Younger Son came into my office yesterday to say he had some blog fodder for me.
For the past three years or so he has been the tech guru at the video post-production company where he has worked since graduating from high school in 2007. He keeps the multi-million-dollar video editing equipment humming along, maintains the network, handles any problems and eventually upgrading their phone and email systems, plus all the usual computer guff.
He's come a long way since he made my sound card non-functional the first day I had it by turning down the internal volume on the card (he was 5).
Since he has become so knowledgeable about all things techy, he offers suggestions on improving the electronic environment around here. This weekend he brought us a new wall-mount patch panel, which we will henceforth refer to as the magic electronic thingy.
What is that, you ask? It is an intermediate step between the router and all the cat-5 (computer) cables that come to it.
The scene under the stairs before:
- The cat-5 cables going to various locations in the house, neatly bundled and tacked to the wall by Smokey when he installed them 10+ years ago.
- The rat's nest of those cables become.
- The router and wireless access point.
- YS's amazingly bright mini flashlight, which he carries with him all the time.
- YS's Swiss Army knife, ditto.
Under the stairs, after:
A. The thingy installed.
B. The much-less-rat's-nest-like nest of cables.
C. My pen, which YS returned to my desk when he was done. Score!
D An electronic stud finder. No, I don't know why he needed that. Punch down impact tool, used when connecting the cat-5 cables to the new magic thingy. No, I didn't know what that was, either.
The thingy in all its labeled glory:
There are two cables leading to my office because I Am The Queen; also because when the cat-5 cables were originally run, any computer troubleshooting would have happened in my office, so it made sense for me to have two internet connections. Smokey's office is informally referred to as The Hovel for no particular reason.
Next project may be to supplement this router/wireless with two wireless access points, one at each end of the house, to improve wi-fi coverage.
Stay tuned.
