Hands-On Tech (Audio)
Hands-On Tech is a weekly podcast hosted by Mikah Sargent that helps listeners solve everyday tech problems. Each episode focuses on a specific theme, answering listener questions about gadgets, privacy, and innovations. The show aims to turn tech confusion into confidence with expert advice and easy-to-follow explanations. New episodes are released every Sunday.
Episodes
HOT 288: Understanding What IP68 Means - Is Your Device Truly Water Resistant?
On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Clyde, who is shopping for a new phone after his last one died in a sink full of dishwater, asks what an IP68 water resistance rating actually promises, whether it wears off as a phone ages, and what to do in the first few minutes after a phone gets wet.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mik
HOT 287: Are There Risks to Scanning QR Codes? - The Security Concerns Behind Scanning a QR Code
On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Barry asks whether anything inside a QR code can actually hurt you, or whether the real danger lies somewhere else, and what a person should check before scanning one out in the wild.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/s
HOT 286: Shutting Down vs. Restarting Your Windows PC - Windows Fast Startup
On this week's Hands-On Tech, Lorraine asks Mikah whether her husband or her daughter is right about the difference between shutting down and restarting a Windows PC, and how often she should be restarting her computer and phone.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit
HOT 285: Are My AI Chatbot Conversations Private? - The Risks Of Sharing Information with AI Chatbots
In this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Wendell asks Mikah whether his wife is right that typing into an AI chatbot is no different from a Google search, and wants to know where those conversations go, who can see them, whether they're used for training, and if any settings can turn that off in both ChatGPT and Gemini.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a
HOT 284: Understanding How to Recover Deleted Files - Can You Recover Deleted Files?
On this week's Hands-On Tech, Mikah helps Harriett understand whether deleted files are truly gone when the recycle bin is emptied, and whether accidentally deleted files can still be recovered.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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HOT 283: Is Airplane Mode Necessary? - The Truth About Airplane Mode
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Gene's question about whether airplane mode still serves a real engineering purpose in 2026 and what the smartest phone setup is for flying.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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HOT 282: Why Does Every Gadget Need an App and an Account Now? - Why Your Appliance Wants Your Email
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Joyce's question about why so many everyday smart devices now require downloading an app & creating an account, and how to opt out of sharing personal data without giving up the products' functionality
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands
HOT 281: Incognito Browsing - The Truth About Private Browsing
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Rosemary's question about what private browsing actually hides, from whom, and what it's really for.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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HOT 280: Am I Getting True Gigabit Internet? - Gigabit Promises
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Al's question about why their gigabit internet plan isn't delivering the promised speeds during a Wi-Fi speed test, and who's really to blame: the ISP, the router, or the device.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv
HOT 279: Safely Ejecting USB Drives - USB Removal Myths
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether safely ejecting a USB flash drive is still necessary or just an outdated habit.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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HOT 278: Understanding Battery Percentages - Why the Battery Percentage Shown Isn't Always Accurate
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether his phone's battery percentage is an accurate measurement, why it seems to stay at 100% for a long time before suddenly dropping to dead, and whether battery recalibration is a real fix.
Send in your questions for Mikah to answer, and any products you'd like Mikah to take a look at, to hot@twit.tv!
Host: Mikah S
HOT 277: Battery Overcharging Myths - Is Keeping Your Devices Plugged In Bad?
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah settles a household debate about whether it's harmful to keep a laptop plugged in all the time, and whether battery charge limit settings are worth using.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club
HOT 276: Smart TV's ACR Tracking - Stop Your TV From Spying!
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Denise's question about whether her smart TV is tracking what she watches and how to stop it.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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HOT 275: USB-C Cable Confusion - Decode Your USB-C Cable Mess
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Doug's question about why identical-looking USB-C cables can have wildly different charging and data speeds, and how to tell them apart.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for A
HOT 274: Smart Home Recommendations - Matter & Thread Explained
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Marcus asks Mikah whether Matter and Thread are the real solution to smart home ecosystem lock-in, or just more marketing hype.
Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! hot@twit.tv
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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HOT 273: ISP Email - Switch Email Providers Safely
On Hands-On Tech, Eleanor asks Mikah how to transition away from her long-standing ISP email address without losing access to the important accounts tied to it.
Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! hot@twit.tv
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support wh
HOT 272: Robocalls - Stopping Robocallers
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Jim asks Mikah how to effectively reduce the overwhelming volume of spam texts and robocalls he's been receiving on his iPhone, and for advice to help his wife with the same issue, who uses Android.
Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them during the show!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.
HOT 271: Telegram & Security - Is Telegram Secure?
In this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Clint wants to know whether Telegram is truly safe to use or not.
Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! hot@twit.tv
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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HOT 270: Troubleshooting External Storage - Optimizing Your External Drive's Performance
On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, listener Lenny asks Mikah for advice on how to get the best performance out of an external SSD connected to his MacBook Pro.
Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! hot@twit.tv
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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HOT 269: Windows Home Server - Reviving an Old Windows Home Server
On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, David asks Mikah whether his old, out-of-service Windows Home Server is worth bringing back online now that he has a fast fiber internet connection, and what the best way to set it up would be.
Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer during the show! hot@twit.tv
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twi
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