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Senior Techies SIG
Central Resource Library
9875 West 87th Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
Conference Room 04
Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 2:30 ~ 4:00 pm
Topic:
How to Protect Yourself from Holiday Scams
(PDF)
The Senior Techies are a small group of senior citizens who desire to share and discuss computer and other technology issues with each other to help expand their knowledge. SenCom members who wish to discuss computer and/or technology issues in a smaller group setting, regardless of their current level of expertise, are encouraged to attend. The Senior Techies SIG always meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
Note: This will be a hybrid meeting. You can join in person or remotely via Free Conference Call, as referenced in the Revised Virtual Meeting Procedure shown below.
Joe Callison convenes the Senior Techies SIG
jcallison@kcsenior.net
Revised Virtual Meeting Procedure:
We miss seeing our members. If you have been having problems joining our virtual meetings using Free Conference Call, please contact a Board Member, and one of us will work with you before the meeting you are interested in joining. Board Members’ email addresses are under the “About Us” tab of SenCom’s website.
QUICK ACCESS TO A SENCOM MEETING
If you have the FreeConferenceCall (FCC) app, please start the app to join our meeting with audio and video. If you do not have the FCC app and do not want to install the FCC app, please click on this link below to enter the virtual meeting, and participate with audio only (your picture will not be available to anyone):
https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/sencomuser00/viewer
You will still need to tell Free Conference Call to use the audio either on your computer or through a separate phone call. If you are using the FCC app on a computer, smartphone, or tablet, turn on your video by clicking on the icon of a video camera so that we can see you. On a phone or tablet, you may need to tap your screen to see the icon.
Here are the complete instructions for our virtual meeting procedure:
We are using a service called Free Conference Call that allows all of us to be on at one time through video/audio conferencing or just audio conferencing. If you have a camera and speakers on your desktop computer or a laptop computer with a camera and speakers, you will find that using your PC or Mac computer along with the FCC app will probably give you the best experience. To use your computer to conference into the meeting, follow the instructions that I have assembled in this PDF:
Using your computer to access the Free Conference Call (PDF)→ (Revised)
Also available on our Free Conference Call page → (Revised)
When using the Chrome browser to access a video conference, you may see a message that your browser has blocked access to your camera or audio. Look at the icons at the top right area of your browser for an icon with a red X, like the following:
Click on the icon and then click on the button to allow access, and then click the Done button. If the red X does not disappear after a few seconds, you may need to refresh your browser by clicking on the icon near the top left of your browser that looks like the following:
The settings for the site will be saved in your Chrome browser Privacy and security settings so you will not need to do this the next time you access the site.
Although Chrome is the preferred browser, others have used Firefox without any problems.
For those who wish to use their Android devices (either tablet or phone), we are using an app called FreeConferenceCall that you can download from the Google Play Store (note that there are no spaces in the app name). Bob Bowser has assembled a set of instructions that you can print and follow to join the meeting:
Using your Android device to access the FreeConferenceCall (PDF)→
Apple iPad/iPhone users can find the same app (Free Conference Call) on the Apple App Store. Installing and using it should be very similar to the Android instructions above.
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Do you have a computer that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11, and don’t know what to do with it?
Would you like to learn about a different Operating System called Linux?
If you’re a senior using a Windows 10 computer, now is a great time to consider switching to Linux. Windows 10 has reached the end of its support, which means no more security updates – leaving your system more vulnerable unless you enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates for one more year of support. Linux is a free, secure, and easy-to-use alternative that runs well on older machines, helping you avoid the cost and hassle of buying a new computer. Many versions of Linux, like Linux Mint or Zorin OS, are designed to feel familiar to Windows users, making the transition smoother. With Linux, you can continue browsing the internet, sending emails, watching videos, and more – without worrying about viruses or forced updates. It’s a smart, budget-friendly choice for staying safe and productive online. If everything you do on your computer is done inside a browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), Linux can easily handle your needs.
Please let us know your interest! SenCom is considering holding workshops and developing classes on Linux. Contact either Joe Callison (jcallison@kcsenior.net) or Frank Mundt (fmundt@kcsenior.net).
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SenCom is on Facebook. See the access instructions below to find our Facebook Group page (SenComKC). Check it out! Share your favorite SenCom moment or interaction.
To access the group page:
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- On your computer, click “Search Facebook” in the left-hand corner (to the left of the home icon, or on your mobile device, in the middle of the screen on top, then type SenComKC (not case sensitive).
- Search results should give you “Groups,” and under that, you will see SenComKC. To the right of your search results, you should see a “Join” button. Click the button to request to be a member of this Facebook group.
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* Volunteers Needed *
SOS! NEEDED NOW! — Volunteers to help our Board of Directors fill the board positions of Vice President and Hospitality Director. If interested, please email me or another Board Member. Our email addresses are on the “Board of Directors” page under the “About Us” menu. Remember, this is your organization; please help us keep it healthy and growing!!
LITTLE OR NO COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED.
Lou Risley, 913-298-0575 or sencomprez@gmail.com
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CDC information on the Coronavirus Outbreak →
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GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
24 November, 2025
Internet Router EOS/EOL
Internet routers are the gateway to the Internet. They are also the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your home network. They occasionally need to be updated with firmware patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities, so it is important to ensure they are still being supported by the manufacturer. This can generally be determined by a search of the manufacturer’s website for “end of service” or “end of life” for their router products. A few of the more common routers and their information as of November 2025 are listed below.
Netgear
NETGEAR End of Service | NETGEAR
D-Link
D-Link | Legacy Products
TP-Link
US EOL_List_Home – V3.pdf
Your router model number can be found on a sticker or label somewhere on the router. If it is found to be unsupported by the manufacturer, you should seriously consider replacing it. New routers are currently available using three different standards. They are WiFi 6, 6E, and 7. Many new computers and the new iPhone 17 now support WiFi 7, so the older 6 and 6E model router prices are being discounted, but will also have fewer years of support left. WiFi 7 dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz) routers start at around $90. WiFi 7 tri-band (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz) routers start at around $180.
WiFi routers and the adapters in your devices are backward compatible with older WiFi standards. Higher GHz provides more channels, which is beneficial in congested areas such as apartment buildings. Higher GHz also provides higher speed, but has less ability to penetrate barriers.
Before disposing of an older router, you should do a factory reset to remove all your current settings and personal information. There is usually either an external reset button to press (not to be confused with a WPS button) or a hole to insert a paper clip to press an internal button for a specified amount of time, while the router is powered, to initiate the reset. The user manual, available as a download from the manufacturer’s support site, will explain the process. It may also be possible to reset through the router’s web interface if you are using that method. An alternative to resetting would be to physically destroy the router.
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FOR~GO
(For Geeks Only)
By Joe Callison
9 December 2024
Windows 11+
If there are things about Windows 11 that bug you or you would just like to customize it beyond the built-in capabilities provided by Microsoft, take a look at https://windhawk.net. This collection of open-source customization mods may have just the features you wish Windows 11 had. A review of its capabilities can be found at Windhawk. It is one of the coolest Windows customization tools I’ve ever seen
If you would rather try a Linux distro that looks like Windows 11, take a look at three of the best possibilities at 3 free Linux distros that look and feel like Windows | PCWorld
Lastly, if you intend to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 eventually but have been holding off because of all the reported problems, I have just completed the updates on two different brands of laptops, both about 3 years old, and had no issues. The updates did take much longer than expected, and I took the precaution of creating system image backups before performing them. Interestingly, I have not really noticed any changes that stand out as of yet, perhaps because they are not AI PCs.
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SenCom gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for their support:
Google Fiber
City of Shawnee:
Parks & Recreation Department
Johnson County Library:
Central Resource, Oak Park
SENCOM IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT KANSAS CORPORATION
UNDER THE IRS 501(C)(3) RULES
