Technology Posts

Brad’s NBAA No Plane No Gain Print Advertisement

18 Jan , 2013 No Comments

“To compete with Goliath, David used a slingshot. I rely on a business airplane.” – Brad Pierce

I’m currently participating in the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) No Plane No Gain advertising campaign. It’s truly been an honor to be included in this fantastic initiative which highlights the vital role business aviation plays everyday across our great nation. The advertising campaign features well known individuals such as Warren Buffet, Arnold Palmer, and Neil Armstrong, along with several regular everyday folks like myself who use business aviation effectively in our businesses.

While I run a small business based in Orlando, Florida, my customers are located throughout the country. At a time when e-mail, instant messaging, and video chats have become the norm, it’s more important than ever that I meet with my customers face-to-face. The value of a firm handshake and being able to look valued customers and vendor partners in the eye has never been greater than now. There is no substitute when you care about your customers and want to give them the best service imaginable. In order to compete and succeed against larger competitors, we need to be laser-focused, nimble and seize opportunities without the typical delays and inefficiencies of commercial airline travel. The best tool in my arsenal for competing effectively is my Cirrus SR22 Turbo Aircraft. It allows us to quickly, safely and efficiently get more business done in less time and continually helps to grow my business. More business means more job creation, more growth for my employees, and the ability to deliver world class service to my customers. Business aviation works for my company, my employees and my customers. Business aviation works for America.

View Brad Pierce’s NBAA No Plane No Gain Print Advertisement:   PDF Version – JPG Version

You can also view the entire collection of No Plane No Gain Print Advertisements by visiting NBAA’s No Plane No Gain website.

Several of these ads will also be published and distributed in various print media publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Roll Call, The Hill and Politico.

The No Plane No Gain advertising campaign is a a joint undertaking of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Brad in Motion Goes Mobile

17 Jan , 2012 1 Comment

  

I’ve just finished making my Brad in Motion blog completely mobile smartphone friendly.  Just visit my site at www.BradinMotion.com using your smartphone browser and the new enhanced mobile version will appear.  The photos and videos will automatically be resized to fit your screen perfectly.  There’s nothing you need to do on your end, it just all magically happens.  To quote the famous words of Steve Jobs, “It Just Works!”

How to Remotely Control and View a Speco Technologies Security Camera DVR Using a Slingbox

20 Jul , 2009 No Comments

I’ve got several security camera DVR units made by Speco Technologies at my business.  I wanted to use Slingbox device to be able to view and remotely control these units from my Blackberry using the SlingPlayer Mobile software.  Unfortunately, Slingbox doesn’t have a remote control available for the Speco Technologies units since they aren’t standard consumer devices and use a proprietary remote control.  To solve this issue, I used the Remote Master software to create a custom remote control that you can use to handle this task which works perfectly.  Creating the remote control itself was frustrating and time consuming, but I finally got it all to work so figured I’d give back to the online community with this guide.  Don’t worry, I’ve already done all the decoding, setup and compiling to created the necessary remote control file, so it only will take a few minutes for you to implement it yourself.  Here’s how to do it:

1 – SlingPlayer Software Version Note:  I’ve read that the SBAV BIN remote control files can only be loaded when using version 1.5 of the SlingPlayer software and not the newer versions, but I haven’t verified this statement nor tested loading the remote control with a newer version, although it might work just fine.  All of this documentation is based upon version 1.5.0.322.  A search of the internet should turn up an older version.  In newer versions, the terminology used in these setup instructions has changed, but the basic premise of using a custom remote setup remains the same.  Once you’ve done all these steps and have your Speco Technologies DVR remote control loaded, you can then upgrade to the latest version of the SlingPlayer software and the remote will still work.

2- Physically install your Slingbox unit like you would with any other video device.  The Main Monitor connector on the Speco Technologies DVR unit plugs into the composite video port of your Slingbox using a standard RCA cable with a BNC connector adapter.

3- Download the Slingbox Speco Technologies Remote Control bin file I created (download V2000_PL.zip by clicking on the file name)

4 – Extract the V2000_PL.bin file from the V2000_PL.zip archive you downloaded above and place it in c:\Program Files\Sling Media\SlingPlayer\SBAV (or if you’re using Windows Vista, the directory is c:\Program Files (x86)\Sling Media\SlingPlayer\SBAV)

5- In the SlingPlayer, go to the Slingbox Directory to set up your new device.  If you’ve already set it up using the wizard, the section you’ll want to go into is called “Audio/Video Sources” in the Slingbox Configuration tab.

6- When you’re asked about what type of device your composite video source is connected to, select “Miscellaneous Device”

7 – For brand, select “Other”

8 – In the Alternate Code section, enter “V2000” (without the quotes)

9 – Your setup is complete!

You’re all set to control your Speco Technologies DVR unit with your Slingbox.  You can view it with the standalone SlingPlayer, the web based SlingPlayer, or SlingPlayer Mobile on your Blackberry, Windows Media or other smartphone device.  The picture quality is phenomenal and you’ll have full control of every function of your Speco Technologies DVR unit just like you’re sitting there pushing the remote control buttons in front of the unit.

If you’ve successfully implemented this remote control functionality of your Speco Technologies DVR unit with a Slingbox, please leave a comment below so that others will know you’ve found this guide useful.

How to Set Up Your Slingbox to Work with an Ooma Device

30 Dec , 2008 17 Comments

Those of you who’ve met me know that I’ve got a little (or a lot) of geekiness within me when it comes to high tech gadgets.  Two of my favorite gadgets are the Slingbox (lets you view and control your DVR from wherever you are – or even watch live TV just like you’re sitting on your couch) and the Ooma device (crystal clear FREE local and long distance phone calls using your regular home phones – no phone bills – EVER!)

My VoIP (Voice over IP) phone provider discontinued their service a few months back.  I went to Best Buy to purchase a Vonage kit when I discovered Ooma – buy it once and never pay another cent – that sounded like the perfect price to me!  The Ooma system works flawlessly and has perfectly clear calls – the only problem is that it blocks you from viewing your Slingbox remotely.  I didn’t realize this until I was at my office one day and fired up my SlingPlayer to view a breaking story on Fox News, only to find that my Slingbox wouldn’t connect.  Due to how you plug in the Ooma device to ensure voice calls take bandwidth precedence (for clarity – using a technology called QOS), it kills the Slingbox remote viewing ability.  Basically, the ethernet line goes from your modem, to the Ooma device, then out to your home router (wired or wireless).  I beat my head against the wall for hours trying to set and reset the Slingbox IP address, properly enable port forwarding on my router, calling my internet provider to see if port 5001 (used by the Slingbox) was blocked, etc.  Then I remembered the cabling configuration of the Ooma / network / Slingbox and realized that the Ooma device was the culprit which was keeping me from viewing my Slingbox remotely.  So, in an effort to help others who may run into this same ordeal, I’ll explain step by step how to make a Slingbox work remotely when you’ve got an Ooma device installed as well.  This guide will require some basic network knowledge, but is not difficult if you understand general concepts behind how networks operate.

Let’s set up the Slingbox IP first.  To begin, launch your SlingPlayer.  Go to the Settings then to the Setup Assistant.  Click where it says Setup Internet Viewing.  Click where it says to manually configure your network settings (you’ll need to click this on the next page too).  Next, click the Change button and input the IP address on your local network you’d like to use for your Slingbox.  In my case, I use 192.168.2.200 (I know 200 is high enough that no other devices will automatically try to use with DHCP).  I prefer using a static (pre-set) IP address like this rather than DHCP so that I’ll always have your port forwarding set correctly on my router (we’ll do that later).  With DHCP, say you have a power failure – once your router comes back online, your home system grabs an address (xxx.xxx.xxx.1), then your laptop (xxx.xxx.xxx.2), then your Slingbox (xxx.xxx.xxx.3).  After another power failure, let’s say that first your laptop grabs one (xxx.xxx.xxx.1), then your Slingbox (xxx.xxx.xxx.2), then your home system (xxx.xxx.xxx.3).  Basically, without a static IP address set, you never know which device is going to get.  That scenario can make your port forwarding settings on your router not work for your Slingbox anymore.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about with all of these techno terms, don’t worry – just set your address to some number like (xxx.xxx.xxx.200) – or in my case, 192.168.2.200 like I specified above – it will work – trust me!

Okay, we’re all done setting up the Slingbox IP address.  Now let’s set up your router to properly forward traffic to your Slingbox.  Go to your router’s setup screen using your web brower (usually https://192.168.123.1, https://192.168.123.254, or https://192.168.2.1 – check your owners manual for this address).  Once you’re in there, go to the area where you can set up what’s typically called Virtual Servers or Port Forwarding.  Set up Port 5001 (the Slingbox port) to redirect to whatever IP address you set for your Slingbox (in my case, 192.168.2.200).  In case your router asks, the port type to forward is TCP.  Save these settings – you may need to reboot your router for them to take effect.  Before we leave the router screen, find the general status page where it shows all of your internet settings.  Somewhere on this page, you’ll find a WAN IP address – copy down this number – you’ll need it in just a minute!  I won’t reveal my WAN IP here, but it’s in standard IP address format of (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) – I’ll use (100.100.100.30 for this example).  This is actually the address the Ooma device has assigned to my home network router.

Your router is now all set and ready to go.  Time to do the final step – settting up port forwarding on your Oooma device.  In your internet browser, go to https://setup.ooma.com.  Click on Advanced and scroll down the page to where it says port forwarding, click Add New Rule.  Where it says Start Port, type in 5001 (the Slingbox port).  The type is TCP.  Where it says forward to IP Address, type in the WAN IP address you wrote down from your router internet settings page (100.100.100.30 from my example above).  Click Add Rule and you’re all set!

Now, double check your settings by reviewing this document and making sure they all are set exactly like I’ve specified.  Then, head to your office or your favorite coffee shop and fire up your SlingPlayer.  Presto!  It should connect and your laptop or desktop will be streaming live (or DVR) content from your home Slingbox.

While it took me quite a bit of time to diagnose the problem and figure out the solution, in reality, making these setting changes to make your SlingPlayer connect to your Slingbox remotely should only take a minute or two.  In essence, all that you’re doing is telling the Ooma unit to forward incoming Slingbox traffic (port 5001) to your home router (100.100.100.30).  You’re then telling your home router (100.100.100.30) to forward the Slingbox traffic (port 5001) to your Slingbox (192.168.2.200).  The tricky part of figuring this out was the basic premise that when thinking about a network, we usually think that all the locally connected devices are on the the same local subnet (such as 192.168.2.xxx or 192.168.123.xxx) – but Oooma changes the game – it creates a network within a network with two different IP address ranges.  That was the issue that was originally causing me all the headaches until I pieced everything together in my mind to develop this solution.

I hope that this document helps others who find themselves in the same prediciment that I ran into when setting up the Ooma and Slingbox to work together.  I’ve tried to make this as straightforward as possible, but unfortunately, there’s no real good way to make networking discussions “simple”.  So, if this is way over your head, find a local college student or technie neighbor, buy them dinner and give them a printout of these instructions.  As of the writing of this blog post, neither Slingbox nor Ooma has posted these setup instructions in their tech support areas (which surprises me), so you can save yourself the trouble from even looking for them by just following my instructions above.  Hopefully, Google will index this page quickly so others are able to find it and save themselves headaches as well.

Enjoy using your Slingbox and your Ooma – working together in harmony at last!

Blogging From My Blackberry!

19 Dec , 2008 No Comments

One of my biggest challenges with this blog is finding the time to write new posts. It seems like sometimes life moves too fast to get all the things done we want to in a day! So, I realized I needed to adapt and go mobile if I ever wanted this blog to grow. I made a bunch of tweaks to the default WordPress software (which runs this blog). At first things crashed and burned – scratch that – they didn’t even get off the ground. The first dozen tries resulted in posts filled with random characters as if someone given my Blackberry a good shake (or tried to see if Blackberry’s can float – hint: they can’t!). A little bit more tweaking of the encoding methods being used by the Blackberry device and parsed by the WordPress software and presto! I’m blogging from my Blackberry!

There is one small limitation that’s yet to be solved. While text posts work fine, there’s still not a good way to send pictures I snap on my Blackberry up to the site to be included in postings. There actually is a software add-on available for this purpose, but it opens up a major security hole. No thanks! I’ll stick to posting plain old text rather than compromise security on the server. I’ll write my own sofware to securely address this issue when I find some extra time, but until then, I’ll just add pictures manually after the posts go live (like I did with this one). At least I can do all the time consuming part of actually writing the posts easily on the go – in my car, in the air, or basically anywhere!