More problems with Q-See security cameras

As many of you know from my past writings, I truly dislike Q-See Cameras security system. This is one of the most complicated security systems to install, unless, of course, you are Geek Tekkie with no life and all you do is read computer code for a living. Here's what I have written in the past: Q-See Cameras, worst system out there Q-See Cameras don't work The Q-See camera system comes with a poorly written instruction booklet that basically says call their tech people to install. I did call, and they quoted me some outrageous price that was more than $2,500. Can you imagine that? To install an $800 system? So I reached out to a local computer professional and had them install the system. When I talk about installing, I am NOT talking about just putting the cameras around the house and connecting them to the DVR. I am talking about the reason you purchase security systems, to access them remotely. Yes, it was easy to install the camera so they work and display their views on a TV screen inside the house. With 8 cameras, the wires can get a little tricky, bringing them into the house to connect to the DVR. The real problem, though, is following the spaghetti like instructions in the small, fine print-like instruction booklets that come with the system. They are impossible to follow. I've tried. (And I used to program and sell software programs to IBM back int he 1980s when computers first came out. Today, software programs are written by people with no social skills. They don't know how to talk to normal people and write to themselves.) Once again, I am having problems. I paid someone to set up the port forwarding and set up the many, many criteria and settings required to get the system to be accessed from outside of the home through my home network. It took about 3 hours. I figured, I had wasted so much money already, what's another $300? It's far less than the $1,500 Q-See's technicians wanted. (They were so rude when I called anyway. They didn't seem to care about everyday people like me. Probably only kissing the ass of big businesses where they can make a fortune. Many big businesses don't mind wasting money on schlock.) Now, Comcast upgraded my system replacing the Router and the Modem with one Tower which does both. That changed the IP address, and now the system is down. Useless, again. I've spoken with people who have other systems. They showed me their instructions. So simple to install and connect an iPhone, iPad or Android App to access the video images live. Such a great idea, when it works. But the Q-See Security Camera system doesn't work that easily. The instructions are so complicated, I doubt even a computer tech professional can easily figure them out. Why does it have to be so complicated? Because the people who designed Q-See cameras don't care about average people. And when average people complain, they viciously attack and slam you for speaking out. Tough shit. I am going to tell everyone I know that the worst thing I did was to purchase your system and share my frustrations with everyone. The public deserves to know. Maybe, instead of bashing me and others who complain, you might spend your free time at Q-See redesigning the system, making the instructions EASIER TO FOLLOW, and creating a process that easily connects it to an App without having to have a degree in Computer Science or Technology. I'll call and pay a local computer tekkie and pay him to update the system to allow me to access the poor images from a Cell Phone/iPad app. -- Ray Hanania

Audio & Video recording Skype Calls, what works and what doesn't

I use Skype to broadcast my live Radio Show in Detroit each week from Chicago and an important function is to record the audio files so that I can upload them for my podcast at Podbean, which is one of the best podcasting services I use so far. I chose Podbean after dropping Libsyn.com, which was far too expensive and had issues. Podbean seems to be most efficient and easy to use.
Up until last week, I was using PowerGramo for Skype to record my calls. Although it is a decent recording system, PowerGramo had some issues. It constantly forced you to upgrade. They were always making changes to it. I don;t mind upgrading but it was always a hassle once I upgraded to have Skype and PowerGramo sync. That didn't always happen automatically. I had to manually instruct Skype to sync it.
But in the most recent upgrade, PowerGramo did something and when I recorded my last two radio shows, although PowerGramo reported everything was recording properly, it suddenly only started recording one channel, not both. In other words, it recorded me when I talked but not the guest on the Skype line or any of the audio coming in to Skype. It just heard me and recorded me -- even though I off course could hear the audio coming in from Detroit.
I was using a conference call feature to call the radio station and a guest or co-host. Skype worked great, PowerGramo did not. After many years of using PowerGramo I deleted it from my system. I can only give a software program one shot to work. Second chances do not come easy.
My first attempt at a replacement was to download and purchase for $36 Pamela Recording Professional. The biggest problem with Pamela is they offer no instructions on how it works. That's the big problem with programmers and computer geeks. They think that just because they get it, everyone else should. It's not intuitive. It has a lot of features with no explanation, one of the worst forms of software I could possibly imagine.
But, Pamela works. 
While looking for some operating instructions and finding a lot of garbage Youtube videos by people  who also don't know how to communicate very effectively, I stumbled on something called SuperTinTin. SuperTinTin claims that it is far better than Pamela. I mean they brag so much so I figured, ok, I will try it. I downloaded and purchased a registered system for $29.
Boy does SuperTinTin suck. It is one of the most bug-infested software programs I have ever tried. The claim that it is better than Pamela comes from SuperTinTin itself in a very misleading blog that pops up when you look for comparisons between SuperTinTin and Pamela. SuperTinTin trashes Pamela a lot.
But when I tried SuperTinTin, I had endless problems.
First, SuperTinTin recorded a background clicking noise. That was something that the SuperTinTin blog claimed only happened with Pamela.
SuperTinTin has very few options to control your recordings. The recordings are not clean. OK. I lost $29. But that's ok because this blog brings in a lot of revenue. That's why it is popular. I purchase everything so that you don't have to when the software sucks. And SuperTinTin is terrible.
I recommend not buying SuperTinTin at all.
The truth is that Pamela is just OK but the sound quality is good and it records properly on first installation. But it really needs someone who speaks English and knows how to talk to human beings to develop some basic instruction manuals and user manuals so that normal people -- not idiot geeks -- can use the many features that it offers.
Pamela so far is my best recording option for podcasting and broadcasting with my video camera, too. But that's only because I haven't yet found the perfect recording software.
-- Ray Hanania www.TheMediaOasis.com

iTunes and its crappy updates -- beware of Version 11

iTunes and its crappy updates -- beware of version 11 Even though Steve Jobs is gone, Apple continues to pursue his Economically Greedy Big Brother mentality. Everything Apple does is to tighten its grip on your wallet and to syphon money from your savings. They do it without asking. Another thing they do is to force you to accept their vision of "user friendly" and they are constantly dreaming up ways to make your life miserable. Burn in Hell Steve Jobs! Burn in Hell. The latest effort is the new iTunes Version 11 which destroys the ease at which one could manage their many iPads, iPods and other syncing. The new Version 11 creates so much confusion it is nearly impossible for you to manually move items from your purchased folder to your iPod or iPad.  The new system REQUIRES that you sync you iPod and iTunes to their system, a Big Brother move to keep track of what you are doing. That information is secretly sent to their office so they can use it to pepper you with annoying spam ads to sell you junk that doesn't sell. The worst things that don't sell are the ones that need more advertising promotion. The good stuff doesn't need to be hyped. So, they inundate your email and system with spam trying to beat you into buying their failed garbage. As someone who has several computer and several iPods and iPads, the new Version 11 makes it almost impossible to manage your purchases.  Apple believes if you buy something it should go on ALL of you iPods or iPads. They don't want you to be able to decide -- use your brain -- which apps, audio books or videos should go on your system. You can remove stuff, but onlya fter they have forced you to copy it to your system. I have so much, it's pathetic. So Apple punishes those who use their system more. If you don't have a large storage option -- maybe you purchased the cheaper smaller GB version -- you WILL have a problem. Burn in Hell Steve Jobs, you piece of garbage! -- Ray Hanania

Best Buy's Reward System is a scam: Why "Best Buy" is the "Worst Buy"

Best Buy is the Worst Buy. They're dishonest. Most people don't care. We buy things, spend money, get junk and when they break, we just move on. That's what society has taught us over the years. When someone gives you garbage, just accept it and move on. That's the American Way. I've been buying technology products from Best Buy for many years. I have spent a lot there. I had a Rewards Card with them and every time I make a purchase, they ask me for the card, but I don't have it. So they look it up using my telephone number on their system. The cashier tells me she found it and then the sale goes through. I figured I got my credit for the purchase on my Rewards Card. But that's not the case. Turns out when they ask you if you have a Rewards Card and enter it into the system, they are not really entering it at all. It's just a scam to get your information in to their system so they can send you sales pitches for junk that has to be pushed. Good merchandise sells itself. Junk needs the Best Buy push. All these years of entering my Rewards information at the register and I finally went online and discovered none of it has been entered at all. But I have been getting their junk mailings, spam emails and harassment at the register everytime I buy something. When I finally complained to someone at the store, he confessed. It's all a scam, he acknowledged. They just want your contact information. The real system works this way.  You buy something at Best Buy. They list your Rewards Card number on the sale. They want you to leave the store thinking you got a "reward" when in fact you really didn't. The clerk explained it to me this way. "If you don't go home and log into the Best Buy web site (myrz.com) and enter the information from your receipt, your purchase doesn't count towards the reward at all," he said. Wow. What a scam? Every time I make a purchase, I am supposed to go home and log into my Reward Zone membership online to give them traffic and put up with all kinds of online push sales pitches. New Windows pop up. The web site is confusing to use. They are hoping that if 5 percent of the people who waste their time doing all this will actually end up buying something online, they've achieved their goal. So the next time you are in Best Buy, tell those assholes to shove it up their asses. Fortunately, we have alternatives in Orland Park. Wal-Mart's technology section is phenomenal. And there is also CompUSA nearby. Unlike Best Buy, which is the Worst Buy, they don't lie. -- Ray Hanania

Connectify works to create a WiFi hotspot from your laptop

It's rare that in today's age of everything is technology that someone would actually come up with a great technology that does what it not only is supposed to do, but does something that is badly needed.
Connectify, the Internet company in Philadelphia, has come up with one of the greatest innovations for travelers in today's world of multiple WiFi needs.
I was traveling with my family in Negril, Jamaica and we needed WiFi at our hotel, the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton. The hotel charged us $20 a day (with a 1.9 GB data download limit -- which was disturbing on its face).
But in the old days when we traveled, we brought one laptop and it was easy to connect to the paid service. We only paid one daily fee. But nowadays, we don't just have one laptop. We have a laptop, three iPads and two iPhones. In other words, to give everyone in my family WiFi Internet access, we'd have to pay $120 a day for each. Yikes! That would have been $840 just for internet access.
Instead, I downloaded a software program called Connectify. What a vacation lifesaver! I downloaded the free Connectify version and then easily installed it on my laptop. We used one WiFi internet account attached to the laptop and then created a WiFi Internet HotSpot using Connectify. I created a simple password and every iPhone and every iPad had access to the Internet, all at one time.
Since leaving Jamaica, I decided to buy the premium version of the Connectify software. It's $39 but they have a sale going on for only $29 so you might want to go there NOW and download it and buy a full version.
The full version allows you to connect a laptop to the internet using an Ethernet cord, and then creating a WiFi hub from the laptop. This is great even if it is just for yourself and you're at work, or someplace outside of the home. 
It's a problem I always have because the iPhone and iPad require WiFi. Now, instead of eating up my 3G or 4G connections for the iPhone and iPad, I can use the WiFi hotspot I create at my laptop to download updates without eating away at my data limits for each phone.
It's a lot easier to transfer info on WiFi rather than connecting the iPad or iPhone to the laptop, too.
This is essential in today's world where I have multiple internet gadgets and they ALL need Internet access.
It's a simple system, too. Connect your laptop to the Internet using an ethernet cord. Then, make your WiFi accessible (turn on WiFi on the laptop). Once that is done, you can use the Connectify HotSpot name that is automatically generated, or create your own hotspot name. Add a password to restrict access to it.
It's that simple, something you can't always say about other software programs.
Connectify does what it promises.
Go to www.Connectify.com and download your premium "Pro" version today.
-- Ray Hanania

Beware of Digital Movies from Paramount -- they don't work and they are corrupted

Beware of Paramount Digital movie copies. They do not properly download. The system they use is so complicated because they are so worried you might make a copy that they make it IMPOSSIBLE to download the digital copy you purchased. DO NOT PURCHASE Blu-Ray, DVD Digital Copy DVDs from Paramount Pictures. They do not work. You will end up spending $25 and the digital copy will not download. I wanted to download a high resolution copy to my laptop so I can install it on my iPad. But their system refuses to download a high resolution copy to a laptop that is not High HD quality. So they will download a low resolution copy, even though I want it on my iPad. What? Are these people idiots? I purchased the Tom Cruise movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and it was mission really impossible to download and use the digital copy. So, I decided to go out and purchase a copy software program to convert the DVD into a file that can play on my iPad. The Paramount people are assholes and unhelpful. Worse, Paramount insist that log in to download the stupid digital copy and then they insist that you link it to a system called UltraViolet. You have to have two usernames and two passwords and then link the two. It only takes 30 minutes of your valuable time to go through the process. Paramount intentionally designed the system to discourage people from downloading the digital copies. They want you to spend more money on the 3-version movie set (Blu-Ray, DVD and digital copy) so they can make $6 more on the sale. The Blue Ray by itself is $19 and the DVD is $14, at Wal-Mart (which sells movies, Blue-Rays and DVDs the cheapest of any store, by the way.) So I can't download the digital copy because of their greed. Mission fucking impossible! Paramount sucks. UltraViolet redemption is a stupid system not worth your time. Please tell others not to purchase the Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol combo pack Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital copy, unless they want to spend 3 hours trying to figure out how the hell to make their stupid, useless system work. Such a disappointment. POSTSCRIPT. It took about 3 hours to download the 2.04 Gigabyte "digital" file. And guess what? It's not really digital. It's linked to a player that Paramount downloads on your computer and you can't watch the movie except using that  "player." If Paramount put as much effort into making better movies, they would have had a better record. But they suck! Tom Cruise sucks -- I'm taking it on him and blaming him for associating himself with Hollywood morons. Seriously. DO NOT BUY PARAMOUNT MOVIES that offer digital movies. THEY DON'T WORK! -- Ray Hanania www.hanania.com

Q-See Security Cameras by q-see.com do not work: problems with Internet Explorer 9

After you have already wasted your money purchasing what looks like a good security system, the 8 camera QT426 Q-See Security System, you quickly realize that it is impossible to access remotely.
So, you will struggle to install it in your home. That will take about $600 to install the cameras and a lot of reading and work to get them to work on your DVR that they supply. You'll have to purchase a TV to view the camera images and then spend weeks through trial-and-error learning how the system works because the instruction booklets are worthless. They are written by geeks with no sense of how normal people live, act and operate.
Then, you will spend weeks trying every possible configuration to access your new system that you spent a fortune trying to install, only to discover that the Q-See Security Camera System doesn't work with Internet Explorer 9. And, when you call Q-See to ask, they will tell you that you have to hire a professional installer to help you. When you call the professional installer to help you, they will offer to do the work for a mere $2,500.
You will also download a software program that will cost another $30 to $100 to "Port Forward," which allows, supposedly, outside access to your computer system so you can view the cameras remotely. (It doesn't work folks. Q-See did all this as a joke on you.)
If you already purchased the system, you are out of luck. Although Comcast has announced plans to offer their own security system for the home that works with the Internet. You can disconnect and through out the DVR and then purchase their security camera DVR. Then you will have to clip all of the wires and then install new connectors that fit. That's tricky in and of itself.
In then end, you will go out and purchase a new security camera system from another manufacturer because Q-See Cameras do not work.
You will spend a lot of money, wasting a lot of money, to discover that on your own if you are foolish enough to have wasted your time trying to figure this garbage Q-See Camera system out.
Although you can always write off the lost money, realizing that Q-See has the worst possible technical support ever will only make you that much more angrier.
--- Ray Hanania www.hanania.com