Like any modern home we have an internet connection, TV, a home network, and the modern electronics which make it all possible. When we had our satellite internet connection installed the technician asked where I wanted the ‘box’ to go. I had no idea, having made no plans prior to his arrival. I was lucky enough to have an available AC outlet in the cellar and the wires from the dish mount into the house already in place. Now all I needed was something to set the equipment on. Well, in the basement was a very old, decrepit end table. A cast off from a prior occupant. It was brass, had a filthy glass top, was covered with dust, and very ugly. So ugly I won’t share a picture of it. This horrid table, being the only option, is where the installer placed our equipment. Plugging the AC cord into a metal outlet box that literally sits on the floor at the end of a long electrical line. It was once used, so I’m told, to run lights outside the house for a party. Once the mud was knocked off the box it worked great.
Back to the end table. This same table became the home for our wireless router when I got it unpacked and hooked up. By this time the spiders had found the warmth from the satellite internet electronics and were making themselves at home. I solved that by hosing the entire table: top, bottom, and legs, with bug spray. Note to those who may be in a similar position at some time in the future: “Large quantities of bug spray in confined spaces don’t dissipate quickly”.
Do you think I made any plans for the DirecTV guy before he came the next week? Nope. When this technician asked me the same question, “Where should I put your receiver?” I was no more prepared than before, except for the already in-use ugly table. So… that’s where it went too.
When the home office reached a suitable level of functionality I wanted access to our music and video library, so I unpacked our NAS (Network Attached Storage for you non-computer types. Basically a large disk drive accessible by anything on our network). This too found a home on the hideous table, which was becoming quite crowded. I also ran out of AC outlets at this stage so I used one of those large, orange extension cord outlet expanders to add capacity. Classy doesn’t begin to describe this setup but it was functional.
Being somewhat of a neat freak this has bothered me since the first piece of gear hit the dusty glass tabletop. Today I’d had enough. Had free time and scrap materials, and decided to make things better. I installed a new outlet, mounted a power strip, built some shelves, uninstalled then reinstalled everything. It’s much neater now and I’m SURE my internet speeds improved because of the new arrangement. On to the next thing.