PERSONAL FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Don"t You remember the golden days where it was a calculator a pen and a diary and on a lazy Sunday afternoon your parents would start there financial planing and will sit with there documents to tally all. But these are the days where work can be done at the speed of breeze. So why fret when you can use Personal account ting software to manage Your Budget and expense
as there are only 3 types of Components  we have to deal with in our day to day life IE: Income, Expense And Investments.
And these 3 never change only the way to manage them changes. Now it is purely on you if you want to be chintamoney (chinta gone money on) chintamoney (all chinta and no money). Continue reading as to how you can be chinta gone money on.

WHAT IS PERSONAL FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING ?


According to Finance guru's " Personal finance is a term that covers managing your money as well as saving and investing. It encompasses budgeting, banking, insurance, mortgages, investments, retirement planning, and tax and estate planning."

And according to Wikipedia "Personal finance is the financial management which an individual or a family unit performs to budget, save, and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future life events.

When planning personal finances, the individual would consider the suitability to his or her needs of a range of banking products (checking, savings accounts, credit cards and consumer loans) or investment private equity, (stock market, bonds, mutual funds) and insurance (life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance) products or participation and monitoring of and- or employer-sponsored retirement plans, social security benefits, and income tax management."

And As I often say "Personal finance is about meeting personal financial goals, whether it’s having enough for short-term financial needs, planning for retirement, or saving for your child's college education. It all depends on your income, expenses, living requirements, and individual goals and desires—and coming up with a plan to fulfill those needs within your financial constraints. But to make the most of your income and savings it's important to become financially literate, so you can distinguish between good and bad advice and make savvy decisions."

Few Takeaways which I can give you :

1) Few schools have courses in how to manage your money, so it is important to learn the basics through free online articles, courses, and blogs; podcasts; or at the library.

2) Smart personal finance involves developing strategies that include budgeting, creating an emergency fund, paying off debt, using credit cards wisely, saving for retirement, and more.

3) Being disciplined is important, but it's also good to know when to break the rules—for example, young adults who are told to invest 10% to 20% of their income for retirement may need to take some of those funds to buy a home or pay off debt instead .


WHY THERE IS A NEED FOR IT ?

Accounting plays an important role in many different aspects of life, from private endeavors, to the public sector. Much of the information used in personal finance involves accounting and it is important for all people, not just accountants or business owners, to have a basic understanding of accounting. This includes valuation methods as well as common terminology used within the accounting field. In addition to using accounting basics in your personal life, it can help

DIFFERENT SOFTWARE'S FOR THIS PURPOSE ?

1) PAS Personal Accounting Software :- www.softwareketan.com

We have developed software looking to this need.

A Perfect Personal Accounting Software “PAS”

Firstly you have a full desktop experience so that your data is with you only with all user passwords protected.

Why we developed this?

1.    Lot many daily Expenses we do in cash/card/wallet now days and forget them.

2.    We have lot many passwords to remember ex. Bank Accounts, Mail id, Social Media Accounts etc. We can easily store this password in this software. 

3.     Now only our Spouse will know the password of our PAS software, so that whenever emergency arises he/she has full access to all our financial assets through this desktop software.

4.     We can compare our Expenses by group that we spend more on lifestyles or on Compulsory Expenses.

5.    Keep track of all our Personal Investments and set reminders to pay its Renewals (Eg. LIC Premium)

6.    Make our Personal Balance Sheet: What we earned, What We Spent & What we saved whole Year.

Features of Software:

Salary Income : Quick Receipt

A. Routine Expenses

1. Monthly Expenses

-Kitchen Expense

-Vegetables, Fruits, Etc.,

2. Monthly Expenses

-School Fees

-Bills Like Electricity, Newspaper,Milk

3. Yearly Expenses

- Government Taxes-Corporation,Water,Income Tax

- Vehicle Insurance

-Birthday Exp

4. Investments for 80C Section

-Insurance Policy Premium

-SIP

5. Other Investment for Income Generation

-Personal Loans

-Share Trading Etc.,

                                       
                                          PAS account item's adding screen Eg: Phone or Water Bill.

                                          PAS main screen of your account.                                         

                                           PAS reminder screen, to set important reminders. 
           

                                          PAS balance sheet screen , here you can print your balance sheet.

                                         PAS Account login screen.

2) Alzex Finance :- www.alzex.com

The concept behind this personal accounting software lies in grouping expenses into categories. This is useful because one can see where money is going and how much is spent at a single glance.

3) Various other Paid accounting package like : Wings ,Tally, Marg erp, Saral,Busy & Vyapaar.

4) Free software's: Microsoft Money Sunset deluxe (www.microsoft.com) and Alzex finance ( https://www.alzex.com/download/free-accounting-software.html).

COMPARISATION PRICE AND WEBSITE With features

Alzex Finance will come in 2 flavors 

1) Home version $24.95

 A) Synchronization and multi currency.

 B) Scheduler and data management tools.

 C) Loans tracking and budget.

 D) Reports

2) Professional version $39.95

All Home Version Features Plus

 A) User accounts.

 B) Access restrictions.

 C) Payee and projects.

 D) Events and tasks.

Can only be bought from https://www.alzex.com/purchase.html via www.2co.com

Pros : 1) Ease of use .

     2) Multi Currency

     3) Events and tasks.

     4) Access restrictions with User accounts.

     5) Portable version availabe to use on pendrive.

   

      6) As per website Free upgrades for 12 months, paid upgrade with 40% discounts to future versions for all purchasers.            Support for life. And  30 days return policy. 

     

     7) Purchase benefits

           A) Lifetime license.

           B) Updates of the program and exchange rates for one year.

           C) Priority technical support. 

      

      8) Small in Size Not more than 32 MB 

      

       9) You can Backup the user database manually to your NAS or any backup media and later past it in your data directory and all data is there.

Cons : 1) Only Available online through www.2co.com.

        

           2) Support available only through online https://community.alzex.com

          and as per alzex finance "Technical support is provided by email"  support@alzex.com.

           3) Only 3 Activation's possible then you have to keep on emailing to reset the counter and they may or may not respond.

          4) Internet activation required. If you are not careful you can end up using your 3 licences          without information as You cannot see how many activation's left.

    

          5) Pen drive portable version sometimes auto deactivates and while activating it you might end up using your 3 tries and have to email them with your key and reason they do respond but might reset your activation or may not do it.     

         

          6) No Training material available except software help which has been converted to user manual online as well as pdf. All are the same to  refer to no difference. 

Payment methods

       1) Major Credit & Debit Cards

       2) PayPal, Alipay, WebMoney

       3) Real-time Bank Transfers (Giropay, DIRECTebanking.com)

       4) Wire Transfers (local wire transfers available for USA, France, Germany & the Netherlands)

       5) Checks, Purchase Orders & Fax Orders

PAS Personal Financial Accounting comes in plane vanilla flavour

Only PAS Rupees 2000 (multi license multi pc's) Actual cost 6000 Inr

Can be picked over whats app or www.softwareketan.com Got on Pendrive. Or Can Pay On https://www.softwareketan.com/bankdetail/

Features Like :

1) Salary Income : Quick Receipt

    A. Routine Expenses

    1. Monthly Expenses

      -Kitchen Expense

      -Vegetables, Fruits, Etc.,

2) Monthly Expenses

      -School Fees

      -Bills Like Electricity, Newspaper,Milk

3) Yearly Expenses

      - Government Taxes-Corporation,Water,Income Tax

      - Vehicle Insurance

      -Birthday Exp

4) Invenstments for 80C Section

      -Insurance Policy Premium

      -SIP

5) Other Investment for Income Generation

     -Personal Loans

     -Share Trading

Pros : 1) Ease of use .

       2) Events and tasks.

       3) No Updates needed so no extran expence 

       4) Access restrictions with User accounts.

       5) Portable version availabe to use on pendrive.

       6) Support for life. And  30 days return policy. 

       7) Purchase benefits

           A) Lifetime license.

           B) Multi License for Multiple Family Members and their PC's

           c) Priority technical support available on whats app , email :- softwareketan@gmail.com or Via TeamViewer   (https://www.softwareketan.com/software-help/) . 

       8) Small In size 89 Mb. 

       9) You can Backup the user database manually to your NAS or any backup media and later past it in your data directory            and all data is there. So no storage cost  Is to be paid

      10) You Can create new account by merging your existing account structure Eg: Jatin Accounts fields can be merged on   Rekha accounts.   

      11) Youtube Training On : https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=personal+financial+accounting+softwareketan

Cons : 1) SoftWare is not as pleasing to eyes as Alzex finance.

       2) Only Video tutorial available on Youtube

          https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=personal+financial+accounting+softwareketan

       3) Lacks a user Manual Hence a training is needed as Packge is slightly confusing to use

       4) Menu Bar on the right hand side goes Blank so (But Has a solution to that as small menu button is available to                access all those catagories)

       

Payment methods

       1) Bank Wired Transfers  

       2) Phone Pay And Google Pay along with BHIM App.

       3) Real-time Bank Transfers (Giropay, DIRECTebanking.com)

       4) Paytm, OLAMONEY, MobiKwik, freecharge & JioMoney

       5) Major Credit & Debit Cards 

       6) ##Instamojo Payment Gateway

Various other Paid accounting packge like : Wings ,Tally, Marg erp, Saral,Busy & Vyapaar.

Can only be bought from There respective website's or Any Retail stores

Price range starts from Rupees 3000 and can go up to 30,000

Pros : 1) Ease of use  .

       2) Excellent Technicial support Ie over phone , E-mail, website, Chat and Whatsapp

       3) Free Trial Packs available 

       

Cons : 1) Only Available for Business

       2) Expencive

       3) Upgrades and renuals are mandatory ( cost can go up to 8000 per year per user)

       4) Not Sutiable for Home Finance Management

       5) Large file size 200 MB 

       6) Propritery Backup only

            

Free softwares: Microsoft Money Sunset delux (www.microsoft.com) and Alzex finance ( https://www.alzex.com/download/free-accounting-software.html).

Pros : 1) Excellent GUI .

       2) Available for free on https://www.alzex.com/download/free-accounting-software.html & www.microsoft.com

       3) No License required

       4) No Activation needed

       5) Alzex Finance Support available only through online https://community.alzex.com

          and as per alzex finance "Technical support is provided by email"  support@alzex.com.

       

Cons : 1) No technical support for microsoft

       2) No Upgrades in case of microsoft

       3) Large file size in case of Microsoft 300 MB

       4) Difficult To learn as no help available only in case of Microsoft

AND WHY PERSONAL ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE IS THE BEST?

Lot Many Salaried & Professional Executives today needs a simple, Fully Secured Accounts data keeping Solution.

MY OPENION : For Better personal finance management and Great savings along with huge benifits with Good Health use PAS Personal Accounting software as one time investment but Life Time Benifit.

Why This Personal Home Accounting Software?

1) Ease of use 

2) 9 am to 6 Pm technicial support available over phone , Whatsapp, e-mail and TeamViewer.

3) User Manual can be provided upon request 

4) Can be delivered over email and pendrive or both.

HOW BENEFICIAL IT IS DAY TO DAY EXPENSE?

Very beneficial as you can know where you stand at the end of the month and noting day to day expense is a bliss as it helps you to plan better so that you could reach high on savings and invest as well.

TIPS ON PERSONAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT .

to 20% of their income for retirement may need to take some of those funds to buy a home or pay off debt instead.

08 Personal Finance Strategies

The sooner you start financial planning the better, but it's never too late to create financial goals to give yourself and your family financial security and freedom. Here are the best practices and tips for personal finance:

1. Devise a Budget

A budget is essential to living within your means and saving enough to meet your long-term goals. The 50/30/20 budgeting method offers a great framework. It breaks down like this:

50% of your take-home pay or net income (after taxes, that is) goes toward living essentials, such as rent, utilities, groceries, and transport

30% is allocated to lifestyle expenses, such as dining out and shopping for clothes.

20% goes towards the future: paying down debt and saving both for retirement and for emergencies

It’s never been easier to manage money, thanks to a growing number of personal budgeting apps for smartphones that put day-to-day finances in the palm of your hand. Here are just two examples: YNAB, aka You Need a Budget, helps you track and adjust your spending so that you are in control of every dollar you spend. Meanwhile, Mint streamlines cash flow, budgets, credit cards, bills, and investment tracking—all from one place. It automatically updates and categorizes your financial data as info comes in, so you always know where you stand financially. The app will even dish out custom tips and advice.

2. Create an Emergency Fund

It’s important to “pay yourself first” to ensure money is set aside for unexpected expenses such as medical bills, a big car repair, rent if you get laid off, and more.

Between three and six months' worth of living expenses is the ideal safety net. Financial experts generally recommend putting away 20% of each paycheck every month (which of course, you’ve already budgeted for!). Once you’ve filled up your “rainy day” fund (for emergencies or sudden unemployment), don’t stop. Continue funneling the monthly 20% towards other financial goals such as a retirement fund.

3. Limit Debt

It sounds simple enough: To keep debt from getting out of hand, don’t spend more than you earn. Of course, most people do have to borrow from time to time—and sometimes going into debt can be advantageous, if it leads to acquiring an asset. Taking out a mortgage to buy a house is one good example. But leasing can sometimes be more economical than buying outright, whether you’re renting a property, leasing a car, or even getting a subscription to computer software.

4. Use Credit Cards Wisely

Credit cards can be major debt traps. But it's unrealistic not to own any in the contemporary world, and they have applications other than as a tool to buy things. Not only are they crucial to establishing your credit rating, but they’re also a great way to track spending, which can be a big budgeting aid.

Credit just needs to be managed correctly, which means the balance should ideally be paid off every month, or at least be kept at a credit utilization rate minimum (that is, keep your account balances below 30% of your total available credit). Given the extraordinary rewards incentives on offer these days (such as cash back), it makes sense to charge as many purchases as possible. Still, avoid maxing out credit cards at all costs, and always pay bills on time. One of the fastest ways to ruin your credit score is to constantly pay bills late—or even worse, miss payments. (See Tip No. 5.)

Using a debit card is another way to ensure you will not be paying for accumulated small purchases over an extended period—with interest.

5. Monitor Your Credit Score

Credit cards are the main vehicle through which your credit score is built and maintained, so watching credit spending goes hand in hand with monitoring your credit score. If you ever want to obtain a lease, mortgage, or any other type of financing, you’ll need a solid credit history behind you. Factors that determine your score include how long you've had credit, your payment history, and your credit-to-debt ratio.

Credit scores are calculated between 300 and 850. Here's one rough way to look at it:

720 = good credit

650 = average credit

600 or less = poor credit

To pay bills, set up direct debiting where possible (so you never miss a payment) and subscribe to reporting agencies that provide regular credit score updates. By monitoring your report, you will be able to detect and address mistakes or fraudulent activity. Federal law allows you to obtain free credit reports from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Reports can be obtained directly from each agency, or you can sign up at AnnualCreditReport, a site sponsored by the Big Three; you can also get a free credit score from sites such as Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, or Wallet Hub. Some credit card providers, such as Capital One, will provide customers with complimentary, regular credit score updates, too.

6. Consider Your Family

To protect the assets in your estate and ensure that your wishes are followed when you die, be sure you make a will and—depending on your needs—possibly set up one or more trusts. You also need to look into insurance: auto, home, life, disability and long term care insurance. And be sure to periodically review your policy to make sure it meets your family's needs through life's major milestones.

Other critical documents include a living will and healthcare power of attorney. While not all these documents directly affect you, all of them can save your next-of-kin considerable time and expense when you fall ill or become otherwise incapacitated.

And while they're young, take the time to teach your children about the value of money and how to save, invest, and spend wisely.

7. Plan (and Save) for Retirement

Retirement may seem like a lifetime away, but it arrives much sooner than you’d expect. Experts suggest that most people will need about 80% of their current salary in retirement. The younger you start, the more you benefit from what advisors like to call the magic of compounding interest—how small amounts grow over time. Setting aside money now for your retirement not only allows it to grow over the long term, but it can also reduce your current income taxes if funds are placed in a tax-advantaged plan fund like an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), a 401(k) or a 403(b). If your employer offers a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, start paying into it right away, especially if they match your contribution. By not doing so, you're giving up free money! Take time to learn the difference between a Roth 401(k) and a traditional 401(k), if your company offers both.

Investing is only one part of planning for retirement. Other strategies include waiting as long as possible before opting to receive Social Security benefits (which is smart for most people), and converting a term life insurance policy to a permanent life one.

8. Give Yourself a Break

Budgeting and planning can seem full of deprivations. Make sure you reward yourself now and then. Whether it's a vacation, purchase, or an occasional night on the town, you need to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Doing so gives you a taste of the financial independence you're working so hard for.

TALE OF A HYBRID !

Hybrid Hybrid Hybrid !

a new term for a new gen like car's running on cng and petrol will come under hybrid . However technically for laptop we would define hybrid as :-

" A combination tablet and laptop computer. Also called a "detachable" or "2-in-1," the hybrid has a removable screen that turns into a tablet when separated. For example, when the screen is removed from a Windows hybrid (starting with Windows 8), it becomes a tablet."

I would prefer to use them as they are easy to carry , light weight, fanless, come with ssd drive and not bulky hdd, can be detached (as and when required).

since the time I have been seeing hybrids I have fallen in love with them as they boot fast and are convenient to use and don't occupy much space in ones bag. I have been in love with the term hybrid since Microsoft surface pro 1st edition which was followed by Lenovo Idea tab lynx (win 8.1) and then dell jumped in and changes kept on happening . Till acer rocked the earth with there aspire one 10 series which set a trend in it world as it was backed by 500gb hdd in keyboard dock . However when people moved to ssd drives Lenovo hit the market with Lenovo miix 3 which was a great hit amongst young and bold.  But soon faded as you had to keep it on the dock and use it buy cant be used as laptop as it just sat on the dock and looked flimsy when moving it across in the room. 

Lenovo changed there design and the was born miix 310 which was very soon succeeded by Miix 320.   And today I am going to share my review of miix 320.

What A Miix !

Lenovo miix 320 is a true hybrid that runs on latest windows 10 home edition. According to Lenovo " With the Miix 320, you get the best of both worlds. A fully functional laptop and a tablet—in one streamlined, portable device. Boasting a detachable keyboard, 10-hour battery life, smooth processing, and productivity-enhancing tools, it enables you to get things done on the go, pronto. When you need to kick back, the 10.1” FHD display and stereo speakers bring everything to life. And with super-fast WiFi, the Miix 320 is ideal for both work and play.".

I liked the fact that on one hand it is tab and other hand it is a 10" laptop which is ready to zip through out your busy day.  It  comes with 10.1" FHD (1920 x 800) IPS LED Multitouch display. And in thickness it is 17.5 mm / 0.7" = Tablet: 9 mm / 0.3" (tablet) + Dock: 8.5 mm / 0.3" along with weight of With keyboard: 1020 g / 2.2 lbs and Without keyboard: 550 g / 1.2 lbs. On connectivity it has 802.11AC (1x1) WiFi + Bluetooth^® 4.1, USB Type-C 3.0 , Micro HDMI, 2 x USB 2.0 and an Audio combo jack. with storage of 32 gb ssd and an sd slot with expansion of 256 gb. Processer vise it runs on Intel^® Atom™ x5-Z8350 Processor (1.44GHz 2MB) with ram 2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz. It also houses Intel^® HD Graphics 400.Cameras are standerd for Front: 2 MP Webcam with mic and Rear: 5 MP Auto-focus. Speaking of audio  it houses Stereo Speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio. But battery clamed by them is Up to 10 hours' local video payback.

Day 1 11:30 a

Unboxed the laptop from brown box and activated it. It took 2 min to  setup itself and and login to windows 10 home . Setup was Cortana voice guided. 

All setup and ready to use

Usb 2.0 and power jack on left side.

 

Usb 2.0 with mini Usb 3.0 type C along with Mini HDMI and Headphone n Mike Jack  on right side . Mike hole is also present on right side  of tab.

In tab mode with power button , volume rocker and charging port.

When I detached it this is how it looked :-

12:30p Time to leave home  as have to go for urgent work  and will come home late. But on my way talked to Microsoft for office 365 which they said is active till 2019 December. Will set it up too as too tired now hitting bed.

Day 2 9:00am coffee in hand and hybrid in front

Connected it with my tp link Archer c20i ac 750 router as this laptop has 802.11AC (1x1) WiFi  built in which can take speed of upto 400 Mbps on 5 Ghz channel.  Speeds are good as I got a transfer rate of 7 Mbps as my tv takes 3 Mbps. I setup office 365 and in 1/2 min it is done and ready to use. Then setup my Lenovo id and software's provided.

again out for work time is 2:00pm . 

Day 3 9:00am mission hybrid

received a critical update by Lenovo for bios . Updated bios and got stuck as it asked for bitlocker key which I never setup and would not budge. Contacted Lenovo teach support and issue is resolved .

Back to windows finally , By the way what is bitlocker ?

BitLocker (codenamed Cornerstone and formerly known as Secure Startup) is a full disk encryption feature included with select editions of Windows Vista and later. Activated by default  for getting the key login with Microsoft account id and you will need to click devices and then  on Get BitLocker recovery keys to see the keys . by the way took 2 hrs to find out about it on call with Lenovo.

Day 4 9:00am mission hybrid

Plugged my wd 1tb cloud harddisk  and cloud up and ready to use. even my foxit pdf is also setup to read, create and edit pdf. Time to pair my dell bt headset to tab and it is ready as music stream's in 15 seconds flat with Bluetooth^® 4.1. also connected 32 gb pendrive and it works like a breez.  

held my tab and out to get carry case for it . managed to get neopack sling for 10 inch from crossroads @ inorbit for 515 Inr. it is soft with 2 pockets 1 for tab and other for accessory.

Also managed to get a stylus with silicon tip for 95 Inr which works great.

Day 5 9:00am mission hybrid

Charged and ready with stylus tucked in and tab up and ready at 100% battery and brightness of 25% . 9:30am at station with my cousin going to vt for a gst confrence and am typing my document in word and then I hit on 20 min of ppt slides and then 5 min of excel. Reached vt 10:45am take a cab to churchgate  am still typing  15 min and lo and behold churchgate station came and next was our venue. Tablet is put back  in the  bag and after checking pull it out again for taking notes. 1&1/2 hrs  of taking notes from ppt on there screen stylus made it easy to annote and highlight in word. Finally time for tea and to meet others . Saved my document and ready for tea and meeting people.

Then back to fort and time to meet my cousins lawyer as he was looking to resolve some official legal matters of his. took notes for him on OneNote . Meeting lasted 2 hrs . finally out of lawyers office and now need some grub . We head to McDonald's nearby for some grub. Got wifi for 40 min. Checked live news feed on youtube and sent my cousin his lawyers notes in email. coming back home  with a flat tab. as it has a battery life of  max 6 hrs. home sweet home at last. took 2 hrs to charge. shut down and packed back in bag.

Day 6 9:00am mission hybrid

Setup my outlook and am good to go also imported my mails from my Gmail account. played some candy crush for 20 min. had my breakfast and at sharp 11:45 in my church ready to record the sermon in word which lasts for 45 min with explanation.  @1:30 take a selfi  with 5 mpx on back with church group as it is birthday of 1 member. also made a 5min video of cake cutting.

Finally home and time for review of images and video and post them online. pictures are average and vodeo is 1080 p resolution with fair clerity. 

Day 6 9:00am mission hybrid

Final  review of todo for the day and still have 75% battery left.

Got to go for another pc review before that need to get the device.

Ps: did turn windows update off as only 11gb is free and set locations for all saves to my sd card.

Ups

1) good viewing angles  for video and image.

2) even on 0% no flickering on screen seen as opposed to surface pro 4 where screen shows flickering on 0%,

3) good performance for its price (18,000 Inr) @Lenovo store wit 11% Cash back.

4) crisp clear and sweet audio with Dolby Advanced Audio.

5) HD IPS display with resolution of 1920 x 800.

6) 2 Usb 2.0 ports in dock.

7) ergonomically placed keys on  keyboard makes typing a breez.

8) Microsoft precession touch pad at this price is a welcome.

Downs

1) Average battery life of 6 hrs as opposed to mentioned 10 hrs.

2) Ssd sould have been atleast 64 gb.

3)  prying pin (not supplied) for sd card tray removal as opposed to yoga book.

4) cant be used as table or tent mode as opposed to Lenovo yoga book .

5) no stylus included. 

6) cameras are mediocre as images are at times not properly focused.

7) only wifi with no LTE is a downer as wifi is not available in local trains and cabs as of now.

any Queries do get back . 

To download manual click Here.

How To Stream To WP 8.1 and 10.

STREAM STREAM STREAM !

Today we will learn how to stream to your Windows Phone 8.1 or 10. And to do this we require following things :

1) A SMB and UPnP enabled router like TP-LINK Archer C20 .

2) Sandisk Cruser Blade32 GB PenDrive (https://www.sandisk.in/home/usb-flash/cruzer-blade).

3) Some free software's :

   a) mFTP2 (free ftp client)

   b) Smart Player (video streamer).

   c) OneVideo (video streamer).

4) Nokia Lumia 1320.

Why ? Archer C20 !

Founded in 1996, TP-Link is a global provider of reliable networking devices and accessories, involved in all aspects of everyday life. The company is consistently ranked by analyst firm IDC as the No. 1 provider of WLAN and broadband CPE devices*, supplying distribution to more than 120 countries and serving hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

As a known friend of mine got 1 from his uncle in pune, as they got an TP-LINK P5 In 12K as they needed 2 USB ports 1 for NAS drive and other for wireless printing  along with GigaByte Ethernet Ports. To know more about C20 and specs visit : http://www.tp-link.com/lb/products/details/cat-9_Archer-C20.html .

How ?

1) Plug in the pen drive with media (photos , music and videos) in it.

2) Login to your router's web base interface by going to 192.168.0.1.

3) Go to USB Settings.

4) And  user accounts.

5) create user and grant it access.

7) Then in storage sharing enable it.

8)  Go to  FTP server and add folder's to it, Then enable it.

9) In Media Server give your server a name and enable it.

10) save all your settings.

You are done just software part remaining.

Why? mFTP2 !

mFTP2 is the completely new developed successor of mFTP. We learned from the mistakes we did in the earlier version and started from the scratch to create a new, unique way to interact with your FTP server. mFTP2 offers you a full FTP client, with all the familiar features and allows the exchange of data from your desktop and Tablet PC with your FTP server. Therefore the download and upload of files is as well possible as creating, renaming, and moving folders. You can also modify their access permissions. Because of the modern design and intuitive operation, the use of mFTP2 is easy and pleasant.

( It is available for both pc and mobile devices ).

How ?

1)  Go to mFTP2 and click on + symbol.

2) Fill in the NAME, ADDRESS, USERNAME & PASSWORD fields and leave the POER AND ENCRYPTION MODE field as default.

3) In address field fill in ip address available n FTP Server section of your router.

4) Save the settings and you are done.

Why? Smart Player !

Smart Player is a Windows mobile UPnP (DLNA) Control Point. It browses and plays easily your music, images and videos on your phone or your DLNA devices on your network from all your UPnP/DLNA enabled media servers (XBMC, Windows Media Player, Sonos, XBox360, DLNA TVs, ...) or from your preferred online storage solution. (Dropbox, Youtube, SkyDrive, Google Drive or SoundCloud)

How ?

1) open Smart Player and go to sources.

2) Click on your media server.

Now you are ready to play your video's , audios and view your pics from your dlna server.

Ps: streaming of videos takes anywhere between 15 to 30 seconds as it uses system decoder and there is no way to change it to custom decoder.

Why? One Video !

OneVideo is unified media player for Windows Phone. It's perfect solution for playing all media files from various source types.

How ?

1) Open the app.
2) Go to Connect To Servers and select your media server.
3) in settings select custom decoder. (and videos stream without delay).

and enjoy streaming of  your music and video's on your phone. As it dose not stream images, so we have to use Smart Player for images.

Nokia 1320 was the phone he had with him for use so we were able to doe the above steps at his home as he is a novice with streaming.

Hope you liked it .. follow these and your good to go..

I Dream Of DLNA

Today we are not reviewing any phone or device or any software But we will speak about something of your interest. You got it right it is STREAMING  and I chetan Saxena  welcome you to be a part of my this journey and how I achieved it

what is DLNA ?

Digital home entertainment has come a long way in a fairly short time, and it's now easy to stream music, video and other media around the house without any hassle.

Technologies such as DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) are a big part of that'

The Digital Living Network Alliance is a non-profit trade organisation, and it was started by Sony way back in 2003. The DLNA defines standards that enable devices to share stuff - photos, video, music - with each other, and it has more than 200 members responsible for more than 9,000 different DLNA devices.

DLNA is designed to act as a bridge between your various bits of kit, so you can watch a film from your PC on your big-screen TV, play an MP3 from your smartphone on your stereo, or send shots from the family photo album to your wireless printer via your tablet. Think of it as a kind of home cloud: it shouldn't matter where your media is or what device you're currently holding; with DLNA, whatever you want should come to wherever you are and whatever you're using.

As you might expect, DLNA hardware is designed to work on a home network. It doesn't matter whether that network is wired or wireless, although with Wi-Fi you'll need to ensure that your network has sufficient bandwidth for what you want to do. We'd recommend 802.11n Wi-Fi for serious home sharing.

DLNA-compatible devices use UPnP to communicate, and there are three classes of DLNA devices: Home Network Devices, Mobile Handheld Devices and Home Infrastructure Devices. The first category encompasses media servers, AV receivers, TVs, consoles and tablets; the second category includes smartphones and media tablets; and the third category covers routers and hubs.

Is your device DLNA certified?

DLNA Certified devices have been tested to ensure that they'll play nicely with other DLNA devices. Non-certified devices can be made DLNA compatible with software, so for example PCs can be DLNA servers if they're running version 11 or later of Windows Media Player.

To know more visit : https://www.dlna.org/

Or to check if your device is DLNA certified visit : https://spirespark.com/dlna/products/

To see DLNA guidelines and download the visit : https://spirespark.com/dlna/guidelines/

As they tell you a lot about DLNA architecture in detail. 

MY NAS Drive DLNA certification

What is NAS?

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a file-level computer data storage server connected to a computer network providing data access to a heterogeneous group of clients. NAS is specialized for serving files either by its hardware, software, or configuration. It is often manufactured as a computer appliance – a purpose-built specialized computer.

You all know about Ethernet and lan wan man and routers and gateways. So we will not speak about it.

Home network (HAN)

A home network or home area network (HAN) is a type of local area network with the purpose to facilitate communication among digital devices present inside or within the close vicinity of a home.

Or

A home network or home area network is a type of computer network that facilitates communication among devices within the close vicinity of a home. Devices capable of participating in this network, for example, smart devices such as network printers and handheld mobile computers, often gain enhanced emergent capabilities through their ability to interact. These additional capabilities can be used to increase the quality of life inside the home in a variety of ways, such as automation of repetitious tasks, increased personal productivity, enhanced home security, and easier access to entertainment.

An example of a simple home network (c) wikipedia.org

What do we require to set them up !

1) NAS drive  any TB and any manufacture .

I Choose WD 1 TB

I choose WD for price factor and considering there popularity in the market . I got mine from  a local Reliance Digital Store  shelf @ Vashi for 4K with 3 yrs warranty.

Only drawback unlike new WD disks has no  USB Expansion port at back. see the pic below :

2) Router  (N or AC ) Series pictured below (DGN2200v4  N300) & (Archer C20i AC 750)

I chose Archer C20i again as it has 3 internal antennae of  2 Db X 2 and 5 Db X 1 and is an AC architecture and my laptop and phone and tabs are AC compliant and I got it for 1950 IN only again from tanish WiFi Technologies at Dream Mall @ Bhandup.

 

3) Smart TV Box : I use the one from iREVO as it is more stable and gives me live broadcast an streams my fav shows over the cloud via neat TV interface and is DLNA compliant  and runs on android 4.4.2 (in.irevomm.com). See the pics below of two models  with and without antenna choose what fits your budget.

They feature media streaming options with media servers built in to them like xbmc , kodi & Ehome media centre.

4) Software's 
    a) WD MY Cloud software for windows 10 downlodable from :-
         http://setup.wd2go.com/?mod=download&device=mc.
    b) Mediahouse UPnP/DLNA  (android) from play store.
    c) ESexplorer (android) from play store.

I used  WD MY Cloud software for windows 10 for uploading contents from my pc like audio , video and images to my NAS drive.  Mediahouse UPnP/DLNA  as it can scan most of NAS drive on my home network  and stream from them seamlessly and comes in free and paid versions. ESexplorer for FTP purposes and copying contents for offline viewing or for installing .APK files on the box.

How do we connect to them?

1) Connect your NAS drive to your modem with lan cable as shone below :

And now power up modem .  And you will see a lan (a monitor symbol) light glow on your modem. and then run setup from the WD cd to setup your NAS Drive and configure it.  On Web control panel  enable Media Streaming server which could be  DLNA or Twonky media. In my case it was Twonky media. How to enable? see the pic below :

Once you are done then use WD MY Cloud software to upload your fav media in HD format like Videos or Movies, Music or Images, and .APK file for installation.

On your smart TV box install  Mediahouse UPnP/DLNA  for streaming from DLNA NAS (if your box candetect your NAS drive on your network) and ESexplorer  to add FTP Capabilities to your box and to copy contents to box for offline viewing and to use it as an file explorer it your box does not have one.

Configure Mediahouse UPnP/DLNA  as shone in below pics and you are done :

Or

And then wait for your media to appear and then select browse as in pic below :

And you can see your contents ready to be played on your TV.

                         Playing one of my favourite song  on my Videocon TV With the app.

For EsExplorer go to lan tab and select scan and select your NAS drive and you are Good To Go.

EsExplorer running  on my Videocon full HD TV.

A very useful tool which I always use on my tablets phones and now on my media box has emerged as a lifesaver for my home network. KUDOS ES.

And We are done but if you have Ehome Media Centre built in like in my case then: 

1)  Make Shure your router supports UPnP and SMB and are enabled on your router or streaming wont work as drive wont visible at all.

2) Run ehome app and as shone in above image select media player.

3) Then wait for it show your drive as it takes 15 to 20 seconds and then click on your drive and happily browse our contents and play them on your TV.

 How to use DLNA via windows PC?

1.       Connect both your iRevo device and your Windows PC to the same wi-fi network.

2.       Go to My Computer ? CLICK ON homegroup ? Create a homegroup ? Click on Ok.

3.       Go to Control panel ? Network and Internet ? Homegroup ? Advanced sharing settings ?        All Networks ? Turn off password protected sharing.

4.       ADD files to your homegroup folders (namely images , pictures ,videos etc)

5.       On your iREVO smart pc go to ? Local media (bottom bar ) ? Click on DLNA ?                  Coose your homegroup server ? you can now view the files.

To create a streaming server via your router :

visit :

1)  http://www.tp-link.com/us/faq-340.html

2)  http://www.tp-link.com/us/faq-682.html

or your router manufacturers page but see to it that your at least  have  a USB 2.0 or 3.0 or both like in high end routers from tp-link or Dlink Etc...

I used a 16Gb Sandisk connected to my modem and using the links below to configure my router was able to stream but guess what Ehome media centre showed my shares and was able to stream them without any error or buffering.

Will be back again with some other topic or reviews of some new device or software. Till that time

            H  A  P  P  Y    S  T  R  E  A  M  I  N  G .

TP-LINK wireless router setup tips

System Requirements

• Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet)
• One DSL/Cable modem that has an RJ45 connector
• Each PC in the LAN needs a working Ethernet Adapter and an Ethernet cable
• TCP/IP protocol must be installed on each PC
• Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox

Installation Environment Requirements

• Do not place in direct sunlight or near a heater or heating vent
• Do not cluttered or crowded. There should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) of clear space on all sides of the router
• Well ventilated (especially if it is in a closet)
• Operating temperature: 0C~40C (32F~104F)
• Operating Humidity: 10%~90%RH, Non-condensing

Wireless Installation Considerations

1. Position your wireless devices and avoid any barrier such as wall and ceiling to keep the number of barriers between the TP-LINK router and other wireless devices to a minimum, because each wall or ceiling can reduce your wireless adapter's range from 3-90 feet (1-30 meters).
2. Position wireless devices so that the signal will travel straight through a wall or ceiling along the horizontal line instead of at an angle for reducing signal attenuation.
3. Materials and objects such as glass, steel, metal, walls with insulation, water (fish tanks), mirrors, file cabinets, brick and concrete will degrade your wireless signal. But materials and objects have the different effect for wireless signal. For example a solid metal door or aluminium studs may have a negative effect on signal range, so please position wireless device to make the signal passes through dry wall or open doorway.
4. Keep your product away (at least 1-2 meters) from electrical devices or appliances that generate RF noise. And if you are using 2.4GHz cordless phone or other wireless devices such as ceiling fans, lights, video and home security systems, your wireless connection may drop completely. Make sure your 2.4GHz phone base is as far away from your wireless devices as possible. The base transmits a signal even if the phone is not in use.

Before you begin to install

• Make sure your computer can connect to the Internet through your broadband service successfully. If there is any problem, please contact your ISP.
• Please configure the router with the computer that was last connected directly to your modem.
• You can only use the Ethernet port on your modem. If you were using the USB connection before using the router, then you must turn off your modem, disconnect the USB cable and connect an Ethernet cable to the Internet port on the router, and then turn the modem back on. In some cases, you may need to call your ISP to change connection types (USB to Ethernet).
• If you have DSL broadband service and are connecting via PPPoE, make sure you disable or uninstall any PPPoE software such as WinPoet, Broadjump, or Enternet 300 from your computer, or else you will not be able to connect to the Internet. Some ISPs also provide similar PPPoE software.
• Please follow the Quick Installation Guide and User Guide to install and configure your TP-LINK Router.

REVIEW

TP-LINK today announced the TP-LINK Archer C20i - AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Broadband Wireless AC Router - geared for budget-minded students and consumers, seeking an attractively priced router, without sacrificing performance. At a suggested list price of $59.99 (CAD), the Archer C20i is the category leader for price-performance in the entry-level AC wireless category, and comes with a long two-year warranty.

The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard, offering higher throughput and longer range than previous generation routers, and is backward compatible with 802.11n devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Premium Features, Including USB Port

The Archer C20i boasts a new contemporary design that nicely blends in with other consumer electronic devices in a room; advanced encryption (WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK) against security threats; and includes a highly coveted USB port, a rarity in the entry-level AC wireless category, for sharing printers, files, and media with different devices on a local home network, or remotely via a FTP server.

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, the Archer C20i offers the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures the highest levels of wireless performance. Additionally, high-quality connections can be maintained even when multiple devices are in use.

Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks such as online gaming, HD video streaming, and video chatting can be handled by the 5GHz band - all at the same time.

Set up of the Archer C20i is easy with the included resource CD: a configuration utility can help users complete the entire software installation, including wireless network settings in just a few minutes.

Stable Omnidirectional Signal and Superior Coverage
The Archer C20i features premium antenna technology: 3 internal high-quality antennas deliver not only stable signals in every direction, but also higher speeds across greater distances. This provides users with superior omnidirectional wireless range and reliability.

Highlights

·    Supports 802.11ac standard: the next generation of Wi-Fi

·    Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth

·    Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage

·    USB port: share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server

·    Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing a network

·    Parental Controls allow parents to establish restricted access policies for children

·    IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router

·    SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential Internet attacks

·    WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption provides user networks with active defense against security threats

·    IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet

"Students and consumers will appreciate the great value and performance of the new Archer C20i,'' says Mark Macaulay, director of sales for TP-LINK Canada. "The new contemporary look of the Archer C20i is exciting and reflects the added emphasis in design that TP-LINK is now taking."

Macaulay adds, "The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard for better wireless coverage and reliability than previous generation routers. Backward compatibility ensures all older 802.11n devices are fully supported."