may • 2018 chr nicle - ctmac.org filechr. nicle. 20 years of the imac. by josh centers. wednesday,...

CHR NICLE20 Years of the iMacby Josh Centers

Wednesday, May 30, 6:30 p.m.We'll Have Popcorn and a MovieCome to UCONN Health Center, Farmington. We’ll be back in conference room EG-013. We’ll start the meeting with our usual discussion of new topics and answering questions. And then we’ll move on to a showing of Alex Gibney’s documentary film “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.” CMC member Mark Maglio will be supplying us with popcorn. We’ll have paper bowls and extra water, but feel free to bring your own soft drinks.

See full description on page 15.

Wednesday, June 27, 6:30 p.m.TechTool ProWe’ll have a rep from Micromat software joining us via video conference to talk about their system testing and troubleshooting utility Tech Tool Pro.

Wednesday, July 25, 6:00 p.m.Technology Futures We’ve been so very delighted to bring you Rick Richardson with his Technology Futures presentation for many years now. And we have the pleasure of bringing him to you again this year. And as in past years, we will start the meeting early at 6:00 p.m., with sandwiches and soft drinks available.

M ay • 2 018

a user group since 1986

NEWSLETTER OF THE CONNECTICUT MACINTOSH CONNECTION W W W . C T M A C . O R G

WE'VE GOT 3 GREAT MEETINGS COMING: CMC MEETINGS IN JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST

Vote on June 27, 2018 The final call for nominations will be at the June 27th monthly meeting and a vote will take place at that time. If you have any nominations, please email them to CMC secretary, Marianne G. Cassidy, at [email protected]. Candidates can include incumbents who have chosen to run for a subsequent term, as well as new candidates who would like to be consid-ered for the positions of secretary, trea-surer, vice president, and president.

We are also looking for board volunteers. You don’t need to be an expert with Macs to volunteer with CMC. Everyone can contribute to the group. So, please don’t hesitate to offer to help to keep your Apple User Group going!

▼LAST CALL FORNOMINATIONS

The iMac has now been around for 20 years, and 9to5Mac’s Michael Steeber documents its history – tinyurl.com/y8ec4lfp – from the original Bondi blue model, see “Welcome, iMac!,” at tinyurl.com/y9t79skt ) and “iMac Hoopla,” at tinyurl.com/yaaar5qb/ to the current iMac Pro (see “Apple Releases the iMac Pro,” at tinyurl.com/yahz3mtx ). In many ways, the original iMac was the key to Apple’s revival. At a time when Apple’s finances and product line had been out of control, the iMac occupied what was arguably the most important slot in Steve Jobs’s simplified four-cell product matrix (see “Apple Hardware Strategy: Alluring PowerBooks and iMac,” tinyurl.com/yaebtg6d ). But the iMac wasn’t without its controversies. It was the first Mac to abandon legacy ports in favor of the

new-fangled USB, forcing users to figure out how to connect peripherals to it (see “iMac Connection Guide,” at: tinyurl.com/y9chtfxh ). Despite that, the original iMac did wonders for Apple’s financial results, even if the then-amazing $106 million in quarterly earnings pales in comparison with the billions Apple makes on the Mac each quarter now (see “iMac Propels Apple to $106 Million in Earnings,” at tinyurl.com/y98jhydx ).

May 2018 Connecticut Macintosh Connection

page 2 a user group since 1986

w w w.c tmac.org May 2018

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CMC Chronicle

EditorDeena Quilty

DesignerGeorge Maciel

PublisherConnecticut Macintosh ConnectionP.O. Box 7061 Plainville, CT 06062

We welcome submissions from our members!Please submit articles by the first of the month for inclusion in our newsletter. All articles should be submitted by email to: [email protected].

There is so much talent in our group; it would be great to have several member articles in each issue of the newsletter.

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Have you ever tried to use your iPhone or iPad take a picture of a box, a sheet of paper, or something else that’s precisely rectangular, but been annoyed that the image came out skewed because it was difficult to hold your camera straight? Fortunately, Apple snuck a camera level in iOS 11, but it requires enabling a seemingly unrelated feature and noticing a subtle new interface element. Here’s how to access it. First, turn on Grid in Settings > Camera, so thin white lines divide the viewfinder into a grid of nine rectangles. The lines help you compose your shots with the rule of thirds, so it’s a useful option to enable anyway.

Now, here’s the trick with the camera level: it appears only if you’re holding the iPhone or iPad flat, so the camera points straight down toward the floor or straight up toward the sky. It manifests itself as two crosshairs: a yellow crosshair marks the position where the camera will be level, and a white crosshair shows the camera’s current position. Using the level is simple: tilt the camera until the two crosshairs merge into a single yellow plus sign. The hard part is keeping them together while tapping the shutter button. In the first screenshot at left, you can see how the Apple TV box looks skewed. However, once I made sure the camera was level for the second screenshot, the edges of the box came out perfectly square. Unless you take a lot of product shots, you probably won’t need the camera level often, but it and the gridlines are so subtle and useful that it’s worth leaving them on so they’re available for times when you’re trying to avoid skewed edges. For more iOS 11 tips, check out my book, Take Control of iOS 11.

Reprinted from TidBITS April 26, 2018 with permission.

Photo by Adam Engst

The Hidden Camera Level in iOS 11 by Josh Centers

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page 5



In case you missed it, Apple has officially announced the end of life of AirPort Base Stations. They will continue to sell existing stock, but the product will not get any new features and Apple will no longer develop this product line. What does that mean for existing users? If you have an existing AirPort Wi-Fi network and it’s up and running with no issues, you’re probably fine for a while. I have three of the latest AirPort Extreme Base Stations and haven’t had any issues. They just work! However, I just replaced them. Why? Although I wasn’t having any issues with my existing Wi-Fi network, I’m asked for recommendations all the time. I don’t like to recommend products that I haven’t actually used. Also, I looked at this time as an opportunity to try something new. Apple AirPort Base Stations haven’t had any real new features in years. Now that they’ll no longer be selling them (once stock clears), I wondered what Apple would be recommending to customers? One of the systems they sell in the Apple stores and online is the Linksys Velop system. Linksys Velop has over 4,100 reviews on Amazon.com and has a 4.5 star rating Any product that has that many reviews on Amazon and manages to still have a 4.5-star rating means that people must really like it. I got mine setup and I could easily give it a 4+ star rating, but it’s not perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnKZXrlt2s

Let’s start with the good and even the great Linksys Velop is a Wi-Fi mesh system. That means that you buy two or more depending on the size of the home/apartment you’re trying to cover. Each node is rated to cover 2,000 square feet. A two node Velop system should cover most 1-2 bedroom apartments/homes and a three node Velop system should cover a 5 bedroom/6,000 square foot home. Now of course this all depends on the walls/floors/ceilings in your home. Some homes are built like bunkers and wireless signals have a harder time making it from room to room to

Apple AirPort is Officially Dead! Now what? – Linksys Velop Review

room. Other/newer homes are built with materials that make it a bit easier to get good coverage. I bought the 3 node Velop system to cover a newer 4,100 square foot home.

With my existing AirPort Extreme network, I had 3 base stations. I had two upstairs on each end of the house and the third one on the first floor, kind of in the middle of the house. I had ethernet run to a few rooms when I had the house built (should have done more rooms) and this means that I could plug the AirPorts into ethernet to get maximum speeds without having to repeat the signal from one base station to the next. However, I know that MOST homes don’t have ethernet these days. That’s where a “mesh” system comes in. You plug one node (Velop) into your router and then put the other one(s) in other rooms/floors and they communicate with each other wirelessly! Unlike older wireless setups like Airport the speed won’t/shouldn’t decrease by like 50% because you’re repeating the signal. Linksys claims that it would be 100% of the signal from node to node. Again, this will really vary from home to home. Although I have ethernet in each of the rooms that I wanted to replace the Airports with Velop nodes, I wanted to put one node in the kitchen area so that it would be closer to the patio. This means no ethernet and it would have to communicate with the “parent” node wirelessly.

The Setup Process is Really Good

You setup the Velop system from your smartphone or other iOS/Android device. I loved being able to download their App and start the setup process right from my iPhone X. The setup process is really straight forward. You just walk through the steps answering the questions. Linksys Velop can replace your existing router. Although I had AirPort Base Stations (which also act as routers) I had always used a third-party router. This was always a weakness of AirPort. When it comes to router configuration and features, AirPort can seem pretty anemic. I had to be able

to configure certain features for work back in the day that AirPort never allowed. Therefore, I used routers from Trendnet, Netgear and my latest is a TP Link. During my excitement to setup Velop I just configured it to connect to my existing TP Link router. It worked perfectly setting up the 1st (parent) node. Once that one was setup and got the latest firmware update, it then asked if I wanted to setup another one? Before I setup the next one I wanted to change a setting. By default, Velop uses a single Wi-Fi network name for both your 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels. I had been using two distinct networks for the faster 5GHz traffic and the slower 2.4GHz traffic. This is where the installation process kinda falls short. Believe it or not, this feature can’t be configured in the mobile app. You have to set this setting via the web interface. I Googled it and found the steps to do it. Now my networks were setup the way that they were on my AirPort base stations with the same network names and passwords. I went back to the mobile app and setup the other two nodes with no problems.

I love the channel optimizer!

One of the problems with living in an urban neighborhood is that everyone has Wi-Fi. This means that you’ll usually see a bunch of networks and these networks are all using the same channels as yours. 2.4GHz networks are the most crowded because there are fewer channels to choose from. Although 5GHz networks have a lot more channels that doesn’t help if a nearby neighbor happens to be using the same one you’re using. This is where the Velop Channel Optimizer

continued on page 6continued on page 5

Apple AirPort is Officially Dead!Now what? – Linksys Velop Reviewby Terry White

It shows me which channels it changed.

The AirPort Extreme is 5 years old!!


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really comes in handy. After you get everything setup you can run it and it compare your existing node channels to what’s around you and make the necessary changes AUTOMATICALLY. That’s almost worth the price of admission alone as it adjust each node based one where it’s actually located and not just the parent/main node.

How well does it work?

The coverage is definitely as good and probably better than my older AirPort Extreme network. I definitely got better signal with the closer node on the patio and pretty much all of the backyard. The speed also seemed as good as AirPort even on the node that was connected wirelessly.

It even works with Amazon Alexa

Yep, there’s a Velop skill for Amazon Echo devices. You can do things like “Alexa ask Linksys to turn on my guest network.” “Alexa, ask Linksys what’s my Wi-Fi password?”

I also like the fact that you can enable automatic firmware updates that happen at night and only take a few minutes. The problem with most routers is that the firmware updates need to be done manually and most people never check or do them. That means that you’re missing out on potentially important security updates.

Now for the not so good/ room for improvement: "I had a great idea and that’s where it went downhill (temporarily)".

Like I said above, Linksys Velop is also a router. Instead of running it “bridge mode” to my existing router I woke up the next morning and decided to set it up to actually be my router. This also gives you the complete Velop feature set. In bridge mode you lose some of the features that are router specific. I figured why not let Velop do it all? Routing and Wi-Fi. I went into the settings and switched it from bridge to the default DHCP and connected it directly to my cable modem. This was a bit tricky and I probably should have just scrapped my existing setup and done the setup all over again. However, I got it working.

As a router Velop was SLOWER!!

I can’t explain it (it’s clearly a bug), but apparently, I’m not alone. People are complaining that Velop has slowed down their internet speeds. Before I researched it I actually thought it was a problem with Xfinity as both my wireless AND wired speeds were at least half of what they normally are. I called them and rightfully, so they asked me to test by connecting a computer directly to my modem bypassing any routers. Yep, the speeds returned. Sigh. I did a Google search and found this thread. No one has a real solution, but I actually fixed it for now. I simply put my TP Link Archer A2300 router back in place and set the Velop backup as a Wi-Fi bridge to it. Now I get the speeds I’m supposed to get, and it rocks wirelessly too. This is a bit disturbing for a router/mesh that gets such high praise and great reviews. I’ve been in contact with Linksys and they are trying to resolve it. They actually called me three times yesterday to troubleshoot it

but unfortunately, I couldn’t take their calls while I was working/meetings/live streaming. I have no doubt that this is something that will get fixed, but for now I’m set just using it like I was using my AirPorts. It’s faster and has better coverage than I was getting with AirPort base stations. I’m getting the speeds above on the right even over Wi-Fi and more consistently than I was getting them in various areas of my home than I was with AirPort.

The Mobile App is Great Until it’s Not!

I love being able to control my Velop system right from my iPhone. I was spoiled by the iOS AirPort app too. However, while the Velop app lets you do much more than the AirPort app did, there are a couple of things that you still have to do via the web browser interface. Like I said above, in order to split my net-work into a 5GHz network and 2.4GHz network I had to use the web UI to do that. OK, no big deal, but the other problem with the App is that it only con-nects to a Velop for the initial setup process OR if the Velop is online and connected to the internet. That’s not good when you’re trying to troubleshoot or change settings that impact the Velop connecting to the inter-net. As a last resort you could always factory reset it and gain access to it again to set it up, but that seems like a downer. Now on the flip side if you know your router’s IP address and you can connect to it via ether-net, then you COULD use the web interface to access it even if it wasn’t on the internet. I had

to jump through hoops to put the Velop back in Bridge mode because I couldn’t connect to it as it wasn’t on the internet. I finally got it working and like I said in hind sight it might have been faster to just reset it up again.

Velop FAQ

Q. My existing AirPort network is working fine. Do I need to do anything?

A. Nope. Have a nice day. Apple will likely continue security patches for a while/years. However, if you feel like your Wi-Fi network is not fast enough or you have older AirPort Base Stations that don’t support 802.11ac then it might be time to think about upgrading. Otherwise, keep using what you’re using. All is well.

Q. Do I need a “mesh”? Can’t I just buy a Wi-Fi router or use the one provided by my service provider?

A. No, not everyone needs a mesh. It’s very possible that a single Wi-Fi router (yes even the one provided by your ISP) can be enough. Mesh systems are usually for larger homes or homes that tend to have Wi-Fi dead spots. When I lived in Michigan I had a 4,800 sq. foot studio and a single AirPort Extreme Base Station upstairs covered the entire building. Most of the space was wide open. Not a lot of walls.

Q. If I go with the Velop do I have to get three nodes?

A. Nope, You can get a two pack or a three pack. You can also add individual (1 pack) nodes if needed.

Q. Does the Velop have ethernet ports to attach other wired devices?

A. Each Velop node has two ethernet ports. You will plug the main/parent into your router/modem. The other port is available to attach a ethernet switch or other wired device. You can also plug wired devices into the wireless nodes.

Q. You mentioned that you had rooms with wired ethernet drops. Can you attach Velop nodes via ethernet or do they have to be wireless?

A. Yes, if you have existing ethernet runs throughout your home then you can plug your Velop nodes into ethernet. This will


continued on page 7 continued on page 8



mean less Wi-Fi noise/usage and faster performance. However, keep in mind that this system is designed to be wireless out of the box. Ethernet is not required for the other nodes.

Q. What if a node gets disconnected/unplugged or dies, does that kill my Wi-Fi network?

A. Velop is a self-healing network. If a node goes offline the other nodes will simply connect to each other instead and keep your network up.

Q. Did you consider any other mesh systems like the Netgear Orbi or Google Wi-Fi?

A. Yes I did, and I’m sure other systems are good too. However, Velop seemed to have the most positive reviews overall.

Q. Can I plug in a USB hard drive and use it like a Time Capsule for Time Machine backups?

A. Sadly no. No USB ports on this system The Bottom Line Overall I’m happy with Linsys Velop. I would (and have) no problem recommending it for those looking for a good WiFi mesh system. Clearly the router issue isn’t affecting everyone or their would be a lot more complaints in the reviews.

Terry is the co-author of The Best Selling “The iPhone Book” 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th editions. He has been active in the industry for over 25 years and is the founder and president of MacGroup-Detroit, Inc., Michigan’s largest Macintosh Users Group, host of the Adobe Cre-ative Suite Podcast and a technol-ogy writer - Terry White Tech Blog.

Reprinted with permission. See more from Terry White at terrywhite.com.



page 9

continued on page 10

A Prairie HomeKit Companion: The Ecobee 4 Thermostat by Josh Centers

If you want to freak out dinner guests, try screaming at your thermostat and loudly asking why it won’t answer you. That’s just one tip I can pass along after installing the $249 Ecobee 4, the current premium smart thermostat offering from the company of the same name.

Our guest looked at me as if he was considering whether he should flee or attempt to restrain me, which, to be fair, was an entirely appropriate reaction because I hadn’t yet explained that the Ecobee 4 includes the Alexa voice assistant.

Despite that being the marquee feature of the Ecobee 4, Alexa wasn’t the main reason I had installed it. Specifically, I asked Ecobee for a review unit so I could demonstrate how to install it for Take Control of Apple Home Automation, since I consider the Ecobee 4 to be the premier Apple-centric smart thermostat.

The best-known smart thermostat is the Google-owned Nest, which pioneered the market. But Google refuses to add HomeKit support, and until it does, the Nest is not the best option for Apple users focused on HomeKit.

Ecobee InstallationWhat follows isn’t an installation guide — look for that in Take Control of Apple Home Automation — but more of a review of the process.

First off, Ecobee’s documentation is excellent and covers the most common installation scenarios. Even so, thermostat installation can be complicated, largely due to how many variables are involved. Before you start, you definitely need a bit of HVAC knowledge, at least about your specific system.

Also note that, to power the unit, you need a common wire, often marked as “C” or “common” on your thermostat. If you don’t have one, the Ecobee 4 includes a Power Extender Kit, which is a little gizmo you wire to your HVAC unit to draw power from other wires to make up for the lack of a C wire. If you need one, I recommend hiring a professional to install it, since it means exposure to high voltages and fiddling with expensive equipment.

(In Take Control of Apple Home Automation, I wrote that the Power Extender Kit could cause damage because I was under the mistaken impression that it used a technique called “power stealing” to provide power to the Ecobee. Power stealing, such as used by Google’s Nest, can cause your thermostat to run unreliably or even damage it, but that’s not how the Ecobee Power Extender Kit works. Mea maxima culpa.)

Ecobee includes some nice touches to simplify installation. The backplate, the part that attaches to the wall and your wires, includes a built-in level to simplify lining it up right. Since there’s almost always an ugly, unpainted spot on your


page 11



wall that’s revealed when you change thermostats, Ecobee includes a nice-looking trim plate to hide the mess.

Believe it or not, physical installation is the easy part. Once you enter the setup wizard, be prepared for a difficult final exam. You need to know how your thermostat is wired (you should know that, since you just did it), what accessories may be attached, whether you have a heat pump, if you have a geothermal unit, whether your O/B reversing valve is energized on cool or heat, at what temperature to turn off your compressor, and so on.

Ecobee gives you tips and hints, but ultimately you need some HVAC knowledge to set it up properly. I did it all myself, but it took me weeks to configure everything how I like, and even now I’m not certain it’s optimal.

In fact, what I dislike the most about the Ecobee 4 is that it has made me hyper-aware of my HVAC system. For example, it often feels like cold air is coming out of the vents when I’m expecting heat, and I start worrying that I’ve set things wrong. In fact, this scenario isn’t unusual because air that is cooler than body temperature often feels chilly, even if it’s warming up your house. I strongly recommend buying an infrared thermometer so you can monitor the air coming from your vents. It’s also nice to have temperature sensors like the Elgato Eve Degree around your house so you don’t have to rely solely on the Ecobee’s main display.

Speaking of temperature sensors, the Ecobee 4 includes a remote sensor powered by a small watch battery. The sensor also detects motion to determine if a room is occupied. The idea is that you place the sensor on a separate floor of your house and the Ecobee 4 will make sure that the temperature in the occupied room is what determines whether to heat or cool the house, rather than the temperature at the location of the thermostat itself. So if you want to ensure that an upstairs bedroom doesn’t get too cold overnight,

the remote sensor can take over from the thermostat’s built-in sensor. It seems to work well, but I don’t have enough of a temperature differential in my house for it to matter.

Using the Ecobee 4There are a handful of ways to control the Ecobee 4:■ Manually via the thermostat itself

■ Via Ecobee’s official apps for iOS, Android, and the Web

■ Via HomeKit, with Apple’s Home app, another HomeKit app, or SiriThe thermostat’s native interface is nothing to write home about. While the Nest lets you adjust the temperature with a big knob, the Ecobee 4 relies on fiddly onscreen sliders.

One nice thing about the Ecobee 4 is that it includes built-in weather reports. But here’s what bugs me: when it doesn’t sense movement, it displays the current indoor temperature and outdoor weather conditions. But when it senses motion, it drops the weather display and instead shows onscreen controls with the indoor temperature. This bothers me because it reminds me that I’m being monitored. Worse, if I just want to check the outdoor temperature, that information disappears as soon as I get close, and I have to tap a button to bring it back.

Particularly frustrating are the Ecobee 4’s constant warnings. Every cold morning, I see a warning that my auxiliary heat has been running too long. Of course, it has been running when it’s freezing outside! Even stupider is when it warns me that auxiliary heat has been turned on when it’s warm outside. Well, Ecobee, why are you turning the auxiliary heat on, then? This is a problem you’re causing, tell me how to fix it!

Anyway, you can control any thermostat when you’re standing in front of it. The reason to buy a smart thermostat is so you can program it and control it remotely.

Ecobee’s iOS app is serviceable. It mimics the physical display, but it wisely doesn’t allow access to many advanced settings that could screw up your HVAC system.But I don’t find Ecobee’s app very reliable. It often shows outdated information, and even forcing a refresh by backing out and going back isn’t always successful. For example, I can tell when the auxiliary heat is on, because hot air is blowing on me, but the app will just say that the regular heat is on. When I get up and check the thermostat, sure enough, the auxiliary heat is running.

The main screens in Ecobee’s iPhone app.

Ecobee makes much of the thermostat’s “smart” features, encouraging you to set up “comfort settings” like Away, Home, and Sleep, and then schedule those to trigger at set times or when it senses no occupancy. If you manually set a temperature, the Ecobee 4 lets you know that you’re overriding what it’s supposed to do.

But I find the schedule feature infuriating. Setting times is fiddly and frustrating and makes too many assumptions about my lifestyle. Worse, adding extra comfort settings requires you to use the Web interface — you can’t do it from the iOS app.

Those smart features can leave you hanging. For instance, we visited my in-laws on a bitterly cold night. While we were gone, the Ecobee 4 automatically dropped the temperature substantially, to

64 degrees. When we returned home, we suffered through a chilly night because the house didn’t reach 72 degrees again until morning, even with the auxiliary running. I suspect that letting the house get that cold may have cost more money. I subsequently adjusted the Away comfort setting to keep the house at a higher temperature while we’re out.

I’ve had to tweak settings continually to turn off many of the Ecobee’s “smart” features. Because I work at home, I want to set a temperature and have it stay there. I would undoubtedly appreciate scheduling more if I worked outside the house, but I’d still prefer that it be optional.

The worst thing about Ecobee’s app is that its Web service is often down. Fortunately, the HomeKit route always works well, letting me quickly set the temperature and mode via Control Center, the Home app, or Siri. But it offers only basic controls and can’t show more advanced settings, like if auxiliary heating is on.

Controls for the Ecobee thermostat in Apple’s Home app.

Happily, HomeKit can use the occupancy sensors built into the thermostat and the remote sensor to trigger various sensor-based automations. Ideally, the Ecobee would integrate better with HomeKit sensors. Instead of buying extra sensors or contacting an Internet weather service, I wish I could have it read from my Elgato Eve indoor and outdoor sensors.

A Prairie HomeKit Companion: The Ecobee 4 ThermostatA Prairie HomeKit Companion: The Ecobee 4 Thermostat

continued on page 11 continued on page 12


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A Prairie HomeKit Companion: The Ecobee 4 Thermostat

Apart from that, the Ecobee 4 has wide platform support and works well with Alexa and my Google Home devices. Speaking of Alexa, this review wouldn’t be complete without discussing it.

“Alexa, are you listening?”The Ecobee 4 is my first dedicated Alexa device, and I’m not impressed. There are several problems with Alexa on the Ecobee 4:■ It’s creepy. A box on my wall can

sense when I’m home and listen to everything I say. Give it a camera and it can go full Orwell.

■ It’s hard of hearing. I have to stand very close or yell at it for Alexa to acknowledge me.

■ The speaker is too quiet. As amusing as it is to play music from my thermostat, a cheap FM radio would kick sand in its face at the beach.

■ Alexa feels tacked on. It can’t even control the thermostat until you install the Ecobee skill.

■ It doesn’t support all Alexa skills, making it less useful than an Echo speaker.

Overall, Alexa on the Ecobee 4 feels like a gimmick. Worse, yelling at your thermostat makes you look and feel like a lunatic.

You’d be better off with a cheaper thermostat and a dedicated smart speaker. My Google Home sits directly under the Ecobee 4, and I tell it to adjust my thermostat instead of Alexa on the Ecobee 4 every time.

The Search ContinuesAlthough the Ecobee 4 is the most advanced HomeKit thermostat on the market, after living with it for a few months, I’ve decided that I don’t like it. I’d rather have a simple thermostat. Much of that is related to working at home — if I was away for hours every day, the Ecobee 4’s features might be more welcome.When setting up the Ecobee 4, I studied my old, dumb Honeywell thermostat to see what it could do. It turned out that there weren’t that many settings to adjust — it just works. For that reason, I’ll probably try a Honeywell Lyric thermostat next, since they also work with Apple’s, Amazon’s, and Google’s home automation platforms.

That said, the Ecobee 4 isn’t without merit. If you like the sound of its many automatic features, it might be a fantastic fit for you. I can’t say how it compares to Google’s Nest thermostat because I’m staying focused on devices that support HomeKit.

If you have yet to dip a toe into home automation, I don’t recommend the Ecobee 4 as your first device, due to its complexity and hard-wired nature. Stick to a smart outlet or smart bulbs, and if you do decide to go with a smart thermostat, strongly consider hiring a professional to install it. But if you’re a rugged individualist who likes going it alone, I offer a 22-page guide to installing the Ecobee 4 (or any thermostat, really) in Take Control of Apple Home Automation.

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Reprinted from TidBITS April 20, 2018 with permission.

YOUR ARTICLE HEREby CMC Member

We welcome submissions from our members! Please submit articles by the first of the month for inclusion in our newsletter. All articles should be submitted by email to: [email protected].

There is so much talent in our group; it would be great to have several member articles in each issue of the newsletter.

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Monthly CMC meetings are generally held on the last Wednesday of the month, except November and December, or when the meetings are held earlier due to holidays. And occasionally, scheduling difficulties require our meetings to be on other dates; please remember to check our web site at www.ctmac.org to confirm date and location. Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss the latest Apple news, answer members’ technical questions, and then segue into our main presentation.

Do you have an idea for a topic we should present? Perhaps there’s a topic that you would like to present yourself? Email your suggestions to: [email protected].

CMC Board meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month. If you wish to attend a Board meeting, contact an officer for time and location.

CMC Account Balance: $875.55(Balance May, 2018))

Free Classified AdsCMC members can advertise items for sale, swap, trade, giveaway, or want-to-buy. Advertise items which you no longer need! This is a free service provided to our members. Submit your information to: [email protected].

Did you know that CMC tech support is just a click away?You don’t have to wait for a monthly meeting to get answers to your Apple related questions. CMC hosts a Mac support mailing list for our members. You can join at www.ctmac.org. You can also post to this group by sending an email to: [email protected]

Any item or service can be advertised at these low monthly rates:Business Card (3.5" w. x 2" h.)............................FREE* Quarter Page (3.625" w. x 4.75" h.) .................. $5.00Half Page (7.5" w. x 4.75" h. or 3.625" w. x 9.5" h.). ................... $10.00Full Page (7.5" w. x 9.5" h.) .......................$20.00

Email ad copy to [email protected] by the 20th of the month for insertion in the following issue. Display ads must be submitted in eps or pdf format with all fonts and graphics embedded. Specify how many issues you would like your ad to run, and make check payable to “CMC.”

CMC Meeting Info

Treasurer’s Report

Free Mac SupportDisplay Ad Rates

Every CMC member who attends our monthly meetings gets a raffle ticket that will give you a chance for one of our free prizes every month! And don’t forget the “free table” at the back of the room where everything is… free!

Free Raffle!

Remember that you can easily access web sites referenced in your CMC newsletters by viewing the full color PDF version available on our web site at: www.ctmac.org . Simply click on the URL to go right to that site!

Easy Web Addresses

New Members Wanted! Have your friends and co-workers join us for fun and learn about OS X, the Mac, iPhone, iPads and all things Apple. Please give them this application form.

CMC Benefits: Monthly meetings, newsletter, special events, discounted books, free Mac support, networking, make business contacts, User Group discounts, and more.

Yes, I want to join CMC!

Date _____________________ (please print all applicable)

Name ______________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________

City _______________________________ State _______ Zip _________

Phone (Home) _______________________________________________

Phone (Cell) _________________________________________________

Phone (Office) _______________________________________________

Phone (Fax) _________________________________________________

Occupation / Business Name ____________________________________

Email ______________________________________________________

Referred by __________________________________________________

Areas of special interest: ________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Annual CMC Family Membership: $25.00Mail this form with your check payable to “CMC” to:

Connecticut Macintosh ConnectionP.O. Box 7061, Plainville, CT 06062

– or –register and pay online using PayPal at:

www.ctmac.org

2018 CMC Officers and Board Members

CMC Monthly MeetingUConn Health CenterFarmington, CT



Art by Bill Dougal. Order gift caricatures from CaricatureDrawing.net

a u s e r g r o u p s i n c e 1 9 8 6

To renew your CMC dues, members are requested to use PayPal on the CMC website. This link will take you to the renewal page: tinyurl.com/cmcrenew CMC treasurer Linas Venclauskas wants you to know that we are also using the Square Card Reader service. This means

members can now pay their dues at a meeting using a credit card. Simply see the treasurer and ask him to update your dues using your credit card. If you have any questions or concerns, see Linas at the next meeting or send him an email at: [email protected].

PayPal – The Best Way to Pay Your CMC Dues

Editor Deena Quilty

[email protected]

President Chris Hart

[email protected]

Public Relations Mark Maglio

[email protected]

TreasurerLinas Venclauskas

[email protected]

Design George Maciel

[email protected]

Web Master/Ambassador Reggie Dionne

[email protected]

Vice President Jerry Esposito

[email protected]

SecretaryMarianne Cassidy

[email protected]

* CMC members in good standing can run one FREE business card size ad per quarter. Monthly rates available.

Upcoming Program by Jerry Esposito, vice president

Wednesday, May 30 6:30 p.m."Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine"Our May 30 meeting will feature a showing of Alex Gibney’s documentary film “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.”

In his signature black turtleneck and blue jeans, shrouded in shadows below a milky apple, Steve Jobs' image was ubiquitous. But who was the man on the stage? What accounted for the grief of so many across the world when he died?

From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, "Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine" is a critical examination of Jobs who was at once revered as an iconoclastic genius and a barbed-tongued tyrant. A candid look at Jobs' legacy featuring interviews with a handful of those close to him at different stages in his life, the film is evocative and nuanced in capturing the essence of the Apple legend and his values which shape the culture of Silicon Valley to this day.

CMC member Mark Maglio will be supplying us with popcorn. We’ll have paper bowls and extra water, but feel free to bring your own soft drinks.

We are looking for board volunteers. You don’t need to be an expert with Macs

to volunteer with CMC. Everyone can contribute

to the group.

CMC Meeting Directions to UConn Health Center

Monthly CMC meetings are held at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

From I-84: Take Exit 39 (if coming from I-84 West, Exit 39 is after 39A). Turn right at first traffic light onto Route 4 East (Farmington Avenue). At third traffic light, turn right to enter the Health Center campus.

Go around the main building to the right (at the Y in road), then take a left when you get to the Academic Entrance. (The road becomes two-way there so you should be able to tell where to turn; do not go straight to the two-way part). Then take the second right into parking lot A&B.

Go past the police station entrance on your left (small sign). You will see a continuation of the building with its own entrance area. This is the research building. Enter on the ground floor, turn right and enter room EG-013 on your right. This is the first room on your right. The rest rooms are on your left as you enter.

To find us, see this video guide:http://tinyurl.com/y8elfy66

…by Jerry Esposito, CMC vice president



Thank You Mark

Mark Maglio, CMC member, soared high with his

presentation on drones during our April 25 meeting. He

started his talk by showing several demolition videos that he

made for his client. He then discussed some of the rules set

by the FAA regarding drone usage.

He recommends using a Samsung tablet for viewing videos

that the drone takes while flying. His drone flew using GPS

and Wi-Fi. The drone needs to coordinate with nine to eleven

satellites in order to fly using GPS.

Mark also demonstrated the use of a gimbal for holding an

iPhone steady while making a video. The big advantage of the

gimbal is it levels off any video being taken.

Another piece of hardware that Mark uses is the GoPro

camera. The GoPro works well with the Macintosh computer

and comes with a wide-angle lens and takes 4K video. It’s

also waterproof.

Thank you Mark for making us all

want to go out and buy a drone.

may • 2018 chr nicle - ctmac.org filechr. nicle. 20 years of the imac. by josh centers. wednesday,...

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