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xmxisxforxmaybe · 4 years

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Elliot, Just a Tech

Summary: Plagued by not having Admin rights on your work computer, you contact the IT department expecting to talk to your usual guy. However, you are greeted by someone new.

A/N: Consider this post-show

WC: 2596

Warnings: None

You looked over the icons on your desktop for the eleventh time, dragging the old version of Adobe into the trash for the tenth time, and growling with frustration as the error message appeared for what felt like the hundredth time.

Please enter an Administrator’s Username and Password.

After the great email phishing scam the month prior, the IT department had been directed to revoke all employee’s Admin rights to their computers. It wasn’t your fault your colleagues were too dumb to realize that you should not click on email that has been flagged as spam, even if it is a version of your boss’s name: Mattthew Whitman has scheduled a meeting with you at 9 pm!

As if Matthew spelled with three ts wasn’t enough to deter someone, scheduling a meeting at 9 at night should have been, not to mention the exclamation point to top it all off—no one ever enthusiastically scheduled a meeting. Ever.

Alas, no less than 13 people had opened the email, severely compromising the integrity of the network.

You needed to get rid of the old version of Adobe in order for your network’s cloud to allow the download of the updated version, so you were left with no choice but to submit a ticket to the IT department.

You and Matt, no relation to Mattthew your boss, had had several Zoom sessions since the start of the quarantine, mostly thanks to your need to actually get some work done. With so many more people on your network, the IT department was doing the best it could to make sure everyone was achieving basic functionality.

Opening a new work order, you quickly filled in your information and snapped a screen shot of the error message. In less than a minute, you had an email inviting you to a Zoom session.

“Matt’s really on it today,” you said while opening the link and waiting for him to start the session.

You had just glanced away to check your To-Do list when someone opened the Zoom session and you paused, staring at the downturned face of someone who was definitely not Matt.

“Hi,” you greeted awkwardly.

“Hi,” he answered, still not looking into the camera.

“Where’s Matt?”

The stranger looked into the camera, clearly caught off-guard.

“Uh, he’s off today.”

“So they finally unchained him from his desk—good for him!”

The stranger’s eyes widened a little in amusement, but he didn’t smile which caused your grin to quickly fade.

“Are you . . .” the stranger trailed off as he glanced at his other desktop monitor. “Y/N?”

“I am. And you are?”

“Elliot.”

“Are you the new Supervisor they were hiring for last week?”

“Nope. Just a Tech.”

“All right. Well, hi, Elliot, just a Tech. I’m in dire need of installing an update, which I cannot do because my colleagues are dumbasses.”

This time Elliot did smile, and you found yourself reaching up to fix the wild bun on the top of your head, wishing you had actually taken some time out not to look like a troll who had crawled out from under its bridge.

“I see that you can’t install Adobe’s update without administrative permission.”

“Yup. That’s my issue, I think.”

“I want to try something first,” Elliot said, concentrating on the task at hand as he looked away from the camera and to his other monitor.

“Can you locate your system preferences? You can find it by clicking on the appl-“

“Done. What do you want me to go into?”

Elliot looked back into the camera, then gave you a series of steps which you quickly followed.

“I am only semi-illiterate when it comes to technology,” you said, trying again to get him to smile and this time it worked.

Elliot adjusted his headset and lowered his eyes as he grinned. “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve had to explain over the past few days.”

“Oh, I would absolutely believe them. I’ve talked three people in my department off a ledge just by explaining the magical powers of “Command + Z.”

Elliot chuckled, and the sound of his laughter filtering through the mic on his headset made you want to stay on the call as long as you could stretch it out.

“It looks like the program is not responding. I’ll need to take remote control of your desktop.”

“Have at it.”

You watched as Elliot worked, waiting for your mouse to start moving across the screen, but nothing happened.

“Uh, do you have any error messages on your end?”

“Nope.”

“Let me try one more thing,” Elliot mumbled, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

You sat quietly, letting him work, which gave you an excuse to just look at him and the more you looked at him, the more attractive you realized he was.

Elliot had a stylish haircut, although it looked like his fade had grown in quite a bit thanks to the lockdown. Tufts of straight black hair stood up on either side of his headset and you wondered if they’d be stiff or soft to the touch. His eyes were large, clearly the most enticing of the features of his face, except for his angular jaw that made you softly smile in appreciation of its masculinity. Elliot may consider himself “just a Tech,” but he was a damn good looking one.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” you blurted out, forgetting all of your manners thanks to the lack of social interaction.

Elliot fumbled as he was typing and looked into the camera, his lips parted.

“Oh, lord. That came out . . . blunt. I asked because Matt’s been loving working from home. His wife just had a baby and even though he’s chained up in his home office at all hours of the day he still gets to spend time with the people he cares about. Which is what I was trying to ask you—if you were enjoying working from home.” You finished with an awkward laugh, and a barrage of mental curses to yourself.

Elliot’s lip turned up with a quirk. “My sister stops by to bring supplies, but I live alone.”

“Oh—well, that’s nice you have someone to interact with. I still see my sister, too.”

“I like this. Not having to interact with people.”

“The only downside is the verbal vomit you spew when talking to someone new because you no longer understand social protocol.”

Elliot laughed again, that same breathy little chuckle that upgraded from drawing your attention to making you shift in your chair.

“I’ve never been particularly adept at social protocol. Hence . . . just a Tech.”

You laughed and Elliot must have liked the sound because he stopped to watch you, his eyes flicking over your face through the camera.

“You need to update the Zoom app for me to take over your desktop. I don’t know why yours seems to have this glitch, but are you ready for the steps?”

You grabbed your pen and a fresh post-it. “Lay it on me, Tech.”

Elliot smirked, then listed the steps. “I’m going to close the call, but as soon as you’ve completed the steps, click on our Zoom link again.”

“Got it!”

Your eyes connected and lingered for just a moment before Elliot closed out the call.

You missed him immediately.

“Oh, Matt. If I had known Zoom calls could be like this, I’d have dumped you long ago.”

You shook your head to clear it and began to go through the steps Elliot had listed for you. You wanted to get this right to prove to him that you weren’t incompetent.

Having successfully, and quickly, completed all of the steps on your Post-it, you reinitiated the Zoom meeting.

“You’re quick.”

“I’m sure you’re much, much faster,” you said.

“I can only go as fast as the web connection, unfortunately,” Elliot replied, staring into his other monitor again.

“Let’s try this again—remember the steps to give me remote access?”

“I think so . . .” you said, trailing off as you began to click.

You paused, then your mouse began to move without you.

“Excellent job,” Elliot praised and you knew you wanted him to praise you again . . . preferably away from a computer, maybe in a bedroom—

“All right. So I need to delete, reinstall, and wait for an error message that’s been popping up making this a little harder for people to do themselves.”

You watched Elliot control your computer, and once he got to a point where the app was updating, he paused and turned back to the camera.

“About that girlfriend thing you asked me earlier. Are you seeing . . . anyone?”

“I was . . . about six months ago. By the time I was ready to get back on the horse, the plague struck.”

Elliot chuckled. “Not exactly the best time to start dating.”

“No,” you said softly laughing, too. “I agree with you, about the whole nice not seeing people thing, though. For me, it’s more about setting my own schedule. I get so much more done without constant interruptions just to chat.”

“Kinda like we are now?”

“Hey! We are waiting on a signal to go to space and come back. It’s only polite to give it some time so it doesn’t feel like it’s being watched—like a watched pot never boils kinda thing.”

Elliot smiled, his eyes meeting yours and lingering as you smiled back.

A new box popped up breaking your eye contact and Elliot went back to work.

“Fixed. You shouldn’t have to worry about the next update. We’ve been reporting this glitch regularly so the developers should have it fixed by then.”

“Thanks, Elliot. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my job,” he said with a slight shrug.

“Well, enjoy the rest of your afternoon,” you said, wishing you had a reason to stay connected.

“Yeah.” Elliot replied, looking at you again with those hypnotic, grey-blue eyes. If they could impress you through a screen, imagine what they looked like in person. “You too.”

You smiled at each other and when neither of you closed the call, you both laughed, Elliot looking a little shy and you looking a little embarrassed.

“I’ll close it. Don’t forget to fill in your survey so big brother knows I did my job.”

“Five-star service, all the way!”

Elliot chuckled again, and you shivered this time, the sound of his voice working its way through your entire body, filling you with a pleasant warmth.

“Bye,” he said, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he ended the meeting.

When the session closed out, you began to think of ways to break your computer so you needed to talk to him again, but before you could pull a purposefully dumbass move like downloading a virus, a sticky note popped up on your desktop.

212 555 0179

Probably breaking work protocol, but text me sometime if you want.

~Elliot, just a Tech

“Oh my god!” you gasped, glancing up at your camera to make sure you really were disconnected, unable to shake that feeling like someone was watching you. You reached for your packet of stickers and placed a fresh one over the camera of your computer—better paranoid than sorry!

“Should I text him now? Is that desperate? Or is it mean to make him wait? Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you said, pacing around your small office space.

“Just a simple hello,” you decided. “First, gotta find my phone.”

After walking through your apartment, you found your phone in the kitchen, unsurprisingly because snacking had become your favorite hobby since the lockdown began. It was a blessing and curse to be able to eat whenever you wanted.

You took your cell back to your computer and smiled again at Elliot’s virtual Post-it note and typed in his number and contact information.

Hi, Elliot ☺️

Hi, Y/N. I hope your emoji means I didn’t creep you out

That’s what this one 😱 is for

Lol. Got it. I don’t really do the emoji thing. They kinda confuse me

Well then! Maybe that’s why we met? You know all the real techy stuff, and I know all the silly techy stuff. I can teach you to emoji like a boss 😎

Sunglasses = boss? Shades? Because bosses are shady?

🤣more like the shades mean you’re just too cool to care. Like a boss attitude. But actually 🤔that’s a really great analysis!

See? Confusing 👽

Confusing as in no one knows what’s really “out there” huh? Wow. I like your way of emojiying (new word, just go with it)

Lol really?

I do!

Can I ask you something?

Sure

Which emoji makes you think of me?

👀🦋💬🧸🧨 😰📱😃

You stared at Elliot’s text, a goofy grin on your face as you tried to puzzle out his emoji story. The eyes, okay, but the rest was sort of a mystery.

Lol! I need to do this in pieces so you can tell me if I’m right or wrong

So, you saw me and thought I was nice? Pretty? Delicate?

Lol pretty

Ok. Thanks, btw. We talked and then, oh boy, this is tough. An exploding bear? Talking to me made you feel like you were going to die? This is not good.

🤣 Poor choice of the firecracker, clearly, but take them as two separate things. What do you associate with a teddy bear?

Um, childhood . . . safety? Protection?

Close! Warm, safe. You seem like a warm, safe person to talk to.

I am grinning like an idiot right now. You are so sweet. But on to the firecracker? Wait! Like sassy? Like I have a firecracker personality?

Yes! You’re funny in a forward, witty way. I guess the “She’s a real firecracker” thing might be a bit outdated.

I LOVE IT. I gotta keep going now. This part is easy, I think. Sooo even though you felt nervous, you took a chance and left me your cell, and now you know it was a good choice because you made me happy.

Almost—when you texted, it made ME happy. Hence 😃 and I have big eyes so I used the big eye happy face.

I.am.dying. That’s the cutest thing anyone has ever done over a text in the history of the world!

Lol. Is there a dramatic emoji because I don’t think anything I’ve ever done is that great.

This WAS great. I’m serious

Do you wanna maybe have dinner over Zoom? God how lame is that?

You respect the quarantine—not lame at all. I’d love to!

They let me unchain myself around 6. I’ll send you a link at 7?

Perfect! But what are we going to order? Shouldn’t we order from the same place to make it more authentic?

Do you like Chinese?

Who doesn’t?

You looked at the location Elliot sent and laughed with the irony that it was your favorite take-out spot.

How did you know that was my favorite take-out spot?

Lucky guess 🤷🏽‍♂️

Well, lucky Elliot who is just a Tech. I’ll “see” you at 7. If we order the same dinner, I’ll consider it a sign that we are meant to take over the world together by eliminating one dumbass’s access to a computer at a time 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

Lol except that would leave me out of a job

We will find you something more meaningful, I promise

Make me a list 😃

You got it! Can’t wait for 7 ☺️

Me either

* * * * *

Tags: @ramimedley @clumsybookworm18 @r-ahh-mi @aboutthatmelancholystorm @alottanothing @sherlollydramoine @txmel @diasimar @hah0106 @flipper-kisses @rami-malek-trash @ramisgirl512 @dancing-disco-deacy @just-a-queen-bee @eightiesriot

Maybe a Part II?

#Elliot Alderson #elliot alderson x reader #female reader (but it is pretty ambiguous)#elliot alderson fanfic #elliot alderson imagine #fluff #for now #Rami Malek character #rami malek fanfiction

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babymonitorhome-blog · 3 years

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The Ultimate Guide To Baby Monitor Security in 2021

Baby monitors are among the many network devices prone to be "easily" hacked if they are not properly secured. Most parents ask this question when purchasing a baby monitor: Can baby monitors be hacked? YES ! There is a possibility that cybercriminals can get their hands on baby monitors to spy on them and even speak to them. Several stories have surfaced on the Internet about baby monitors being hacked, strangers being able to communicate through the monitor's speaker, or baby monitor footage becoming posted online. Table of Contents- How Common Is Baby Monitor Hacking? - Can Wifi Baby Monitors Be Hacked? - Which baby monitors Cannot be hacked? - How do you know if your baby monitor is being hacked?- LED Light Indicators - Automatic Camera Direction Changes - Strange Voices Or Abnormal Noises - Change In Privacy Or Security Settings - Audit Your Wifi Router - How and why are baby monitors hacked?- Analogue Baby Monitors - Digital Baby Monitors - Wi-Fi And Internet-Connected Baby Monitors- Local Area Connected Baby Monitors - Internet Connected Baby Monitors - How to prevent baby monitor hacking?- Research for Vulnerabilities - Reconsider Remote Access - Use Two Factor Authentication - Keep It Up-To-Date - Data Storage - Unplug It - Disable Unnecessary Network Services - Secure Your Wifi Router - Restart Your Baby Monitor Periodically - Use Of Encrypted Connection - Register Your Product And Applications - Password Security - Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Monitor Security

How Common Is Baby Monitor Hacking?

Although it is extremely unlikely that something like this would happen, reports suggest that baby monitors have been hacked, and those hacks have led to hackers releasing their footage online. Anyone with malicious intentions can hack any network device connected to the Internet, including the baby monitor, as long as the device is not appropriately secured.

Can Wifi Baby Monitors Be Hacked?

The Internet and cloud storage option of wifi baby monitors make them vulnerable to hacking. Luckily, most have safeguards to reduce this risk. Furthermore, most broadband providers offer high-security, password-protected wireless access that should keep unauthorized individuals away from your baby monitor. You must secure your home internet network with a strong password to ensure your monitor is safe and secure from hackers. Do not overlook updating your baby monitor software regularly, as updates contain security updates. The last step is to examine how your monitor stores footage. Ensure the encryption features are enabled.

Which baby monitors Cannot be hacked?

The safest Baby Monitor is the monitor which is not connected to the Internet. It is important to evaluate your needs for monitoring your baby remotely before choosing the type of baby monitor you'll use. If you decide to go with a wireless option, please make sure you read the below recommendations to find the safest option in the range of wireless monitors. Look at whether the manufacturer provides regular security and privacy updates. Check if there is any history of hacking available for that model and brand on the Internet. Below I have listed the models and brands which have been known to be vulnerable to hacking. The security features of the model should include encryption, secure passwords, and unauthorized access detection. Find out if the manufacturer offers helpline or email technical support if you encounter problems using your baby monitor.

How do you know if your baby monitor is being hacked?

The hacking baby monitor news story describes a hacker listening in on conversations, interacting with kids, and more. I will discuss how you can quickly assess whether something fishy is happening with your baby monitor. You might need to consult your manufacturer or any technical expert for reassurance. LED Light Indicators Most of the Baby Monitors come with the LED transmission light on them. With that said, when your baby monitor is transmitting video audio feed remotely, that LED will blink to let you know that the baby monitor is being accessed remotely. If this LED blinks irregularly, then you should contact manufacturer support by sending an email explaining the behavior. Automatic Camera Direction Changes Video baby monitors usually have Pan/Tilt & Rotation options so you can adjust the settings to view your baby. Your baby monitor has most likely been hacked if it has started following your movements. Your hacked baby monitor might be rotating by itself or pointing in a different direction from normal. Strange Voices Or Abnormal Noises Many baby monitor hacking news stories surfacing on the Internet indicate hackers usually use microphones and speakers to communicate with babies. If you hear any unusual noises coming out of your baby monitor, or if you hear someone's voice, then you should be concerned about hacking. Change In Privacy Or Security Settings Your baby monitor is at risk if a hacker changes the default password, adds a new user, or changes other settings for easy access. You may need to check your baby monitor's privacy and security settings very often to make sure it's not compromised. Audit Your Wifi Router Your wifi router logs and settings are the only places a hacker can leave some traceable information about his activities. Check your wifi router settings to make sure that no unusual network traffic or any new IPs are accessing your network frequently.

How and why are baby monitors hacked?

Many baby monitors do not require you to set a password when installing them, so they are pretty straightforward to hack. These passwords are either pre-configured or default, so they can be guessed (like 11111), easy to find on the Internet. If there is no password, anyone with the default password can log in. These can be accessed via an app or the web if made online. The baby Monitor can be audio only monitor or Video + audio baby monitor. If you like to read, I have written comprehensive article on Video Vs Audio Baby Monitors. The type of monitor, the frequency it uses to communicate and encryption basically determines the difficulty of hacking baby monitor. Below I have discussed all these aspects in details. Analogue Baby Monitors Analogue baby monitors generally use 49 MHz or 900 Mhz radio frequency to send sound and video from the camera to the receiver. Using the same frequency as your analog monitor, anyone nearby can receive your audio and video. Analog monitors usually can be manually switched to another frequency in the event of interference; however, they are often unprotected, so I cannot recommend them. Digital Baby Monitors In addition to the scrambling of the signal, digital baby monitors offer less static and interference than comparable analog monitors. However, there is still the chance of interference with other wireless devices operating on the same frequency. Wireless baby monitors generally work on 2.4 GHz frequencies, except for DECT baby monitors, which operate at 1.9 GHz frequencies and are less affected by interference. The digitally enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) technology is the latest standard for wireless devices such as baby monitors. DECT operates on the 1.9 GHz frequency, which the FCC approved in 2007 for voice-only operation. 1.9 GHz is less crowded than 2 GHz, so there is no interference with other systems. All video and audio transmissions between the baby and parent units are encrypted, which provides a secure connection. There is a disadvantage with digital baby monitors because they are localized, which means they do not work unless they are physically close to the receiver. Wi-Fi And Internet-Connected Baby Monitors The range of wifi baby monitors is unlimited, which means you can check in on your baby from anywhere on Earth as long as you have an internet connection to your camera and reception device. It works well with smartphones, computers, and other consumer gadgets. Like any wireless device, wireless baby monitors can be hacked, especially if you let them go unsecured or find your password. Also, some models have firmware with bugs, so hackers could compromise the entire line if they compromise one model. Hackers are mainly targeting wifi baby monitors, so that is why I recommend avoiding these devices altogether. When you buy a WiFi-enabled baby monitor, make sure it keeps you updated with the latest firmware and lets you change the password. There is no guarantee that a baby monitor will not be hacked, but the type of baby monitor determines the difficulty of breaching security. You can use Wifi baby monitors in two different ways: Local Area Connected Baby Monitors When you use your baby monitor within your premises and use your wifi router to connect the baby monitor and your monitoring device (i.e., phone or handheld monitor). In that case, you are less likely to be hacked. Before gaining access to your baby monitor, the hacker needs to get in close to your house within the wireless router range. Internet Connected Baby Monitors Most baby monitors allow users to hear and see what their children are doing even if they're not at home. However, hackers can compromise manufacturers' websites and crack passwords. Taking this route makes you more vulnerable to hacking.

How to prevent baby monitor hacking?

Hackers frequently take advantage of unsecured baby monitors on the web. They may do this not just for the money but also as a form of amusement. There are several ways to protect yourself from this activity. This is how to keep your baby monitor as secure as possible if it's connected to the Internet and synchronized to the Cloud for storage: Research for Vulnerabilities There are plenty of baby monitors that offer encryption, but not all. Before installing any baby monitor in your home, make sure you check how safe they are. Secondly, it's a great idea to read up on other peoples' experiences with specific devices, like the Fredi monitor, it was vulnerable to hacking and had an open password. You might not find information about security holes in your baby monitor, but that does not mean they're not there. They may have been overlooked previously. It would be best if you ask retailers and manufacturers a lot of questions about security. By doing so, they will prioritize safety for their products. Reconsider Remote Access Wifi monitors usually allow you to access the devices even if you're not at home. This feature may sound convenient, but consider if you need it. In some cases, you may have to use your home's wireless network to set up the baby monitor, but if you don't plan to use the monitor remotely, disable it. It's also expensive, especially if you don't have an unlimited data plan. Use Two Factor Authentication If two-factor authentication is available, you should enable it. It's an extra layer of security you won't want to be without. Go to the default settings and activate all security features. In addition to your password and username, you must have a code to access the app. Keep It Up-To-Date It would help if you patched security flaws as soon as they arise and fix them to safeguard yourself against prying eyes. Keeping your baby monitor updated and installing updates when they become available is crucial. Most updates are automatic; some apps may not send you a notification when they update, so it's worth checking often. Data Storage Please get to know where your videos are stored and how they use to backup. Learn who manages their access. The security measures that cloud storage facilities are implementing to prevent data leaks. I do not recommend opting for remote storage options because most baby monitors provide built-in storage on SD cards that comes in handy if you need to view the recordings in the future. Unplug It A baby monitor indicator lets you know someone is watching, either by a light or a tone. But you aren't always there to find out. Do not leave your baby monitor running at all when you are not using it. This increases the likelihood of being hacked. Disable Unnecessary Network Services Make sure the Port Forwarding, UPNP, and DDNS network services are disabled in the monitor settings. These all services are related to remote accessing and viewing of your device feed. Secure Your Wifi Router You might think of changing your wifi network password, but what about the admin password for the wifi router itself? You can access most wireless router administrative features through your web browsers, such as renaming your wireless network or changing your security settings and password. Tech-savvy users can also change the default port of a baby monitor from which the monitor is accessed remotely. If 9000 is by default, almost every hacker knows about it by Googling it, but you can change 8082 instead of making it difficult to guess. Also, you'll be alerted if someone tries to log in to your network without authorization, as well as a list of devices associated with your network. Monitor your logs regularly to make sure that no unauthorized access has occurred. Look for odd things in the log, such as strange IP addresses or odd times. You may take these below steps to further strengthen your router security. - Disable or change the default password and username. - Make sure your router firmware is up to date. - Make sure the router cannot be accessed remotely. - Enable logging on your router; you can keep track of IP addresses that connect to it. Restart Your Baby Monitor Periodically It is a good idea to restart your network device to apply any updates if they have been downloaded. Some devices, including baby monitors, download updates and security patches but do not apply them until the device restarts. Use Of Encrypted Connection Ensure that the monitor you choose applies encryption techniques to your stored data and offers an encrypted connection. If encryption is applied, even if your network or data is breached, the hacker won't be able to see what's in there. Register Your Product And Applications A manufacturer can notify you whenever an update is released if you have registered your product/application. Password Security The password is most important part of baby monitor security, please follow below password security guidelines before you set any password on your baby monitor. - Change the default password and log in immediately on your monitor to something difficult to guess. - Never reuse passwords. If one of your login credentials is compromised, all your other accounts that also use the same credentials will be at risk. - A regular password change can also help make it less likely that your account will get hacked. - Please avoid using the default password provided by the baby monitor manufacturer because it is likely that hackers are already aware of it. - Consider using password managers instead of typing your passwords over and over again. Password managers are much safer than you think. - Use a mixture of upper case, lower case letters, and numbers. - Password must contain eight digits -- the greater the number of digits, the better. - Must include special characters in your passwords, e.g.,! @ # ? - If you suspect that your password has become known to anyone, change it right away. - Make sure that only the people you trust have the password. - Install your baby monitor with a password that's hard to guess. Final Thoughts These are some easy steps you can take to ensure your video baby monitor is secure. You are likely to have blocked most of the attacks once you have addressed the items above. First, please refer to the manufacturer's documentation if you need any help. Feel free to contact me in the comment box if you have questions about your specific baby monitor or router model. I will respond as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Monitor Security

Can a baby monitor be hacked if it's not on wifi? The answer is yes. All it takes to hack analog monitors are finding the monitor's static frequency and being in range. A digital baby monitor with Dect Technology is the safest option if you want to avoid hacking events on baby monitors. Which baby monitor models are vulnerable to hacking? According to this case study, the following models had issues related to security, including direct browsing, authentication bypass, information leaks, backdoor information leaks, and privilege escalation. Which monitors are hack-proof? The problem with digital Baby Monitors is that they don't give you access to the feed online like with Wifi baby monitors. Therein lies the risk. The more "accessible" the feed is, the more chance someone finds a way in. A Read the full article

#babymonitorsecurity

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dipulb3 · 3 years

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The 2022 Kia Carnival blends minivan functionality with SUV style

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/the-2022-kia-carnival-blends-minivan-functionality-with-suv-style/

The 2022 Kia Carnival blends minivan functionality with SUV style

Spacious and flexible, approachable and safe — the minivan is a marvel of suburban utility. The problem is that most people don’t actually want to be seen driving one, so many shoppers skew toward cooler-looking SUVs. To combat this, the major players in the class have pushed minivan design in a direction that’s perhaps best described as “sci-fi bullet train” with mixed results.

Kia’s solution to the problem of uncool perception is to dress its new 2022 Carnival “multipurpose vehicle” in SUV cosplay. The result is a minivan that boasts all of the advantages and amenities of its classmates, while standing aesthetically apart with sport utility style.

The Carnival wears an upright, boxy design with a front end shaped more like Kia’s Telluride than the Sedona it replaces. Details like the L-shaped, chrome C-pillars break up the minivan’s profile and, along with the sculpted wheel arches and dark lower sills, help pull the eye upward to create the appearance of a taller, more rugged ride. At first glance, the Carnival looks almost exactly like a full-size SUV from most angles, but then you notice the reversed handles and tracks for the sliding doors and, suddenly, the minivan-ness of the silhouette becomes apparent.

The Carnival is the first Kia to wear what I’ve taken to calling the brand’s new “K-backwards-N” logo.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

VIP seating

The Carnival’s power sliding doors open to reveal a spacious interior that’s available in seven- or eight-passenger configurations. The standard eight-seat setup features a 40/20/40-split second-row bench with a center section that can fold over to create a table-like armrest for the outboard seats. The bench can also slide far enough forward allowing front seat passengers to easily reach a car seat. The second row can also be completely removed when you need to access the Carnival’s maximum 145.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

Upgrade from the base LX to an EX or SX model and the cloth upholstery is replaced with artificial leather. Step up to the top spec SX Prestige for real leather trim and a pair of power-adjustable VIP seats in place of the second-row bench. These luxurious buckets automatically recline or return upright at the touch of a button, and they feature heated and cooled surfaces and can even deploy footrests for maximum relaxation. The Prestige setup elevates the Carnival from a nicely appointed family hauler to a fairly luxurious shuttle with more passenger space, more cargo capacity and easier entry than a taller SUV can offer. With the third row folded flat, I can slide the VIP seats far enough back for a full recline and leg extension, even with the front seats in a comfortable driving position. Try doing that in an Escalade.

Kia’s minivan isn’t the only one to offer reclining captain’s chairs, but these are a touch more luxe than most.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The seven-seat SX Prestige isn’t without its compromises, however. The nonremovable VIP seats mean this trim maxes out at 86.9 cubes of cargo capacity behind the second row, and getting to the third row is more of a squeeze.

Speaking of that standard third row, there’s plenty of legroom back there for two average-size adults, and enough shoulder space for three kids. Pulling a strap quickly folds the 60/40 split bench flat into the Carnival’s floor and a single pull lifts it back up, leaving a still-impressive 40.2 cubic feet for cargo.

On the options list, you’ll find Kia’s smart power tailgate, which automatically opens the hatch when you approach the rear of the vehicle with the key in your pocket. I usually find this feature extremely annoying, but Kia must have improved its detection logic from earlier applications. I experienced almost no false-positive accidental openings during my testing, and the tailgate now automatically closes when you walk away, making loading groceries or other cargo a truly hands-free process.

Backseat tech

The Carnival can be outfitted with a dual-screen rear seat entertainment setup. Each features USB and HDMI inputs that can be shared with the other display. Each can connect to a phone or Wi-Fi hotspot to power apps like Netflix or mirror a smartphone’s display. There’s also a colorful Kid Mode interface that serves up child-friendly content. Bluetooth connectivity allows users to listen using almost any headphones they already own, rather than relying on low-quality pack-ins.

The Passenger Camera and Passenger Talk features help the driver to watch and communicate with occupants in the second and third rows.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

An optional wide-angle Passenger Camera on the Carnival’s ceiling displays a bird’s-eye view of second and third rows on the multimedia screen, complete with night vision. This upgrade works well in tandem with the Passenger Talk feature that amplifies the driver’s voice over the Carnival’s speakers, so they don’t have to shout to speak to folks in the third row.

When equipped with the optional Passenger Voice Recognition tech, second-row passengers can also issue commands to the dashboard UVO system. This is helpful for getting destination suggestions from adults in the VIP seats, but is also defeatable when you need to keep a van full of children from requesting Baby Shark for the fifty-leventh time.

Front seat tech

Up front, Kia’s latest-generation UVO infotainment lives in the dashboard. An 8-inch display is standard, but EX, SX and SX Prestige models all upgrade to a 12.3-inch display. Either way, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity are also standard with USB — but not wireless — connectivity. UVO packs its intuitive interface with unique features like voice memo recording, Sounds of Nature (like calm waves, a forest or bustling cafe) and a quiet mode that limits media volume and disables the rear speakers — useful for when kids are dozing in the back.

The customizable star shortcut button on the dashboard — a small feature that you’ll find on Kia’s other UVO systems — is joined by a second customizable button on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to map features like the Passenger Camera or Passenger Talk to a single press.

There are up to nine USB ports (seven are standard) for charging mobile devices spread across the Carnival’s three rows.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

LX, EX and SX trims all feature traditional physical gauges and a small 4.3-inch information display. The SX Prestige upgrades to a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster with four user-selectable themes, including a dynamic setting that changes along with the time of day. The digital cluster also integrates Kia’s Blind Spot View feature, displaying a camera feed of the adjacent lane when the corresponding turn signal is activated.

DriveWise safety suite

Kia’s DriveWise advanced driver-assistance system suite is standard on all Carnival models. That gets you front, rear and lane-change collision detection, forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring and a rear camera. DriveWise also rolls in driver attention monitoring and a sonar-based rear occupant alert that prevents accidentally leaving a child or pet in the parked vehicle.

The EX trim adds park distance warnings, enhanced collision avoidance that can also detect cyclists and Highway Driving Assistant, Kia’s umbrella technology that rolls in navigation-based adaptive cruise control that works in stop-and-go traffic and enhanced lane-keeping steering assist. Upgrading to SX brings a surround view camera system online. Finally, the full-fat SX Prestige completes the safety suite with the aforementioned blind-spot camera tech.

2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige is an SUV-styled MPV for VIPs

See all photos

Performance and efficiency

The only powertrain offered in the 2022 Carnival is a 3.5-liter V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Despite looking like an SUV, all-wheel drive is not an option. On the bright side, 290 horsepower imbues the Carny with pretty good hustle for a minivan, and the 262 pound-feet of torque is enough twist to tow up to a 3,500-pound trailer.

Handling is soft, but comfortable. The Carnival isn’t the most graceful dancer on a twisty road, but the minivan manages to stay off of its own toes well enough that it feels safe. The steering is responsive, but body roll and understeer are noticeable at speed. This is, of course, fine. Despite Toyota’s marketing for the new Sienna, I don’t think that anyone shopping for a minivan is looking for “sport-tuned handling.” More importantly, the Carnival does a great job absorbing bumps with poise and communicating its limits to the driver well and early enough to stay out of trouble.

The EPA estimates 19 miles per gallon city, 26 mpg highway or 22 mpg combined from the 2022 Carnival. That’s on par with other front-drive, V6-powered minivans in this class. The various drive modes — Normal, Eco, Smart and Sport — will have some effect on the Kia’s performance and efficiency balance, but over the course of three days, testing both the SX and SX Prestige trim levels in a variety of situations, my average of 21.7 mpg was almost spot-on with those estimates.

Kia’s betting that the Carnival will find a home in the gray area between minivans and SUVs.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Pricing and competition

The 2022 Kia Carnival starts at $33,275 (including its $1,175 destination charge) for the base LX model and tops out at $47,275 for the fully loaded SX Prestige. Add $200 for floor mats and $495 for the premium Astra Blue paint to reach an as-tested price of $47,970. I only ever want to be picked up from the airport in a Carny with VIP seating from now on, but for families looking to maximize space for people and cargo, the sweet spot is the eight-passenger SX model starting at $42,275.

The Carnival is priced and appointed competitively against the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. However, Chrysler and Toyota offer all-wheel drive, hybrid and plug-in hybrid configurations that raise the price ceiling but also bring significant performance and fuel economy advantages. Also consider that the Carnival’s sport-utility style has the potential to tempt a few families on the fence away from a new SUV purchase, so one could make the case for it being an indirect competitor to something like Kia’s own Telluride as well.

Kia can call it an MPV and style it like an SUV, but what matters is that the Carnival is a damn good minivan. Kia’s designers have pulled off this stylistic double-take with aplomb. With the 2022 Carnival arriving in dealerships now, the automaker can only hope that shoppers think it’s as cool as I do.

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kichanzo · 4 years

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Realme 6 Pro Review – One of The Best Mid Ranged Smartphone?

There are plenty of phones being released in the market nowadays, but if you are strapped on cash, you shouldn’t have to miss out on some of the best features that a flagship phone can provide.

That is where Realme comes in. They give you the best specs at half the price as other phones such as the Samsung Galaxy A50.

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In this review, I have highlighted some of the best features of Realme 6 Pro and the things I did not like about the phone. Read till the end to find out if it’s worth buying this Realme6 pro.

What You Will Read

Things to Consider Before Buying a Midrange Smartphone

The company’s reputation

Build and Display

Realme 6 Pro Specifications

Chipset & Performance of Realme 6 Pro

Realme 6 Pro Display

Battery Capacity & Charging

Camera Capability

Extra Features of Realme 6 Pro

What others Are Saying

How Much is Realme 6 Pro in Kenya?

Accessories

Alternatives of Realme6 Pro

Samsung Galaxy A50

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max

Which Phone is better Realme 6 or Realme 6 pro?

Is Realme 6 Pro a good phone?

Things to Consider Before Buying a Midrange Smartphone

Smartphone manufacturers try to do fantastic work in producing a new device. That way they serve its users with the best budget phone with great specs. Here are two things you should consider before buying a budget smartphone.

The company’s reputation

We’ve seen a lot of new phone manufacturers creating affordable smartphone products for middle-class people. If the smartphone you are considering buying does not come from household names such as LG, Samsung, or Apple then you should do a little background research on the manufacture.

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We’ve seen companies that produce affordable smartphones such as OnePlus, Huawei, and Blue come under fire for various reasons.

Huawei is not allowed to do business with any United States’ companies, like Google, that raises eyebrows, cause how you supposed to survive with a smartphone that isn’t connected to your Google account. On the other hand, OnePlus and Blu have been exposed to export private data back to headquarters.

Build and Display

It is important to ensure that your phone is not too big for your hands. Not too small, that you will have a hard time viewing the content on the display. The right screen display should be above 5.5 inches.

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One area that smartphone manufacturers compromise on when creating a good smartphone with high specs in the body.

Most of the time, they will use plastic to cover the smartphone, making it weak. If they covered the plastic with glass, then that’s a good thing since it gives you double protection. But that isn’t the case, as most manufacturers want to cut down their costs and maximize their profits.

Realme 6 Pro Specifications

Display: 16.76 cm (6.6 inch) inches 1080 x 24000 pixels | CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G | RAM: 8 GB | Storage / Expandable: 128GB, 256GB / Yes | Rear camera: 64 MP, (f/1.8) (wide) + 12 MP, (f/2.3) (ultrawide) + 8 MP, (f/2.5) (macro) + 2 MP, (f/2.4) (depth) | Front camera: 16 MP, (f/2.0) + 8 MP , f/2.2, (wide) | Platform: Android 10 | Battery life: Li-Po 4300 mAh, non-removable.

Chipset & Performance of Realme 6 Pro

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One of the apparent differences the regular Realme 6 has from the Realme 6 Pro version is the chipset. This device uses the new Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G.

However, even though many people are fans of the snapdragon, the pro version doesn’t show any significant difference over the vanilla in either CPU Octa-core or GPU Aderno test.

You have either 6GB RAM 64 Gb or 8 GB RAM 124 Gb of storage expandable with a micro SD card.

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The Realme 6 series was among the first phones to include the latest Realme UI on the operating system, Android 10. The menu, notification change, and app drawers felt simple and clutter-free as any android devices. Navigation is a little different from what you might cause the Realme UI.

With that said, the performance of the Realme 6 Pro is great for a mid-range smartphone. You won’t have any issues with the phone, even if you are operating large file applications.

The audio’s performance is average because of the mono speaker found at the bottom of the device. When you compared this phone to the Realme 6, the Realme 6 Pro has a richer sound quality.

Realme 6 Pro Display

techlekh.com

We know Realme phones to look flashy, and the Realme 6 Pro isn’t any different. This is one of the most flashy phones to be released by Realme.

The design is breathtaking with the neon zigzag effect at the back that changes color when you flip the phone. Like many other midrange phones, they make the body of the 6 Pro of plastic, the design at the back will make you feel as if you are using an expensive smartphone.

On the front, we have a 6.6-inches IPS LCD screen with a 1080p by 2400p screen resolution. You will notice the wide camera punch out on the end, accommodating for taking selfies. The display has a corning gorilla glass 5 and a pre-installed screen protector to give it a little extra protection when you are using your phone.

lowyat.net

According to Realme, the device has a triple layer of water-resistance around the port and inside the phone to protect the phone against moisture. Even though it doesn’t come with official IP certification. I would advise that you protect when your phone against water bodies or rain.

The newest trends for flagships is they must have a high refresh rate, and Realme 6 Pro jumped on that boat. It has a refresh rate of 90 Hz and this means that moving elements will appear smoother for your eyes. Also, saving you on the battery while giving you a sleeky smooth experience.

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The screen looks sharply at about 480 nits typ. brightness and the colors are accurate when you tweak them in the setting.

The Realme 6 Pro has a side fingerprint reader, which is built to the power button. The sensors on the fingerprint are super responsive, just a light touch is enough to wake up the phone.

Battery Capacity & Charging

The Realme 6 Pro is powered by a 4300 mAh non-removable battery capacity. The battery life is excellent in both the Realme 6 and the Pro version since they have the same capacity.

lowyat.net

This battery size can last you up to 107 hours when in continuous use, impressive for a mid-range budget phone, I would say. They will impress you with the fast charging speed of 30 watts. Allowing you to charge the phone 100% in less than 57 minutes.

Camera Capability

The Realme 6 Pro has an impressive quad camera set up for a midranges phone.

It has a 64 MP, f/1.8, 26 mm wide main camera will give you fantastic photos with great detail in the right conditions. Though you might have a bit of noise in the quality of photos.

In low light the main camera takes wonderful photos, preserving the color while still gives you significant details in the shot you are taking. Night mode brings a boost in the shadows and it improves in the highlight retention, even though you lose on the sharpness.

Shots from the 8 MP, f/2.3, 13mm ultra-wide cameras are nice. You will notice good detail and a wide dynamic range. If you shoot with the Ultra-wide camera at night, you cannot get great photos. Their exposure is dark, even though the detail is okay.

In pleasant light, you will love the photos that you can take with the 12 MP, f/2.5, 54mm telephoto camera with plenty of detail, wider dynamic range, and lovelier colors.

The dedicated 2 MP f/2.4 macro camera doesn’t take great photos, there is plenty of noise, limited dynamic range. It seems more like an excuse for Realme to have a quad camera. Must be good for marketing.

You can shoot with the telephoto at night, and the performance is alright. The zoom-in this device has trouble focusing at night.

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The Realme 6 Pro has a dual selfie, comprising a 60 MP and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. You will love capturing selfies with the ultra-wide. The HDR effect gives you smoother photos with more color rendition.

You can shoot videos of up to ultra-high definition 4k@30fps and 1080p @30/60/120fps. The video content has saturated colors and with a good dynamic range. But the sharpening is a little much, and the overall video is grainy.

As far as stabilization goes, the 4k doesn’t have any. Use a tripod if you want to get stable videos.

Extra Features of Realme 6 Pro

Here are other features about the Realme 6 Pro:

Face recognition

Fingerprint sensors

Accelerometer

Gyro

NFC support

WIFI

Blue tooth 5.1 connectivity

USB port 2.0, Type-C

Dual Sim

3.5 mm headphone jack

What others Are Saying

Here is what some verified purchases from Amazon had to say about the Realme 6 Pro

Christopher was very unhappy with the phone, he left a 1-star review and said: “Mediocre phone, very basic, I’m disappointed, Pixelated, the screen is nothing compared with an AMOLED, sideways the colors they vanish, 8gb of ram but it freezes when you try to play games like Call Of Duty Mobile, very fragile!”

Henry Cepeda left a 5-star review and said:

This phone is amazing! For this price, you can’t beat it! UI is clean and easy to use, it has great high-end value features like a crisp 90 Hz frame rate lock option making the phone move supper smooth, and beautiful, detailed images. Not to mention the style of the back of the phone is appealing.

Linda W. left a 5-star review and said:

This is worth the money! It’s slimmer than most phones, but a little longer. I feel it fits in the hand better. Nice looking. I’ve had it for a month and no complaints!

How Much is Realme 6 Pro in Kenya?

They released the Realme 6 Pro in March 2020. The price of Realme 6 in Kenya is 28,500 shillings. It was released in March 2020 and it comes in 3 colors: lighting blue, lighting orange, and lightning red.

Accessories

Simple case

USB Type C cable

30 watts fast charger

Alternatives of Realme6 Pro

Other great alternatives smartphones that are competing with the Realme 6 Pro and in the same price tag includes

Samsung Galaxy A50

This is also a viable alternative. They are competing in the same price range as the Realme 6 Pro. The Samsung galaxy A50 has an AMOLED display, which is significantly better than the IPS LCD screen used in Realme 6 Pro.

It makes sense for Samsung to produce the best screens since it’s one of their key area of specialty. Including making screens for Apple. Almost impossible for Realme to come to compete with them for the screen. Apart from the display, Realme has a higher refresh rate than the Samsung Galaxy A50.

It is important to note that the Samsung Galaxy A50 lacks a telephoto and a selfie cam also lacks an ultra-wide camera, all of which Realme 6 Pro provides and the chipset used in Realme6 Pro is more powerful compared to the one is on Samsung Galaxy A50.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max

This phone is in the same price range as the Realme 6 Pro, both have the same chipset Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G, though the battery life in Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is bigger at a 5020mAh Li-on battery that can last you up to 120 hours. Both phones support fast charging at 30 watts.

One of the enormous advantage that Realme 6 Pro has over the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is the refresh rate, the Redmi has a 60 Hz refresh rate, while the Realme has a 90 Hz refresh rate.

Which Phone is better Realme 6 or Realme 6 pro?

If you want to save extra thousands of shillings and still have a great phone, I would recommend that you select the Realme 6. Both phones have the same battery capacity, built almost the same with the Realme 6 Pro being 6.6 inches while the Realme 6 is 6.5 inches. Not such an enormous difference.

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You will feel the difference when you go to the camera section. Realme 6 has a quad camera with 16MP + 2 MP + 2 MP+ 2 MP. And to be honest, the photos you take aren’t so great compared to the ones taken with Realme 6 Pro camera that has a higher megapixel count.

Decide what’s more important to you, saving a few thousands of shilling and getting a good phone with a crappy camera or investing the extra thousands and getting a great phone with a great camera.

Is Realme 6 Pro a good phone?

Yes, it is, and I would recommend that you buy this device. You get a flashy design with a big 6.6-inch screen and a high 90Hz refresh rate. Realme 6 Pro offers great mid-range performance with excellent battery life and a fast charger of 30watts.

If you looked beyond the minor fact that they build part of the phone with plastic, then you will get yourself a fantastic smartphone that offering you value for your money.

The Review

Realme 6 Pro

3.9 Score

Realme 6 Pro has high-tech specifications such as a Pro screen display, 6 sets of cameras, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a competent Snapdragon 720G processor. It is one of the best mid-range smartphones we've reviewed.

PROS

Breathtaking design

Color accurate with a high refresh rate

Long battery life with fast charging

CONS

Lacks video stabilization in 4k

Body built of plastic

Review Breakdown

Battery

Display

Camera

Performance

Value

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news-monda · 4 years

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daveliuz · 4 years

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news-sein · 4 years

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jencameron-scotland · 5 years

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Welcome to my test review of the Haida Red-diamond Reverse Graduated neutral density 0.6 (2stops) filter. Using a Canon 5d mark iv ( full frame camera), Canon 16-35 mm USM L lens, Haida M10 filter holder, Gitzo tripod and ball head.

Over the past three weeks I’ve really put this filter through its paces especially on the beach with sand blowing around & enjoyed every single minute with it. My first shoot was on the remote Scottish island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides & then finally back on the mainland in the northern county of Caithness. I really wanted to spend time to see how versatile this filter really is. Both these locations were ideal as the island has countless seascapes & Caithness is very flat which suits the filter as nothing to break the horizon line, ie ..mountains, trees etc.

First impression

The filter was presented in a sturdy metal tin with foam insert for protection & lovely chunky cut out which makes it easy to open even with gloves on. One thing I must not forget to mention is how every piece of equipment from Haida, whether its a glass filter or simple adapter ring that I own is always first class, thoughtfully designed & perfect partner for the discerning photographer. Even the smallest of detail, having the particular filter type etched on the top so when their all in your filter case it’s easy to see which filter you wish to select.

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What’s the difference between a graduated neutral density filter & a reverse graduated neutral density filter?

A graduated neutral density filter is dark at the top where you would place over the sky & gradually reduces its density towards the bottom. Whereas a reverse graduated neutral density filter works on the principle when shooting sunrise/sunset, the highest luminance is near the horizon line. Therefore, the filter needs to be the darkest in the centre region resulting in more detail of the highlights & providing excellent exposure control.

As you can see in the image below, the bottom of the filter is totally clear and the top of the filter comes with a smooth/ gentle transition between the dark & clear areas of the filter which gives a natural balanced exposure & better quality/cleaner image. This would be difficult to replicate in Lightroom with the use of a gradient filter as you need it to be graduated in both directions. I could bracket my shots but it’s much nicer achieving it as near perfect in camera than having to sit at my computer all day.

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Where to position the filter?

Positioning the filter is imperative, you need to be quite precise by placing it just over the most highlighted areas around the horizon line. Thankfully having it sized 150mm on its longest edge gives more scope & easy to use as you can move it up or down very smoothly till your satisfied with the correct position, as shown in the video below.

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Downside

One major potential problem when using the Reverse graduated ND filter is anything that seriously breaks the horizon, be it some headland, mountain, building or tree is going to get very dark quickly, because the darkest part of the filter is right on the horizon transition area. However for many seascape purposes where the horizon is often flat out to sea this is perfect harmony & a feast for the eyes.

Red-diamond series

The Red Diamond series is my favourite of all Haida filters, the quality is second to none, not that the other Haida series aren’t, it’s just something about Red-diamond that I favour & suits my style. This particular filter I’ve tested is a Reverse graduated ND filter, made from K9 optical glass which is double the strength of normal glass, including an ultra-thin Nano multi coating for extra protection. Along with being shock/scratch resistant, waterproof, oil and fingerprint proof. This made my job at the beach with sand blowing all over the filter very easy to wipe off with a microfiber cloth.

Oftentimes with some filter brands you can get strange colour transitions whereas with this filter there was absolutely no evidence, revealing nothing but true colour & neautraly. You may think with all these features within the glass that optically the sharpness will be compromised, let me assure you and see for yourself from the raw files provided every image is pin sharp from corner to corner with excellent light transmission qualities.

Rectangle in shape 100mm x 150mm, 2mm in thickness providing more flexibility to move the filter up or down. The M10 filter holder geniusly rotates independently, in effect you could turn the filter sideways for more creativity, which I demonstrate in this video.

Also compatible with the Haida 100-Pro filter holder and other brands the same size. I use the Haida M10 filter holder whereby the Red- diamond series of filters are slotted into the front section. Not to mention the added touch of the R5 rounded corners makes it easier to slide in and out of the filter holder, no sharp corners to cut your fingers. You may have seen online the Haida Red Diamond drop test video? Where it’s thrown onto a concrete floor and no sign of damage to the filter. If you are accident prone this would be the perfect filter series for you.

Conclusion

I have tested this filter at different focal lengths & found the image quality second to none. Fundamentally I’m besotted, its now my secret weapon of choice & will always have a forever home in my filter case.

Images below showing straight-out-of-camera (Canon 5d mark iv and Canon 16-35mm USM L Lens) @20mm -With-without-M10 round “drop-in” reverse graduated neutral density filter. No post processing on either.

Without filter = ISO 100, F8, 1/2 second – With Haida Red-diamond reverse graduated neutral density filter 0.6 = ISO 100, F8, 2 seconds @20mm.

Finally post processed in Adobe Creative Cloud

Sunset over Caithness, mainland Scotland.

Images below showing straight-out-of-camera (Canon 5d mark iv and Canon 16-35mm USM L Lens) @21mm -With-without-M10 round “drop-in” reverse graduated neutral density filter. No post processing on either.

Without filter = ISO 100, F11, 1/250 second – With Haida Red-diamond reverse graduated neutral density filter 0.6 = ISO 100, F11, 1/60 second @21mm.

Finally post processed in Adobe Creative Cloud

Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Scotland.

Images below showing straight-out-of-camera (Canon 5d mark iv and Canon 16-35mm USM L Lens) @30mm -With-without-M10 round “drop-in” reverse graduated neutral density filter. No post processing on either. Location; Caithness, mainland Scotland.

Without filter = ISO 100, F11, 1/15 second – With Haida Red-diamond reverse graduated neutral density filter 0.6= ISO 100, F11, 1/4 second @20mm.

Finally post processed in Adobe Creative Cloud

Sunset over Caithness, mainland Scotland.

I hope this provides you some useful information. Please feel free to ask me any questions. More information & my test reviews on Haida’s website.

If you would like to see more of my work; 500px, Facebook, Viewbug, Instagram

Haida Red-diamond Reverse graduated ND 0.6 filter Welcome to my test review of the Haida Red-diamond Reverse Graduated neutral density 0.6 (2stops) filter. Using a Canon 5d mark iv ( full frame camera), Canon 16-35 mm USM L lens, Haida M10 filter holder, Gitzo tripod and ball head.

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coolstarorg · 7 years

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How Apple could replace iOS jailbreaking features without compromising too much on security

With the difficulty of jailbreaking iOS increasing to the point where iOS vulnerabilities are extremely valuable, many have been posting ideas on how Apple could replace jailbreaking. I thought I’d give my view on it, as someone who has a general idea of how iOS’s internals work (on a userland level).

The order of items in this list starts with those that impact security the least (and are most likely for Apple to accept if they were listening to user suggestions) to those that could impact security to a certain level (although I explain how the security concerns may be mitigated)

These ideas build on existing iOS functionality (such as sandboxing, XPC and Remote Views) as well as on existing UNIX functionality (chroot) to show how iOS may be expanded with its existing security features.

Small iOS feature enhancements

External Storage support in Files app (iOS 11+) and 3rd party apps

The Files app (on iOS 11+) and Document picker should allow access to external storage (either SD cards or USB flash drives/hard drives) that are plugged into the device via the Camera Connection Kits. This would greatly improve the iPad’s versatility.

More App Extensions

Lock Screen Replacements

Lock Screen replacements are a fairly popular category of tweaks. Being able to replace the lock screen will allow a vast amount of customization, considering the lock screen is the first thing a user sees when the device is turned on/woken up from sleep. Based on how Apple implemented some other extension categories in iOS 8, it is a no-brainer how this may be implemented.

SpringBoard can load a remote view controller so the lock screen runs out of process, loading in a view from a plugin provided by an app. This would allow the plugin to be sandboxed, and would prevent it from leaking information on notifications to another app or to a remote server.

Notifications and alarm information can be delivered to the plugin via XPC, allowing it to display them in its custom view without having to load any code into SpringBoard.

APIs should also be added for the plugin to be able to query basic information (should the plugin hide the status bar), such as carrier name, cell signal strength, and wifi signal strength. (APIs already exist for querying bluetooth status and battery percentage)

Weather information, etc. may be accessed by these plugins via read-only access to its parent app. The parent app may refresh weather information (using Background App Refresh introduced on iOS 7) and provide it to the plugin, although the plugin may not send any information back to the app.

Multitasking switcher and control center replacements

The multitasking switcher and control center may both load remote views from app plugins similar to how the custom lock screen implementation would work. These plugins would be sandboxed so they can't write out information to their parent app or connect to external servers. These would only run when the app switcher or control center are open and on screen.

The control center plugins would get APIs to toggle settings, as well as the ability to launch apps and get a list of apps installed.

The multitasking switcher plugins would get APIs to query a list of display items (either an app or 2 split viewed apps) open, the list of apps installed, screenshots of the display items, and have the ability to switch to display items, or quit out of display items.

As these plugins would be sandboxed, they can't leak any of this information out or change settings when requested to by a remote server.

System-wide accessible shared app files

An app, should it decide to, should be able to share a folder system-wide with other plugins or apps. This would work similarly to document storage providers introduced with iOS 8, but would have special properties.

This folder may be written to only by the app that is sharing the files

Other apps and plugins will only be able to read from this folder

The parent app may also set a property that will indicate to whether they should or shouldn’t display the files in a docoument picker (if they’re meant for internal use in a plugin only)

LaunchServices icon providers (Theming Engines)

Apps should be able to register a plugin with LaunchServices as an “icon provider”. This would allow a plugin to provide icons to LaunchServices to replace app icons on the home screen, document providers, settings app, etc. (Basically enabling theming engines). When enabled, the plugin will receive a dictionary of app bundle ID’s and the app’s icons (and alternate icons). The plugin can then go through the dictionary and either run render stages or simply replace the icons outright, and return the dictionary to launchservices when its done. Plugins may be stacked in this way to allow multiple themes. Icons will then be cached on disk so they don’t need to be rendered again unless either an app is installed (where just that app icon will be rendered) or another icon provider is installed (where icons will be re-rendered).

Icon provider plugins will only have read access to their parent app, thus preventing them from possibly leaking information about the apps installed on the device.

Developer features that can be accessible to everyone

XCode for iPad

Apple has been touting the iPad (especially the iPad Pro) as a device that can replace a laptop. However, to be able to replace laptops for everyone, the iPad needs to be able to build apps for iPhone and itself. When paired with either a bluetooth or smart keyboard, split view, and Apple pencil, XCode should be a good experience on the iPad.

Terminal w/ chroot

A terminal with a bash shell may be provided for iOS devices so traditional UNIX tools may run on iOS devices, especially iPads, to go alongside XCode. This shell may run inside a chroot that is distributed via the app store (similar to how Windows Subsystem for Linux gets its chroot). Code-signing rules may be relaxed within this chroot, as executables running inside the chroot can’t access anything outside it (thus not compromising the rest of the device’s security). However, sandbox may be used on top of the chroot to prevent direct hardware access within the chroot. This chroot, however, may be browsed as a folder from the Files app. Should anything go wrong with the chroot, the entire chroot may be deleted and redownloaded without affecting any apps running on the device.

Changes to iOS to facilitate tweak security

Before I go into how tweaks can be implemented on iOS, here’s some aspects of iOS that can be hardened to enhance security.

App Transport Security

App Transport Security was introduced in iOS 9 where apps should specify which domains they require access to, and whether they need just HTTPS access or if they really need HTTP access.

The App Store should check apps going through it and enforce that apps specify domains rather than allowing access to all domains (unless there is a very, very specific reason to allow all domains)

Sandbox SpringBoard

SpringBoard may be sandboxed so it may not access the network, and that it may not access app sandboxes (except read-only access to the folders designated by apps as accessible system-wide)

Tweak Store/Unsigned code Toggle

The following ideas will probably never be accepted by Apple, but we can dream right?

Tweak Store

A setting may be enabled to allow access to a special section of the App Store called the “Tweak Store”

Unlike regular apps or plugins, these will come with no guarantee from Apple of working, and the user will install them following an agreement to a disclaimer and a device wipe + reactivation. When tweaks are enabled on the device, a warning screen with text should be displayed on boot.

This warning screen screen on boot will either time out in 10 seconds, where the device beeps and then boots, or the user may press both volume buttons immediately to acknowledge the warning and boot (similar to Chrome OS’s verified boot). The device will then boot with a differently colored apple logo (not white, black or red – red is reserved for the next mode).

However, the root filesystem will still be read-only, and secure boot, KPP/memprot, code-signing and sandbox are still in effect, and the root filesystem may not be browsed from the Files app. Data protection will still be provided by the SEP.

Also, should the phone have any issues, these tweaks may be the first thing disabled or removed by Apple Support.

Load dylibs into processes

Dylibs may be loaded into SpringBoard (which is now sandboxed), or App Processes (which should be protected by App Transport Security). Sandboxing and App Transport security is in effect, so these dylibs will only get read access to the folder that was made accessible system-wide by their parent app.

A filter plist may be provided alongside these dylibs (similar to Cydia Substrate) to specify which processes these dylibs should be loaded into.

These dylibs may swizzle Objective-C methods, use Swift reflections, or may interpose C functions to modify SpringBoard’s or App processes. However, they may not leak any information out, as they will be prevented from writing to their parent app from processes other than their parent app, and will be domain restricted from accessing the dylib’s author’s servers from most apps (including SpringBoard).

These dylibs are still signed, however, and must pass approval through Apple before being allowed to install (unless a 7-day free cert or 1 year dev cert is used for the specific device, like normal app signing).

Almost all functionality missing, if any, from the plugins mentioned previously may be implemented using these dylibs.

Root Access + Code Signing Disable + Relaxed Sandbox

Should the above not be enough, a 2nd toggle may be accessible to enable full access. Similar to enabling the tweak store, this will require an agreement to a disclaimer acknowledging no warranty will be provided on the software, followed by a device wipe + reactivation.

Similar to the tweak store being enabled, this mode also displays a warning screen on boot, however the auto-boot timeout should be increased to 30 seconds, and the Apple logo on boot should be red. If a device in this mode is taken in to Apple Support, the device should be wiped and reset back to stock iOS before service.

Secure boot, KPP/memprot and sandboxing are still in effect. Code signing is still in effect, but any signature should be allowed, regardless of executable location on the filesystem. The root filesystem will be mounted as read/write, and the Files app will display and be able to read/write to the root filesystem. (Although the kernel and bootloader may not be changed or the device will stop booting outright).

Sandboxing rules, however, will be relaxed slightly, to allow XPC services to be hosted from SpringBoard, and a special folder will be created on the filesystem which any app or plugin may read and write to.

Also, in this mode, tweaks may hook any process, and terminal may access the root filesystem rather than a chroot.

This mode is basically the equivalent of a jailbroken device, and will satisfy any jailbreaking needs.

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