Federico's Tech Recommendations

Gadgets and services that I use in my own life.

Updated: November 23rd, 2019

TP-Link PowerLine Adaptor

Always better than WiFi... Highly configurable too. I have the TL-PA9020P.

100 - 1000 Mbps With or without Pass-through 1 - 2 Ethernet ports 300 meter range

An adaptor that lets you game or stream with Ethernet-like ping, even when your room doesn't have an Ethernet connection.

Creative Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 External USB Sound Card

External sound card for music boost and ease of use

5.1 Surround Sound
Tactile Dial

External Sound Card so that I could boost the energy to my Surround-Sound speakers from my PC. An added benefit is that it moves the sound controls from software (my operating system (Windows 7)) to hardware (a physical dial), which is so nice to have if you like tactile feedback and don't like fidgeting with screen controls. [Creative Store Link] (it's usually cheaper on resellers like Amazon)

NordVPN

Fairly-priced, location-rich Virtual Private Network (VPN) service with a no-logs policy

No-logs policy (independently audited)
P2P-specialised nodes
Linux CLI support!
Netflix streaming

If you're unfamiliar with what a VPN does, Nord's "What is a VPN?" page will explain the main features. I like it because it's so easy to use on Windows, Mac, and Linux (!). They also offer apps for Android and iOS and light-weight browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. 5000+ servers in 62 countries and Netflix doesn't block you when you use it. Please consider using my sign up link to support a month of my own subscription :)

qBittorrent

Simple & light-weight Bittorrent client

Light-weight Simple UI No Ads See your peers

I recommend qBittorrent if you're going to do any peer-to-peer downloading. It is free, open source, and has no ads. I especially like that you can see what peers you're connected to when you're downloading. It also has magnet-link support. Download it from their website (choose the "stable" version).

NETGEAR Dual-Band WiFi Router

Supports new and old WiFi devices simultaneously

2.4 GHz band 300 Mbps
5 GHz band 837 Mbps
4 Ethernet ports

Robust little WiFi access point that I use to extend WiFi to the back of my house, using the PowerLine adaptor as the input. Having the two WiFi frequencies also allows the signal to travel further (2.4 GHz supported by both new and old devices), as well as supports a higher bandwidth for newer devices that doesn't travel as far (5 GHz). Also has 4 Ethernet ports. [Amazon UK Link]

Samsung 860 EVO Solid State Drive

Use this to save your aging laptop or give your PC a power-up

2.5 inch internal form-factor
512 MBps Sequential Read/Write

Solid State Drive that I can't recommend enough. I replaced the failing Hard Disk Drive in my 4-year-old laptop and it was as if I bought a new computer. I also use one as the main drive in my PC. [Amazon UK Link]