Loop earplugs are a type of ear insert meant to make loud sounds less intense while still letting you hear normally. The discussion here is about how they compare to “open” audio products that don’t seal your ear canal.
Open headphones are designed so they don’t seal your ear like typical earbuds. That means they let more of the outside world in instead of fully blocking it.
AirPods Pro are Apple’s premium wireless earbuds. They can help reduce background noise, which can make it easier to hear conversations in places like restaurants.
Conversation mode is a listening feature that boosts or clarifies speech while reducing other sounds. It’s commonly used in earbuds to make it easier to hear people talking without removing the earbuds.
Apple makes the AirPods being discussed here. The speaker is basically saying Apple has a lot of money behind its hearing-related features, so a cheaper product might not match it.
A “100 day hassle free returns” policy is a long return window that reduces the risk of buying an audio product that doesn’t fit your needs. In this segment, it’s used to justify trying Loop earplugs despite uncertainty about performance.
They’re talking about home security cameras—devices that record video around your house. Some need cables to work, while others rely on your home internet and Wi‑Fi.
NBN refers to Australia’s National Broadband Network, the main internet infrastructure many households use. The host links NBN to wireless security cameras because they rely on internet connectivity for streaming and alerts.
Uniden is a well-known brand for home security gear. They make cameras that people can use at home, often connected to Wi‑Fi and an app.
Concept
DIY installation vs professional installation
They’re talking about the difference between installing cameras yourself and paying someone to do it. Doing it yourself can save a lot of money if you can run the cables.
IPTV is TV that comes through the internet. Instead of cable, it streams video to your TV or a streaming box, and it needs a solid internet connection.
A gray market service is one that’s not officially licensed. It might be cheaper, but it can be risky—streams may stop working, and there can be security or legal issues.
A Fire Stick is a small streaming box that plugs into your TV. It can run apps for services like IPTV, as long as the app is supported and your internet is good.
A mesh Wi‑Fi system uses more than one Wi‑Fi box in your house. Together they create one network so your devices stay connected better, especially in dead zones.
When you change Wi‑Fi credentials (network name and/or password), existing devices may lose connection and must be re-paired. This is why TVs and other smart devices often need manual reconnection after a Wi‑Fi update.
Adobe Creative Cloud is a paid subscription that gives you access to tools for editing videos and audio.
LIVE
I was gobsmacked. I spoke to you on the Tuesday. Thursday afternoon there's this lovely courier
man at me back door with a parcel for me. All I know is, within 24 hours mate, you had
that sorted after five weeks of hell, raising hell. Mate, I can't thank you enough.
Join the conversation, head to eftm.com and click Ask Trev. Hoping Australians would
check questions for over 15 years, the eftm podcast would Trev along. Real Australians,
real questions every week. You can text Trev now thanks to Vodafone on 0477 657 657.
G'day G'day, great to have you company on the eftm podcast back again this week,
a little different last week. Back to normal programming shall we say.
Taking your calls, if you've got a question about tech, you bought something cool in tech,
you want to brag about something or you're curious about something. It doesn't matter,
give us a buzz. Send us a text 0477 7657, 657 will line up a chat and get you on the show.
Or you can download the eftm app and click on Ask Trev right in there. We'll get back to your
calls shortly. We're going to talk everything from security cameras to headphones, VPNs and
Starlink, it's all there. So we'll cover you off there, isn't it? I was just thinking,
because I'm literally standing up, I like to sometimes record standing up.
Jamie Walter was a voice, he did do voiceovers, but he was a sports guy at 2GB in the late 90s
and he was the first person I saw standing to deliver. So they say it's good for you.
Like all Hollywood actors, they're not doing, they're not recording Toy Story,
sitting down, are they? So what are we sitting down to do radio and podcasts for, folks?
I'll get Stephen to stand up, that'll ruin the studio because it's all built to be sitting down.
But I was thinking about the lure of a message and a notification and why,
in many cases, it's probably in our interest to turn off notifications for a lot of things,
especially I think text messages and emails. It's probably good to turn those off.
We can have this compulsion to respond. I'm standing here, I look across my screen,
I can see my WhatsApp is on my desktop computer and I can see a message from someone and I'm like,
I want to hope all is well, you're in question. I want to click it, but you know what?
I don't need to respond in two minutes. And I have this same problem in the car,
you're driving along, you get a message and it's like, I'll listen to that and then it's like,
do you want to respond? You know what? Why? Why am I listening to it now? Just wait. Unless I'm
driving to young or into the country or something like that, I'm 25 to 30 minutes away from wherever
I'm going. If I leave Channel 9, I'm 30 minutes from home. If I was driving to Phoenix, I'm 40
minutes away. If I'm coming home from the airport, I'm 40 minutes away. What are the chances it's
important? And frankly, if it's that important, call me. So it's a weird mental thing. I'm sure
someone's done a PhD into it, but it's like, I feel compelled to know what that message is.
And I'm also compelled to respond, which is why. Hot tip. Messaging me, unlike WhatsApp, is faster,
on my private number, faster than getting sending an email. No doubt. This morning I sat,
because Tuesday mornings, I do all my radio spots. I was at Channel 9 and I had hours before my
Channel 9 segment. So I was just in between radio spots. I would, I cleared out my inbox. Oh,
I can cross that off. I've got to always have a written list on my desk at work. So I can cross
off something else. It's an email call. So I go through my inbox and I go action, action,
delete, delete, not delete archive. And I get it down to zero. When my method through superhuman is
to either reply, archive, or delay. So a lot of messages I go, give me that message again
tomorrow at seven o'clock. That's when I can deal with it. And there is a message there.
There's a lady called June. She lives in Victoria. She messaged me. I don't know. Do you know what?
I'll open my phone and I'll tell you because I don't think she's a podcast. I don't know. Maybe
she is. June, if you're a podcast listener and you reply to the emails you've been sending me
with the fact that you are a podcast listener, I will go out of my way to complete the task,
which means nothing to you. But if I go into my reminders
on superhuman, there's a couple of pages of them. Jude is her name. Jude sent me. Oh, my God.
Jude sent me an email. You're going to think I'm the worst person in the world,
but I have a plan here, trust me. Jude sent me an email on the 13th of July, 2023.
I was wondering if I could get one of your EFT mumbrellas. Now, I don't know
where Jude even knew about the EFT mumbrellas. Maybe I put it on Instagram. I said,
where do you live? She goes, I'm located in Victoria. I said, I've given a few away,
but I've never sold or posted them. They're enormous. Oh, okay. I'd love to grab one if
it all possible. That was on that same day. Then two weeks later, she said, I still love
an umbrella if it's possible. And then in December of 2024, she replied to the same thread,
I'd still love to get one of your umbrellas. Happy to cover the cost.
Hi, Jude. What's your address? That was another
eight months, nine months later in November of 2025. She then sent me her address.
Then she's like, has it been sent? I went, no, not yet. Still working on it.
So basically, I've been leading this poor lady along. Happy new year, January this year. Just
wondering if we're any closer to getting this umbrella. March this year, would it be possible?
I'd love to have one of your umbrellas. So my plan is, my plan is, because here's the thing
with the umbrellas. At this point, they're huge. And they don't even fit in those big
poster boxes. So I need to essentially just wrap them in cardboard, masking tape, and just make
a horrible box up for them, put a sticker label on it, and send them to Jude. Now, Jude, I'm not
going to send a one. I'm going to send a like four. And I'm going to send her stubby holders,
hats, anything that's left here. And I think she'll think that was worth the two and a half,
three year wait. I'm going to wait until it's been three years. I'll wait till July this year.
Anyway, I don't know how I got onto that. My point is, it's this enticement to look at a message.
And I'm working. I think I'm doing a very good job now of when I'm driving, ignore.
Why? Why do I need to respond right now? If you need me, call me. And I say this to people often,
they'll be like, hey, when are you free for chatting? I'm like, well, I'm going to be in the car at
11.45. Call me then. And they go, have you got a minute? I go, yeah, I've got 45 minutes because
I'm driving somewhere. I'm captive. You're it. And that's when we do business. If it's a
voice call, I really only have those calls in the car. So that's when to get me folks.
Anyway, I don't know why we're going on to that. But anyway, welcome to the show.
Great to have you company. Let's take your calls.
You're listening to the EFTM podcast.
Join the conversation. Head to eftm.com and click Ask Trev.
Great to have you company and get in touch if you want to get in touch with me.
I'm happy to have you on the show. Simon's on the long day, Simon.
Yeah, hi, Trevor. What can I do for you?
Yeah, I just wondered if you got any knowledge or insight into a product called loop ear plugs.
There's about half a dozen variants that I'm aware of.
A brand or is a style?
Well, a style, well, it's a style. I mean, it's like, I have to say, really,
something new that I've come across. Yes, yes. I think what you're referring to
what I think the industry would refer to as open headphones. And so there is a brand called loop,
though. And that's why I wanted to be clear. They often, there's two sorts.
When I look at the loop brand, so they're called loop earplugs.com, right?
Honestly, they're not what I would describe as being open headphones,
because they've still got a little silicon tip and they stick in your ears.
The difference being they've got a loop on the outside, which is, I guess, their design aesthetic.
But when I look at something like the Sony link buds, I think JBL have a set that they call open
earphones. Basically, they never go inside your ear. So, you know, the literal ear canal and our
normal set of headphones, you literally shove them in there, and they're kind of plugging
up the space, right? That's how they block out some of the noise. And that's how you get a great
noise quality. The idea of open headphones is they don't block out your ear canal.
But the speaker is such that it's kind of positioned near the ear, it projects into the ear,
but you can still hear the whole world around you. Excellent for walking, running, and those
kind of things. Right. Does that make sense? I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing.
These are, they go inside your ear, and they're not, they don't appear to be powered by battery or,
you know, electrical source of any description. And there's about six different variants.
They seem to be popping up all over the place. So, I, you know, I typed into Google or Facebook
loop earplugs, and then suddenly got a deluge of advertising and the usual stuff.
Do they literally look like a circle, a round circle that pokes out of your ear and a silicon tip on
the end? Yeah. Yeah. It's just, mate, what it is, it's just a brand of headphones. And they absolutely
are powered by a battery. They would have a little, little case they come in, and
that's where they, they recharge like any other set of wireless headphones.
But there's, there's nothing, yeah, they have a little, I'm just looking at them now, they have
a little, little case that's about the size of the palm of your hand. But you're, you're basically,
as you mentioned, you're now being overwhelmed because of Facebook and Google, you're being
overwhelmed with the brand loop. Is there something, let's, let's go back to the start here. Is there
a certain thing you're looking for in a set of headphones that, that you haven't seen before or
haven't discovered that you're looking for? Well, I've got a bit of a hearing problem anyway, but
this stuff, this loop brand seems to be saying that a particular model that they've got, one of
the variants will block out a lot of peripheral noise and focus on the hearing, the conversation
you're having with the person in front of you, like a dinner or whatever, and cut out the noise in
the restaurant or whatever, you know, such like that appeals to me because, you know, with the
hearing problem I've got in a restaurant or such like it becomes quite difficult. What sort of phone
do you have? An iPhone 15, I think. Okay, mate, I would buy a set of AirPods Pro.
They, they're going to be more expensive than the loops, but I tell you why they're the better
ones to buy. And by the way, you don't need the very latest ones, the AirPods Pro
Generation 2, I think would be fine. They are medically certified as hearing devices.
Um, you can conduct on your phone a medical grade hearing test and the AirPods will then adjust
their sound output to suit your hearing degradation, so your specific need, and you can enable
exactly what you talked about, conversation mode, noise cancelling, all those kind of things.
Yeah, yeah, I've actually got those and I've messed around with the, the settings and done,
done the tests and whatever. Did you do the hearing test?
Yeah, yeah, I've done all that. And in certain environments, it works reasonably well.
However, sort of to serve my purpose, if you like, it doesn't seem to do
cut out a lot of the peripheral noise. So yes, the, the, the, the AirPods Pro
C which I've got are very, very good to a degree, but it doesn't quite meet and meet what I'm
looking for. I just wonder whether these. I'd love to know if the loops are any better, but
if I was a betting man, I'd say absolutely not for a hundred bucks, for a hundred bucks,
the chances of them having better hearing technology than a set of AirPods from Apple
who have spent millions of dollars creating their hearing aid solution. If it's not working well
for you, I would doubt a hundred dollar set of headphones would do a better job. But mate,
I would love to be wrong because that would be a game changer in the, in the hearing industry,
for sure. Yeah, what I think I might just spend, there's a, I think there's a variant for about
65 dollars. Worth a crack. I might have a crack and see how you go. I'll let you know. Mate,
I would love to know. I would jet, mate, I am totally genuine. I'm more about making sure people
don't waste money on things, but if you're prepared to have a crack, mate, I would, and they do say,
on their website, loop earplugs, they say 100 day hassle free returns. So there's something else
you can review if you don't like them. Well, let's make sure they do come back. They do take them
back. Yeah, good point. So it's kind of, you know, win-win either way. We get to find out whether
they work and or whether they take their products back. Okay, well, I'll do that. I'll make the
investments, see how it goes, and let you know how it all pans out. All right, Simon, look forward
to hearing back from you, mate. Thanks very much. Cheers. Any time. No worries. Thank you for getting
in touch. I mean, look, I'm not saying that anyone, no one else can do it and only Apple can do it,
but I'm just saying, come on. The $300 set of headphones from Apple, medically certified,
I'd be blown away if someone else could do it better, blown away.
Tech cars lifestyle. This is the EFTM podcast with Trevor Long.
Great to have you company, happy to help wherever I can. Jim's on the line today, Jim.
Yeah, how you going? Yeah, real good mate. What can I do for you?
I'm trying to get security cameras from my house. I've been to Bingley and Harvey Norman,
but they said to have the wildest one. I need a modem, but I don't have NBA,
NBA, whatever you call it. NBA. I just got on wireless internet.
Yeah, that's going to be a challenge, mate, because pretty much all of them work via the
internet. Like even to get notifications. I mean, you can buy a wired system. So Swan,
if you go, I think Jaycar are now selling Swan. They're really the only people still doing a wired
system. So there's a little box that you get in your house and then you need to run cables to
each camera. That doesn't require the internet. That just requires power and a little screen
or TV next to it. But any other wireless camera, mate, does need a decent Wi-Fi network at home
permanently. And therefore you need essentially to have the NBN and or another connection with
Wi-Fi at home. All right, I've got two other questions. What's the best cameras in Australia
on the market? Which are the best? Security cameras? Yeah. Mate, there's a lot of questions
underneath that, but in the end, there's a couple of big brands in this space. There's Arlo, there's
UNIDEN, there's Ring and Yuffie. They'd be the big four, I think. And any of them, anything would
be impressive. Yuffie has sold out Harvey Norm and then me and me. J.B.s have them. J.B.s have them,
for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I rang up a couple of people that install security
cameras. They had to put wires and they're going to charge about $2,000 for two cameras.
Yeah, I mean, if you can run it yourself, it's going to be a whole lot cheaper, obviously.
I wouldn't know how to do it. Well, you're going to need a Wi-Fi and internet system at home then,
if you want to do the do-it-yourself style with the Yuffie or the Arlo's. All right,
all the other choices, I'll get those people to come and do it and pay money, I think. Well,
you need to check that they don't need internet as well. Make sure whatever
system they're installing doesn't require an NBN-style connection. Yeah, I know what you're
saying. Yeah, yeah. I think I've got an NBN connection upstairs when I cancelled.
I've still got the box upstairs. Oh, reconnect it, mate, and save money on the wireless dongle
and just go with NBN again, mate. All right, thanks very much. Good luck, buddy. No worries.
Thanks for getting in touch. Cheers. Look, I mean, not having the NBN is a great way to
save money, but it does limit the kind of things that you can do out and about in your space.
That's all. So, tough one for Jim, but probably better off getting the NBN if you want security cameras.
Be part of the show. Thanks to Vodafone, you can text 0477657657.
And Phillip's on the line. G'day, Phillip. G'day, Trevor. How are you?
I'm doing really good. What can I do for you? I'll start off by saying that I'd like to connect
the three TVs in my house to an IPTV subscription. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. What do you mean by
that? What sort of IPTV subscription have you got? I don't have it yet. Okay. I'm just looking at
all the different ones that are around right now. What do you mean by that, to be honest, because
Netflix is an IPTV solution, let's be honest. It's IPTV, but what do you mean by IPTV?
Oh, probably a gray market. Gray market, one where I can get it cheaper, get movies and
another content. Yep, yep. And are you expecting this to work on your TV as an app like Netflix and
the Co does? No, I'd like to probably do it via a fire stick. Yep. Okay.
Well, you sound like you've done a lot of it, a lot of the research already. What's the gap in
your knowledge? I want to know whether my research is right and whether it'll work.
So basically, I've got five of the premises, I've got pretty good speed, 500 gigahertz speed.
I've got a Deco M9 mesh system. I've got the original router that came with the broadband
when I first put it on. The original modem is fine, as long as the Deco is the Wi-Fi that
everyone's connecting to. Yeah, I've still got that connected because I've got a lot of other
Ethernet devices plugged in like my CCTV system and other things. Okay. But my research said,
probably get rid of that and plug the NBN box, the fiber box straight into the Deco and use
a gigabit switch. Look, you've got to go backwards here and understand why is the
network a problem? Is there a problem at this point with the speeds on your network at all?
No, the network's fine. Then don't worry about it either. Okay. None of that's relevant. As long
as you feel, if you said to me, oh, on the back TV, you've got three TVs, it won't even stream
Netflix because it's buffering or whatever, then we go, okay, what's wrong with your network?
But it doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with your network. No, the network's fine.
But if you start talking about needing things like VPNs as a result of this IPTV thing you're doing,
that's when it starts to get complicated because VPNs are rarely able to be installed on a TV
and they're normally done on a device level. Put it on your laptop, put it on your phone.
But for a TV to operate on a VPN, is that what you need? Yes. That's why I was looking at the
Amazon Fire Stick. Because the Fire Stick can operate a VPN, can it? Yes. Well, then again,
that still doesn't. So the reason I was asking was because it might be that you need on, so you've
got the fire coming into the home, then you've got a modem and then you've got the deco router,
right? It might be that you need either the modem or the deco to support the ability to
enable a VPN and that may or may not be even possible. But if you're doing it the Fire Stick,
then again, that's at the device level basically, that's at the TV level, so you're totally fine.
Right, so can I get a VPN? I've got to get a, I was considering the Norton complete VPN.
But do I, my, my virus software is almost due for renewal. So will the Norton be enough?
Let's be very clear here. Do you want a VPN to access content that's not normally available in
Australia? Yes. Then, well, no, no, no, actually don't. I want it so that my ISP doesn't
limit my speed if I'm watching live TV, sports or whatever. Which TV, which internet providers
do that? I don't know. That's just something I've read. I've never heard of it. It's never heard
of it. Look, 90, I don't know what the number is now, but a large portion of all internet traffic
right now is streaming. Netflix, Stan, HBO Max, Paramount. It's how we all use the internet.
There's literally no talk that I've heard of any internet provider cracking down on what you do
on the internet, right? Okay. Who are you with? Which provider? I'm with AGL. I mean,
I don't know who they're actually reselling. I think it might be related to Aussie broadband,
but anyway, look, again, I don't think that's an issue. I really don't. So I won't worry about
the VPN for now. Again, that's, so I think you, I think you're layering the problem to a point
where you need to go, okay, let's just get this IPTV, whatever it is, and then see what problems
arise, like how white, how or why it doesn't work. Because the first thing, let's say you set up a
fire stick, you got it all working and you put the app on it and then it was buffering, then we're
like, okay, it's the Wi-Fi then, you know, but that doesn't appear to be the issue. If it doesn't
need a VPN, don't put one on because VPNs actually slow you down. They create a larger route for a
piece of traffic to go through to get to a place. So they're not a brilliant thing to have at the
biggest issue is going to be IPTV services are how best to put it. They are a, they are a back
doorway of getting content, and there is no guarantee that whatever you do on day one is
going to be available on day five, let alone day 500. So for example, if you happen to find some
sort of IPTV service that in some way streams SkySport F1 and you're able to get SkySport F1
for nothing. Yes. Mate, it's illegal. It's not real. And it could be stopped at any minute.
You're not going to get fine for it. They're not going to take you to court for it. But
what might happen is whoever is providing that stream might get found and kicked off.
And so next time, you know, so I did this once when I was trying to do, I was trying to do
something, maybe I was overseas and I was trying to get the formula one in a country where it just
wasn't available. And you find these websites where it's like F1 TV is live or whatever,
and it works. And then the next week for the next Grand Prix, it doesn't work because
whoever it was that did it got caught and got kicked off. So if I was re-streaming my FoxTel
or KO service onto the internet for everyone to watch, they'd find me, they'd track you down
pretty quick and they'd kick you off. So all these IPTV things sound amazing until you realise that
not every movie is going to be there every time, not every TV show is going to be there reliably.
And I don't know whether it's going to be the solution that you're hoping for.
That's all. That's my biggest risk for you is you've got to muck around with it first and
work out exactly, exactly. And you may find that that 20 minutes or half an hour of fiddling
around to find the thing you want is well worth it given the saving. But it also may be that you
go, God, I may as well just pay the 40 bucks for KO. So I actually don't think you need to worry
about your network, do anything with your network. I think you just need to get yourself a Firestick,
install whatever app it is that you're going to be using and start mucking around with it.
And then once you know how it works, get another couple.
Yes, sounds like a good idea. I've already bought one of the Amazon Firesticks. I've just
haven't been home long enough to plug it in. And just finally, what's the main content you
want to be getting? Movies really. Just on demand movies for free. Well, I think that's
probably the best thing. That's probably the easiest thing to get online. Sport is much harder
because it's a lot of money involved in sport, you know, a lot of streaming, a lot of rights
involved. Whereas movies, yep, there's big deals involved. But I feel like there's less of a focus
on that online. So you might have a lot more luck with that, mate. All right, sounds good.
Good luck. All over the place. All right, mate. I'll let you know where I go.
Enjoy, mate. Let us know. Cheers. Thanks for getting into it. See you mate. Thanks. No worries.
Look, I don't endorse or support anything that he's done because I'm a firm believer in paying for
the content because it comes at a price. No, I don't love that KO is $46 a month now. I hate it.
I even hate it a lot more given they're now kicking me off and making me change my password because
I use it at the office as well as home. I'm not sharing it with 16 people online.
It's just me, but I'm using it at the office and at home and therefore I'm in trouble. I don't love
any of that, but it doesn't irk me enough to want to find an illegal stream and therefore
deprive the sport of the money. That's what it comes down to, right? And in Philip's point,
Philip's case, if he chooses to watch, so what's the movie we're doing this week on the best movies
you've never seen? Boogie Nights. If I was to use an IPTV system, then no one that was involved in
the making of Boogie Nights gets paid. But when I use Fetch or Apple TV or Apple TV through Fetch
to buy or rent Boogie Nights, someone there clips a ticket. They might get a one cent royalty.
They may get a 10 cent. I don't know, but they do get paid because they worked on it
and that's the way it works. If you don't like the way the industry works,
I don't know, get involved in the industry and make it different. But that's how the industry
works. People got to make money. So it's a tough one for me, those recommendations. But in the
end, in the heart of it all, he doesn't really need to do much. He just needs to get streaming.
Tech, cars, lifestyle. This is the EFTM podcast with Trevor Long.
Thanks for listening. Thanks for downloading. Love to help you out. If I can, Paul's on the
line today, Paul. Can I, Trevor? Hey, what can I do for you? Well, I've seen something on Facebook
about an immense language translator and as soon as I see something on Facebook,
I immediately get suspicious. But it looked kind of interesting. Good point though. Good,
good, good starting point to be out. I'll be honest with you. What, what is it meant to do?
It's, you're supposed to be able to speak to it in English and it will translate to any of
the X number of languages. And when I first looked at it, I thought that looks really odd.
And then I realised that you needed to have a, an internet connection of some sort,
lifestyle or data. And then I just wondered, well, maybe you can just do something just as
easily with a phone. Well, that was where I was going to go was these things, they've been translated
for a long time, but there have been many that don't need the internet. That's what the first
thing I'd say. I remember having one of the today's shots got to be six, seven years ago, maybe.
And it only had like one language and you would, you would program it to that language and it would
basically download that dictionary, like an old, you know, a travel guide translator would just
have the dictionary in it and you would ask things and it would give you, give you the response.
But look, I think the fact is that it's remarkable what you can do now with these little devices.
But if it is one that needs the internet, then I don't know why you just wouldn't use your phone.
Because mate, on an Apple phone, there's Apple Translate. On any phone, there's Google Translate
and there's many more on top of that, which allow you to just speak in your language and
instantly on the screen, see what you were saying in the language of your choice or have it read out
in the language of your choice. And yeah, it requires your internet connection,
but so does the little device you're thinking about buying. So considering there's a free app
around, I don't know that it would be the best purchase at any point. I assume there's an Android
equivalent. Yeah, just use Google Translate. Yeah, okay, but will that read it out for you as well?
Yep, absolutely. I'm just on a, I don't think it's installed by default on a Samsung because
Samsung also have a lot of translation services built into their quick panel interpreter. Here
we go. And there's a button for interpreter. Interpreter uses these permissions. I'm just
setting it up as we go. Allow while using the app allow. I'm going to say conversation in English
Australia. And then we're going to go French for the other side. And I just tap the mic button
it says. So let's have a look. Hello, where's the nearest train station? And
hang on, I paused it. Where's the nearest train station?
Boom, whatever that said, it's where's the nearest train station.
If you don't Spanish, I'd be able to understand it.
Oh hang on, we'll do that and standby. If you know Spanish, Spanish, Spain, Mexico, Spain.
Let's do Spain, Spain. That'll do. Yeah. All right, let's do it. I'm looking for the nearest train
station and then I want to get some bread. I'm looking for the nearest train station and then I want to get some bread.
Well, that's correct. There you go, man. 100%. That's the interpreter app built into a Samsung
Galaxy S26. It can be set up so that it's, so I've just done it so that it's, there's a great button
on here which puts it in conversation mode. So if you can imagine, I'm holding the phone in front
of me as if you're standing in front of me. And what it's done is it's put the English version
pointing at me and the Spanish version pointing at you. And so we can have this conversation. You
can also read, but you can hear, like, wait, honestly, why would you pay for anything when
that exists for free? Exactly. Exactly. The other thing that made me very suspicious was that the
lady who was, quote unquote, reviewing the device said, oh, and it, I was standing in front of this
temple somewhere in Japan and it was telling me all about it, the history of it. I went, oh, really?
Yeah. Look, I think you can, I think you can muck around with your phone
and, and see what you can discover through the basic translate apps, mate.
Okay. And just to be clear, I don't think it's a scam, the one you're talking about. I just don't
know why you'd buy it in this modern world. Yeah. Yeah. I'm inclined to agree here. But I was just
on a, on a further note about phones. I mean, my phone is probably five or six years old now.
And one of the things I love about it is that it has an SD card slot because I store all my photos.
The good old days. And everything on them, right? That way, if something happens to your phone,
you pull the SD card out, you've still got everything. 100%. Yep. Do they, I note that
most phones or most Samsung phones, because I live in the Samsung universe,
don't seem to have that very much anymore. No, mate, they're all gone. They're long gone.
The cloud is your friend now. I mean, look, bottom line, I, the first thing I do on a phone is
sign into my Google account and then enable backup on Google, on the Google photos. So even though
I've only been using this Samsung phone for two weeks, when I go to photos.google.com,
I can see the photos that I took yesterday. When I open up the photos app, I can see the photos I
took three years ago, because whether I was on an iPhone or an Android, every photo I take is
backed up to Google photos. And I think that's the modern solution to what you're talking about.
Yep. Okay. By the way, that interpreter app, is it available on all?
I don't think so. I think that's specifically Samsung. I don't know how far back it goes.
How many Samsung phones? I would say it goes back two generations, because S24 was where they
started their AI journey. So, yeah. It would work on, but on the lower level phones as well.
It might have supported devices primarily available on S24, S25 and Z series. So,
it may not work on anything before that, mate. Okay. All right. But if you are literally doing a
fair bit of this, honestly, get yourself an S24, a two year old phone, because the number of things,
so there on that, there is also the call translator thing. So you can be on the phone to someone in
another language and it'll translate it for you and them. Mate. Okay. There's some really good
stuff in the S24. Okay. Worth a look, mate. All right. All right, buddy. No worries. It's great
to hear from you. Thanks very much. Cheers. Anytime. Thank you. Okay. Bye-bye. That's Paul looking to do
some translation. And he knows his Spanish. Well, he said he knows. He could have just said that was
right. I've got no way of proving it, but it seemed right, didn't it?
Helping Australians with tech questions for over 15 years. The EFT and podcast with Travel on.
Great to have you company. And let's keep doing it for many more years and help you out with your
tech questions, whatever they are and wherever you are. Martin's on the line. Good morning,
Trevor. How are you? I'm really good. What can I do for you?
Trevor, I've got a bit of an issue. My daughter lives in a very big house at Horsley Park and she's
got Starlink. The problem is the Starlink's at the back of the house and at the front of the house,
like at the back of the house, she gets about a 300 megabit download, but at the front of the house,
she's down to about 12. Right. Yeah. And I think she said it's a second generation
modem she's got, but there's no ports in the back of it that you could actually
plug an Ethernet cable into. So I had this problem when I originally tested Starlink.
You couldn't actually kind of plug anything new into it to extend it. So I talk about mesh routers,
for example, and I'm going to plead ignorance here. I don't absolutely know whether this
advice still applies, but as I understand it, some Starlink boxes don't allow you to
to plug in a mesh system and expand your network. But they do sell a Starlink mesh
attachment. So I just don't know whether or not it will absolutely support the device.
She's got, she'll need to check that, but it's called Starlink mesh. They say it supports the
Gen2 router, if that is what she has. And basically what happens is you get, I would say you would
probably get two of these mesh systems, one of them halfway through the house, the other one a
bit further in, and that will boost the network across the home in full. The other thing that
worries me about her Starlink is there's no security password. Like you just go in and when
you go to go to your Wi-Fi, you just go connect the Starlink. There's no password that you've
got to put in to actually log into her. You sure? Yeah, absolutely. You sure you just don't have a
password saved? I don't know. I don't know. Because when I went out to her place, I said,
oh, what's your password? She said, oh, there is none. You just go to Starlink and it just goes,
bang, join Starlink. Oh, well, that is something she needs to enable. Because it definitely
should happen and should work. There should be a password. Look, I haven't used the Gen2 enough
to know for sure, but I'd be blown away if you couldn't at least add. It's interesting. I'm just
reading the setup process and it says, just to secure your Starlink network, use the Starlink
app to rename your Starlink Wi-Fi network and create a Wi-Fi password. You open the Starlink
app, set it as router and enter the network name and hit save. It does say this step is optional.
Aha. Well, I dare say she's hit optional. Yeah, so the reason they do it that way is so that they
don't have any tech support issues. It just always works for people and you're making a
choice then to lock it down. But yeah, I would recommend she goes in. She's going to rename
the network and also that means that all of her devices will need to reconnect with a password.
So any TVs or anything she's got? That's easily fixed. That's easily fixed. Exactly.
So, mate, I think Starlink Mesh is what you need to look for. I'm just going to have a quick
look and see whether they sell it directly because I see a lot of support articles for it,
but I'm not saying, well, how do I buy the damn thing? It actually looks like you're going to get
them at Bunnings for crying out loud. Starlink Mesh. Look at that. I don't know if it's actually
Bunnings selling them or if it's like a third party. But latest generation Mesh router,
that's what you want. And it's about $215. So I would recommend you have two of them in a big
home. But that's all she needs, essentially. But I would just do a quick bit of research to
check that it is compatible with her modem. But then you're off to the races, mate.
Thank you very much for your time. My pleasure, mate. Any time. Get in touch.
All the best. Thank you. Cheers, mate. Bye-bye. Yeah, wow, no password. That's fun.
Anyway, you've got to lock that thing down, folks. This is the EFTM podcast.
Great to have you company. Taking your calls. If you've got a tech question, I'd love to help
you out. John's on the line. G'day, John. Hey, Trevor. Good to hear from you.
Mate, great to have you on the show. What can I do for you?
Two fees. Google tells you that your storage is full. Is there something you can do about that
without deleting all your photos? Pay for storage. That's what they want, mate.
It's as simple as that. They want you to pay for storage. I mean, it's one of the bills that
comes out of my account every month. And I think to myself, yeah, I'm okay with that.
Because, you know, I've got tens of thousands of, probably 100,000 photos there now of,
you know, my family over years. And while it's a random thing to be paying for,
when you think about it from the old school, we had a photo album in the lounge room,
and that was where our photos were. We didn't pay for it. We also could have lost that overnight
in a fire. So, yeah, I'm kind of okay with it. And I see it as probably the most important
subscription I have. Here's my storage for photos. Yeah, okay. Fair enough. And if you
accidentally delude stuff out of your Google photos, can you really store them?
Oh, wow, I don't know. Have you done this already, I'm assuming?
I've deleted them, yeah. And they disappeared off my phone as well. I went, uh-oh.
Yeah, so you got an Android phone? Are you using the Google Photos app?
I'm using, yeah, I've got a Google phone using the Google online, like part of your Google
Gmail account, yeah. So, the first thing to do is look in the Google Photos app. I'm just
going to open up my, I've got an Android phone here. Let me open up Google Photos. And I think
there's a collection. So, they call them collections, like folders.
There might be one called Trash. On my phone, it's called Bin.
Yes, Trash. Yes, I found it.
Are they in there though?
Yes, they are. Look at that.
60 days. So, you've got 60 days to reverse your mistake.
So, there they are. And yeah, now you've just got to make that decision about the payment,
you know, how much you're willing to pay for that. And is Google Photos the right one? I've
found that. And that may be a thing that has me hooked for life and Google charged me anything.
In the same way that, that happens with all subscriptions though, doesn't it? You know,
you've got a subscription to KO because you love the Formula One. I'm now paying $46 a month.
I was paying $35 a year and a half ago. I mean, you know, what can I do? What can I do?
Adobe, the Creative Cloud, I use, I'm literally using Adobe Audition right now to record this.
I use Adobe Premiere to edit videos. Yes, there are alternatives, but I'm just so deep in this
world that I'm paying $100 a month for this damn thing. So, it used to be $40 or something like
that. Yes. It, mate, it comes down to prioritizing and I think that most of us would prioritize
our photo storage over everything else anyway. So, tough family expense, but that's where it is,
mate. I'm just glad we got your photos back. Yeah, good on your face, Luxury. I really appreciate
no worries, mate. Anytime. Get in touch. Cheers, buddy. Cheers, mate. Thank you. Yeah,
I'm glad he comes. I'm glad it's been less than 60 days essentially because if it had been 61 days,
he'd have lost those photos. We would be having a very, very different conversation.
Join the conversation. Head to eftm.com and click Ask Trev.
Thank you again for listening. Thank you for listening to my rant at the start. Let me know
if you've got feedback. If you've got a way of dealing with notifications and distractions,
what do you do? What do you do in your life to deal with notifications and distractions? I'd
love to hear from you. So, we don't have to talk about problems and tech questions. We can talk
about a topic. If you want to talk about distractions, send me a text 0477 657 657.
We'll do it all again next week right here on the AFTM podcast.
About this episode
Trevor Long fields a wide range of tech questions with a conversational vibe, starting with his take on notifications and why you should delay replying—especially while driving. Listeners ask about loop earplugs versus Apple AirPods Pro for restaurant noise and hearing needs, security cameras without NBN (wired vs Wi‑Fi systems, plus brand recommendations), and IPTV via Fire Stick, where he warns about VPN complexity and the reliability/legality risks of gray-market streams. Other segments cover Samsung phone translation alternatives, Starlink mesh for weak Wi‑Fi at the front of a big house, and recovering Google Photos after storage fills.
Back to the grind folks, LOTS of your calls. If you wanna talk tech - send me a text thanks to Vodafone on 0477 657 657.
This week Security cameras, Loop earplugs and VPNs.
Plus the strange translation device I can't see why you'd need.
Spreading starlink house wide and losing Google Photos!
