Smart TV using non-functional Notebook Screen

2017-02-11T13:03:00.001+05:30

Its that time when your old Notebook after repeated trouble, conks off and you discover that the Motherboard is fried and getting a new Motherboard is not the solution owing to the price.

I met with a similar fate last year my HP Pavilion DV6 Notebook (bought in 2011) died due to overheating of AMD processor. I then found out that rather than disposing off the Notebook for a cheap price you can re-use its functional parts, one among then was its HD LED screen. That's how it struck me to build a Smart TV out of the functional screen.

Method to build the TV -

1. You begin with first dismantling your Notebook and detaching the screen from the base (search on YoutTube to learn more on this for the specific model of your Notebook).

2. Now you need to remove the frame from the screen's bezel and carefully detach the LED screen. If you look at the back of the screen, you can find the screen's specific model number. In my case I had this screen with model number "AU Optronics B156XW02 V.2 HW4A Laptop LCD Screen 15.6 WXGA Glossy".

3. Now search "B156XW02 LED driver card" in Aliexpress. I had a seller who sold what I required. The kit consists of the LED Driver Board, 5 Key Keypad and LVDS cable (to connect to the screen). Just be sure to order the driver card specific to the screen model number, else your screen will not work and you may end up damaging your screen.

4. Once the LED Driver kit arrived, I detached the the old LVDS cable and connected the new LVDS cable with the LED screen and the LED driver board. I also attached the 5 Key Keypad with the LED driver board.

5. I then used the Monitor Stand from a decade old Samsung 740BN monitor, drilled holes on the LED screen bezel (without mounting the LED Screen).

6. I then mounted the LED screen on the bezel and used an old Cigar box to make a casing for the LED driver board. I then mounted the LED driver board casing and the 5 Key Keypad at the back of the screen using a Hot Glue Gun.

The LED driver board has the following connections - Power Supply Port, HDMI Port, DVI Port, VGA Port, PC Audio IN and Audio OUT. The motherboard also has connectors for IR sensor and Port for Speakers (even the Notebook Speakers should work).

7. Now what I need is a 12V 4Amp regulated Power Supply (for me even a 12V 1Amp Power Supply from an old Wi-Fi Router seems to work), an EP Stereo Cable, a Chromecast, external Speakers which can be connected using EP Stereo Cable and a Micro USB 5V Power Supply to Power On the Chromecast.

Just connect the Chromecast to HDMI and the Micro USB Power Supply, connect the EP Stereo Cable from the Audio OUT Port to the external Speakers, power on the LED driver board.

YES, that's it, your custom built smart TV is ready to be used. If the screen doesn't turn on automatically, use the 5 Key Keypad to turn it on. It has been an amazing experience to resurrect an old rejected HD LED Screen into a fully functional HD LED Smart TV. You may also use this TV to connect it to a Raspberry Pi.

I name my TV as "ChromeHP Smart TV".

If you have a similar story like mine, try this out if you haven't tried and do share your experience with me.

Adaptive approach towards Project Management

2017-01-30T13:07:00.000+05:30

In today's fast-paced Business, Project Manager's play a pivotal role in the success and failure of projects. Theoretically Project Management encompasses multiple modules like Planning, Scheduling, Cost Management, Resource Management (and more..) and also involves various artifacts like Project Charter, Risk Register, Status Reports, etc. However when you talk of Project Management in IT, not all projects are of the same magnitude and complexity, and hence one needs to have an adaptive approach towards Project Management to fine tune the amount of efforts an assigned Project Manager / Delivery Project Manager spends in a project.

In today's projectized world working on a Global Delivery Model, you will generally find one or many of the following Project Mgmt related roles depending on the size of the projects -

1. Program Director.

2. Program Manager.

3. Lead Project Manager.

4. Regional Project Manager.

5. Project Coordinator.

6. Service Transition Manager.

The Program Director or Program Manager in the client-facing role generally request for Project Management resources to regional Resource Managers during project initiation phase. Some of these resource requests are raised in a hurry without really understanding / justifying the true resource requirements (this also applies for Technical resources). Many a times this ends up in duplication of roles.

Hence when you are assigned as a Project Manager in any of the projects, you need to first understand the overall program requirements and align yourself to deliver the right role. If you commence working as a Project Manager as per defined / theoretical Project Management method and start producing Project Management documents, you may end up spending additional time and efforts for deliverables which are already being produced by a similar resource in the project team. Hence if you are typically assigned to large programs don't draw a conclusion on your role immediately. Give yourself the required time and/or maybe have a quick call with your Program Director / Program Manager / Lead Project Manager to understand the Delivery Model and then align yourself accordingly. In this way you will avoid duplication of efforts and will also be able to device the daily operational model / workflow, so that the regional project team with whom you are working with are in sync. This way you are able to clarify on individual roles and responsibilities and also able to decide on who works as the lead on the client-facing role.

By clarifying the roles and responsibilities you also simplify the communication channel for your client and make it easier for them to approach the right members of your team to address the right questions. At the end a simplified and transparent client experience is all we want in a project. So next time you are assigned a Project Manager in any project, do not blindly start producing Project Management documents before you have thoroughly understood the global delivery expectations. Project Management is all about managing and delivering to client's expectations by having the right set of activities done in the right fashion on time.

My suggestion is to be adaptive towards Project Management and not stick to the rule books.

( First published on https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/adaptive-approach-towards-project-management-baudhayan )

Best Out of Waste - Legacy Peripherals as Raspberry Pi / Kodi Media Centre Remotes

2017-01-14T16:44:00.002+05:30

I am pretty sure that at some point in time you feel like throwing off your old Keyboards, Mouse and other legacy Peripherals. But if you have just bought a Raspberry Pi like me, think again!

Your legacy input devices may turn out to be some useful remotes for Raspberry Pi Media Centre.

There are multiple tools through which you can have a Media Centre running on a Raspberry Pi - you have OSMC, OpenElec and LibreElec. While they all sound different, they eventually turn out to be Operating Systems to run the main Media Centre Application named KODI (earlier known as "XBMC").

OSMC and LibreElec are offered as part of the NOOBS menu(multi-boot OS loader for Raspberry Pi). I tried out both OSMC and LibreElec but finally settled with LibreElec as I found it to more lightweight and fast as compared to OSMC.

While you can use a USB Keyboard and Mouse (or a Wireless USB Keyboard and Mouse) to do the main LibreElec setup, but once all's done, you will no more require a Keyboard to operate it. In this post I share with you my experience about re-purposing legacy peripherals as remotes to operate the Media Centre.

I evaluated the following peripherals -

1. Wired USB Mouse -

This would far be the cheapest and easiest way to operate the Media Centre. The Media Centre also has on-screen buttons for "Back" and "Home" and since LibreElec provides OSK (On-Screeen Keyboard) at every place where you need to key in alphabets and numbers, so will not find much of a challenge to operate the Media Centre by just using the Mouse.

On a scale of 1 - 5 (5 being the best) I would rate the Wired Mouse as 3.

2. Nintendo Wii Remote (Wiimote) -

The Wiimote can be connected to LibreElec by turning on Bluetooth (System -> LibreElec -> Services), pressing both the "1" + "2" buttons on the Wiimote and while the Wiimote lites blink, discovering and connecting it from the LibreElec Bluetooth menu. While using the Mouse you can move the pointer on screen, the default Wiimote keymap in LibreElec will enable you to use the Arrow keys for up and down, "+" & "-" for Volume Control, "Home" button to go home, "A" button for Enter and "B" button for Back. The main disadvantage using the Wiimote is that you cannot directly sync-up the Wiimote with LibreElec without going to the Bluetooth menu. Also the Battery consumption of the remote is quite high and turning on Bluetooth on LibreElec means higher power consumption of Raspberry Pi.

On a scale of 1 - 5 I would rate the Wiimote as 2.

3. Windows Media Centre Remote -

While I was living in the UK few years back I picked up a Windows Media Centre Remote from Car Boot sale for just around GBP 2. I never ever imagined tat it would turn out to be the best remote to be used with LibreElec. Most of the buttons on the remote (excluding the Numeric keypad) seamlessly work with LibreElec. The best part is that the Green, Amber and Blue Buttons at the bottom of the remote are dedicated buttons to open the Video "V", Music "M" and Pictures "P" sections of the Media Centre. There are also dedicated keys for Back, Home and Mute (look into the pic above). This remote is an IR

Remote. It comes with an IR receiver with almost 3 meters of cable and connects to the USB port of the Raspberry Pi. The cable is so long that you can virtually place the IR receiver anywhere. The IR receiver is very sensitive and you can virtually operate the remote by pointing towards any wall, if you are setting in a small room. Another key feature to note is that you can turn off the Media Centre using the Power button on top. Overall I am just very happy to use this remote to operate the Media Centre and virtually use the Raspberry Pi like a Set Top Box.

On a scale of 1 - 5 I would rate the Windows Media Centre Remote as 4.5.

So do try out these smart ways to re-purpose your legacy peripherals to enhance your "RaspiTV" expereince!

Selecting the right Case, Power Adapter and GPIO Cable for Raspberry Pi 3

2017-01-12T22:12:00.001+05:30

While my last post on Raspberry Pi 3 was mainly aimed towards making a custom-made Case to begin your initial Pi 3 setup, in this post I would share my experience on selecting the right Case, Charger and GPIO Cable for the Pi.

1. Case -

Pi 3 being a niche product, its difficult to find a case in a nearby Electronic store and hence you are left to choose only from the e-commerce portals like eBay, Snapdeal, FlipKart, etc. Though there are numerous options available online, you need to concentrate on some key features before you order the case -

Availability of a Cooling Fan and Heat Sink - While many in the forums would say that you neither need a fan or heat sink, but after having experimented with the Pi 3 for nearly a week now I would say that it is always recommended to have both to keep the Pi 3 running cool. I found the idle temperatures of the Pi 3 without fan + heat-sink in Indian conditions to over around 45 - 50 deg C. Post using fan + heat-sink, the idle temperatures are found around 38 - 42 deg C. I would say that the fan + heat-sink cools the Pi 3 by almost 10 deg C
Access to GPIO Pins - As you know that the Pi 3 is not just meant for Server-based computing but also for Robotics and other Engineering projects, hence a case which provides easy access to the GPIO pins without compromising the protection of the Pi 3 board is required
(Optional) Access to the On-board Camera Port - Similar to the GPIO pins, a case with easy access to the Camera Port is preferable. But this is only required if you plan to buy a Camera manufactured for Pi
Easy mounting case - A case where the Pi 3 board can fit with minimal screws

After keeping in mind all the above key features I went for the Case shown above bought from Amazon.

2. GPIO Cable -

Do remember that Pi 3 has a 40 pin GPIO port. So if you happen to stock any old 40 pin IDE cables (used in older Hard Drives), then that should suffice the GPIO cable requirement. In case you find that you have one of those cables which have 1 pin closed on both ends of the cable, don't worry, use a heated pin to drill small holes in the closure points and then you should have a fully functional GPIO cable ready. Do ensure to check the continuity of all the ports using a continuity tester

3. Power Adapter -

Before Powering-on Pi 3 I read on many forums that any Mobile Charger (from a reputed Manufacturer) with a rating up to a max of 5.25 Volt and 2.5 amp should work well with Pi 3. What I didn't realize is the difference between the rated Power and the actual Power provided by the Chargers. So when I connected the Pi 3 to a screen I would quite frequently find an AMBER colored Thunderbolt icon on the right hand corner of the screen. After some study in forums, I learnt that the flashing icon indicates that the Pi 3 is not powered adequately. Thanks to some brilliant engineers whose articles have clarified all my doubts about Powering up my Pi 3 with the correct Power Adapter.

Do visit the links below to enhance your knowledge on Power Adapters -

http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html

http://goughlui.com/2014/10/01/usb-cable-resistance-why-your-phonetablet-might-be-charging-slow/

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=82373

Remember that Pi 3 has onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with 4 x USB 2.0 Ports and have higher power requirements as compared to the previous versions. Based on the articles mentioned above, I was lucky to have 3 reputed chargers -

1. Samsung Travel Charger (Oblong - Black).

2. Appled iPad Mini 2 Charger (White).

3. HP Touchpad Charger (Cylindrical - Black).

I was lucky to have the HP Touchpad Charger unused at home since my HP Touchpad had recently left for heavenly abode few days back :-) . While the rated ampere rating of 2.4 Amps was acceptable for Pi 3, but the rated voltage of 5.3 Volts seemed to be on a higher side. But after reading the articles above I realized that the standard cable length of 1 meter provided with the HP charger meant that the cable resistance would ensure that the micro-USB connector would provide the exact power which Pi 3 requires. I can now say for sure that the HP Touchpad Charger is possibly the best charger to be used with Pi 3 (if you already have one). I no more find any flashing AMBER colored Thunderbolt icon, even when I play resource hungry applications on my Pi.

So this concludes my post on the selection criteria for the right Case, Power Adapter and the GPIO Cable for the Raspberry Pi 3.

Watch out for this space for more discoveries on Raspberry Pi 3!

( I pasted the Apple sticker from my iPad Mini 2 on my Pi 3 to do so branding. Looks can be deceptive :-)

DIY: Initial Raspberry Pi 3 experience & Making a low-cost Pi Case with 250gm Butter Case

2017-01-08T17:22:00.003+05:30

New year brought some good news for me after I finally bought a Raspberry Pi 3 to build some hobby projects (Server based and Engineering) which I had read on the Net from long. After ordering the Pi 3 I was also prompted to buy a Case with a fan since some articles and videos showed that the CPU of Pi really gets hot sometimes.

Within a short span of 24 hours I roughly completed 3-4 projects -

1. Using the Pi as a Portable NAS (Network Attached Storage) Server.

2. Using the Pi as Webcam Server using a legacy Desktop Webcam.

3. Connecting the Pi to Internet using a TATA Photon Plus Internet dongle.

4. Booting the Pi using a small-sized Micro SD card and a large USB Thumb Drive.

I also managed to play streaming using (using Gaana.com) and also watched HD videos on YouTube. Do note that by default the Pi neither plays Music using the Analog Audio Port, nor through HDMI. So you need to run the "raspi-config" utility (Advanced Options -> Audio) to fine tune your Pi. I also learnt that the Pi doesn't have any BIOS and hence its start-up is controlled using the "/boot/config.txt" file.

I used the bash script below from Raspberry Pi Forum to check the CPU and GPU temperatures -

#!/bin/bash

cpuTemp0=$(cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp)

cpuTemp1=$(($cpuTemp0/1000))

cpuTemp2=$(($cpuTemp0/100))

cpuTempM=$(($cpuTemp2 % $cpuTemp1))

echo CPU temp"="$cpuTemp1"."$cpuTempM"'C"

echo GPU $(/opt/vc/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp)

After doing all the basic testing and bench-marking, I found that the Pi CPU/GPU only gets considerably hot when you use Video intensive and Processor intensive applications (like watching Videos, Playing Games, etc.). However any Bandwidth hungry applications like NAS Server doesn't make the Pi really hot. There is also a small CPU utilisation widget on the Pi Desktop. Any utilisation going beyond 40-50% makes the Pi hot.

So if you plan to use Pi only for the basic use and don't want to buy a new case I can share with you some pics which will help you in making your own Basic Pi Case.

What you need -

1. Empty 250 gm Butter Case (which you buy from your regular grocery store).

2. A pair of scissors.

3. Measuring Scale.

4. Thermocol.

Assuming that you have been good in Arts and Crafts during your school days (:-), you can make the case by looking into where the different ports are placed and also ensuring that there is ventilation on top of the CPU and space provided for the GPIO pins to be connected externally. I used the Thermocol inside the Butter case, so that the Pi motherboard sits comfortable and doesn't move much.

The pics below will make things easier for you -

What are you waiting for? Try it out yourself and do let me know if you have any questions or want to share your experience about initial setup of your Raspberry Pi 3.

DIY: Resurrecting your legacy PC with Android

2016-12-30T11:59:00.001+05:30

It's almost been 5 years for me when I bought the Lenovo IdeaPad S205 10 inch Notebook having dual core AMD E300 processor. While the Notebook ran perfectly till last year, but after the Windows 10 upgrade it slowed down significantly. The slow down is also owing to the fact that the processor is quite obsolete.

So do I throw away my lovely Notebook? Not at all!!!

Thanks to the Android x86 project, you can make your Notebook dual boot and have a significantly fast running Notebook. If you just want to use it for desktop computing, Internet browsing, Music and E-mails, then you no more have to shell out any money as the Android on the Notebook just runs absolutely fast. In few of the builds I find that the Graphics is not optimized and hence the Android only perfectly works with Audio apps and you can't watch streaming videos. However the Android on the Notebook works perfectly for any kind of Casting with devices like Chromecast.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and give your Notebook a fersh lease of life!

DIY: Restoring Windows Mobile Phone's original Firmware after a failed Windows Update

2016-08-26T21:40:00.001+05:30

I have 2 Windows Mobile Phones - Microsoft Lumia 640 and BLU Win Jr. Recently Microsoft released Windows 10 Anniversary Update. While I was very excited to update my Lumia 640, the excitement became short lived since my BLU phone gave serious Touch screen issues post the update. The Phone sensed touch at incorrect places and was almost bricked.

I followed the Factory Reset process as mentioned on http://windowsphone.stackexchange.com/questions/1939/how-can-i-hard-reset-my-windows-8-phone-which-keys-do-i-press , but that did not work. Post the reboot the Phone continued to have the same Touch Screen issues. Later on I realized that the Windows 10 Mobile (10.0.14393.67) update for few non-Microsoft devices had failed. There was a similar problem when I update the BLU phone from Windows 8.1 to 10.

The only option which I now had was to go back to Factory Default Firmware which was Windows 8.1 (one version lower, since I had earlier updated the Phone OS to Windows 10). Though I have done rooting and firmware upgrades for Symbian, iOS and Android devices, I had never done an Firmware fix for Windows Mobile devices. But after researching quite a bit I found a Microsoft Tool which just makes it very easy to restore your Phone's Factory Default Firmware and that too it supports non-Microsoft Phones.

Welcome to Microsoft Device Recovery Tool. You may either have an unusable Phone like mine with Touch Screen issues or a semi-bricked Phone which shows a frowning icon :-( after a failed upgrade, and does not boot. In both the cases, first install the Tool, Launch it and Connect your Phone once prompted.

After you connect your Phone the Tool first detects and displays your Mobile Phone's details and then might ask you to select the specific Model Number for your Phone. While I have a BLU Win Jr Phone, it has 2 x variants X130E and X130Q whose information can be found in the sticker printed over the Phone's Battery (after removing the back cover).

Once the specific model number is selected the Tool then queries and downloads the Phone's Factory Default Firmware available on Microsoft's repository. The download size is approx. 1.7 GB. Once the download is completed the Tool prompts you to restart your Phone in Flash Mode. This is achieved by first Powering Off your Phone using the Power Key, then pressing the Power Key again to Power On and within seconds pressing the Volume Up button as soon as you feel the vibration post Power Up. You will be sure that the Phone has entered the Flash Mode when you see the pic on right.

Do ensure that you enter the Flash Mode with USB cable connected. As soon as the Tool senses the Flash Mode, it transfers the Firmware to Phone which was just downloaded and commences the flashing process. Post completion of flashing, your Phone is back to its original Firmware and you can restore most of your settings (including WhatsApp messages, SMS, etc.) if you had configured Backup in Windows and also in the specific Apps with your Microsoft Account configured.

Another thing which I also discovered is that the downloaded Firmware is not store in the Tools temporary cache, but available permanently on the PC where Windows Device Recovery Tool is installed. So in future if you have a device problem again and need to restore Firmware, don't worry, the Tool wont download the Firmware once again.

Though this process may sound very geeky, this Tool makes the task of Firmware restoration pretty easy and prevents your visit to the Service Centre.

Give it a try and share your experience!

DIY: Home Video Surveillance Solution with "IP Webcam" and ivideon.com

2016-06-26T16:46:00.002+05:30

If you have always thought about having your own Home Video Surveillance/CCTV solution without any investment, then now is the time. All you need is an old/spare Android Phone, Tripod Stand and an always-on Internet connection to achieve this.

Steps -

1. On the Android Phone install "IP Webcam" by Pavel Khlebovich from Google Play Store.

2. Open the App on your Phone and configure the following -

a) IP WEBCAM SETTINGS -> Video preferences - Here you can configure which camera to use (whether Selfie or Main/Back Camera), at what resolution the capture should happen, etc.

b) CONNECTION SETTINGS -> Cloud streaming - Signup for a new account on www.ivideon.com using the wizard.

3. Once done you can now start the inbuilt Web Server within the App from SERVICE CONTROL -> Start server.

4. You can now press the Home button to ensure that the Server runs in background. You can also configure the App so that the screen can be turned off.

The live stream is now available to be viewed on your LAN or on the net from ivideon.com/my and then logging onto your account. You can also view the live stream through Android / iOS ivideon.com App. If the Internet bandwidth at Home is limited, you also have the option to remotely stop the camera and restart it through the App. To fix your phone properly, you can use a Tripod stand to set it in correct angle and also connect a phone charger if your battery is weak.

What I taught are only few basic steps, you can customize the IP Webcam App for Motion sensing, Video recording and various other features, for which you need to explore.

So now what are you waiting for, setup your Home CCTV solution and share your experience with me.

Tech Review: HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4675 All-In-One Printer

2016-05-21T23:59:00.000+05:30

So finally an IoT device arrived at my home few days back - HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4675 All-In-One (AIO) Printer. Rather than explaining things in detail I would prefer to enlist the key features. To see the technical specifications on the scan/print resolutions and printer dimensions please refer to http://www8.hp.com/lamerica_nsc_carib/en/products/printers/product-detail.html?oid=7317527#!tab=specs

Some of the key products features are -

IoT (Inernet of Things) - It is an Internet enabled Wireless device
It can Print, Scan, Fax, Copy and also be used from Web
IoT features -

EWS (Embedded Web Server) support - The AIO has an EWS and you can access this through web browser using https:// . Advanced features of the device can be configured through the EWS. Just ensure that the device through which you want to access the AIO is in the same Wi-Fi network as the AIO.
Google Cloud Print supported - You can add this Printer to Google Cloud Print service either by visiting https://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/setup-hp.html and adding @hpeprint.com or using the option Network -> Google Clout Print -> Setup on the EWS and following the wizard. So once the Printer is registered with Google Cloud Print you can directly print any documents to your Printer from any part of the world, provided the Printer is turned on and connected to Internet
Supports Apple's AirPrint
Integrated with HP Connected - HP Connected ( www.hpconnected.com ) is a Portal where your device registers itself and you can find details about your device (like Print History, etc.) by logging onto your account
OTA updates of device firmware - The firmware of the AIO will get automatically update wirelessly if the device is On and set for auto-updates. Whenever a new firmware is released by HP, the device downloads the firmware and installs it automatically
Webscan facility - You can either use the HP AIO / ePrint Apps on Android, iOS and Windows Mobile or use the Scan -> Webscan option in the EWS to scan documents
In-built HP e-Print support to print documents - Explained below
Smartphone Apps to directly Scan and Print without the need for a PC
Wi-Fi direct support - Any user who is using the Smartphone App but not connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the AIO can still connect to the device using Wi-Fi direct facility

Printer and Fax functions -

In-built HP e-Print support to print documents - You can choose an e-mail id for the printer and it will be in the format @hpeprint.com . Once the Printer e-mail id is set, you can print supportable documents (PDF, MS Office docs) by just sending an e-mail to the chosen email address with the file as an attachment
Duplex Print support - Can print on both sides of the paper
The Printer supports scheduled Print jobs
Auto Paper tray ejection - Whenever a Print or a Fax job is received, the Paper Tray is automatically ejected and you don't need to manually pull it out. The Paper tray is also miniaturized and is like a fold-able scale
Fax memory to store incoming faxes and print it at a later point of time. Most of the other Fax features are pretty much standard and I leave it on you to explore using the EWS

Scanner functions -

It has an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) to scan multiple pages and doesn't need human intervention
Also has a flat-bed scanning feature through the glass

Other interesting features -

Device control using Touch screen display (Only Power Button is the Physical Button)
Can automatically order consumables (like Cartridges, etc.) if you set the same in EWS
Cartridge Protection - You can set Cartridge protection through the EWS. So once that is enabled any Cartridge installed in this device cannot be used anywhere else

I got it at a big discounted price of INR 6,800 approx from www.flipkart.com along with an HP offer of additional set of free HP680 Black and Color cartridges. All in all an excellent All-In-One (AIO) device. Many of the features which I mentioned above are hardly mentioned in HP's website as well as many other famous Web Portals. You just need to tweak and explore, else there is no learning.