Your Tech Makeover

🔌 Smart Plugs: The Underrated Smart Home Gadget

2026-02-03 06:00:00

Smart home technology doesn’t have to be expensive, complicated, or feel like something out of a sci-fi movie. In this episode of Your Tech Makeover, Frank takes a closer look at one of the simplest, and most overlooked, smart home upgrades you can make: smart plugs.

For about twenty bucks, a smart plug can automate lamps, holiday lights, coffee makers, and more, without rewiring your home or locking you into a complicated system. Frank breaks down what smart plugs actually do, why they’re often the best entry point into smart home tech, and how they quietly solve everyday problems like coming home to a dark house or wondering if you left something on.

You’ll hear real-world examples of how smart plugs are used, including how Frank uses them when traveling or getting home late, so his dog Stella isn’t sitting in the dark, along with practical advice on what to plug in, what not to plug in, and which brands are worth your time.

If you’ve ever been curious about smart home technology but didn’t know where to start, this episode shows how one small upgrade can make technology feel useful instead of intimidating.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a smart plug actually is (and what it isn’t)

• Why smart plugs are the lowest-risk way to try smart home tech

• Everyday ways people use smart plugs without overthinking it

• How smart plugs can add convenience, comfort, and peace of mind

• What to look for when buying a smart plug — and what to avoid

• Why smart plugs are best thought of as comfort upgrades, not critical infrastructure

Mentioned in this episode:

• TP-Link Kasa smart plugs

• Amazon Smart Plug

• Meross smart plugs

So what’s one thing in your house you’d love to automate with a smart plug? Let Frank know what you think, and if you have ideas for future topics, you can always reach out via email at frank@yourtechmakeover.com.

Thanks for listening to Your Tech Makeover. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss an episode. You can find more information and show notes at YourTechMakeover.com, and learn more about Frank at BravoITC.com.

🔐 Passwords vs. Passkeys: What’s Changing and Why You Should Care

2026-01-20 05:30:00

If you’ve ever stood in line somewhere — airport, coffee shop, DMV — trying to reset a forgotten password, you already know the pain. But what if you could skip the typing altogether and log in with just your face or fingerprint?

That’s the idea behind passkeys, a new way to sign in that’s quickly rolling out across major platforms. Whether you’re excited… or a little skeptical (I’m with you!), this episode walks you through what passkeys are, why they matter, and how to ease into them without blowing up your digital life.

In this week’s episode, we talk through how passkeys work, where you’ll see them, what makes them different from passwords and single sign-on, and — most importantly — how to get started safely and at your own pace.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What a passkey actually is (in plain English — no cryptography degree required)

• Why passkeys are more secure than traditional passwords

• How Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN replaces typing a password

• Where you’ll start seeing passkeys in 2026 and beyond

• How synced passkeys work across your devices

• How passkeys compare to “Sign in with Google/Apple” (SSO)

• What happens to your existing passwords and when to keep them

• Simple steps to try your first passkey without committing to a full switch

💡 Key Takeaways

• Passkeys are faster and safer, but they’re not something you need to adopt overnight.

• You can — and probably should — keep your passwords as a backup for now.

• Passkeys work across Apple, Google, Microsoft, and even password managers.

• Losing your phone doesn’t mean losing access — passkeys follow your account, not your specific device.

• Start small: turn on iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager and try a passkey with one account.

🛠️ Frank’s Action Checklist

• Turn on iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager

• Add a backup device (tablet, laptop, etc.)

• Try creating one passkey on a service you already use

• Update the top 3–5 accounts that matter most to you

• Keep 2-factor authentication enabled

• Keep your password manager for now — this is a transition, not a flip of a switch

📌 Mentioned in This Episode

• Passkeys (Apple, Google, Microsoft implementations)

• iCloud Keychain

• Google Password Manager

• Windows Hello

• Password managers supporting passkeys (1Password, Dashlane, etc.)

• Single Sign-On (SSO) — “Sign in with Google/Apple/Facebook”

❤️ Support the Show

If you enjoy Your Tech Makeover and want to help keep the podcast going, you can support the show at YourTechMakeover.com.

Listeners who contribute $25 or more will receive $25 off a one-on-one tech consultation with me — a great way to simplify the tech in your own life.

🎧 Listen to the full episode

Visit YourTechMakeover.com (or check the link in your podcast app) to stream the episode and view all past episodes.

📱 How to Back Up Your Phone the Easy Way

2026-01-06 05:30:00

Your phone goes everywhere with you — which means it’s also one accident away from disaster. Whether it slips into a snowbank, lands in a bowl of holiday leftovers, or… yes… takes a dive into a porta potty (it happened to a friend), the big question is always the same:

👉 “Will I lose everything?”

In this episode, Frank breaks down the simplest, quickest way to make sure the answer is always no. January is the perfect “set it and forget it” moment to lock in your phone backups for the year, and you only need a few minutes to protect your photos, messages, contacts, and more.

We’ve talked about backups on this show before — full computer backups, cloud storage, organizing your digital life — but we’ve never dedicated an episode to phone backups. And considering how much of our lives now live on these devices, it’s long overdue.

Get ready for a practical, calm walkthrough you can follow step-by-step.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• Why phone backups matter more than ever (and why most people think they’re backed up when they’re not)

• The difference between sync and backup — and why it matters

• The 5-minute backup setup for both iPhone and Android

• How to protect your photos, messages, and app data without stress

• Which apps don’t back up automatically (and how to fix it)

• How to create a simple local backup for extra peace of mind

• A super quick monthly check to make sure everything’s still working

  🛠️ Key Takeaways

• Turn on cloud backup

• Turn on photo backup

• Turn on message backup

• Add one local backup if possible

• Verify it’s all working

• Set a monthly reminder to check again

Backing up your phone is one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort tech tasks you can do. Do it once, keep it running, and you’ll never panic if the unexpected happens.

🎧 Listen to the full episode

👉 Available now on your favorite podcast app and at YourTechMakeover.com.

❤️ Support the Show & Get a Bonus

If you enjoy this podcast and want to support it, visit YourTechMakeover.com.

Listeners who contribute $25 or more get $25 off a one-on-one consultation with Frank — perfect for fixing something, simplifying something, or finally getting an annoying tech task off your plate.

📦 Mentioned in This Episode

• iCloud Backup

• iCloud Photos

• Messages in iCloud

• Google One Backup

• Google Photos Backup

• Samsung Smart Switch

• WhatsApp Chat Backup

• Backup options for authenticator apps

• Password manager syncing