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9 Considerations for Choosing Right Home Generators

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Photo © Ryan Tauss on Unsplash

To choose the right home generator is like selecting a quality and new refrigerator or dishwasher; you have needs and you simply want the best. For this reason, you may end up perplexed and confused. Nowadays, there are a number of generator types coming from different retailers and manufacturers in various models, shapes, prices, and sizes.

When choosing generators for home, it is very important to read and research between the lines; these items can put your family at risk. Here are top considerations when choosing what backup power solution works best for your lifestyle and home.

1. Sound Levels

Check the sound decibel and ensure the unit muffler is great quality. A loud and noisy generator will interrupt your family’s favourite program or disturb at night. Simply put, it will not allow your family to enjoy home comforts. Most reputable and good quality standby units sound like an air conditioning compressor or quieter. Purchase models which feature a great quiet mode.

2. Its Cost and Functions

Do you opt to pay extra cash for a premium brand generator or save cash and purchase a cheap budget brand? It is important for you to beware of the company’s leadership and reputation to ensure that you are purchasing a quality generator from a trusted dealer. Cost is usually dependent upon how big your home is, what circuits you want to back up, and your location.

Examine if the generator has its own programmer controller, which allow hands-free operation. The controller makes the unit to be user-friendly especially for the busy homeowners as it acts as the brain of the unit and sends an alarm when it requires maintenance.

3. Fuel Supply

This is a vital part of choosing a home generator. The fuel type should depend on factors such as affordability, accessibility, environment impact, shelf life, and storage safety. Some of the commonly used fuel types include:

· Diesel

Diesel generators require less maintenance, they are fuel-efficient and least flammable. However, they are louder because of the powerful compression ignition and response. Diesel cannot be stored for too long.

· Gasoline

Gasoline is highly accessible and it’s the most typically used. Even so, it is highly flammable and it has a short shelf life.

· Propane

Propane is safe to store and it is a clean fuel. However, it is highly flammable and it is more expensive.

4. Warranty

It is important to consider warranty offerings as well as seals of approvals. A generator company that is most reputable and trusted will offer you warranty flexibility that suits your budget and needs.

5. Generator Sizing

The engine is the heart of the generator. Larger size generators use liquid-cooled engines while smaller ones use air-cooled engines. Consider purchasing an engine built for heavy-duty unit usage. A quality home electric generator has a better engine that has long intervals, and it requires an oil change after every 200 hours or longer per service.

6. Ease of Installation

Consider choosing generator systems with pre-wired transfer switches in order to make it easier for a qualified installer or DIYer.

7. External Shell

Do not overlook the generator’s external shell. The external casing should have easy access for servicing. Consider choosing hinge enclosers and not bolted enclosers. Additionally, rust-resistant shells are the best for they are durable.

8. Weather Protection

Standby home generators with protected control panels are the best for homeowners that are planning to place their units near the windows.

9. Portability

If you love to do some renovations or rearrange your home furniture, you can choose to purchase a portable generator. They come with a transport trailer or wheels.

About The Author:

Caroline Bird is a creative writer and digital marketer. She loves sharing her perspective, tips and how-tos related to home improvement, productivity, business, technology, and SEO through her writing. Connect with Caroline via @bCarolinebird12

The Best NBN Ready Routers for 2019

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Are you looking for very fast internet speed? Then what you need is a NBN (National Broadband Network) ready router.

These routers come at the speed of 12Mbps, 25Mbps, 50Mbps and 100 Mbps. To download your files at these speeds, you need to get yourself a modem router that is compatible with your location’s NBN’s chosen type of technology. In this article, we are going to present you with a selected choice of NBN ready routers that are available in 2019.

NetGear DGN2200

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At the price of $128, you can get NetGear DGN2200, which is a wireless modem router. It comes in unique style and shape. Next to being able to handle fibre and NBN cable functionality, it is also an ADSL2+ modem.

It provides you with N300 Wi-Fi, as 2.4 Ghz single-band transmission. It offers you all that you require, and works well with NBN FTTP/FTTH type connections. It’s a quality router that has a wireless that can perfectly cover your home.

TP-LINK TD-W9970

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TP-LINK’s TD-W9970 is capable for all the fast transmission speeds, up to the most wanted 100 Mbps speed. It is a Wireless N VoIP VDSL/ADSL modem router. It utilizes VDSL technology to achieve such high speed, in this case VDSL2. The price is great – only $89.95.

This router is a great choice in the case that you have ADSL2+ connectivity right now, and are soon going to be provided with VDSL2 NBN. It’s backwards-compatible with ADSL technology, so you can get it as soon as possible.

NetGear DM200 High-Speed DSL Modem

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NetGear’s DM200 is a great router for NBN compatibility, but it doesn’t have the feature to work as a wireless router. The price is good – it is available for only $89. It is made to work with ADSL, ADSL2, ADSL2+, VDSL, and VDSL2 technologies.

If you are only looking for a wired connection, the LAN port can be directly connected to your PC. There is only one LAN port, so it’s a great router if you already have a powerful Wi-Fi router in your hands. If you don’t, then you might want to look for another option.

D-Link G225 N300 ADSL2+/VDSL2 Modem Router

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D-Link’s DSL-G225 is a modem that works with all the available NBN speeds. Its internal network speed is 10/100 Ethernet. The same as TD-W9970, this router is compatible with VDSL and ADSL technologies.

When it comes to wireless distribution speeds, they are at 300 Mbps over the 802.11 n Wi-Fi standard. This makes it a really great choice for a NBN ready router. Next to impressive features, it also looks great, so it’s a router that you’ll want to try out. It comes at the price of $99.95.

NetComm NF10W

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NF10W is a beautifully designed VDSL/ADSL modem router which works perfectly for NBN via the FTTN model, making use of fibre connectivity to a node in your basement (FTTB). There is a separate WAN port that can work with Gigabit Ethernet, which is 10/100/1000, or in other words, one that can get speeds of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps.

For LAN purposes, it offers four Fast Ethernet ports, which are compatible for 1/100, or 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps speeds. Furthermore, you get N300 wireless connectivity. The cost is $104.

NetGear D1500

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Another NetGear product – D1500 comes at the cheap price of $49. You should keep in mind that unlike most other routers discussed in this article, it isn’t VDSL2 compatible. It is an ADSL2+ router that works with fibre and cable. This means that it has a dual LAN/WAN port in the back, which works with NBN by utilizing FTTH delivery only.

This router’s ADSL2+ capability is at 20 Mbps. When it comes to its Wi-Fi speed, it is at 300 Mbps. It includes only two LAN ports for Fast Ethernet, which has higher speed than standard Ethernet, but lower than Gigabit Ethernet. This means that you can reach speeds up to 100 Mbps. Due to only two LAN ports, it’s not suitable for more than one device. Netgear has launched some super fast 2019 Modem router models.

Linksys X3500 N750

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If you are looking for a Gigabit Ethernet device, with the speed up to 1000Mbps, then Linksys X3500 N750 is the right choice for you. It comes with an ADSL2+ modem, and is one of the more expensive choices, being $130. It does a great job at distributing NBN connectivity through your home.

Its Wi-Fi standard the same as other routers that utilize 802.11n. However, it works on dual bands, which means that its Wi-Fi transmission is boosted to 750 Mbps. Its downside is the design that looks quite outdated, and it offers less features than some of the other choices in this article.

Conclusion

A NBN ready router is your path to fast internet speed. Take into consideration these reviews of some of the best routers out there, and make your choice. Remember to make sure that the modem is compatible with the NBN’s chosen type of technology in your area.

Also, another thing to bear in mind is the security aspect of your gear. IT Support Sydney specialists recommend looking only at routers that have WPA2-PSK or greater encryption methods.

Though most routers will have WEP and other methods available as well, make sure to tick the WPA2 method and, of course, to choose a strong password at least 12 characters long, with spaces, numbers and other uncommon symbols. And finally, to ensure the best speed possible out of your Wi-Fi, check the channel availability and choose the least busy channel.

Travel Tips: The Importance of Lockers in Airports

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Why airport lockers are the unsung heroes for mega travellers everywhere.

I travel, a lot. When I do get the time and funds together to pull off a really epic trip, I go all out. This means that I’m bring home a mass of rare finds, flea market jewels, and- yes, I know it’s lame- a ton of souvenirs for friends and family. On top of the fact that my baggage has baggage, I also like to make sure that I book flights with extremely long layovers (sometimes up to 48 hours) in cities that I want to lounge around in for a few hours.

This works great for me, I get to see everything and more, and I really get to make the most of the time and money I have available to me. The only part of it that was starting to get a bit worrisome was what I was going to do with bags upon bags of necessities, gifts, and all those fantastic items that make my house look like an 18th century museum. I wasn’t ready to sacrifice any of my luggage, but I also wasn’t wanting to sacrifice my travel time either. The simple solution to my perceived travel woes? Airport lockers.

This brain child came to me as I was lugging a small pachyderm and six of it’s friends worth of bag weight around Sydney Airport. I had booked one of my famous 48 hour power tours of the city, complete with museums, walking tours, discos, and bar crawls. Sydney is known for its wild nightlife as well as as for being city that is steeped in history and class. I had booked a cheap overnight in a crowded hostel near the city center. While this is a tactic I rely on more often than not, I also use websites like couchsurfing when I can and stay with locals I don’t know. This is fine by me and I’ve never really ran into any issues with it, but it does feel a bit awkward busting into someone’s home with seven giant bags and two large suitcases- just to snag a nap for the night. So there I was, standing in the middle of the airport, amongst a sea of overstuffed luggage, with a plan that absolutely did not include toting those bags with me. Right on the verge of mental breakdown, I look up and what do my wondering eyes spy? A line of airport lockers.

The lockers in the Sydney airport are brilliant. They come in a number of shapes and sizes, and are great for overnight storage. I ended up having to hire about six of them, but even then it didn’t break the bank. I kept one of my favourite messenger bags stuffed with essentials and set off. Feeling the freedom and confidence of running around the city, only armed with a fresh pair of underwear, cocktail dress, and a toothbrush, was incredible. The lockers enabled me to run around without having to concern myself with the safety of my artefact’s, or the safety of my health.

Running around with a mass of luggage isn’t just awkward and embarrassing (no one wants to be that tourist) but Sydney is hot, and I am not exactly in my prime health. I mean, I’m fit, but I’m not running any marathons any time soon. Pack on seven huge bags, heat, and several miles worth of walking tours, and I would have ended up looking like the back end of a baboon. Only extra sweaty.

Leaving my bags in the airport lockers kept me looking fresh as a daisy while I spent all day and all night experiencing this great city. Not only that, but I didn’t lose any sleep over worrying about whether or not my purchases were safe from any prying roommates.

I always find it surprising that lockers aren’t utilized more often. They’re spectacular for packing away your baggage while you have an overnight romp in an unknown city- but their usefulness doesn’t stop there. Travelling with kids? Lockers are a great way to store a bunch of luggage for a few hours while you bustle around the airport, making sure that you have your hands free for feeding, changing diapers, and general wrangling. They also work really well for stowing things away while you use the bathroom to freshen up between flights, or slip into the bar to relax before hitting the plane again. Lockers are what keep you from looking like a harried sentinel, desperately attempting to keep one eye on your charge at all times.

The peace of mind that you get from knowing that your items are safe and easily retrievable is something that you can never get enough of when your living out your travelling dreams. Lockers are definitely the things that keep these dreams from turning into nightmares.

The Lightbulb List – Understanding the Benefits of Solar Energy

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Image: http://sustainablebenefits.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/solar-farm-panels.jpg

Solar energy has become increasingly popular over the last three decades. With consumers becoming ever more eco-conscious, we are seeing a huge rise in people wanting to live more sustainably and contribute to a more energy efficient planet. Considering the benefits of solar energy is now more essential than ever in adapting to a sustainable, environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Nowadays, there are many different ways that we can lower our carbon footprint on a daily basis. From recycling to upcycling, from hydro to hybrids and renewables to new ways of thinking, there are a plethora of ways that we can lower our impact on the environment. Harnessing the energy if the sun through solar energy is the fastest growing source of new energy and is having a big impact on how Australians are making positive changes.

Continue reading below, to find out more about the advantages of solar energy and how using solar energy could positively impact your life.

Renewable Resource

The first and most well-known benefit of solar energy is that it is taken directly from the sun’s radiation. As sunlight hits the Earth, we can harness this natural energy resource to power homes, buildings and even cities. Of course, solar is a renewable resource as, although night falls and there are cloudy days, each and every day the radiation from the sun will reach the Earth’s surface and can be collected until the sun burns out, millions of years from now.

Solar Vs Grid Electricity Costs

Solar energy offers two types of resources for energy used in the home and workplace: thermal energy and sunlight converted directly into electricity.

Due to the rise in investigation, research and interest in solar power over the past 30 years, prices for solar energy facilities and installations have dropped considerably and are now much more affordable than in the past. There has also been a rise in grid electricity supply prices. As both thermal and solar panel energy fixtures are becoming cheaper and the investment return is being repaid so much quicker, it is unsurprising that more and more people are being persuaded to use solar energy because of the long-term economic benefits.

Additional Economic Advantages

As well as the savings that people experience from switching to solar energy, there are also various tax advantages and rebates from solar energy installations. These extra economic advantages are offered through regional and national governments, organisations with renewable energy goals and even electricity companies when extra collected energy is filtered to the grid.

Remote Access to Solar Energy

Even in the most remote places, the sun will be able to benefit those who are well prepared to receive solar energy. Not only in the capacity of solar panels on homes of rural-dwellers but also in ways that are not so evident. Solar energy can be used to heat water in areas with no access to hot running water or distil it, in areas with no drinking water.

Solar Energy’s Environmental Footprint

Although there are some negative environmental effects that come from the manufacturing and transporting of solar energy equipment, the overall consensus is that solar energy has far less damaging effects on the environment than other energy sources.

In addition to this, once solar thermal equipment or panelling is installed, there is no noise pollution or environmental contamination produced. Solar energy produces no greenhouse gas emissions because there is no burning of fossil fuels involved as the sunlight is converted directly into electricity.

Infinite Solar Power

From these benefits, it’s easy to understand that solar energy, as a source of renewable power, can help us in many ways. The sun is not likely to disappear in the near future, nor can it be monopolised by large corporations. The advantages of solar energy far outweigh any initial negative aspects of solar power, making it one of the best choices for both homeowners and businesses to make positive changes for the future.

How to Choose the Right Commercial Air Conditioning Unit for Your Business

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When choosing quality air conditioning for your business, it’s best to go for a custom-tailored solution for your commercial installation. You want your employees to be comfortable as overbearing heat can have a large impact on productivity. You’ll want to seek expert advice on your air conditioning installation so you can get the right fit for your business.

One of the biggest mistakes made by businesses, is choosing the wrong air conditioning unit. Anyone considering a commercial air conditioning should get in touch with an air conditioning designer who can tailor the solution specifically for you. These quality air conditioning professionals understand how everything needs to work together and what features you’ll need to get the maximum benefit from your units.

Read on for a rundown on what you should be considering when installing quality air conditioning for your business or commercial property.

Size and Scope

Size is the most important factor to consider before your commercial installation. Each space in your office or building should be treated individually. The air conditioning requirements of an industrial plant will be vastly different to those in a small office. Always choose an air conditioning system that compliments your intended environment.

One of the major decisions will be whether you’re after a single thermostat or if you’ll need to split the system up into different zones. A single thermostat is exactly how it sounds. A unit that is controlled from one spot with that temperature being consistent in the affected area. This is perfect for a smaller area that is self-contained. Businesses such as small restaurants or offices would benefit the most from this solution.

Breaking them up into zones however is the best option for large commercial properties or offices that are divided by lots of individual rooms. These systems have quality air conditioning that can be tailored to each specific room. Your large break room can have its unit working harder to cool the larger, traffic heavy space, whilst the unit in your office with be operating at the lower end as it doesn’t have to affect a larger space.

Not all quality air conditioning units are created equal. Make sure to choose an air conditioner unit with all the features you need that’s within your budget. Your chosen specialist will work with you to design a system that’ll work for you.

Power Usage

The power usage of your air conditioning unit will be an on-going cost you’ll want to consider before your commercial installation. If you end up with a system that isn’t energy efficient it could end up costing you a huge amount of money in the long run. This is of paramount importance for those businesses that will have their air conditioning units running 24/7.

To make sure you get an energy efficient air conditioning unit you may need to pay a bit more money upfront. Don’t worry though, as this will save you big bucks in the long run by way of reducing operating costs. A little immediate pain for some huge long-term gains.

Air Filtering

A little-known benefit of a quality air conditioning unit is its air filtering ability. Air conditioning systems are very effective at removing dust, spores, mold and additional unhygienic particles in your commercial business environment. Removing these ‘baddies’ from the air will create a healthier workplace for you and your staff. Reduce those total sick days with a quality air conditioning unit.

If you’re considering investing in a commercial installation of a quality air conditioning system, always hire the services of the experts such as the team over at https://toshiba-aircon.com.au/. They’ll help you organise the type of system that your business requires. Remember these points when choosing your quality air conditioning and you’ll have a system that benefits you, your employees and your business.

How Does Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning Works?

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https://pixabay.com/en/ice-cream-cone-melting-hot-1274894/ – Toshiba Carrier Air

A reverse cycle air conditioner is a great system as it both warms and cools your home. This means that not only will you be able to keep yourself cool during those hot Aussie summers, but you’ll also be able to keep yourself warm when winter rolls around.

Having a system that offers both options means only needing to invest in the one product. Whilst it can be a large investment at first, it will save you money down the line, and means you get to avoid purchasing bulky electric heaters or fans.

So how exactly does a reverse cycle air conditioner work? Read on as we break it down, so you can get a better understanding of how it both heats and cools your home.

How it heats your home

The system works by extracting the cool air from outside and bringing it inside. Once is has been brought in, the refrigerant (a cold liquid) is passed through an external coil, where it then absorbs the heat from the air.

The refrigerant, once it has absorbed the heat, is pumped by a compressor, down into a condenser. The process of compressing the refrigerant helps to warm it up to the desired temperature. By use of a fan, the air is pushed into the room, which heats the room up.

Once the process is completed, and the hot air is being pumped into the room, the refrigerant is taken back down through an evaporator where it is cooled back down, before it is pumped back to the condenser to repeat the process.

How it cools your home

The process is completely identical when it comes to cooling your home. The only difference is that cold air is blown into your home, which means the process is simply reversed. So rather than the refrigerant warming up the air, instead it cools it down.

This is great because you don’t need to buy two systems to do both processes for you. The one reverse cycle air conditioner will do both, with no extra hassle to you.

Inverter technology

It is becoming increasingly popular to see inverter technology within reverse system air conditioners. Inverter technology allows the air conditioners to adjust the power to reach the desired room temperature and maintain it. This is in contrast to traditional models that just have an on/off button, and this therefore makes the system far more efficient.

This also helps the air conditioner to be more economical, as it reaches the desired temperature far quicker than conventional methods, and reduces the need to keep turning the air conditioner on and off.

Technology Game-Changers in Small Business Security

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Regardless of what business you are in, security probably plays a role in what you do.

Ideally all small businesses would have great security systems in place, but in the past factors such as cost, complexity and effectiveness have tended to force business owners to compromise on their security

So what were the problems, why do small business owners need to shift their thinking, and what are the benefits to small business owners from moving to modern cameras based, smartphone controlled security systems?

What business security used to look like

The most common security systems for business in Australia and internationally, has long been a monitored alarm. You have a range of sensors in and around your business premises, with a siren, flashing light and phone connection to the alarm company.

The down side for business owners were always ongoing monitoring fees, extra call out costs, and no way to easily tell false alarms from the real deal.

The other tool widely adopted by businesses was CCTV. Security cameras in strategic locations fed footage to a central location where it was recorded with the option to watch it live on attached TV screen.

While very useful from a business perspective, recordings from a surveillance camera system were often difficult to access when needed, and if you wanted to view the footage live, you needed a dedicated security person to do that. The missing link was the lack of any connection between your CCTV system and your security systems.

How security systems have changed

High powered smartphones, almost ubiquitous data connectivity and relatively cheap but high image quality IP cameras are the three key components that have made modern business security camera systems possible.

A product like CleverLoop uses these as the core of their system. It adds motion analysis algorithms to both indoor and outdoor security cameras, provides local and a cloud storage option for footage, and then pulls the whole thing together with a smart central hub. All this while also giving you you a powerful, but free, business security app for your phone to run it all from.

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For a business owner, the big benefits have been streamlining your security, reducing upfront and ongoing costs, and giving you the business owner or manager control over your own security.

Streamline your business security

With CleverLoop, one system handles all of your business security needs, and gives you complete control.

Record the feeds from any or all of your cameras direct to a hard drive and you’ve got a CCTV system, but better options for viewing footage.

Arm your cameras, either individually or the whole system, and your Base Station analyses the footage for movement, filtering out anything minor, and sending alerts of anything important that happens straight to your smartphone, complete with a snapshot of what caused the alert.

Adding cameras to your business security system gives you a massive advantage over traditional sensor based security, namely you can see what is happening. Add in clever learning algorithms and a range of fine-tuning options, and false alarms are a thing of the past.

Reducing business costs

In a like for like comparison, a CleverLoop system, fully installed, costs less than all of it’s serious competitors, and about the same as a modest traditional monitored alarm system. Where the savings really begin is the first day that you start using your CleverLoop business security system – with no ongoing fees.

Then the next layer of savings start happening. It could be retail shrinkage (otherwise known as shoplifting) or employee theft, of stock or cash, that is hurting your bottom line. Either way, a CleverLoop security system is a big part of your solution.

Simply having cameras in your business, and the stickers in your windows, acts as a deterrent. Having video footage literally at your fingertips gives you a powerful tool to deal with whatever sort of retail loss you are experiencing and help you protect your profits.

Putting you in control

With a CleverLoop working for you in your business, you are in control of every aspect of your security. Using an app on your smartphone as your main interface means your business security is always close at hand.

Grab your phone to live view the cameras covering your business, even when you are in a different city or country. Checking up on stock, staff, customers or just how business is going has never been easier.

Use your phone to switch recording to hard drive on and off for individual cameras, and to access the footage when you are on the premises.

And finally you can arm and disarm the camera system and receive alerts and video of significant activity wherever you are with a few clicks on your smartphone.

Ready to step up your business security?

So business security, particularly for small businesses, has gone through a significant shift in technology. Are you making the most of this disruption in the security sector to protect your business?