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Tech Tips by The Wandering Techie

Episode 5: Cheap Cables, Refurbished Products & Travel Tips

1. Cheap Cables
a. Have you ever walked into a store and saw an HDMI cable for $40?
b. Have you heard that gold plated is faster and better quality?
c. Cheap cables give you the same results as expensive options.
i. Sources: Gizmodo, LifeHacker, CNET and Digital Foundary
d. Recommendation: monoprice.com

2. Refurbished Products
a. What is a refurbished product?
i. Product with damage to either the unit or the box that has been fixed.
ii. A demo unit from a retailer.
iii. An open box item that was returned by someone who decided not to keep it.
iv. A defective product that has been returned and fixed.
v. It is not a Used product.
b. Who refurbishes?
i. Third-party retailers
1) Not as trustworthy to purchase
2) May not come with warranty
ii. Manufacturers
1) Totally trustworthy as the manufacturer tests it after fixing.
2) Most will come with the same warranty as a new product.
3) These typically state "Factory Certified" or "Manufacturer Refurbished".
c. Recommendation: search Amazon or NewEgg for Certified Refurbished products, use the options to show only those.

3. Travel Tips
a. Find Hidden City flight tickets which may save you up to 80% on skiplagged.com
b. Do not travel internationally with a passport that expires in less than 6 months.
i. Even though the USA allows you to use your passport up to the expiration date, several countries will deny travelers entry if the passport expires in less than 6 months.
ii. If for some reason you get stuck in that country longer than planned, that country wants to ensure you have a valid passport to eventually travel back to the USA.
c. Notify your credit card companies in advance of the countries you are visiting and when to avoid charges being declined by your bank believing it could be fraud.
d. Setup your cell phone to avoid international data roaming charges. Or speak to your cell phone provider in advance to activate a temporary international option to avoid extra fees.
e. Have extra foreign currency leftover? Use it when checking out of your hotel by applying the amount of foreign cash you have to your hotel bill. Pay the remaining balance with American currency or use a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card to avoid international fees and high exchange rates.
f. Always ask before connecting to an open wifi.
g. Most other nations use 240V while the USA is 120V. Most electronic devices can use either current but always check your device first to ensure it can be plugged into a 240V outlet.
i. On the charger that you plug into the wall, look for the voltage ratings.
1) 120/240V: the slash between the numbers indicates it can operate under either of the listed voltage values.
2) 120-240V: the hyphen between the numbers indicates it can operate at any voltage within the listed voltage values.
3) 120V: if there is only 1 voltage value listed, the devices are designed only for use with this voltage.
ii. Any other device will require a voltage converter or transformer to operate.
h. Backup your devices before traveling. You do not want to lose all your photos or business files while swimming and someone walks away with your device.
i. Always use a password to unlock your device.
Do not keep all your cash in the same pocket. I keep just a couple small bills in my wallet and the rest in my sock, or interior pocket of my pants seam. If you get robbed, they will take your wallet or what's inside of it, but you will still have money.

Thank you for watching!
John Fester, The Wandering Techie