Setting Up Eero Pro Mesh Wifi With an AT&T U-Verse Pace Router/Modem
The Wifi in our small house has been dismal. At first I thought it was the Wifi router’s band steering feature that was the cause. I disabled it and split our network again into a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz segment. The improvement was marginal, as measured about the number of connectivity complaints in the family. In addition, the Wifi range was quite limited preventing me from attending a video conferencing from my hammock.
This weekend, I updated our network to a new eero Pro mesh wifi network, consisting of a small white “hub”, hardwired to my router/modem combo, and a beacon. I can always add more beacons in the future it I wanted to extend my network.
The setup process of the eero system was a breeze. It is however curious that there is no web-interface. Everything is done through a smart phone application. Tough luck if you have a computer and swear by that flip phone. Within minutes, my Wifi network was upgraded.
- Disable existing Wifi in my router.
- Follow the few steps in the eero application to get the eero hub configured. I used the same 2.4GHz SSID, so I didn’t need to reprogram any of the hard to set up devices, such as the Ring doorbell.
The configuration of the AT&T U-verse router/modem was less smooth. There are two options to make both routers play well with each other: bridge mode and IP passthrough. The article Setting up eero with AT&T U-verse describes both.
If you are going to take this step, generally, we recommend reaching out to U-verse support.
Since I also had 4 devices connected to the PACE modem via Ethernet, I called AT&T U-verse support, while crossing my fingers. My previous experience hasn’t been stellar.
When I had to spell “passthrough” a few times to the AT&T support agent, I knew I was in for an adventure. I described a few times what I wanted to do - something I assumed was a common configuration question. I was then offered a for-fee service to help it set up, either for a one time fee or a subscription fee.
Abort abort abort.
Plan B was simple: the eero Pro has two ethernet ports. One is used to connect to the router/modem. I moved all ethernet devices over: most of them also had a wireless interface. I only kept my NAS on the ethernet.
Without a need for the PACE router ports, I now only had to bypass it and found these instructions:
2Wire/Pace Gateways: The passthrough mode for 2Wire/gateways in referred to as DMZplus mode. The device that you would like to be placed in DMZplus must be connected directly to the gateway and configured to obtain an IP address through DHCP.
- Open a browser on a computer that is directly connected to the RG.
- In the address bar, enter http://192.168.1.254.
- In the GUI select Settings, then Firewall, and then Applications, Pinholes, and DMZ.
- Under Select a Computer, click the device name or IP address of the device you wish to put in DMZplus mode.
- Select the Allow all Applications(DMZplus mode) radio button.
- Select Save.
That’s all folks. Without the A&T U-verse support detour, this was all a simple set up.
Tomorrow will be the real test of the new network when we start three concurrent Zoom meetings. I already enabled the eero Labs feature: optimize for video conferencing.
August 2, 2020
Motorboats Are for the Rich
As I enjoy an afternoon On the shores of Donner Lake, the slushing of the water is occasionally interrupted by the noise of a fast motorboat. The spiffier the boat, the older the driver. Up and down they go in the lake.
Having a speedboat is truly for the rich. The sleek wooden sixties boats of Lake Tahoe are for the ultra rich.
It takes a lot of effort to own a boat. You need a decently powerful car or SUV to pull it. You need a place to store it. You have to maintain it. And most days of the year you are not using it.
Owning an expensive car is different. You are still driving your $100,000 car to the store, to the farmers’ market, to work or when you go on a road trip. Even though it is expensive, it has utilitarian value. That is not the case when you own a motorboat. Unless you are a fisherman, or live on the water, they are typically only for leisure.
Of course, there are the ambitious, who like the idea of owning a boat. Yet the boat never leaves their driveway. That is an expensive front yard adornment.
July 31, 2020
Continuing Claims
The pandemic shoes start to drop. The stock market had recovered a lot of its initial pandemic losses. Yet, companies have been laying of people. Factories have been closing or operating at reduces capacity.
https://twitter.com/mathowie/status/1288712695986831361?s=21
It is no wonder that the bad news would eventually arrive.
The big economic report was a mixed bag: GDP fell at a 32.9% annual rate, which — while awful — was slightly better than expected. But a week-to-week increase in unemployment filing has economists antsy.
Market Place’s Kai Ryssdal explains why he is concerned about this. It is referred to as continuing claims.
Continuing claims are people who file for unemployment for at least a second week in a row. The number and trend hint where we are in the economic recovery.
And it ain’t looking good folks.
July 31, 2020
Everybody Is a Pizza Critic
My kids have been watching a show online about pizza.
A Detroit crust is much like a Silician crust. A New Haven crust is just a cracker. By the look of the dough you can tell if it was made in a gas oven or a wood fired oven. And so on.
They tell me that the host of The Pizza Show, Frank, is ever so nice.
Last night’s Caprese pizza was interesting in that it was sprinkled with a sweet balsamic vinegar. It was a bit soggy. But I found it delicious. The rest of the family wasn’t as convinced.
As it comes to pizza, everyone is a critic. Pizza is something very personal. More so than any other food. We may have our preferences between Thai Basil and Jasmine Thai, but we are okay with either restaurant. Wings from Smoke Eaters pack a bit more heat than from Wingstop, but either will do.
As it comes to pizza, it has to come from Pizza California, or from Luigi’s. Visitors from New York will make the trek to the nearest New York Style pizza restaurant, ’cause there is only one style of pizza. And don’t talk to an Italian about Hawaiian pizza, or risk losing a life long friend.
You may not like every pie, but only Little Caesar’s deserves the wrath of the keyboard. For every other pizza, see Anton Ego.
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.
July 30, 2020
California’s Majestic Sierra Nevada
When I arrive in Yosemite’s valley, get my first glimpse of Lake Tahoe, or dip my feet in Pinecrest Lake, I get transported to a different era. The beautiful timeless scenery, the pine trees, the wooden chalets, and carved signs take me back to how I imagined these places were in the sixties.
Camp Curry
Were it not that the parking lot at Yosemite’s former Camp Curry is now full of luxury SUVs and modern pickup trucks, rather than Chevy Bel Airs, Ford family wagons and Studebakers, it is hard to tell the year. The canvas tents are the same as in the pictures. The Ahwahnee hotel looks the same, amidst the granite walls of Yosemite valley. And most of all, the scenery changed very little.
Ahwahnee Hotel
I get the same feeling when I head north to Lake Tahoe in summer. I can imagine several Cadillacs pull into Michael Corleone’s lakeside villa. The houses and chalets near Tahoe City appear to be built many decades ago. Squaw Valley’s 1960 Winter Olympics sign is still there.
Lake Tahoe
Of course a few minutes later you are back in the future as you roll into the recently upgraded mountain town of Truckee. They are putting the finishing touches on a brand new high school. There is a yoga studio. The all natural and vegan supermarket has a line out the door. Downtown is historic-chique, where you are park your Tesla next to the restored Truckee hotel.
But as soon as I leave the village, and head up the mountain, or towards the lake, it doesn’t take long for me to feel back in a timeless era. California Sierra’s are so beautiful.
July 28, 2020
It Is Time to Host the Covid Games of 2020
We all want the thrill back of the last minute three pointer, the home run in the bottom of the ninth, or the winning goal from a corner. However covid-19 decided otherwise and halted all sports events. The Bergamo-Valencia game was considered what of the super-spreader events early in the pandemic in Italy.
The question is how can we bring back these mass sporting events in a safe way. The German Bundesliga figured out a system early on, with lots of testing and disinfecting. Teams remain in isolation in hotels, and play game day in an empty stadium with artificial stadium noise. There is no hugging when scoring, only a fist or elbow bump. Such system is only possible when the country is doing well: the curve is bent, plenty of covid tests are available, and a general respect of following the covid rules.
Not every country is in the same situation as Germany. The United States is far from stabilizing the impact from Covid-19. After the initial leveling off of positive Covid-19 cases and deaths, we are now experiencing the wrath of the virus.
As Feynman used to say, “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.”
The same is true in the US. You can not spin the science, or the Covid-19 data. The virus will not just go away. The spread and impact of the virus is real. Hospital beds are filling up. People suffer and die. For nature cannot be fooled.
Amid this reality, there is hope for experiencing sports in the US: Covid games, brought to you by Disney and ESPN.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando
The solution is simple:
- Find an set of isolated resort hotels: Disney World, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Hawaii, Galveston Island. The key is to be able to assign a hotel per team, and isolate the team from family and fans. These players are making millions. They can live and play in isolation for a month or two, don’t you think. “For the love of the game”.
- Set up the CDC Arena where all the teams will be playing. Without fans, home advantage doesn’t really exist. Teams save money and energy traveling.
- Create an accelerated calendar. Without the need to travel across the country, without fans having to go to the stadium, you can organize a many games a week. The covid-calendar has games Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Strict medical protocols, with lots of testing, and disinfecting.
Last night, I watched the San Jose Earthquakes win against Real Salt Lake, playing in Orlando. The NBA started already a mini-league in Disney World. It is odd that Major League Baseball, who invented the resort league with Spring Baseball in Arizona, didn’t move to this system. I don’t know what the plans from the NFL or NHL will be.
The near term future of the major sports leagues in the US, is one where teams will live in isolation, and play in the same Covid-free stadium, away from their fans.
July 28, 2020
Traveling writing station
July 28, 2020
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