Windows - How to Install - npm install -g firebase-tools

Windows - How to Install - npm install -g firebase-tools

If you are trying to use Firebase for web hosting then the first real obstacle (as a noob) you will come up against is running:

npm install -g firebase-tools

My immediate questions were:

• Where do I type in this command?
• Do I need to type in this command?
• Can I use a web app?

In short I was left with little idea of how to begin, or whether the suggested way was the easiest. I will try to explain what is going on in layman's terms:

The above commands are run in windows command prompt after you have downloaded some bits of code and stored them on you computer. 

The instruction you need are all in the guidance documents, but these were not dumbed done enough for me. . . . 

Step 1 - Run a DOS Box Program to Put Some Files you Need on your PC

Install the above program (Firebase CLI), it is very basic, and resembles a DOS window. Let the program run. My setup returned some errors, but it didn't seem to affect onward progress. 

Close the windows when program has stopped running. 

Step 2 - Run this New Program

So now you have installed firebase tools, you can open command prompt and (search: cmd) and type in the command: 

npm install -g firebase-tools

Now you can use command prompt, to run any number of tools, to set up web hosting on google firebase. Just type "firebase XXXXX"

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Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install

Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install - Intro

Are you in the market for a Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Directional Cross Polarised LTE MIMO Antenna? Here are the wheres and whys, and my findings having purchased one.

Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install - What is It?

The Poynting XPOL-2 V2 (Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Directional Cross Polarised LTE MIMO Antenna) is an antenna (like an aerial) that you attached to your 4G router, and it "collects" more signal strength from the available signal, leading to the following advantages:

• Lower latency
• Higher Bandwidth
• Less Drop Out
• Stronger Signal

The antenna consists of 5 meters of high quality low loss coaxial cables, and gold plated SMA connectors, and the antenna itself, which is at 25cm x 25cm (9" x 9") plastic box with female threaded attachments on rear.

The cable come pre-attached, and the box included mounting brackets. You will need a round section pole to mount it on. 

Square 50mmx50mm lower section with round tube on top.

Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install - How to Install

In order to use this antenna, you will need a 3G or 4G router such as:

• TP-LINK TL-MR6400 (As pictured below - I have this one)
• TP-LINK AC750 MR6400
• Huawei B593 B315 B525 E5186
• NETGEAR M1 MR1100 NIGHTHAWK ZTE MF279
• Huawei E5186

Some of the later model of the TP Link MR200 (Version 3) do not have removable antenna, make sure your router has SMA connectors, or you will have to buy adaptors TS9 is another popular fitting that is easily adapted.

Open the box, and inside you will find all that is required to attached the antenna to a pole  it will not be easy to mount to a square post, or a wall, as setting the direction of the antenna, so its front flat face is pointing at the nearest mobile mast. It will require a round post to the mounted on.

It is important to note that this antenna will likely improve you 3G 4G experience whether it is mounted internally or external. External is preferential owing to lack of obstacles such as walls. 

In my case I used, a square wooden lower post, and a short length of round tube, on the top, which allowed for rotation. If you are looking to fix this to a wall then perhaps a "Satellite Wall Mount Bracket " would do the job.

The cable is 5 meters long. So this runs down from where you have mounted the antenna (some report putting in loft works OK) and at some point you will likely have to drill a hole in the wall. You need a 20mm drill bit, so you can get both connector though side by side. It is best to wrap the connectors in a little masking tape, to stop them getting dusty or scratched. 

Drill a hole in wall to pass through cable (on right in this picture)

One of the trickiest parts of the setup is pointing the antenna accurately at the mobile mast. If you can see the mast then that is all well and good, but if not it can be tricky to envisage where the mast is. I guessed at first and I was around 5 degrees off, which was the difference between 75% signal and 100%, so it is worth getting right.

I used the "measure" function on google maps to draw a line from the antenna location, to the nearest mobile mast. The line will cross something that you can see (house next door for example), and it is easier to line up with something close by than trying to guess. It transpires it is 1.9miles to my nearest mobile mast. 

Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install - Why Would I Need One?

If you are in any of the following situations, then you might benefit from using this XPOL-2 antenna:

• Rural and urban areas
• Poor data signal reception (indoor or outdoor)
• Slow data transmission connection areas
• Unstable connection
• Increase system transmission reliability
• LTE fringe areas (close to an LTE area, but just out of reach)

In my case I was probably non of these, as I could get about 16MB a second using a cheapo external antenna, but I needed a higher bandwidth so as to get more data (I had three kids using video chat during lockdown for CV19 2020), and had read that a good quality antenna would help. It did.

The new antenna, nearly tripled by down load speed, and upload speeds. I also noticed a slight drop in latency time (a good thing). 

Strangely enough despite this large jump in performance the signal strength did not change. With my router still telling be 75%, which was the same as the cheapo antenna. However, after fine tuning the direction of the antenna, which was off by about 5 degrees this did go up to 100%.

Download speed went up to over 50MB/s after this fine adjustment. 

Poynting XPOL-2 V2 Review & Install - Conclusions

This is a high quality directional antenna, that really works. If I had swapped this for the stock internal antenna, I would have seen a 500% increase in bandwidth, as it stood I still managed to get a 300% increase even when replacing an external antenna from another manufacturer. 

It is quite expensive, at £110 (compared to £25 for cheapo version) but I am very pleased with it. 

If you are out of reception, or not getting enough bandwidth, I would give this a wizz, it works miracles. 

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Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband (or Mobile Internet)

1 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - Intro

I was in the process of typing up an email to send to my Mum, explaining the set up of our 4G Broadband, and thought it might make a good blog post. So here you go Mum!

1.1 - Costs 

Running costs when you are up and running will be around £30 a month. Which is comparable to line rental and copper broadband contracts.

Setup costs would be £80 for router and if you want to go all in, another £150 for an external antenna.

1.2 - Time to Set Up

Not very long. 20 minutes once you have all the bits. Longer if you use an external antenna.

2 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - Router

In order to get good high speed internet over a mobile network, and attach to other devices you already have (mobile phones, smart TVs and PCs) you will need an LTE Router.

I have a TP-Link TL-MR6400. Which have been very reliable, and allows for wireless and wired network connections. You could use some sort of dongle, but I would recommend the below product. It has served us very well, and has a few features that are very handy.

Unlike a normal router, which connects to your phone line, this router has a slot for a SIM card in the back. So you put in a SIM card in it, and it gets the data over the mobile network rather then the phone line.

Using the above router, you simply insert the SIM card, plug it in and then you can connect to the wireless signal, via the default access IP of 192.168.1.1 (Type this in the address bar of you browser - phone or PC it doesn't matter) . It is very easy to use and comes with instructions.

3 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - SIM Cards

To watch a 1 hour program on BBC you will use about 1 GB of data. If you have kids watching 2 or 3 hours of TV everyday and playing computer games etc. you can use LOADS of data. Last month I was backing up files online, on top of normal TV and work use, and used 1200GB.

So it is important to choose an unlimited data plan, other wise you will pay lots of charges for going over your limit. BUT you may wish to test things out before you commit to a long term contract . . . .

3.1 - Testing Out with PAYG SIM

Before you sign up for a 12 month contract it might be worth trying out the router with a pay as you go SIM, to see if it works for you.

You could also try the router with the SIM from your phone, but it is unlikely the SIM will be the same size. As the router take a full size (old school) SIM card.

3.2 - Getting an Unlimited Contract

I use a Vodafone "Unlimited" Plan it includes minutes and texts which you won't use, but the unlimited data, is what you are after.

Remember, if you do not want to sign up for a 12 (or 24) month contract you can get a 1 month "rolling" contract. So you can pull out any time.

4 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - Coverage

This router will work with 3G or 4G so if you have coverage for either then it should work OK. Simply choose an operator (eg. Vodafone) that you like the look of, and use a "coverage checker" to see what signal you get.

Coverage at Cold Comfort

So for my Mum she is OK, because apparently she has coverage of 3G and 4G. And this is for phones. . . she will get a better reception using a router with big aerials.

5 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the rate at which data can be delivered to you property. To stream music on Spotify, or watch Netflix in standard definition you need 1.5 megabytes every second. 

That is not a great deal. But for many rural households and businesses a copper wire will not provide that. I live in an area where my router picks up a 50% signal, and I am able to get:

• 7 MB/s using 3G
• 10 MB/s using 4G

So whether you use 3G of 4G and can get a 50% signal (2 bars on phone) you should be able to watch videos and stream music from spotify etc. 

With a very good signal you could get 20, 30 or even 40 MB/s which is enough to watch 3 or 4 HD TV sets at the same time.  

6 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - External Antenna

You may not need an external antenna. But fitting one will increase you bandwidth. There are two main types directional and omnidirectional. 

 Things to look out for are:

• MIMO
• Nice Long Cables (5 meters or more is good)
• SMA connectors

If you are unsure which to get then get Omnidirectional. 

6.1 - Directional - If you know here you closest mast is. 

I am writing this during the CV19 lockdown, and next week I will have 3 kids at home using internet video conferencing, and I will be working from home also. So my durrant 10MB/s may well not be enough. 

A Directional Antenna

I can reliably increase my bandwidth by using an external antenna. These range in price from about £25, to about £150. I have tried the cheap type. And this gave a 25% increase in signal strength, with my bandwidth increasing from 10 MB/s to about 16MB/s. If you intend to use the antenna at you house (where you won't move it), and you live close to one particular mobile phone mast then it s a good idea to choose a directional antenna. Both of the above antennas are directional.

• A Cheap Antenna - £25 - Will boost from 10MB/s to 15MB/s
• An Expensive One - £109 - Will boost from 10MB/s to 40MB/s

You need to point them at your nearest mobile phone mast that your carrier uses. A taller pole, to mount the antenna on, may help. 

6.2 - Omnidirectional

An omni direction antenna, is good if you live between several masts, or you don't know where they are. Omnidirectional antenna, look a bit different. I have never used one, but they get good reviews. Provided you buy a decent one. 

7 - Thorpy's Guide to 4G Broadband - Pictures of My Setup

For simplicity have included a few picture of my set up. 

Picture of router with various network cable stick out of back. Antenna cables are the black ones with the gold connectors.

 The antenna cable then go through a hole drilled in the wall of my shed (shoffice) and outside. Some people mount there antenna in the attic, to save drilling through walls.

Cables are run down wall slightly to prevent water trickling inside. 

Cheap directional antenna attached on top of wooden pole. As high as I could get it with supplied 3 meter cables. Its flat face is pointing towards out nearest mobile phone mast which is 2.63km away. 

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Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review

Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review - Intro

I have just received my 2nd pair of these in the post, I have replaced my original pair after about 5 years, as they have become a bit floppy and the grip is nearly gone. But They have been the comfiest pair of boots I have every owned.

The boots are 5 years old, but I only wear then during the spring, autumn and summer, as they are only splash proof, and opt for wellies the rest of the time.

Old Meets New

These are NOT TO BE CONFUSED with boots labelled "COMBAT" which are similar is design, but made from inferior materials.

Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review - Comfort

The main reason for a 2nd purchase is the high level of comfort afforded by these boots. They are light, flexible, but feel robust. They are very easy to get on and off, thanks to the zips and either side. 

The boots are supremely comfortable.

Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review - Wear

The boots are light yet tough, having severely layers of leather, and testile to produce a reslient upper. Even after the leather has perished there are other textile layers underneath to keep the boot functional.

Perished leather. Note secondary layer of textile. 

Zips still work fine after 5 years.

Some fraying around zip araes.

After 5 years of use the cordura side panels look like new, and ykk zips work very well still. The failure pints are perished leather (suede) and worn soles.

One other failure point is the heel, where it can rub through and expose a hard plastic plastic piece, used to shape the heel. This happened around year 3.  A solution here is to pull out this piece of plastic, and you will have your wearable boots back once again.

Rub through on heal.

Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review - Uses

These are great for walking as you would expect, but are also good for a spot of running owing to being light weight. The sole being broad a relatively flat is also good on MTB pedals, and these are by chosen footwear if weather allows. 

Trusty Old Boots, Tired but not finished. 

New boots vs Old Boots 

Viper Special Ops Boot Long Term Review - Water Proof

No these boots are not water proof. They are about as water proof as a trainer. Most of the disappointment, which one can read in review regarding these boots relates to their lack of water proofing.

To make these boots water proof would be (in my opinion) be a compromise as they would likely loose some of their breathability and become heavier. 

About 3 years of use (prorata) over 5 years.

As new. . . .

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What does the inside of an Electric Drill Look Like?

What does the inside of an Electric Drill Look Like?

I recently broke an electric drill, by trying to drill through thick metal plate, using a very large drill bit. Some grinding noises came out of the drill and it stopped working.

 This images shows the strange spiral gear at drive the large steel gear, attached to chuck.

 The gear attached to the chuck had become damaged with some of the teeth being ground down, and no longer engaging properly with spiral gear.

In working from the supply side of the drill to the delivery side, in this instance there was:

1. Plug
2. Lead
3. Clamp and Seal (Upon Entry to Drill)
4. Rectifier (turns AC to DC)
5. Trigger (Variable Resistor)
6. Carbon Brushes
7. Electric Motor. Spindle supported in plastic drill casing.
8. Cooling Fan / impeller
9. Simple Gear box
10. chuck.

There is a hammer drill setting on this drill and appear to involve two lumpy plates rubbing on top of one another to create vibrations. 

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Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Intro

If you have an old PC or laptop and are looking for a light weight OS to extend its service life then there are many offerings from Linux based around xcfe desktop. These distros such as mint linux or lubuntu, run beautifully on 15 year old PCs and laptops, and come with a whole host of easily installable free software for fun and or productivity (office type software).

Brocken Ubuntu

Unfortunately there are various obstacles that make a permanent migration from windows rather tricky, and in my case unsuccessful. I have high-lighted some problems I encountered below:

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Network Connectivity

This was the single insurmountable obstacle for me. If Linux (lubuntu) in this case will not automatically connect to the internet upon start up then its is a non starter. I experience connectivity problems with Puppy Linux also.

Setting a gateway IP address in windows, is typically done automatically. If it can't be done automatically, it can be easily set by typing a default gateway IP address (you router's address) in to a box, and it will stay there until you change it to something else.

With the two Linux distros I tried prior to writing this (puppy and lubuntu) I could not establish a automated connection to the internet, this was after around 4 hours of googling the $h1t out of the subject and trying all sorts of  command line (console in linux) options.

The default gateway would not stay where I put it. I found the correct value to change but it would change back to the default every time I rebooted.

It is very rare that I find myself beaten, but I just couldn't fix this very basic problem, despite trying a dozen or so methods listed on linux forums.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Console

Use of the command line in windows is saved for special occasions. This is not the case with linux. Some of the most basic and certainly all of the moderately details OS edits take place using text instructions.

For example, setting up multiple monitors in linux, involves the use of xserver, this is not so challenging to do, but it is difficult compared to installing ultramon on windows. And will involve some work through the console.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Printers

I have documented by experience with getting printers to print. (Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux) and it is a depressing and fruitless experience.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Forums

Much of the advice you will search for come from forums. This is fine in principal and reflects the open source / community effort that is linux. However. forums are often packed with opinion, and very often multiple opinions (solutions perhaps) for the same problem.

So this results in one (me) making numerous command line code edits with no clue as to whether they will work or not, and 90% of the time they do not work.

 

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Conclusion

In order to use a computer I need 2 things:

1. Connection to Internet
2. Ability to Print

Any thing else I can learn to provide at my leisure, but the with the several linux distros I have tried, including linspire, lubuntu, ubuntu, xubuntu and puppy I have not been able to reliably to provide these very basic of necessities on a small group of PC over a simple home network. 

Context

I run 5 PCs over a mixed wired and wireless network. Some are windows PCs some are linux. I have a typically router that handles DHCP requests, and a networked (IP) canon printer. Two of the PCs run multiple monitors. 

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