In addition to improving your WiFi at home to strengthen your Internet signal, you may find a need to strengthen your cell phone signal. While your cell phone provider will tell you that you can tap into your WiFi, it doesn’t always give you enough or any additional cell phone coverage. If you are struggling with being able to talk on your cellphone, you may need a cell phone signal booster. The basic principle behind signal boosters is to create an additional antenna within your home for your cell phone to attach to before capturing the signal from your carrier.…

8K TVs Several manufacturers now have 8K TVs; Samsung, Sony, LG, etc. Most are selling for more than $2700. Is it worth getting an 8K? Until content is available in 8K, you are fine with a 4K or OLED TV. That said, there really isn’t much new in TVs, so we recommend you look for deals in 2020 models, even most 2019 models have the latest technology and capabilities. Audio If you are looking to buy new speakers this holiday season, look first at the purpose. Sound to enhance a TV, we recommend either surround sound (which will require installation…

Here are some possible problems and fixes. IR relay receiver/emitter moved or fell off. IR Relays Systems retransmit the IR (Infrared Light) signal from your remote to the TV or another component such as a hidden cable box. The picture shows an IR relay receiver attached to a TV. The receiver/emitter of the system could come loose with age or be knocked off when cleaning or moving the electronic device they are connected too. Look around your components, TV first, and see if there is an IR relay receiver hanging behind or beside it. Affix it back to the same…

Covid-19 has forced us all to spend most of our time at home. Whether working, going to school or entertaining ourselves, chances are that you will be doing all or most of these at home for some time to come. We have already heard on the news the disparities of broadband coverage in some areas of the country and while we do live in a strong broadband area in the DMV, that doesn’t mean you are not subject to networking problems. While your Internet may have been fast before, it may now be slowing down due to all the people…

We all face frustration with technology. We hate it when something stops working for no apparent reason. Sometimes with electronics it can be a simple power reset to make the problem go away. But sometimes there are actual major problems that need to be fixed. Here are a few items we run into on a regular basis. Poor installation practices. Sometimes people just don’t care. This customer was experiencing intermittent outages. The cause was buried in this rat’s nest of cables. Stability returned to the network once corrected.   This is what happens when something does not fit quite right.…

Ring now has a Video Doorbell 3 and 3 Plus, as well as a Pre-Roll feature, which captures the 4 seconds before motion is detected to help users see what triggered a motion alert. The new “near zone” detects motion within 5-15 feet of the front door. You can also exclude areas that you consider to be privacy zones. As the others did, you can still turn off video or audio recording for an extra layer of privacy at any time. Plus users can utilize Alexa to communicate through Ring with whomever is at the door. Ring can be integrated…

If you struggled with your Internet back when schools were starting to go online in the Spring and you were also teleworking, it is going to get worse in another month or so, when the requirements to be online and in virtual classrooms increase for the new school year. This is not a local issue. This is a national issue for all homeowners that are now going to need far more bandwidth than ever before. Don’t even think that living in Northern VA and having data centers in your backyard is going to provide you with plenty of bandwidth. You…

A single router will not handle the requirements of today’s household. There are far too many devices contending for the “airtime” that a legacy single router provides. To add insult to injury, the wireless signal is usually not strong enough to provide a stable signal throughout a sizable house. The fix is typically a combination of 2 things. One: Using an Ethernet connection to hardwiring devices that do not move, i.e. Smart TVs, game consoles, PCs and Laptop docking stations that are used at a desk. Two: deploying multiple access points (the radio transmitter/receiver for Wi-Fi) around the house to…

As the weather starts to warm up, we will be spending more time outdoors. Sitting back and listening to some tunes is relaxing as well as fun. Take a look at some of your options. Mounted speakers: There are a variety of speakers that can be attached to the house or porch. These speakers are weatherproof and come on a swivel mount to direct the sound down. Our preference on the high end is Bose 251 Wall Mount Outdoor Environmental Speakers and for a mid-range speaker the Polk Atrium 5 series. Rock speakers: For those who want to hide their…

Last summer we implemented a new service that might work for you if you have a problem with your electronics/networking that you can’t resolve by using our troubleshooting guide (https://www.hns-ons.com/category/archives/page/4/). To determine if the problem is something that can potentially be corrected virtually we ask that you email us at info@hns-ons.com. If we feel it is something that can be resolved via a virtual service call, we will then schedule a mutually convenient time. A couple things to take note of: if we did not install the equipment or the equipment was installed many years ago, we most likely cannot…

The coronavirus is sparking anxieties among electronics manufacturers. Not only do issues with retailers reducing hours and potential shipping bottlenecks cause delays, but manufacturing plants worldwide have or may be closing due to the virus. This will impact when new electronics get into the market. Many of the electronics manufacturers work across different industries and domains. These firms typically operate by acquiring necessary electronics components from different suppliers. Suppliers receive orders and ship the requested parts to the manufacturers. The components are assembled, and then the finished product is shipped on to the ultimate client, often a consumer-facing brand. It’s…

If you are temporarily teleworking due to the Coronavirus, here are some suggestions to help make your life easier. Set up a place to work that has strong Internet access. If you have a home office, your office should have the ability to hardwire your laptop vs. using wireless technology. If you don’t have a home office, try to find any other room that allows you to hardwire it and set up your temporary office there. If you don’t have hardwiring, then look for the strongest WiFi access for your temporary office. Limit other usage of the Internet if possible.…

We recognize that with the constantly changing COVID-19 situation around the world, this is an unprecedented time for everyone — a time that, for many, is filled with uncertainty. Our hearts and thoughts go out to each and every one of you. We want you to know you have our commitment to continue providing you with the products and services you depend on. For more than 16 years, H&ONS has focused on our mission to provide Data, WiFi, Audio & Video solutions to consumers and businesses in the Northern Virginia area. This enduring mission guides us as we closely monitor, assess and…

We perform quite a bit of in-home service calls. Did you know that you have several options before scheduling an in-home service call? 1) DIY first: We always recommend you troubleshoot the problem yourself first. Standard troubleshooting is to perform a re-set. Resetting means physically unplugging, waiting & restarting your equipment. You are not going to mess anything up doing this. You may have had a power surge or an update to one of the devices messed up the communications between your components. Look at this as the same as performing a computer reboot. If that doesn’t work and something is…

While we didn’t attend CES this year, we did keep abreast of what was going on there & what the “big” takeaways were this year. Of course the biggest “news” was the future launch of 5G cell service. The CES show floor was chock full of devices boasting 5G capability, from super fast gaming routers to all kinds of modems, laptops, and smartphones. But since 5G networks haven’t yet been set up in much of the US, this tech will likely stay within the walls of the manufacturers for awhile. Health and Wellness became a large segment of CES this year.…

CEO Response & Our Take on Things to Come This past week SONOS sent out an announcement to its users that they would end software updates on their legacy products. Each customer’s email included the products they registered with SONOS that would be discontinued. As a result, we received more than a dozen emails and phone calls from our customers regarding their SONOS, which we did respond to one-to-one. However, for those who do have SONOS that didn’t already receive an email from H&ONS, here is additional information. As a result of the SONOS announcement, social media blasted SONOS and on…

If you, like millions of people, have decided to stay in your current home rather than downsizing or moving to another state, there are some things that you might want to set up to make aging in place easier. Even if you don’t do it right away, when you do some remodeling you may want to consider these improvements. 1. Lighting controls. Have your lights come on in the hallway and bedroom at a certain time of night or based on motion so that you don’t have to walk anywhere in the dark. Touch a button next to your bed…

So your Internet provider says you can get 940 mbps of speed with their upgraded router and fiber lines, but you are only getting 700. How can that be? Here’s an example of verbiage straight from the Verizon website. “Fios Gigabit Connection delivers speeds up to 940/880 MBPS in available areas. The key words are “Up to” so there is no point in calling Verizon, Xfinity or any other provider, since they have given you exactly what they promised…the possibility of speeds up to what they advertise. So, why aren’t you getting the optimum speed they offer. There could be…

Wi-Fi 6 is the newest version of the 802.11 standard for wireless network transmissions that people commonly call Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6 isn't a new means of connecting to the internet like fiber -- rather, it's an upgraded standard that compatible devices, particularly routers, can take advantage of to transmit Wi-Fi signals more efficiently. While it is still an unknown, the industry touts based on testing only that Wi-Fi 6 will offer speeds that are roughly 30% faster than Wi-Fi 5, with theoretical maximum transfer speeds up around 10 Gbps. The actual number you ultimately experience will really depend on context, though,…

Apple TV 4K is a solid choice for streaming with its super fast A10X Fusion processor, as long as your Internet connection can handle it. The new option to copy login info directly to the Apple TV from iPhones, iPads and Apple laptops will reduce the amount of time spent entering passwords. Plus if you have a third-or fourth generation Apple TV now, it will automatically sync your previous TV OS layout. You can use Siri to search for content, including cross-platform searches though Apple’s library of apps isn’t as diverse as Roku’s. You can send images, video and audio…