We're starting out with the one Vonnie recommended, because... well, it's in our budget. It arrives on Thursday, and we'll see if that does the trick or if we need to scale up.

It's really not a large place at all; it's just long and narrow and all the outlets are weirdly placed.

Thank you so much!

We're starting out with the one Vonnie recommended, because... well, it's in our budget.

Same. If the cheap one doesn't work I'll probably get an eero but my house really isn't that big and it's just this one corner (where the desk is, of course) where the wifi doesn't always reach.

ARGH. It arrived today and I think it could work (the signal is nice and strong even in the front bedroom), except that it seems to think it's an extension of our old network, not the new one.

The old one still shows up as a phantom network periodically in our list of available wifi networks, even though the router it was tied to is long since dead, the new one has a new name and new password, and all the devices that ever connected to that old network are long gone. The new extender is persistently telling me it's called "[Oldname]-EXT" and it fiercely repudiates the password for the new network.

Of course neither Hec nor I has any idea what that old password was, how to exorcise that phantom or how to convince the extender (just a box with antennae) that it's actually extending the new network, not the phantom.

eta: HOLY MOTHERFORKING SHIRTBALLS IT WORKS NOW! I went online, registered the extender, declared my sole ownership of it, and BOOM, it coughed up the ancient password. It still thinks it's connecting to the phantom network and not the actual one, but I don't care. It can think whatever it wants as long as it works. I'm typing this from my bed AIFG.

Thank you, Buffistas all, and thank you, Vonnie!

Yay! I'm glad that it worked for you.

One thing I've noticed with this extender is the fact that it extends the coverage under a new wifi network name. So with my FIOS router, I have "FIOS_something" for my living room, and for my bedroom, the network name is "FIOS_something_2GEXT". The issue I'm seeing is when I carry my wifi connected laptop from my bedroom to the living room. It's supposed to effortlessly toggle between the two network (I mean, it's really one network, but extender makes it behave like two overlapping ones) but it... kinda doesn't. If I carry my laptop to the opposite corner of my condo from the bedroom while I'm connected to the "2GEXT," it loses the connection. I usually manually have to go to the list of wifi networks and select the main one for it to start working.

It's more of an annoyance then a real issue, but sometimes a girl likes to move around the house while holding the laptop on one hand and a coffee cup on the other, you know? Well maybe I should quit doing that...

Oh yay -- I also now have this need! Am ordering now. Coming soon: wifi on the back porch.

Is there a simple way to use my iPhone as a webcam connected to my Mac Mini for Skype and Zoom? Google is not being helpful.

Cursory googling says no. The Android equivalent exists but uses an interface that iPhones don't provide.

Is there any reason you can't just use Skype / zoom directly on the phone? I almost always do that unless I'm hosting.

I can, I'd just rather have a larger screen, especially for Zoom.

I decided a good project would be to rip all the CDs I got from Dad so I can actually listen to them.

Does anyone have any recommendations for PC-compatible (Windows 10) software to rip CDs?

I've always just used iTunes on Windows to rip CDs. But the people who are way more knowledgeable than I am about sound software may have much more informed opinions than I do!

Me, I need some kind of microphone so that I can use my desktop (Windows) for interactive Zoom. I can always use my laptop (Mac) with the built-in, but the desktop has a huge screen and I can sit up and look more (OK, a little) professional.

What mic setup would be OK for Windows? Should I just get a cheap gamer's headset. It doesn't have to be Bluetooth, though I suppose if it was I could then you some kind of ear clippy thing with my Android phone...

sigh. technology.