Need to fix your URC remote control or URC home automation system? Read on!

This video is meant as an instructional for our clients that details how to fix most URC universal remote issues. See above. The most common problems we experience are caused by:

- Always unplug RF base station from the power, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in before proceeding

- Low battery charge - Flasher removed/missing from front of components

- RF noise in vicinity of radio-frequency base station (MRF350, MRF350i or MRF260)

If you enjoy television, watch streaming content such as Netflix, Amazon, etc., listen to music through your whole-house audio system or basically are a human in a civilized society, you probably are reliant on some form of streaming device to get you this content. This article focuses on how to fix your Apple TV if it misbehaves.

Apple TV not working? Try some of our video tutorials including:

How to fix your cable box and more...see below

Labor Day...YAY!!!! Sticky, hot weather with winds...BOOOOO!!! Did you know that upcoming weather like this causes havoc with your technology? These weather events often create problems with your cable box, Internet access and all things technology. Below are some tips to try if you have these types of issues while this weather is in town.

Spectrum app stop working? If you have a Roku, here's what's happening

Did your Spectrum app just stop working on your Roku device? Read on…This year, Roku and Spectrum sat down to the bargaining table to make a deal  (I am making this up so this may not be a factual account and there may not in fact, be an actual bargaining table). The deal had to do with the Spectrum app and if it would continue to work on Roku devices.

Apparently the chief negotiator for one or both parties was out sick as they couldn’t come to a deal and now the Spectrum app no longer works on Roku devices. Oh NO! What’s a cord-cutter to do?

• Wait: This happened a little while ago with a service called HBO Max. It stopped working on Roku for about a week and then “the deal got made” and it returned. Maybe this will happen. If not:

• Add an AppleTV: Apple TV streaming devices and Roku play nicely together. In fact, Spectrum is now giving some clients an AppleTV instead of a cable box now so they may know something we don’t.

Do we hate Spectrum or Roku here? I don’t know for sure but my money is on Roku. If you’ve been using Roku to watch the Spectrum app, sending some complaints their way can’t hurt. In fact, it might cause the Spectrum app to magically show up again.

Got questions about how to proceed? AppleTV vs Roku? Roku vs AppleTV? Give us a call and let our San Diego technology experts help you to watch streaming TV again!

How to fix your Sonos system? See our link below that goes over the details!

We LOVE Sonos! It opens up a world of music options, provides multiple solutions to listen to audio in a surround sound, outdoor audio or with portable speakers and has fewer issues than anything else we’ve tested. However, just like anything in life, Sonos can have problems from time-to-time.

Watch the video with Grandmaster Will in the video above which details how to fix Sonos including:

• How to restart Sonos
• How to unmute Sonos systems
• How to reboot Sonos components

These processes will work with all Sonos components including the new Sonos 2021 models like the Sonos PORT, Sonos ARC, Sonos PLAY5, Sonos BEAM, Sonos SUB and the Sonos ONE. Still can’t get Sonos to work or want to add Sonos to your home audio system? Let our San Diego Sonos experts point you in the right direction.

P.S. Got a Sonos system we didn't install? See our 2nd Sonos tutorial that goes more in depth on our Youtube page.

Sonos not working? Call us. Aire Theater Designs proudly serves all of San Diego County including the communities and cities of Central San Diego County which includes Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, Talmadge, Kensington, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, La Mesa, Lake Murray, Friars, North Park, Balboa Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Pt Loma and Downtown San Diego. We also gladly serve those in North San Diego County which includes Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Elfin Forest, Oceanside, Olivenhain, Escondido, Encinitas, Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Santaluz, Alta Del Mar, La Jolla, Poway and Rancho Bernardo. We aren't forgetting about our East County friends in El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Lakeside and Alpine. Need help in Murrieta, Wildomar, Temecula, Fallbrook or Bonsall...we're there too.

AppleTV4K problems? See below for AppleTV tutorials and tips

We’ve had a bunch of questions lately about how to use an AppleTV streaming device. Thanks to our star actor (and fantastic technician) Will, we’ve been able to put together some videos that go over common AppleTV questions. See links below to make your AppleTV behave!

How to add apps to AppleTV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbzvbVULkYw&t=38s

Airplay vs Screen Mirroring? How to Airplay and how to screen mirror:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ECZ1C6OrEs&t=47s

How to fix AppleTV – Frozen AppleTV, apps not working or no sound on AppleTV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MftqghBq7jQ&t=55s

These steps will work for most AppleTV4K or AppleTV streaming devices. Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our channel if these videos help you make sense of today’s technology.

- San Diego smart home and streaming experts…Aire Theater Designs

Airplay is now available on Roku devices!

Airplay: "AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV, favorite speakers, and popular smart TVs." (definition from Apple’s website).

Want to take something you’ve filmed on your phone and “zap” it to your TV? Use Airplay.

Want to play something on your 4K television from a website you’ve accessed on your iPad? Use Airplay.

Want to use your GIANT 123” TV as a monitor for your iMac laptop: Use Airplay.

As you can see from the examples above, Airplay is a neat feature that can provide a lot of utility and fun. In the past, Airplaying video content to your surround sound system was only possible through an AppleTV streaming device. There are many popular streaming devices on the market (Roku, AppleTV, Fire Stick, etc.) and this was one of the reasons that people would sometimes choose an AppleTV over a Roku in a “Roku vs AppleTV” challenge.

However, Roku has just added a feature that allows you to use Airplay through their newer devices. If you have a Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere4K (we sometimes call it “Roku Orange” as it has an orange box) and their 4K Stick, you can now Airplay to Roku without having an AppleTV streaming device!

Our technician Will was nice enough to film a video below showing how to do this. Check the link below. Thanks Will!

How to Airplay to Roku Video HERE

Got questions about which streaming device is best or why you should choose AppleTV vs. Roku? We install these things every day! Give us a call and let San Diego’s Roku experts go over the pros-and-cons with you.

During this strange time, we’re understandably getting more questions about computer and network health than ever before. We wanted to provide you with some technology health elements and troubleshooting tips. These are points that may help to cut down on frustration and make you more productive. This is somewhat of a long read but please check it out as we’re confident this can help now and in the future. See below:

Got an important Zoom or video call tomorrow on your computer?

• PREPARE: If your meeting is at 8 AM, don’t start doing updates and tweaks at 7:50 AM. If you do, you’re not going to make that meeting. Do these updates the day before DURING TECH SUPPORT HOURS and go onto the needed web platform to ensure that you can connect. Updates can cause certain functions to stop working so you want to make sure that tech departments are open in the event that you need to call to get support.

• DON’T USE THE INTERNET FOR OTHER THINGS: While you’re on your call, tell your children to stop playing video games, no Facebook Live, etc. These types of activities can slow up your network drastically and can contribute to glitching, delays, etc.

• DON’T CALL THE CABLE COMPANY IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO: With everything that is currently going on, the cable companies are more taxed than they have ever been. This is not the time to raise your Internet speed (see our point below about the Gigabit lie/Internet speed and why it isn’t that important), attempt to change providers, get new services, etc. We would recommend waiting on any non-essential tweaks until things get back to normal. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

• CHECK YOUR BACKGROUND PROCESSES: If you have anything going on such as Carbonite back-ups, Dropbox syncing, iCloud uploads, etc. these services can all cut down on your Internet bandwidth and can cause issues with video conferencing. Turn these off if you have important video calls that need to be perfect. NOTE: If you do turn these off, make sure you turn them back on.

Want Healthy web browsing?

• RESTART YOUR MODEM AND ROUTER REGULARLY: This will help to prevent lock-ups and disruptions in your Internet service.

• RESTART YOUR LAPTOPS, TABLETS, PHONES, ETC: Restarting your devices regularly (turn off power, wait 30 seconds and then power them back up) will help to keep your electronics working properly.

• CLEAR YOUR BROWSER CACHE: Another phrase for this is “Don’t have 57 windows open on your laptop”. Close these unused browser windows and history for better surfing performance.

• MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BROWSER AND OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE UPDATED REGULARLY.

Random tips and opinions

• DON’T WORRY ABOUT INTERNET SPEED: The cable companies have been advertising their Gigabit service very frequently. Don’t believe the hype as you don’t need 1 Gbps for quality Internet connections. Here’s why Gigabit is good and bad:

• Most of our clients that have “gigabit” service are receiving 250-400 Mbps (25-40% of Gigabit speeds). Based on speed solely, ANYTHING in the house will run perfectly with this. Typically, most networks at 100 Mbps+ will allow household networked devices to run properly. Another point about this is that ALL of your devices, wallplates, connections and cables need to be Gigabit to theoretically get Gigabit speeds. Unfortunately, they almost never are. Our recommendation is not to get hung up on the idea of getting specifically Gigabit speed but just to know that having a Gigabit package will allow you to get GREAT speeds that should work with anything in your home.
• Throughput vs. speed: Throughput is how much network information (packets) gets to a location successfully. Elements such as using wired connections when possible, being in rooms/areas close to your WiFi routers and practicing good device health (see points above) will do more for your throughput than just concentrating on speed alone.

• ONE DEVICE WON’T CONNECT: If you have 1 device that won’t connect but 39 others that do, focus on the device that won’t connect as opposed to working on the other 39. If everything else works aside from one component, do the potential updates, resets, etc. on the device that won’t connect before you start resetting everything else.

• “IT AIN’T GOT NO GAS IN IT”: In the movie “Sling Blade”, this is one of Carl’s iconic lines. The point being made in this movie is that Carl looks for the simplest solution first. If your lawn mower doesn’t work, don’t take it completely apart and starting oiling the motor…check the gas first. Getting back to networks, if you have something that isn’t working, think about what might be the simplest thing first. This picture is of an Ethernet cable.

My computer stopped connecting to the Internet the other day. All of my other wired devices were working as well as my WiFi devices. Therefore, the simplest thing was to replace my Ethernet cable. TA-DA! My computer was working again! There was no reason that the cable should have gone defective…but it did. The point is that most problems are fixed by doing the simple stuff first.

We hope that this information helps you to become more Internet-savvy and that your devices behave. Need further help in San Diego with WiFi, computer troubleshooting or electronics...give us a call! NOTE: LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube page below for future tips, reviews and information.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9T427K3ZMta3YAa6um_rsg/featured

Eero won't work with your new device? We've solved that one before.

Does Eero not work with your new:

Smart Bulb?

Solar system?

Security system?

Baby monitor or pet cameras?

Smart home technology?

Here's why it doesn't work and how to fix it.

UPDATE as of 2/3/2022: See our latest video HERE that illustrates this process.

Eero is great product and we love it. See the article HERE why it's one of our favorite offerings. HOWEVER, there are some limitations to Eero and it's why we also have better WiFi offerings for certain applications. Eero emits both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wireless networks and the way their product works is that your device will "see" 5Ghz until you get out-of-range. At that point, connected devices "see" the 2.4Ghz WiFi network. As a refresher, 5Ghz is faster than 2.4Ghz but it doesn't propagate as far in space.

Here's the problem, many of today's inexpensive DIY devices are cheaply constructed or engineered and as a result, the initial set-up app (or sometimes the device itself) only operates on the 2.4Ghz band. In most cases when you are trying to set these devices up with Eero, you are in range of the 5Ghz network and not the 2.4Ghz network that the device can attach to. As a result, the app from your smart device may display "no network", "set-up failed", etc. You can fix this in one of two methods:

• Move far enough away from the device so you are in "2.4Ghz land" instead of "5Ghz land". As 2.4Ghz travels farther in space than 5Ghz, moving away from your Eero system will allow the app and device to communicate to the 2.4Ghz band.

• You can call Eero and have them turn off your 5Ghz band for a short period of time. Once you set the app up, you can then call them to turn the 5Ghz band back on. As long as your device can see 5Ghz, you will then be back-in-business. Sometimes just the APP won't work with 5Ghz but the device will. NOTE: If you have a device that only works on 2.4Ghz, you may be out of luck.

This is an issue that has perplexed MANY people. However, this is a simple one for us. Want help from network professionals? Call San Diego's WiFi and Eero experts!

Having problems with AppleTV?

Having issues with AppleTV? You're not alone? We've experienced a number of problems over the last 12-15 months with clients reporting that it takes some time to get picture and sound from their AppleTV devices. Here's some brainstorming, thoughts and a possible fix.

We are only getting these calls with the older AppleTV units (generation 3). The newer units are generation 4 and we haven't seen the same problems with these. If you bought your unit 2+ years ago, you may have a generation 3 model. If you have one of these, read on as these ideas may be pertinent to you.

DISCLAIMER: This is my own theorizing and isn't based on any fact or anything I've read...Apple, please don't sue me. BEGIN: I noticed problems started on my older Gen 3 AppleTV unit about 18 months ago. When I would turn on the system as I always did, instead of the Apple menus and icons for Netflix, Prime Video, etc. coming up after 5-10 seconds, I regularly had just a black screen. My TV and all other components, including the AppleTV were on...I just had no picture or sound. After doing some testing, I experienced that the picture and sound would normally come back on after I would repeat the TV input commands. This is normally indicative of an HDMI "handshake" issue where the components don't recognize each other and you have to do the equivalent of reaching out your hand again (in this case, the TV's hand) so the TV can communicate with the AppleTV. Once I would choose the correct input on the TV again, I almost always get picture and sound and my AppleTV is functional.

I think the Apple changed their protocol via a firmware update and this changed the way that the AppleTV communicates via HDMI. In turn, this made it so the AppleTV doesn't behave the way it used to. The reason I think this is that prior to 18 months ago, we didn't come across this problem. Now we see it very regularly with older AppleTV units and it happens with different brands of TVs and audio/video receivers. So what's the fix?

If you turn on your older AppleTV and you don't get picture or sound, give it about 10 seconds and then repeat the TV input command. This will reinitialize the handshake and you should be in business. If it still doesn't work, this could be a common power-cycle issue and this is typically fixed by unplugging the power from the AppleTV, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Add one of our BOBs to make this simple.

Simple system resets

Still have questions? Let San Diego's technology experts help you with your stereo, television and streaming device needs!