Don't buy 2nd hand Chromebooks, it is not worth it!

The following is not news, it has been covered in several magazines and online platforms, so why would I repeat it? 

Because in the Philippines there is a booming market selling these Chromebooks. 

Most are advertised as being laptops, they are not laptops! Its gimmick the seller is imposing on unsuspecting buyers. 

For the most Chromebooks work just fine if you only want to browse the internet or do some mild office work, but they are not workhorses like a laptop! Also most of the functions are online. 

On a real laptop you can work offline if you want to.

Chromebooks are not ment to be upgraded, they are basically Netbooks with a bigger screen, CPU and battery, but where on Netbooks you mostly could upgrade the ram(limited though) and the storage, this is for the most not possible on Chromebooks because ram and storage is soldered(on some you can upgrade the storage), you can add a memory card though, but it is ultra-slow and should only be used for personal files. 

Chromebooks are also not supported for very long time, if you have reached the end of software updates, you can't just install a newer version of Chrome OS, like you would be able to do on a laptop.

It will take research and some tinkering that could end you up with an expensive paperweight. 

If you are Technical minded, some, but not all, Chromebooks can be updated to newer version of Chrome OS or ChromeOS flex or Linux, if you remove a screw inside and flash the firmware, but it is not a guarantee that it will work and not something a normal consumer should do because of the riscs involved - Remember Paperweight!

Chromebooks have like many newer laptops built-in battery, which only last for a couple of years, finding a replacement might turn out to be a nightmare because spareparts were not part of the "plan" when these came out. There are some after-market batteries, but quality is not really the same as the original.

Failing parts on Chromebooks is usually, battery screen and keyboard, on most Chromebooks the keyboard is located under the motherboard, meaning that in order to change the keyboard you first have to remove the motherboard, and there are so many things that can go wrong, so this should for the most, be left to professionals to do, which increases the cost of upgrades and repairs.

All in all, just get an upgradable laptop instead, but make sure it doesn't have soldered ram or soldered storage! And make sure it can run Linux or ChromeOS Flex, I will not recommend Windows for privacy reasons. 

For most, Core i5 - i7 should do, stay away from Core i3 it will be too slow for real work. And make sure to get a laptop with an SSD and a battery that lasts more than 2 hours, unless there is an outlet anywhere you travel. 

Also, stay away from dealers that only give 1-3 months warranty, that mean they only stand by by the product they sell for those 1-3 months and anything that happens after that period, is on you.

If you are Technical minded like me, its ok because you can do all the repairs yourself, but if you are not, then it can end up costing almost half of what you paid for the laptop in the first place. 

I mostly buy my laptops from private people and do all the repairs myself, then use the laptop for about 8-10 years with a few upgrades in between, until the laptop can't work anymore(electronics don't last forever) or the cost of parts is higher than to buy another second hand laptop.

And I, doesn't mean you have to, always buy Lenovo Thinkpads of T, X, W and L(budget) series, and always do research before buying.

There used to be companies making Barebone laptops that you could buy from new, and just upgrade yourself, but that is not seen very often anymore.

If you want to run Linux, there are manufacturers that deliver laptops with it pre-installed, like Tuxedo, System76 even some Lenovo laptops, just search for it. 

But you can for most just install it yourself on your own laptop, just do your research first, but that is another story.

Good luck 😉😁

List of shops to avoid doing business with!

This will piss of a lot of businesses, but since neither Shopee or Lazada is willing to deal with this and knowingly facilitate these shops to continue doing BS, its up to us to warn other people😉 The war begins😁

I have build pcs for many years and done custom builds other people couldn't do, besides that I also worked for Packard Bell Europe, in their Technical Support in The Netherlands.

And in my own country Denmark in IT support Call Center for Major Businesses supplying companies with whole IT solutions : IBM, HP, Compaq, Lexmark, Sharp, Mermaid, Packard Bell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Acer, Canon, MAC.

Also as Technican for a Charity organization that supplied Computers, tables and printers for schools in the Philippines. I build the computers from scratch.

My background is a lot more than this, but this is keeping it short.

Because of personal circumstances, I live in the Philippines and want to put my skills to good use by helping people for free🙂

And by that come the lists of shops to avoid doing business with, because of poor service level or just bad products with short Warranty, selling refurbished as New, or even knowingly selling Counterfeit products.

I have documented some shops here

https://jbj-tech-notes.blogspot.com/2026/02/counterfeit-ram-on-shopee.html?m=1

Let me know what you got and I will update the list😉

I will start (Knowingly, mean that they have been informed by me, but continue selling):

Walram on Shopee and Lazada knowingly sell counterfeit Ram(I informed them, and they blocked me and continue selling). https://ph.shp.ee/mxFCh5V

Computer_UP. ph knowingly sell counterfeit Ram. https://ph.shp.ee/pY1zhhs

Pisen Authourized PH knowingly sell counterfeit Redmi Note Batteries https://ph.shp.ee/e52APsD

QST Computer Accessories PH knowingly sell counterfeit Kingston HyperX Ram https://ph.shp.ee/L3MKEhr

Guyoung Computer accessories knowingly sell defective LCDs, they claim to test them but don't do it. https://ph.shp.ee/FqY1GxP

y2fd4qt4g9 sell counterfeit defective batteries https://ph.shp.ee/wPNQzNk

HAYOX 176 Sell counterfeit defective batteries https://ph.shp.ee/wMjWuKn

And the list will continue

Counterfeit Ram on Shopee!

Shopee claim to deal with shops who sell counterfeit products, well they don't they just lie about it and make you think that they are dealing with it, many times they just ignore it, I have reported many shops who to this day still sell counterfeit products!  

But maybe they will finally act after this article, because anyone who allow counterfeit products on their website is just as guilty as the one selling it, according to the law.

For Shopee its all about having a high number of shops on their platform, and they apparently don't care if the shops are legit or not, as long as the shop do their transactions through Shopee.

So be sure if you buy something from Shopee that you buy it in their Mall, so you at least have 30 days to return it. 

This shop on Shopee treathened me, because I discovered that they sell counterfeit Crucial DDR3L Ram modules and informed them about it. 

https://ph.shp.ee/7X6bpLH

These modules are extremely very well made and someone put a lot of effort into making this look like the real deal, only one problem : 

They forgot to look how the original show up in any diagnostic app, and I tried SPECCY, AIADA64 HWiNFO, Passmark RAMMon and CPU-Z, all reported that this were Crucial Ram with Micron Ram chips, but it  failed in one crucial(no pun intended) way, they forgot to add CT in front of the partnumber. 

Crucial always have CT in the start of the part number, and Micron always have MT in front of the part number. 

Here are photos of the Ram modules and the tests :

When you try to find out if the Ram you just bought is Genuine or not, you might have to put some effort into it, because Crucial doesn't have a web page where you can check the part number or serial number, and you have to find a way to contact their support, provide them with photos of the Ram modules and proof of purchase.

crucservice@micron.com

In my case Crucial support could not actually be sure that the Ram modules I bought, were not Genuine, well they could see that the labels didn't fit the part number of the modules, but couldn't rule out a factory mistake in China. And asked me to ask the seller, which as stated above, resulted in a treat. 

One of the strange parts in this story is the information that is read from the EC chip on the Ram modules, which suggest that these modules are produced in Crucials factory in China, but discarded because of the lacking CT in the part number or some other reason, and should have been destroyed. How they got on Shopee we can only speculate. 

I am saying this because it is not very likely other factories have the ability to write to Crucials EC chip, and why even make that effort if counterfeit! 

Also, the Ram modules actually test good in all the diagnostic tests I have run which include Lenovo Diagnostic and. Memtest86+ v7.00, they passed with flying colors. 

UPDATE :

I ended up returning them because Crucial finally informed me that they couldn't find these modules in their own or Micron's databases. And I had a screen flicker which seem to were caused by these Ram modules. 

With Genuine Ram you at least have a warranty and can expect the Ram to last several years.

Counterfeit ram can cause severe damage to your PC or Laptop, so even if it test OK, just return it. 

It has come to my attention that Walram on Shopee also are selling the very same counterfeit Ram, and resulted in me getting blocked by them when I informed them about it. 

Doesn't inspire very much confidence in the way they do business, and a word of warning regarding this particular shop, they promise Warranty which they don't actually intend to uphold, and their after sales support is a joke.

Link to the counterfeit Ram in Walram shop on Shopee :

https://ph.shp.ee/8g1Vg1B

UPDATE :

I have today 07 February 2026 informed Shopee support about the problem with the Ram, that it is Counterfeit and that it has potential to damage internal parts in the laptops it is used in. 

And that if they don't act upon this warning, then they can become liable. Because they have been warned and any further counterfeit Ram sold through Shopee would be considered that they knowingly facilitate sale of dangerous counterfeit Ram. 

I have asked them to issue a warning to sellers, to stop selling any Crucial Ram that doesn't have CT in the part number read from the EC controller. And any Micron Ram that doesn't have MT in the part number read from the EC controller. 

I have told Shopee that these Ram modules caused a power interuption in my laptop and LCD flicker, which could have been permanent, had I not replaced the Ram with original working modules. 

So if sale continue and my warning is ignored, then Shopee can be sued. 

I have also informed Shopee that I have informed the 2 shops, and they now knowingly sell counterfeit Ram. 

Free to change your ROM - Free to repair already happening!

As I wrote in the headline Free to repair is already happening in several countries. 

I would like to advocate for Free to change your ROM to whatever you want and be able to relock your bootloader, so the device will work with banking and other financial Apps that refuse to work with unlocked bootloader. 

After all its your phone, and like on computers you should be able to install whatever OS you want, right, and you have a right to be secure! 

Unfortunately manufacturers only allow their own ROM to be installed, and only support it with updates for a couple of years, while there are custom ROM's that would work perfectly well and securely on your phone, but the manufacturers will not support this because they want you to buy a new phone every 3-4 years - adding to the worlds e-Waste problem.

I am deeply against adding to the worlds e-Waste problem, and truely believe in renewing old hardware with alternative software, in this case a custom ROM.

If we can push manufacturers and Governments to "Free to change your ROM" and still be able to lock the Bootloader, then You can blow new life into your old phones and reuse them.

Those who want to buy new models can do that, and the rest of us will still be happy with our old. one!

So please link to this article and post it anywhere you can think of, so we can get the ball rolling 😉

I hope it will catch on, I know Google and many other manufacturers will be against this because it will hurt their bottom line, but we should have a right to do this!

After all its OUR phone! 

Warning about buying from Walram shop!

The Walram shop, which only have shops on Shopee and Lazada, no website or physical address, advertise with 3 years warranty on the Walram Ram modules.

This is a claim that is a lie, its just a sales gimmick because they have no intentions of upholding this warranty.

As a technician and Blogger who had this happen to me, I feel compelled to warn everyone else about this store.

I did thorough testing of the Ram modules after buying them using Memtest86, but it turns out that one module has good ram chips but bad circuitry, as when inserted it randomly cause laptop to be unable to power on, and when removed the laptop work fine, 2 months now without incident. 

The reason why it passed Memtest86 perfectly, is that Memtest86 only test the ram chips, not the other components on the Ram PCB.

I brought this to the shop on November 24 2025 and they claimed to escalate to the other department, and then everything stopped. 

No more contact and every time I since have written their chat, its just being ignored.

So as I said avoid buying from this store, if the product is defective they just ignore RMA or Refund requests.

Walram store on Shopee

Walram store on Lazada

I have have filed a grievance with Shopee, who has done NOTHING to rectify the situations, even though I requested that they contact the shop, they have not. 

Shopee claim that a shop acting like this is not tolerated on Shopee, yet this seem to just being talk and no action. So even if you buy from a shop in Shopee Mall, you are actually not safe!

What is RELIABLE internet?

Most who read my blog and who know me, know that I have extensive knowledge about Computers and Network which include various forms of internet connections🙂

I started with dial-up, and worked my way through ISDN and Cable internet connections, even did Mobile Broadband through various carriers. 

So for a couple of years I have tried Fibernet through Converge ICT Solutions, starting with a 50Mbps connection that were quickly upgraded to 100Mbps and as of now 200Mbps.

Cabled internet in a country like the Philippines or just worldwide, is not really what you would call reliable, because its prone to various problems like wear of the cables, trees falling down, rats biting the cables, and heavy rain fall.

As I writting this, my Fibernet has no connection, I am using mobile data. 

Which brings me to the point, there is no 100% reliable connection, yes mobile data(Mobile Broadband) is working for me right now, but its incredible slow, and I am lucky if I can 4Mbps inside my house(its raining outside so I am not so eager to go out and find a better signal).

So you might ask, what about satellite internet like Starlink? 

Well, its not 100% reliable either because it can be influenced by weather conditions just like the other connection options, and its still very expensive. 

But it does not have cable problems, as its wireles, but you do need power for the modem, so a brownout will cut the connection to the internet. 

But that might change in the future, since they now have solution for your phone to connect directly to the satellite without extra hardware or software - IF your mobile carriers are willing to go into business with Starlink😉

As I see it, satellite internet might be the better and most reliable connection yet, but it has to become less expensive than current options, before people will switch to it. 

Mobile carriers and Fibernet companies could also switch delivery method to Microwave technology or Laser(this one is seriously fast, but needs a clear line of sigth or it will not work, so birds, bats and anything else flying could cut the connection). And again power interuptions will disconnect the internet connection

We have to have patience, until technology gets better and in Asia this is developing really fast, and hope that the internet supply companies will keep up with the development😉

Thank you for reading and Happy Holidays 😁

Skype has retired, what happened to my Credit?

As most of us know by now, Microsoft has retired Skype, but for many this gives the question to what happened to their Skype credit!

You can't get a refund from Microsoft, getting money out Microsoft, has always been a challenge and they still hold on to their refund policy which expires 14 days after the purchase of the credit, meaning that long time credit can't be refunded - Whether this is legal or not, is not something I will discuss here. 

How to access your Skype credit? 

You have 2 options :

1. Install another Microsoft product called Microsoft Teams Free and import all your Skype information into it(It will not import everything) then from the menu you can use Skype dailing pad(Same as below) . 

2. Use Skype Dailing Pad web portal here

https://calling.web.skype.com/

The link will open in a new Window. 

The latter is a very limited version of Skype, and will not show your contacts name, only the phone numbers, so I hope you can remember who is what and has which number! 

I asked Microsoft what happens after you have used all your credit, the answer is that then you are done. There is no option for private users to continue making calls through Skype Dailing Pad and no option to buy more credit, only Business users will have that option. 

More here

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/skype

The link will open in a new Window. 

Microsoft, what happened to make the Earth greener?

In their enormous arrogance and stupidity, Microsoft has made it not possible for more than 400 million Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, because Microsoft has decided that only the people with certain hardware installed can upgrade. Otherwise these people would have to switch to another OS or buy New hardware.

Hardware requirements here :

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ph/windows/windows-11-specifications

Everyone is focused on the upgrade problem, that they miss the consequence of Microsofts arrogance - We already have a huge problem with Electronic Waste, EU has before taken sanctions against major players in the IT World, but somehow missed this one.

What do you imagine is going to happen to the Electronic Waste problem if Microsoft is allowed to continue on this course?

Above I mentioned 400 million Windows 10 users, but that is not all, there are still millions of users running older versions of Windows, but because of business agreement with Microsoft they still get security updates - That is, until 2025.

After 2025, they most likely will not, and have to join the Windows 11/12 wave.

I will not focus in the ways around the hardware requirements of Microsoft, that is not what this article is about.

I wrote this article, because I see the future problem that everyone seem to have missed, an enormous increase in Electronic Waste ending up in landfills and poluting our earth further.

Before, IT devices for the most could be recycled, upgraded or refurbished, even reused running Linux, and it made the world a whole lot greener, but the hardware requirements of Microsoft makes this not possible any more. The hardware they demand, has to be implemented by the manufacturer of the device, people can't just upgrade to it!!

Meaning they have buy new!

The old devices, will most likely end up in a landfill because people can't, like they could before, sell it. 

Nobody wants to buy these devices, because they have no future. 

Even if its possible to sell to someone who will run Linux on the devices, in the future Linux also have evolve, because of this move from Microsoft to make Windows the only operating system that matter(and that is the only reason for this move, to create monopoly), if they get their way security systems in the world will no longer accept other OS's like Apple or Linux unless having the before mentioned hardware, and these older devices become obsolete/extinct.

US, EU and the rest of the wolds Governments have to stop this. It is not only a breach of Fair business trade, a try to create monopoly - Microsoft has tried this many times before - but also an enviromental crime against Earth!

There are other ways to make Windows 11/12 more secure, TPM 2.0 and newer hardware is not the only option, Microsoft could like before make different versions available to the public. There are software that can do the same as TPM.

Also, the demand for other newer hardware is ridiculous, it has already been proven by those that circumvented the hardware requirements using registry tweeaks or rufus and now run Windows 11 on very old devices. So these requirements are basically only in the software, and can be coded out!

A TPM 2.x/xxx(future) USB/m.2/pci device routed by software, could be created as a key that anything secure needed to go through in order to get access to internet, like money transactions(upgradedable through firmware updates) - I believe CIA and other Intelligense services are already using something like that for their field agents to securely "Call home" or access their databases. 

Some banks and Government also use this for verification of Digital ID's(Danish MitID as an example). 

This way, it would still be hardware security, and older devices would not end up in the landfills, because this would be an addition to existing systems, not a total replacement. 

Do NOT let Microsoft do this!

There is no benefit for the world, its purely for Microsoft, because they got scared when they saw people leaving Windows for other OS's like Linux, Android or Apple, and thereby loosing revenue in sale of Windows license and DVD's, Apps, Ads, and Programs, not to forget their own devices! 

Creating a monopoly(which is against the law in most countries) is the way Microsoft try to force all other OS's out. 

And if you let them do this move, that is EXACTLY what is going to happen!!!! 

Linux Fresh install - Just plain out dumb!

 

This is not a question but a statement!

What put me off Linux soo many years ago, were that First you install and set up everything to your liking, then whenever you have to switch to a new version, everyone says fresh install, which means you loose everything you did to make it look and act the way you wanted it.

And I went "What? That is stupid"!

And today its still stupid!

Yeah, most distro can upgrade to newer version by command line or through software(Why I chose Linux Mint) - But people still say "Its better with fresh install"!

This makes me angry, it is true that fresh install might be more stable, and people most likely have Written down their steps to set up their system again - But people, its a stupid way and you will never get those hours back!

We are in 2024 and no one has figured out to do this in a safe way so fresh install is not needed? That is why many people choose Windows(Not good choice, but better than this stupid sh. t), instead of Linux.

In my days as a supporter I did things the right way, I often heard "fresh out of College" so called IT support, tell customers to just do reinstall for any problem and I mean any problem. Because that would shorten the time of the call and the supporter could get more calls in a day.

My call log were not as good as the "Just reinstall guys", but I got to be the manager of Compaq, HP(not same company as that time), and Packard Bell accounts. These were business accounts, reinstall were the last option, as the field engineers, architects and other specialist couldn't afford to loose their data and I would fight to the last drop of blood for those guys, and my company knew that.

To this day I see more and more "lazy support", because todays IT is Quantity over Quality.

I call this fresh install lazy IT!

Rolling distro is not much better, but at least they got the upgrade working!

That your system might catch fire and burn down because of an bad upgrade(because these days nobody check their updates before posting them), that we are used to from Windows and Mac, these days everyone makes backups(Right😉).

Demand more of your distribution and if they can't handle it, change to something else!
Yes, its free, but I take pride in doing something the right way, shouldn't the makers of your distro do the same?

Or is it a race to be at the top of distrowatch? 

Firmware problem on many newer ThinkPads

Many dealers in the Philippines are not aware of this problem or don't care enough to keep themselves informed, this problem is from 2019 up until 2024.

If you have stock of these models you better read on. You need to update the firmware immediately, if you have not already done it.

Or you will end up with systems that can't be repaired and Lenovo don't care about out of warranty laptops. You should also contact all the customers that you sold these models to and make sure the Firmware get updated or you might end up with a lot of angry people who want refund! 

Symptom

Systems may experience any of the following symptoms:

USB-C port not working

Intel Thunderbolt controller not visible in the OS/Device Manager

USB-C or Thunderbolt docking stations not visible or having connectivity problems

HDMI output not available

System battery not charging with a USB-C power adapter connected to the USB-C port

Intel Thunderbolt pop-up error message

Intel Thunderbolt safe mode error message

BIOS Thunderbolt communication error or hang during POST

These symptoms may occur after 6 to 12 months of typical usage.

Applicable Systems

P43s (Type 20RH, 20RJ)

P51 (Type 20MM, 20MN)

P51 (Type 20HH, 20HJ)

P51s (Type 20HB, 20HC)

P51s (Type 20JY, 20K0)

P52 (Type 20M9, 20MA)

P52s (Type 20LB, 20LC)

P53s (Type 20N6, 20N7)

P71 (type 20HK, 20HL)

T470 (Type 20HD, 20HE)

T470 (Type 20JM, 20JN)

T470s (type 20HF, 20HG)

T470s (type 20JS, 20JT)

T480 (Type 20L5, 20L6)

T480s (type 20L7, 20L8)

T490 (Type 20N2, 20N3)

T490 (Type 20RY, 20RX)

T490 (Type 20Q9, 20QH)

T490s (Type 20NX, 20NY)

T570 (Type 20H9,20HA)

T570 (Type 20JW, 20JX)

T580 (Type 20L9, 20LA)

T590 (Type 20N4, 20N5)

X1 Carbon 5th Gen - (Type 20HR, 20HQ)

X1 Carbon 6th Gen - (Type 20KH, 20KG)

X1 Carbon 7th Gen - (Type 20QD, 20QE)

X1 Carbon 7th Gen - (Type 20R1, 20R2)

X1 Yoga 2nd Gen (Type 20JD, 20JE, 20JF, 20JG)

X1 Yoga 3rd Gen (Type 20LD, 20LE, 20LF, 20LG)

X1 Yoga 4th Gen (Type 20QF, 20QG)

X1 Yoga 4th Gen (Type 20SA, 20SB)

X1 Tablet 3rd Gen (Type 20KJ, 20KK)

X280 (Type 20KF, 20KE)

X380 Yoga (Type 20LH, 20LJ)

X390 (Type 20Q0, 20Q1)

X390 Yoga (Type 20NN, 20NQ)

Yoga 370 (Type 20JJ, 20JH)

https://support.lenovo.com/ie/en/solutions/ht508988-critical-intel-thunderbolt-software-and-firmware-updates-thinkpad

Converge Security issues - Protect yourself from intruders!

Converge ICT, one of the Major ISP's in the Philippines, has shipped ALL their Fiber ZTE F760L Modem Routers, with serious Security issues, they are listed here and below each issue, is the solution :

1. All the ZTE F760L modems come with a standard Setup password, the same on ALL the modems, and someone in Converge ICT has leaked this password to the internet, so anyone can access the modems and change whatever they want. 

This is really bad, and happened because Converge ICT careless IT Department cloned all the modems with the same Config file, and didn't bother to assign individual Password linked to each modems serial number, before shipping them out. I raised this issue with them 2 years ago, but nothing has been done to rectify the situation, they just ignored it(as usual). I have raised it with them again, but still nothing has been done. 

Solution : Access the modem on http://192.168.1.1 with 

Username admin 

Password Converge@zte123 

Go to Administration -> User User Management ->WEB User Management

Type in the standard password from Converge ICT in Old Password Converge@zte123 

Then type your New password make sure it is at least 8 characters long and has special signs. I would make it longer than 8 characters, as AI now can hack your password, since some Dumbasses carelessly made it available to anyone in the world(Google, Microsoft). 

Confirm the New password 

Click on SUBMIT in bottom right corner of the Setup screen. 

You have now saved yourself from serious future headaches. 

2. The WIFI password is written on the back of the modem, this again pose a serious Security issue, because anyone who can see the back of the modem, can access it through WIFI. 

Solution : You have to change the standard password to one of your own. 

Login into the modem on 5Ghz, as you did above, then go to Network -> WLAN Radio2.4G- > Security

Here you click the small check box next to WPA Passphrase, delete what is there and type your own WIFI password, make it longer than 8 characters and use special signs, when finished Click on SUBMIT in the bottom right corner of the screen. 

Make sure to login to 2.4Ghz with this new password and make sure to write it down. 

Next, Login into the modem on 2.4Ghz, as you did above, then go to Network -> WLAN Radio5G- > Security

Here you click the small check box next to WPA Passphrase, delete what is there and type your own WIFI password(For convenience you can use the same password as you did with the 2.4Ghz WIFI, or make a different one), make it longer than 8 characters and use special signs, when finished Click on SUBMIT in the bottom right corner of the screen. 

Make sure to login to 5Ghz with this new password and make sure to write it down. 

3. There is another security issue, Converge ICT set the modem to be able to accept any login through WIFI, all you need is the password, this is ok but this modem is not secure enough and anyone with a Password scanner app can get the Password to your WIFI, then use your internet for whatever they want, even illegal activities. Converge is aware of this, because I told them, they just don't care to fix it! 

NOTE : Be aware, the following fix means that nobody can access your WIFI unless you add them yourself! Just do the same as below, for anyone you want to add to your WIFI. 

Solution : Find your phones MAC Address either in your settings or on the Box it came in, write it down as you will need it next. Also make sure your phone is set to use Device MAC Address and not Randomized MAC Address. 

Login to your WIFI as 5Ghz, go to Network -> WLAN Radio2.4G -> Access Control List and change the Mode from Disabled to Permit.

In the small boxes below add your MAC Address and click on Add, then click on SUBMIT. Make sure you can connect to the 2.4Ghz WIFI and then continue to next step. 

If you can't connect, make sure your MAC Address is correct in the list below, if not then add the correct MAC Address and delete the wrong one. 

Now login to the 2.4Ghz WIFI, go to Network -> WLAN Radio5G -> Access Control List and change the Mode from Disabled to Permit.

In the small boxes below add your MAC Address and click on Add, then click on SUBMIT. Make sure you can connect to the 5Ghz WIFI. 

NOTE : If your Phone has different MAC Addresses for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, make sure to use the correct ones. Most cheap phones only have 1 MAC Address. 

4. Converge ICT left the modem open to hackers, by not enabling Anti-Hacking Protection, I seriously don't understand this one, it means that anyone can hack your modem. A friend of mine has 21 unwanted users on his WIFI, I will be going there to fix that in the near future. 

Solution : Go to Security -> Firewall and put a check in Enable Anti-Hacking Protection, then click on SUBMIT. 

This what you can expect from Converge ICT, I can't recommend anyone to chose them as their ISP, their service level is good in the start, but after some time its really bad. 

If you have issue with your connection, you might have to contact them 20 times before they fix it - IF they fix it - I am 3 months in a service, or lack of, that should have been fixed on April 23(they came April 28), my Fiber cable has a break that show up in strong wind, and only strong wind, so it can't be detected in their office or on the modem, because its Random and only for a few seconds to minutes. But it break any up/download! Support never read what I write, always assign new case numbers, and every new Agent have me do stupid shit to troubleshoot, which I have done 20 times before. 

Stay safe and have a nice day😉

GCASH number 1 problem

The number one problem with GCASH is that if you need to contact customer service immediately, then you can't, you have to use their ticket system and it takes up to 24 hours for them to get back to you - If they even do that!

I seriously don't understand how Philippine goverment can allow this behaviour. 

There are posts on the net that you can call 2882 from a Globe phone, but that does not work anymore.

There are posts that claim you can contact them on Messenger on m.me/gcashcare but that does not work at all.

And the landline numbers does not work either. Even their email addresses doesn't work anymore. 

You can try to chat with Gigi, GCASH chat bot, but it will only suggest you to file a ticket.

The ticket system is useable, but it ask for things that the App ought to have pulled by itself, because you are already logged in, like:

Your email address 

Registered GCASH account name

Phone number 

Mobile OS version 

For me that is just dumb. 

There are other online payment options available here in the Philippines, take Palawanpay at least they offer you a hotline you can call if you need immediate assistance. 

And the GCASH problems are most likely just to add, not to be solved, since Globe is behind it, and we all know how difficult it is to contact them! 

Just this morning, Pay bills in GCASH, have been down for several hours. No explanation to why or any estimated time for when it will be back online. 

That is just total disregard to the GCASH customers! 

GLOBE SIM registration disaaster

Whenever a Prepaid customer register their SIM card this go without major hickups, 

BUT when a Postpaid customer try to register their SIM card, they are met with a message that this is not possible and a customer service agent is going to contact them.

Unfortunately this rarely happens, instead Globe sends a text message to the customer to register their SIM card, and then its like the snake eating its own tail - a never ending story!

That is just stupid!

Face it Globe, test your solutions before implementing them. It will cost you customers and thereby money - but then again, you never listen anyway, so good luck to you!

Globe and Sim registration law - problems again!

 The new sim card registration law is implemented from today december 27 2022, but Globe made mistake as usual. 

The website for registration is not working https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg 

Customers are sent back to the https://www.globe.com.ph/help/sim-registration-act.html page instead of going to the registration portal.

Also, Globe use outdated information in the FAQ and procedure for registration, they want foreigners who are here as tourists to provide copy of Passports main page with biodata and the page where the current VISA is stamped - only problem is that Immigration has not used the stamped procedure for more than 5 years now, instead they give a document with the information on the current VISA status.

But the portal is not asking for a document and will most likely not accept that as documentation.

These days its not humans that check these registrations, its a computer(sometimes called bot) and if something is a little bit off from the programming then its rejected - A human would be able to understand the reasoning for the document instead of Passport page, a bot will not.

--

This is the information from Globe Telecom : For foreigners visiting as tourists, their registered SIMs shall only be valid for 30 days, and shall automatically be deactivated upon expiration of the SIM. The requirements are as follows: 

Passport (i.e., copy of the bio-page and pages where the current visa is stamped or shown); and

Proof of address in the Philippines (booking in a hotel or other type of accommodation, or in the absence thereof, an affidavit/letter from the owner of the house or residence where such foreign national will stay); and

Return ticket to country of origin or to another country indicating date and time of departure from the Philippines

Foreign nationals with other types of visas shall present:

Passport (i.e., copy of the bio-page and pages where the current visa is stamped or shown) indicating passport number, full name and nationality; and

Proof of address in the Philippines (booking in a hotel or other type of accommodation, or in the absence thereof, an affidavit/letter from the owner of the house or residence where such foreign national will stay); and 

Other pertinent document, whichever is applicable:

Alien Certificate of Registration Identification Card (ACRI-Card) from the Bureau of Immigration or other types of official ID issued by any other visa-issuing agency;

Alien Employment Permit from the Department of Labor and Employment School registration and ID for students; or

For Persons of Concern or POCs, the type of travel or admission document validly issued by the Department of Justice

---

As an IT Consultant and IT Blogger through many years, I find it despicable that Globe have not checked the facts before implementing these rules and I suggest that every person with problem contact Globe through their Messenger, I already did yesterday, but arrogant as they are Globe Support(not real Globe, but a company that handles their support), did not forward my concerns to 2nd level support (the real Globe). 

Then we just have to wait and see if things will get in order, though my experience with Globe say that Globe shot themselves in the foot. Because if people have so much problems with the registration and Globe don't fix the problems(usually it takes them years to fix anything), before the sim cards expire, then people will cancel Globe and go to another teleprovider, like SMART or Dito. 

And Globe will have huge losses in income. 

But you can't cure matigas ulo!

UPDATE: Globe finally got their matigas ulo in check and fixed the problem - use https://new.globe.com.ph

and choose Register SIM in the menu at the top right corner. 

MitID and the consequences it will have for Globe Telecom

Since 2020, the goverment in Denmark, have been pushing out a new National Digital ID solution, named MitID to take over for NemID - for all danish citizens. This is old news.

What is not old news, is the consequences this have and will have in the future for Globe Telecom and the app. 20.000 danish Globe Telecom users, living permanently in the Philippines.

Many danish citizens know by now, that there is a serious problem with recieving SMS from MitID when having a mobile number with Globe Telecom, and many have made a temporary solution and registered and activated their MitID with a SMART SIM card.

SMART do not have as good coverage in the Philippines, as Globe Telecom have. 

Here comes the problem for Globe Telecom and their danish users, the use of MitID demands that SMS can be sent out to the user, when ever there is activity on their MitID account, so in order for that to be future proof, the 20.000 danish citizens will have to make a permanent switch to SMART - unless Globe Telecom finally fix the 17 years old communication problem they have with TDC in Denmark!

The reason for this problem, is as mentioned above, 17 years old and has to do with TDC not having a roaming agreement with Globe Telecom and vice versa.

TDC is used by majorly all goverment agentcies and offices, and also Banks, Hospitals, and now everything that has to do with MitID.

This is because TDC is the company with the most resources and the largest Nation wide network and the one, that the developer of the MitID solution, Nets, has chosen to use. 

So either Globe Telecom and TDC. finally figure out to solve their communication problem or Globe Telecom will most likely loose 20.000 costumers. 

Globe Support has been far from helpful in registering that there is a serious problem or even offer any solutions. 

The same can be said for Nets, who is the one in Denmark, responsible for chosing a tele provider that can't deliver worldwide. And even after they were made aware of the situation and the major problem, they did nothing to solve it and blamed Globe Telecom. 

For Nets, the solution is easy, switch to Telia or Telenor and the problem is solved. Because both of these companies have for years been able to deliver SMS to Globe Telecom, without any problems at all. 

For the users, there is only 1 solution and it is a bad one, if they are so unlucky to live in an area with no coverage by SMART. 

In the end it seems that neither Nets nor Globe Telecom actually care about this. 

When Globe Telecom, eventually are scratching their heads and asking "what happened?" - the answer is simple:

You set up a system where nobody can contact you, so nobody could inform you! The company you hired to take care of your support, failed to inform you about the problem - because of the way you set it up! 

You could have been ahead of this, but in the end, its your own fault! 

My Review of Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 power saving feature

Over the years I have owned a few smartphones, not many, like most in my profession. The common thing is that I did my research before buying.

My present phone, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, recently had battery failure, but that is not uncommon, since it has a few years on its back(bought in 2019), so I went above and beyond to find a new battery and found one on Lazada - DON'T, they are all fake, Xiaomi don't sell batteries separately(Do NOT argue with me on this, I have letter from them stating this as a fact), and this is to avoid scams. If you want a new ORIGINAL battery, then you have to go to their service center(NOT mi store). If your phone is out of warranty, then they charge you around 500p for the repair and around 390-560p for the battery, and you have warranty on this repair. I had to do this when the battery from Lazada started to fail. 

Enough about this, the story today is about something else.

Most Smartphones these days has some sort of power saving feature build-in from factory, but Xiaomi go above and beyond on this part, in my Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 there are 2 power saving options, unlike most other phones that have only 1.

Xiaomi claims that my battery can last 21h and 3min on normal setting, with no power option enabled, in factory testing maybe but not in real life use, because on normal use with a few games and some web browsing using Wi-Fi only, streaming video to Chromecast, it last about 12 hours.

If I game hard, only stop to eat breakfast and lunch, then it last about 4 hours.

Now, if I turn ON Battery saver, I get 19 hours normal use and 8 hours hard gaming. That is very nice.

What is more ever more nice is what happens if I turn ON Ultra battery saver, now I have a little more than 3 days of normal use(72 hours+). It is not very good for gaming. But it is good for travel.

GSMArena measured the battery to last 108 hours, in their endurance rating, I am not sure how they got that, but 72 hours+ is better than what the Ultra battery saver claims and what most other phones can do, and this on a 4000mAh battery.

I really like this phone and I will get a New battery again, when this one is worn out, basically I will wear this phone out. And that would be the time I will get a new one.

I don't care that Xiaomi stopped the updates for this model, I know how to keep my phone safe.

Attached below, screenshots of Battery with normal and the 2 power saving options.

Thats it folks, until next time 🙂

GLOBE Toy store

It has taken almost 2 1/2 month for my Girlfriend to add 2 additional lines with Devices, to her existing account at GLOBE - and it is still not done.

Right now she is on the phone with GLOBE Sales team, again. And this is after she has talked with them numerous times before and every time they promised that everything now where in order and the devices would be shiped within 7 days.

Still, nothing happened. 

It should never have taken this long! 

It is like dealing with a Toy store, where the employees don't really know what they are doing.

I don't know why it is like this, maybe GLOBE don't care about new business or they just have incompetent employees.

Either way, it has been like this since this money machine COVID-19 started.

First they closed their hotline, so customers could not get any help, in case of problems. 

Then they lowered the Pre-paid Mobile internet speed in areas they didn't considered important - This is their largest income, so that does not make sense at all.

They lost lots of customers, to SMART, PLDT AND CONVERGE.

So again, I can only imagine that it is because of incompetent employees and "blind" managers. And leaders that only care about getting their salary and not doing their job. 

Be aware GCash problem again!

Since GCash came out there has been numerous problems with it, actually very understandable because its one of Globe's companies. And Globe is notoriously known for their lack in fixing anything.

Lately Globe cancelled the Rewards App they were using together with GCash, for customers to redeem their Rewards points into Coins, they then could use to buy load from the GCash App, instead they put this option into their New GlobeOne App.

Unfortunately it does not work as before, now the coins are no longer sent to GCash main Balance, so I urge you to be extremely careful when using this or your coins might just end up in the useless part of GCash, GSave Piggy Bank.

Globe GCash has made this so only Filipino can open a savings account, so it is racist(because if you discriminate a person because of their ethnic origin, then it is racisme) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_discrimination

And it means that any foreigner that uses Globe GCash can't use the coins that ended up in Piggy Bank, the coins are stuck there until they expire, which is usually after 60 days. Meaning the foreigner loose these coins, because Globe GCash don't want to fix the problem.

Before this change, the coins were deposited in the main GCash balance - Whether this change is a programming error or someone overlooked this problem, or it was made deliberately -  it is real problem and Globe GCash team are unwilling to fix it.

So, if you need to transfer your rewards to your GCash, do NOT transfer them as GSave coins(the only option available regarding coins), instead redeem a 20p Load voucher, wait the 3 working days and find it in GCash App under your Profile tab. Now you can use the Load voucher to buy load.

If you have many rewards points, you might have to do this many times - just remember you can only redeem 5 times in a day(and even this sometimes don't work and claim 5 times used already, after just 2 times - again something not getting fixed).

If you coins already ended up in GSave Piggy bank, well then you should consider them lost. 

I do urge you to open a ticket and let them know what you think of this! There are of course no option in the list for this, so use something else.

Globe again demostrates how little they care for their customers

The last couple of days I have had problems with my Globe Prepaid account.

Yesterday I could go on internet but not call or text for several hours, even though I had internet it didn't really matter because when I contacted Globe on their Twitter account they never replied.

Later in the day call and text were restored, but still no reply from Globe. 

Since yesterday there were also an issue with their Apps, both the old GlobeOne App and the New GlobeOne App had problems showing the current promo I'm using.

When I contacted globe on Twitter, still no reply. So I tried their Messenger, and here GIE were more helpful than any of the humans working at Globe, after transferring me to the Prepaid specialist the help stopped totally.

Here now, several hours later, there are still no reply from this so called specialist - I guess they went to lunch and didn't come back.

Globe is just one of the many companies who take advantage of the situation with the pandemic, and NTC seem to either be unable or simply don't care to do anything about it.

I say take at advantage, because they can do whatever they want, since they closed their hotline, supposedly because of the pandemic, but it looks like its on purpose, because if you can't contact them, then they don't have to fix anything - Just collect money.

 Funny enough, it would seem that I am the only one writing about these issues. 

 

Problem with Lazada again!

 

This is sad news to many of you, but it has to be told:

It is becoming more and more difficult to find what you are looking for on Lazada, the reason is fake sellers and Lazada CS lack of will to fix the things that are not working. Like sellers posting "out of stock" items. Or CS lack of effort to check what is being posted before it is allowed online.

 

Just today, I have run into 10 Laptops listed for around 5000php, which turned out to be out of stock, some not even stated as out of stock - but only option was to add to wish list.

 

Or are there is something else behind this? The number of items listed, make people believe how good a platform Lazada is - though the numbers are actually not real, because "out of stuck" items are not real.

 

So this is actually in a way, cheating these people - whether this is done intentionally or not.

 

I hope after I have written this, that Lazada take these problems seriously and start to do something about it!

 

I will be writing about this here and follow up to see if Lazada takes this seriously and start doing something about it or just ignore the problems as they have done in the past - their search engine is still not fixed - issue previously described on here on my tech blog.