Tech Lab
The technology I like to use, test, and understand.
I’m interested in the point where specifications meet everyday experience—what actually works, what creates friction, and what makes a setup noticeably better.
Apple ecosystem
iPhone, iPad, Mac, accessories, charging, continuity, and how the ecosystem fits together in day-to-day use.
Workstations & displays
Docks, DisplayLink, multi-monitor arrangements, USB-C, Thunderbolt, and finding the balance between capability and reliability.
AI & automation
Using ChatGPT, Copilot, scripts, and structured workflows to convert repetitive work into repeatable systems.
Connected home
Networking, cameras, smart-home devices, sensors, speakers, and the everyday tradeoffs between ecosystems.
Mobile networks & dual SIM
How cutting an expensive wireless bill led me to think differently about carriers, coverage, eSIMs, and keeping a second network available.
Read the story → 06Home server & Linux
Repurposing an older Lenovo desktop with Ubuntu Server, local storage, Docker, and service monitoring—rather than buying a new machine.
See the Lenovo project →Mobile connectivity
From an expensive wireless bill to a two-network strategy.
What started as a simple effort to lower a Verizon Wireless bill turned into a much more interesting experiment: how to spend less on cellular service without giving up the ability to get connected when one network struggles.
The problem: paying too much for the default setup
Our Verizon Wireless bill had grown to the point where I no longer felt the monthly cost made sense. Instead of treating the bill as something fixed, I started breaking it apart: what were we actually paying for, which features did we really use, and how much of the premium was simply the cost of staying with the familiar carrier?
I moved our primary service away from the traditional postpaid model and into Visible. Because Visible uses Verizon's network, it gave me a way to keep the coverage footprint I was accustomed to while dramatically reducing the recurring service cost.
The next lesson was that a phone can show a strong signal and still have a poor data experience. Congestion, building construction, network priority, and the specific location can all matter. A network that works great at home may not be the best network at a school, arena, workplace, or while traveling.
That led me to dual SIM. Rather than trying to find one carrier that is perfect everywhere, a modern iPhone can keep a primary line and a second eSIM available at the same time. The second line can be on a different carrier—or even a pay-as-you-go data provider—so there is another path when the primary network is congested or weak.
My preferred approach is a low-cost primary service for everyday use and a second network that can be activated for data when needed. That can mean manually switching cellular data at a difficult location, keeping a backup eSIM ready for travel, or using a second number when it is useful.
The takeaway
I stopped thinking of a cell phone plan as one carrier I had to live with everywhere. Now I think of the phone as a device that can choose between networks.
Dual SIM does not combine two weak signals into one stronger signal. Its value is redundancy: if one network is poor because of geography, a building, congestion, or local coverage, the other network may perform much better.
My rule for tech
Specs matter. The experience matters more.
I like comparing the technical side of a product with how it behaves in a real setup: reliability, convenience, compatibility, and whether it actually improves the workflow.