So recently I had a discussion with a friend in the IT field which got a bit heated. I realized that while we were saying the same thing – the way in which we’d analyze and question the client was different. So I got to thinking – how could I make this easier for persons to get into? Let’s make an attempt.
DISCLAIMER
As usual – this is my own POV. If you disagree we can discuss. Etc. Etc.
I’m also going to try and simplify this to keep it somewhat short. So let’s go into it.
YOUR NEEDS
The best computer/laptop/tablet/phone/car/etc – is the one that suits your needs. Now I added “car” into that for a reason that we’ll get into for comparison.
All cars do exactly the same thing. They get you from point A to point B. Some are more comfortable than others. Some you may have a certain experience with that gives you a bias towards one versus another. As an example – some persons swear by European vehicles, some rather Japanese and others rather the “American Muscle” types. But whatever the reason – regardless of how fast or slow – they do the job.
A computer/laptop is very similar. It will get the job done regardless of specs, but some will do it faster than others. With that bit out of the way. Let’s talk money.
BUDGET
This is usually the deciding factor. Regardless of all the bells and whistles – the price will usually be the deciding factor. If the system is a desktop then the ability to upgrade individual parts will be more likely. Portable devices (laptop/tablet/phone) don’t usually have that luxury – or the parts that CAN be upgraded/changed would be less. So let’s go into the next question.
PLATFORM
The primary area my friend and I got stuck on. The platform. I ask this for familiarity and the possibility that a user/client may already have software within the platform that they want to continue using. For example – a Windows user may have purchased Sony Vegas for video editing while a Mac user may have purchased an Adobe Premiere license. Persons with licenses like Adobe Creative Cloud may be able to move between Mac and Windows platforms, but platform familiarity will also reduce the learning curve to get tasks done. Which brings me to the next point.
USAGE CASE
This is related to the first point – your needs. If you’re going to be gaming then it’s more recommended to use Windows. This isn’t to say you can’t game on Mac or Linux – but it’s easier to get things set up on Windows. If you’re doing emulation, the new Mac M2 does an excellent job – far better than equivalent priced PC hardware.
This section isn’t one that can be painted with a broad brush – there’s too many variables. But your comfort level with the platform, the upgrade path and budget will all play a part in your decision.
FAMILIARITY (Again – Somewhat)
When asked about a recommendation, I may say (for example) that you should buy the HP EliteBook. Your reply may then be that you hate HP based on your experience. I could then suggest Lenovo – and your reply may be that you don’t want anything out of China. These variables may then cause certain questions to be raised based on the needs. So how can we (somewhat) summarize this?
SUMMARY
What is your budget?
Do you have a platform preference?
Do you have software/licenses that you wish to keep?
If you do have licenses – are they platform specific?
Are you looking into moving to another platform?
Are you looking for a desktop (stationary) or a laptop (portability)?
There’s more to it – but I think that’ll do to get the ball rolling. In the mean time – as of today – 2023-02-17 – you can check out a few of these links below.
To make things easier. If you buy a gaming class device, or a business class device – whether it’s a laptop or desktop – then it will likely have better components and a longer warranty. If you want your desktop system built by a technician – that can be done as well. If you go the Mac route – bear in mind that there are various models. There will usually be a BASE MODEL that has very little to it – as well as a “flagship” model that has all the bells and whistles.
In the past – getting a Mac would be difficult where warranty and servicing is concerned, but ATL is an authorized dealer locally. This means that all of the services that you’d get overseas can be had right here.
Lastly – don’t expect a $200 computer/laptop to give you the performance of a $500 one. Unlike a car – the person driving it doesn’t improve the chances of a better result.
I’d like to have persons somewhat familiarized with Starlink and what it does. Then we’ll get into some more details. A good video with information is linked below.
Basically – it’s a satellite internet service that is faster than the old ones. Dish had satellite internet, but due to how far those were, the latency was horrible. You had internet – but very slow.
Starlink uses low-orbit satellites to give you MUCH improved service over the other satellite internet providers.
With that out of the way – let’s get into some details that you may need to move forward.
PRICING
The cost of the Starlink hardware (as of this writing – 2023-02-06) is JMD$60,500. It’s quite a lot, but considering a few things…it’s not that bad.
Your kit contains:
A wireless router. No LAN.
A power cable for the router.
A standing mount for the “dish”.
A “dish” – satellite receiver.
A really long cable attached to the “dish”.
That’s it. Nothing else. The main issue I had is no LAN – but we’ll get into that later. You can buy multiple addons from their site at https://shop.starlink.com/ if you so desire.
The reason it costs so much – aside from the general hardware cost – is the fact that this includes:
The hardware (listed above).
Shipping – using DHL.
CUSTOMS!!!!!
Delivery – again – DHL.
The fact that it includes customs makes it worth the price IMO. Especially considering that the cost in the USA is around USD$599 (USD$600 basically).
DHL
The shipping done by DHL in Jamaica is a bit tricky. If you’re in Kingston or some other location that has a street number, lot number, house number, etc…then you’ll get the item right at your door. Most of Jamaica doesn’t have this, so the item will most likely be delivered to the nearest DHL to your shipping address. So you’ll get a phone call once the item is available at the nearest DHL location – you go in – sign for it – go home.
SETTING UP
I’m going to apologize for some of the low quality pictures you’ll see. But here we go.
The box is about 2ft by 1ft. You get the previously listed items.
The “dish” plus the stand. A really long cable. And the router. Above you’ll see the “dish” on the stand with the router on the right.
The box is very neatly packed. I recommend saving everything and making a note of how it was packaged. You can then put it back if you want to return it after the free trial period (30 days) is up.
Once you get everything out – you’ll see what I was talking about. The cable is really long – probably 75 feet or more. They have 75ft and 150ft cables on https://shop.starlink.com/ – so I assume you’re shipped with one of those.
There’s a card included that gives instructions. The assembly is straightforward and pretty easy. There is just one thing I need to stress though…
DO NOT TRY TO MOVE THE UNIT BY HAND. The “dish” has motors and will automatically attempt to align itself once it’s connected. Once you’re done it should be the items below connected by a cable – and a power cable from the router to JPS. I advise you to get a UPS to reduce your downtime and protect the equipment from surges/outages.
It’s best to have the device placed where there are no visible obstructions. I assume that based on our location, a clear view to North is advised. You can secure the device to your roof or elsewhere – I’ll get into some other details about the device later on.
You’ll realize in the above image that the “dish” is aligned North. I noticed this prior to securing the device to a roof. It always faced North. Since Jamaica is a small island in comparison to a large continent like the USA – I assume all “dishes” will be aligned to the same location.
CONFIGURATION
Prior to setting up – it’s advised to get the Starlink app from the related store – Apple or Android.
You should already have a login to the Starlink website – use that when signing into the app.
Once you have everything up and running – you’ll see a network called STARLINK that is open. Connect to it and go through the setup in the app. In my case – the device may have been used previously and not reset properly. The person obviously didn’t like the unit or company. My network was called “STINKY”.
Everything prompts you on how to proceed. Set up the wireless network and leave the system to do what it needs to do.
It’ll take a while for everything to be done – 15 minutes to 30 minutes – but it’s pretty straightforward as I said. Here are some other images and information to give you some ideas beforehand.
As stated – the device needs a clear view of the sky. It’ll align itself automatically once it’s on.
Once everything is done you’ll have internet available by wireless. As I said – really easy to set up and configure. But – let’s get into some other things.
LOCATION
While Jamaica is a small place – the device is location locked. You can’t take it from MoBay to Negril and expect it to work. You’ll probably get an error like below.
There’s also some information when you try to move the location – either online through the website or through the app. And I’ve got a tip for that.
Hit the option to UPDATE ADDRESS and ensure you have Google Maps handy. Find your address and get the coordinates. As an example – “18.502432073010848, -77.91474222411976” is the location for the airport in MoBay. The Starlink app location doesn’t support that many characters, so it may end up as something like “18.502432, -77.914742” instead. But just get it as close as possible. Once you put that in – give it another 15-30 minutes and it’ll come right up.
Another method is to use the “PLUS CODE” for the location. Still using MBJ Airport (Sangster’s) you can find the code once you scroll down if it’s not visible.
If the “PLUS CODE” is not available, click on your location on the map. It will drop a pin and show the coordinates at the bottom.
Once you click on your coordinates, it will bring up the “PLUS CODE” on the left.
In the picture above, I picked a random location close to the airport – you’ll see that the “PLUS CODE” is on the left once you click on the coordinates at the bottom in the prior image. It’s best to use that on the StarLink site – it seems to work better. On the off chance your location doesn’t have a plus code after following the instructions, just use the coordinates. Copy and paste into the StarLink site and you should be good to go.
One issue with this may be the zooming in. You could be attempting to change the location and notice that the option is not available. You must zoom in as close as possible on the available map to get the location changed. Just bear in mind the coordinates from Google Maps – or use the website.
PORTABILITY?
They offer portability to be able to move the device wherever you want. For an additional JMD$2,000 monthly. This was an issue from what I saw – because the Boat & RV version is not available in Jamaica. We only get the fixed address version so you’re a bit limited in what you can do. A workaround would be to use it at home and then – if you’re going elsewhere temporarily – take it and pay the extra JMD$2,000 so you’ll have internet wherever you are.
WiFi STANDARD
Another issue I had is the standard the device uses. We have basically 6 versions of wireless standards.
A – Old original standard.
B – Next available standard.
G – Probably the most common standard with older devices.
N – Not too old standard which has gained traction.
AC – Pretty recent standard which isn’t available on all devices.
AX – The latest standard.
WiFi6 or WiFi-6 is also Wireless AX. The latest and greatest. It’s a bit unfortunate that the device stops at AC (5) and didn’t go to AX (6) – but it’s still not bad.
For the more technical persons – let me put this here.
So it depends on a couple things. However – WiFi-6 is the latest but WiFi-5 is where the Starlink router stops – as of this post.
LAN?
There is no network port available on the device. If you want that – you’ll have to buy the addon for it.
SPEEDS
Now – they advertise 200Mbps for you to see, but what you get will vary.
The finalized speed test showed 130Mbps down with 19Mbps up. That’s FAR better than you can get on DSL locally, and especially in areas where there is no available internet – or poor signal (like Portland) this would be awesome.
What I found confusing is the upload speeds. Note that there are two separate test results above. The LEFT is from the phone to the speed test server in use. The RIGHT is from the “dish” to the satellite. You’ll notice it has awesome download link speeds – but the phone is much slower. Yet – for some reason – the upload on the phone side is higher. I assume this is part of the available bandwidth based on network saturation. It’s possible that more people going online will reduce the overall performance, but they are improving it constantly – so maybe things will be about the same?
LATENCY
Some persons complained about the latency being high, but I didn’t see that. Considering how the technology is, you’re getting great service for about JMD$1,000 more than what FLOW would charge for their HFC service. And you are less likely to have downtimes like FLOW would give.
For the more technical persons – here are two latency tests. Click to enlarge and view the results.
Overall – for a satellite service to average under 80ms during tests – that’s a win IMO.
MANAGEMENT
It’s best to use the app to do everything. With the exception of the location aspect – the app is the way to go. With it you can change all the settings for the wireless along with power management settings for snow melting and such – which we don’t need in Jamaica. You can also “stow” the device from the app. This basically puts it back in position so you can package it for storage or shipping.
CONCLUSION
While Digicel and FLOW are the best available options for home internet, Starlink is a strong third contender. If you need a multi-WAN setup you can use Starlink as your failover.
If you’re in a location where HFC or fiber internet is not available from either FLOW or Digicel (FLOW has both based on availability and area – Digicel is fiber only) – then Starlink is the best option.
If you live in a remote location and want to be mostly off-grid – then Starlink is your best option.
Price is pretty good in comparison to the USD costs – the monthly charge is just JMD$1,000 more than what you’d pay to FLOW for current HFC packages – you probably won’t need an “expert” to do the install – and there is no contact. You can stop your service whenever and resume when you’re ready.
The only drawback is the initial cost for the hardware, but once you’ve gotten past that – you should have fairly reliable service.
I’ve just not done so far is test it in a storm or on a really cloudy day – but I’ll update once that’s done.
UPDATE – 2023-05-31
So I’ve tested during rain with clouds – and I’m still getting over 100Mbps down. I’ve done tests and gotten 200Mbps+ while it’s raining – so it’s safe to say it works quite well. Once you have the cables secured, you should even be able to use it during a storm. I don’t recommend that though – you could have damage to the device. It’s best to take it down if you have the threat of a hurricane and then put it back after. While wind and rain shouldn’t affect it, you have no control over flying debris.
I forgot to mention – though it’s kind of obvious – StarLink is an INTERNET ONLY provider. You won’t get cable TV or land line. If you go the StarLink route, it would be best to have an IPTV or other subscription if you’re a TV person.
For the phones – most places locally (Jamaica) have land line numbers that you can call directly. The locations you’d want a land line to call would mostly be those with toll free numbers listed. Using the Yellow Pages website to look up a company will usually provide a regular number you can call directly. JPS for example, has no direct number on their own website, but they do have a regular number on the Yellow Pages listing. You want to use regular numbers if you have a mobile plan with limited or unlimited minutes, as calls to toll free numbers in Jamaica are not toll free from a mobile device.
For me, the fact that the service is less likely to be down when FLOW and Digicel might be – that’s a major win. We even had recent events in the last week or two from this update where most of the island was out of service if you were a FLOW user. This happened for a day or two and affected both residential and business customers. Digicel also had one of the longest outages I’ve ever heard of from a user in Mandeville – from about 6PM the evening before until about 11AM the next day. This is unheard of with Digicel from when I’ve seen, as outages do not usually last more than 2 hours. Maintenance with Digicel is also done in the very late hours, and customers are still given notice by SMS about the maintenance being done.
That’s it for now. Hopefully the information helps. Weigh the pros and cons and take your pick.
UPDATE – 2024-03-09
There is currently a deal going on where you can purchase a refurbished kit for about JMD$36,000. According to StarLink – this kit will have the same warranty as a new kit.
Go on their website directly and do the order. During the process it’ll ask if you want a new kit (about JMD$60,000) or the refurbished kit.
The link above should take you to information about IntComex. They’re basically a franchise company like KFC or BK. There are multiple locations across the Caribbean and they provide lots of IT & computer supplies.
Originally when they came to Jamaica, I was attending NCU. The year I don’t recall. At that point – EVERYONE on campus doing IT had an account with them. I didn’t bother to open one because I could literally walk into the hallway and find someone who had an account. Considering that I had setup the first LAN and message board system in use on the dorms, it was easy to message the room and get stuff purchased as well.
Prices were better than everywhere else. This was also before the rise of the freight forwarding companies and commonplace Visa/Mastercard debit cards. Doing a direct purchase from IntComex would give you a rate close to what you’re seeing on Amazon – and less than what most computer stores locally would charge.
IntComex became the major supplier for just about everywhere. And that’s where things went South – with the beginning of the monopoly.
Campbell’s Office Supplies in Kingston were a dealer for Cooler Master – a decent brand for peripherals such as cases, power supplies and fans. Since you could get all your supplies at IntComex, Campbells came out of the PC dealership and focused on the office supplies around 2019. While you can get items special ordered, it will take 2 weeks to get it here – and most persons can just order on Amazon now.
Having pushed most other dealers and companies out of business, if you can’t get what you want at IntComex – you’re better off ordering it. The pricing model for IntComex started climbing shortly after grabbing the market. The prices are currently just around what it would cost for you to buy on Amazon/eBay – pay the freight forwarding company – and pay customs. I mean – that’s not too bad, right? Right? Well – it wouldn’t be if they didn’t suddenly reduce the inventory.
One of the major problems in Jamaica currently is power. JPS is the primary power (electricity) supplier and the power is…dirty to say the least. No fault of theirs and not everywhere. If you don’t have a good UPS and power supply (PSU) for your PC, you’ll end up paying much more over time for your ownership.
That link above will show some good power supplies. IntComex went from having EVGA as an option to only having XTech. You’ll note that XTech isn’t even on the list. None of the better brands like those listed below can be found in Jamaica.
Thermaltake
Cooler Master
EVGA
Corsair
Antec
Seasonic
Enermax
Corsair
OCZ
The above list isn’t comprehensive, but it shows what the options are. Cooler Master is on the list in the link multiple times – and it’s no longer available easily at Campbells. You’d ideally want at least an 80 plus bronze power supply – I’ve no seen that on XTech at any point.
Something you can do. Find someone – a store or otherwise – that has a good quality dead power supply. If they have a 500W – compare it with a 700W Xtech. I guarantee you that any smaller output PSU from one of the companies in the link above, will weigh twice or more than a 700W or higher XTech PSU.
Does the weight matter? Not really. But it shows the difference in the quality and number of components used. The use of the PSU here is just one of the areas. No good motherboards, RAM or CPUs are easily available anymore. Everything has to be purchased online. And the best part? If it costs more than USD$50 the customs will slap you with their fees. This is retarded considering that the duty-free amount when you physically travel is USD$500 last I checked. Especially for IT parts – they should allow for a greater threshold.
I think I’ll leave that there where it is. There’s not much else to say. Where IntComex is concerned – the options are horrible – the pricing is no longer as pocket-friendly as it was – oh! I forgot! They’ve now locked things so you have to meet a certain purchase criteria before you can get membership. So if you’re not a business and moving a certain volume – you can’t buy from them. Neat huh?
My recommendation is to find a tech or friend that is in tech. Pay something to have them locate what you need online if it’s a full build – or just ask for a recommendation if it’s a single part. Get a good UPS – not FORZA – and protect your investment as much as possible.
Links below will show why getting an 80 plus bronze or higher PSU is recommended.
Basically. An 80 plus PSU is guaranteed by the manufacturer to work properly even on 80% load. Most cheap PSUs fail after 50%-70% load (like XTech) and some fail even lower. You can’t use an XTech to run a gaming or graphics/video editing system. While it may work for a time, it will likely damage your devices as the power will be fluctuating and not stable. Add that to JPS and you have a recipe for a fire.
That’s it now. I’m out. Let that sink in for a bit.
End User Faults
So this last part is an addition on 2023-01-22 @ 3:55PM. I entirely forgot about the end user issues. That’s part of the reason why IntComex has moved to where it is now. Most users simply buy the cheapest option. Never mind what the tech may recommend – you can get a PSU for less. Choice between an i7 and i3? Maybe they’ll pick the Celeron. It works right? So the company has moved to the cheapest option. They’re about moving products – whatever sells. Never mind that THEY are the ones who shaped the markets to what it is now.
That’s an 80 plus white Thermaltake PSU. Cost on Amazon is around USD$40 which is about JMD$6,280. Considering that IntComex gets the items at a really low price – and can manage to sell them back with markup/profit at less than that – they could provide better PSUs to the local market. At least give the option.
Prices are not shown due to privacy issues – but the end cost of those power supplies would be about JMD$4,710 – with markup that’s going to be about JMD$6,200 in a store.
Firstly – they can sell it for less based on their suppliers. Secondly – they can get better quality ones and still sell them at a reasonable price. And it’s still more expensive here than elsewhere. Check this out.
The link above is to one of the dealers linked to from the XTech website. I had to search through to find one that actually had PSUs available. Most had other products – but no PSUs. Keyboards. Mice. Headsets. No PSUs. And when I do finally find it – it’s still like JMD$1,000 cheaper at the PUBLIC online store. That says IntComex could still do better. Feel free to do your own research on it.
Cheaper isn’t always better. Some of the available products are really just there as a “stop gap” until you get the right things. But with what’s available now in Jamaica – there’s hardly any “right” thing.
Free Market Pricing
One of the issues with a free/capitalist market is the available pricing. The government (customs) is a major factor, but I’ll show how this works with another sector that persons can relate to. Cars.
Needed what’s called a “crank angle sensor” for my vehicle at the time. Local price? JMD$25,000 new – genuine. Want to know how much I paid for it? Genuine. Online purchase. Lemme show you what it was for that vehicle.
It was 2015 and I then paid USD$7.48 which was then JMD$932.41 and would now be about JMD1,174.36. That’s just a tad cheaper than the local price right? And I mean – it’d have to be ordered from the supplier because they didn’t have it immediately available.
CLOSING
Do your research. Shop around. You want something that works? Buy what’s here. You want something GOOD? Get it online. Pay the extra. Protect it as best as you can using a UPS from APC, Liebert or PowerWare. Don’t use Forza. Go solar if you can.
IntComex no longer makes sense unless it’s an item that you need and can’t wait for it to be shipped. The ONLY reason to buy from them is for the very limited warranty. Even hard drives you’re only getting like 1 year or less – most stores give you 30-90 days. Want to know what the warranty is like overseas from the manufacturers?
So it’s been a while – as usual – but I only post when there’s some update NEEDED. And now it’s needed. The title has a question mark because I have no idea what will happen in the future. I was using TeamViewer – moved to ConnectWise – moved to AnyDesk – and now I’m mostly finalized on Remote Utilities.
I’ve been using Remote Utilities from 2018, but due to it not being as popular – and some AVs flagging it – I was still mostly on TeamViewer. I’ll put links at the bottom of this for you to read the previous information if you need to – let’s get right into how you’ll receive remote support from me.
For details on why the move and such – see the Links & Info at the bottom of the page.
Once you’re there, select the RUN ONLY AGENT. It’s the first option.
From there it should download a file. Locate and run it.
You will likely receive a UAC prompt to run the file. Click YES.
You will then receive an ID and password on a small screen. Provide that information to me. Once done I’ll be able to connect.
This does not install anything on your computer. It is a one-time run that allows me to connect. If you’d like to get the files directly from the original site – simply go here:
Click on the writing or the icon above it. This will take you to the official TeamViewer download page for my custom version.
Depending on your connection speed it may take some time to complete.
Run the file once it’s done.
If you get the error below – go to SHOW IN FINDER.
Hold the CONTROL button and click on the file. Then go to OPEN.
This will add the file to your security exceptions. You can then open it normally going forward. Simply hit OPEN thereafter.
This will run the program and provide the ID/Password that’s needed for me to connect.
That is all that’s needed for MAC. If by some chance we can’t get connected this way, then we’ll have to resort to AnyDesk. I’ll link that information below.
Links & Info
Here I’ll be placing information regarding remote support in general. First up however, will be the information regarding AnyDesk. This may be needed for support. It has information from an older version – and older version of their website – but the concept still applies.
The reason I use Remote Utilities and not the others is due to licensing. There’s also the fact that TeamViewer used forced obsolescence to move persons to the new version. While I agree that
Yes – you saw right. After some time of “grabbing the market” – AnyDesk has now moved to a position similar to TeamViewer. At least TeamViewer started with perpetual licenses – which I still have one for an older version. What this means for ME personally is my primary tool will be Remote Utilities, and persons on Mac will have to use TeamViewer. I’ll post information and instructions later on.
Hi everyone. As you saw in the last post, I had to move providers due to issues with my invoice and ticket systems. I thought everything was working, but there was another problem that was no fault of the new provider – a technical issue that required additional manual updating. This was completed at 6:30PM today and systems should now be up.
The main site is not yet dealt with – having issues manually moving that.
For the more tech-savvy persons, here’s a general breakdown.
Invoice system (Invoice Ninja) was on V4 and was updated to V5. This was almost entirely done by the new provider, but there were some glitches that needed to be worked out. The hosting provider was AWESOME with getting it resolved.
Ticket system (OSTicket) was migrated by the provider and everything was fine. Update done to latest version (1.17) but there’s a bug that was found a few days ago with the mail system. Had to update to 1.17.x to resolve that – but it took some testing to verify that the system was actually not working and then further checks to find the workaround. Other option would have been a downgrade.
Wiki still needs some work – quite a bit actually – but at least I managed to get that part working.
There are other sections of the site that still need work, but I should be able to move forward from here. Hopefully the ticket/invoice updates will be done more frequently now that the system is up.
When will the main site be sorted out? Good question. I’ve not done HTML for a LOOOOONG time – may have to pay someone to get it done if friends that do it aren’t able to help. Will see how it goes.
So I’m in the process of moving hosting providers. Costs a bit more – but peace of mind. Old hosting provider (Contabo) suddenly stopped supporting Invoice Ninja – the main thing I use for invoicing. And some things just don’t seem to work as well.
The new hosting provider – GlowHost – is absolutely awesome for web hosting. The site loads faster due to it being closer servers – the customer service (ticket system) gives FAST responses. The tech support is REALLY helpful and they helped with migration at no extra cost – even fixing my issues with Invoice Ninja.
So as it stands – if you want a VPS – Contabo. If you want hosting that likely supports the tools you want? GlowHost.
Depending on your browser or settings, you may get an error when you try to open the first link. That may happen if you’re running an older OS (Windows 7) and your certificates are not up to date.
You’ll get that page above which has a number of different tools as you can see. For primary support, please go to the highlighted REMOTE UTILITIES.
Once that page loads there are again a number of options. Depending on what your needs are we will use either #1 highlighted in red, or #2 highlighted in blue.
The first option is for persons that need immediate support and do not want unattended access. While it does ask for elevated privileges, you can bypass this if you do not have administrative rights to your system.
The second option is for persons that will be using support on a regular basis. This installs the host which will allow me to connect whenever you call/message for remote assistance.
Other Platforms
If you happen to need support on Mac then please follow the instructions for AnyDesk in the link below.
Remote Utilities currently does not support Mac, so I have no choice but to use that for now.
You may also use TeamViewer 11 if you have access to that.
In Closing
As stated in the previous post, I’m moving fully to Remote Utilities because clients (in Jamaica) don’t want to support the subscription model. Primarily that. I do have a perpetual license for TeamViewer 11 and can use that if needs be. AnyDesk has a free option which works for most one-off support if needed. Contact me beforehand so we can arrange the remote support and discuss which tool is best to be used.
So we’ve moved deep into 2022 and the landscape has changed where IT is concerned. Once again.
Lots of companies have moved from their older models to subscription. It’s better for everyone in most cases. You pay a relatively small amount and get the software always updated – the company gets revenue that they can use to continue development.
One of the companies I talked about before is RemoteUtilities. I also said that they were really good for the price, but the features were a bit lacking in comparison to others. Still – for a single payment software, I don’t mind the minor inconveniences.
Moving to RemoteUtilities
As of this date, I will be moving to RemoteUtilities as the tool of choice. Simply go to their site and download the AGENT file. This will grant temporary access for me to do support. If you need me to provide constant support, using the HOST will get things done.
The reason for the move is the cost versus who is paying. Very few individuals or companies in Jamaica are willing to pay a monthly fee per device for servicing to be done. This has prompted the move to a single payment platform which I can update at my own leisure.
If you need support – call and ask. I’ll do a post on how to set it up and all that later on.
Still Use AnyDesk & TeamViewer
I will still use AnyDesk and TeamViewer if needed, just that the support on those platforms will have limitations.
TeamViewer I have a license for version 11 – so you will have to install that version.
AnyDesk has no limits really, but I will need all the connection details in order to go on.
RMM In Future?
There are a lot of different platforms that support RMM. I’ve used a few and may move to one of them later on. Depending on what happens. If I find enough customers that will actually pay for that kind of service, I will look into deploying one of the solutions. Until then? Remote support will be provided using the available tools.
I may have mentioned before – verbally to persons since I’ve not posted about it before – but there are a number of streaming services that can be utilized.
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney Plus and a whole slew of others exist. For personal servers, there are ones like Plex, Emby, JellyFin and – on the much older scale – XBMC. You can look up each one and check out the features – I’ll be going into details of a few soon, but the focus will be functionality and the “watch together” feature.
COVID
Fortunately – or unfortunately maybe? – COVID came around and forced everyone to stay indoors. This then prompted the various companies to implement methods for friends/family to watch content synchronized. I honestly don’t recall who was first, but users all over had various things developed that pushed things forward to where they are now.
One of the mentions would be the MPC (Media Player Classic) ports that have been around. There was an addon to a version that allowed you and friends to “watch together” any video file. The downside is that everyone had to have the same video file on their system, and then have the addon running. This would then synchronize the playback – mostly – but it would not allow pausing by anyone. That means – if I paused it would only pause for me. I believe later iterations developed on this, but by then the big companies had caught on.
Enter the “watch together” features from Netflix, Amazon and the other big players. These allowed users of the platform to plan a date/time and stream the same content. This would be hosted on the provider (Netflix/Amazon/etc) and the play/pause would be global. This means if someone had a call or needed to rush to the bathroom, everyone would be paused until someone hit play again. I believe Netflix took things a step further and allowed for a sidebar chat to be available.
SELF-HOSTED SERVICES
Some persons that either have private content – or “not so straight” content – would want to have these features available as well. Enter services such as Plex and Emby.
Plex was more along the “commercial” line while Emby was somewhere on the fence about being “commercial” in comparison to Plex. The main fork of Emby became Jellyfin, and I assume that the open source core components are the same, but development has differed along the way.
Regardless of which you choose, each has their pros and cons – but each will allow you to selectively give access to your personal library. This content can be hosted on your PC at home, or on a server somewhere else that you rent/own. You could – for example – place your wedding or funeral videos in a shared location that could then be streamed to persons that you grant access. Let’s get into the main three.
PLEX
Plex is by far the “top dog” when it comes to a commercial product with great features. As with the others, it’s a streaming media server and service that you own and place whatever content you like there. The difference with the others is you pay for monthly, yearly or lifetime subscriptions which opens up other features.
Based on how Plex works as a service, you share your content with other Plex users based on their email/username. You can specify what content they can see, and you can have a “local” login set for your household with parental controls available.
Plex was the first of the self-hosted services to have a “watch together” feature available. This pushed the envelope and made it the #1 service in the self-hosted category.
As of this writing, Plex still works nicely but has some recent bugs that may be related to an influx of users, or changes to coding which has caused the service to take a downturn. Specifically with remote hosted content, your videos will play fine – pause fine – resume fine. Seeking through a video (fast forward or rewind) now causes the video to playback at 2X speed for some strange reason. The “watch together” feature has become extremely buggy, and the issues seem to be across the board.
While Plex is probably still the easiest to find and install on any device, the current problems make it unbearable to keep using. As a more “commercial” service, I expect that the issues will be fixed – but there seems to be no timeline. Work was done on the back-end it seems, and some features were added, but the playback issues and “watch together” issues still persist. This has been going on since December 2021.
EMBY
Emby has (or had?) cemented itself squarely at the #2 position when it came to a Plex alternative. The mixed open and closed source code with stalled development seems to have caused a diminished following.
While Emby is still one of the best self-hosted services available, the lack of a “watch together” feature has caused persons to move to either Plex or Jellyfin – which the latter is a fork of Emby. We’ll get into Jellyfin next, but let’s look at the Emby features.
Emby allows you to do most of the things that Plex does – except “watch together” – yeah – sorry about that. I’m kinda upset that Emby has not added this feature. But let’s move on.
Emby allows you to easily and quickly log in using a code – Plex does something similar with a “claim code” for the servers. Emby allows you to set parental and other restrictions to users. Emby, though not as popular as Plex, has begun to have apps available in mainstream TV stores. Let me get into that a bit…
Prior to the prevalence of Android TVs, each manufacturer like Samsung and LG would have their own stores. You could still “sideload” Android apps, but they were not always easily supported. Plex was available in these stores, but Emby has started to gain a presence there as well. In terms of simply installing from my Samsung TV – some difficulty on other older models – Plex is king of this while Emby would be the close second.
If your TV isn’t 100% smart or running Android, I would suggest using an Android box or an Amazon Fire TV – stick or box. This would allow very easy installation of any streaming service.
Emby has premium features that can be purchased, and they also have a lifetime option. Unlike Plex that only periodically offers the lifetime, Emby has it available for purchase whenever you want.
That’s about it for Emby – so let’s get into the #3 on this list.
JELLYFIN
Welcome to the new kid on the block that has blown everything else out of the water. Almost.
Jellyfin is a fork of Emby with a lot of community work going into it. While Emby still has an active community, one of the biggest requests has been a “watch together” feature to keep up with Plex. For whatever reason, Emby did not progress with the feature. Community members made two main addons which work, but they require a bit of technical knowledge to get it working.
Someone – or a group of persons – developed “Jelly Party” as an option for Jellyfin. This was a website that you could go to and follow the instructions. It would then allow synchronized playback with a “watch party” situation. Because Jellyfin is a fork of Emby, this feature ended up working with Emby as well. Jellyfin then integrated this into their later releases and it’s now a part of the mainstream Jellyfin. This leaves Emby in the dust. Sort of.
One of the issues I’ve had with Jellyfin recently – on a Fire Stick – is constant crashing of the app. This doesn’t happen in the browser, but sometimes you want to watch on the bigger screen.
Jellyfin is 100% free and has the community assisting with development. This seems to push the overall process faster than Emby, but it may still take some time before Jellyfin becomes more mainstream.
Honorable Mention
What persons have been doing is using YouTube, FaceBook, Discord and other services to stream video that they’re watching. While this works, it’s entirely up to a single person to manage the playback. There’s also the risk of an account being banned if it’s reported as playing “questionable” content.
In Closing
Plex, Emby and Jellyfin are great tools regardless of which you pick. The issues I have with one or the other may only be specific to my servers or media. I would recommend that you try out the one you like and see if it works for you.
For general playback, Plex is unbeaten overall. The CPU usage for transcoding is lower than the others, but the current issues with playback and the “watch together” not working is a pain.
As a 100% free tool, Jellyfin is the next best thing since sliced bread. It works overall, but the recent issues with crashing on the Android platform (Fire Stick specifically) makes things a bit tedious. If you want to watch together though, it’s probably the best choice currently. For self-hosted that is.
Emby is probably the most stable of the three mentioned. It works great overall, but the main reason persons shy away is the absence of the “watch together” feature. If you only want your library shared for yourself and watching with friends is not a concern, then Emby is definitely the one I’d suggest.
If there’s something else that you’d like to suggest, please do so in the comments area so we can discuss it. Have a good one!
