10 essential tech projects for the weekend

10 essential tech projects for the weekend

The weekend has rolled around once again, and if you're struggling to think of things to do then we've come to the rescue with the best technology projects you can get stuck into.

By spending just a few hours tinkering with your tech you can get better-than-ever Wi-Fi in your home, learn how to edit photos on your iPhone or iPad, and a whole lot more.

10 essential tech projects for the weekend

Get super-fast Wi-Fi in every room

Pretty much every modern home has a Wi-Fi network delivering the internet to a wide range of devices – but is your wireless connection performing as well as it should?

Our how to get super-fast Wi-Fi in every room guide will show you what you can do to get rock-solid Wi-Fi in any part of your house – even in the shed at the bottom of the garden!

Get your Apple device working better than ever

If you have an Apple device running iOS 9, then make sure you check out our newly updated iOS 9: 56 tips and tricks feature.

There are loads of great – and sometimes surprising – tips and tricks that you can implement this weekend to make your Apple device run more smoothly and efficiently.

Edit photos on your iPhone or iPad

Thanks to their improved cameras, iPads and iPhones are great devices for taking photos with – although you may annoy people by waving around an iPad when you're trying to take the perfect shot.

They're also great devices for editing your photos, so you don't need a PC to touch up your snaps – you can take, edit and upload images in all their glory with just your tablet or smartphone. Follow the steps in how to edit your photos on an iPhone or iPad to take and make fantastic-looking images.

10 essential tech projects for the weekend

Reinstall Windows 10 to fix any problems

Windows 10 is arguably Microsoft's best operating system to date. Yep, even better than Windows ME. However, problems can still arise when using your PC, and sometimes reinstalling Windows 10 is the best way to solve them.

Thankfully there are a number of ways you can reinstall (or refresh) Windows 10 without having to lose all your files, documents and programs, and we'll show you the best methods in how to reinstall Windows 10. No one really wants to waste their weekend reinstalling Windows – but with this guide you'll have Windows 10 refreshed and running faster than ever in no time at all.

Unlock hidden OS X features

If you're more of a Mac fan than a Windows person, you can still get tinkering this weekend. In our how to unlock hidden OS X features guide we show you how you can use the powerful Terminal tool to make OS X even better.

10 essential tech projects for the weekend

Repair Ubuntu's boot problems

Not a Windows OR a Mac person? No worries – we've got some Linux projects as well for this weekend. Even if you're not having problems booting Linux, our how to repair Ubuntu if it won't boot guide is worth reading – and bookmarking – in case disaster does strike.

If you use a different distro, there's still some great advice in here to help fix Linux boot problems.

Up your game in iOS 9

If you're currently addicted to a game on your iPhone or iPad then you can compete with friends, boast about high scores and much more with the Game Center.

Check out our how to use the iOS 9 Game Center article to find out more.

Avoid autocorrect dramas

Ever sent a text message or email, only to find that your iPhone or iPad has changed a word to an unfortunate alternative that could have repercussions for your job/love life/freedom?

Make sure you check out how to improve autocorrect on iPhone and iPad to avoid any potential faux pas in the future.

Turn your iPad into an alarm clock

One of the best things about the weekend is being able to turn off your alarm clock, but as Monday looms you can make sure you're up and ready by using your tablet to wake you up.

Our how to use the iOS 9 Clock app has all the details you need.

10 essential tech projects for the weekend

Water your plants automatically with the Raspberry Pi

Weekends are often the time when we tend to our garden – and this weekend why not make your life a little easier by transforming a Raspberry Pi into an automatic plant waterer?

One of the best things about this project is that you can program the setup to check the weather forecast for your area, and if it sees a dry spell coming up it can keep your plants well watered – all without you having to so much as look at a watering can yourself!

  • How many of these projects did you attempt? Let us know how you did in the comments. If you fancy more weekend projects, you can check out last week's collection.
TOPICS
Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

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