Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Here’s a quick question for you…
If you had to connect a new computer or other device to your WiFi network, would you be able to enter the network’s password (aka network security key)?
If you’re like most folks, the answer could well be no. [Read more…]
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
I receive dozens of tech questions every week, and many of them ask me for advice on the best way to cover a large multi-story home with a strong and fast Wi-Fi network.
I’ve written several posts about this very topic over the years, and the solution that I recommend tends to depend on the state of wireless technology at that particular point in time.
I recently had the opportunity to check out the amazing Netgear Orbi Tri-band WiFi system, and I can tell you that this is an excellent solution for ensuring that every room in your home has a strong and super-fast Wi-Fi connection to the Internet.
The Orbi system is extremely powerful, yet dead-simple to set up. Simply connect the Orbi base station router to your modem, then place the satellite unit in a central location in your home and set up your Wi-Fi network using the simple browser-based setup utility.
Here’s a very short video that demonstrates exactly what you can expect after installing an Orbi mesh WiFi system in your home: [Read more…]
As you probably know, your router allows everyone in your home or business to connect their computers, phones and other devices to the Internet.
Unfortunately, if its security isn’t completely locked down it can also be used by hackers to do nefarious things online while making it appear that YOU are the culprit.
If you have a WiFi-enabled Windows PC there might come a time when you’ll need to switch your connection to a different WiFi network than the one your machine is currently connected to.
For example, your laptop might automatically connect to a network with a weak signal when you know there’s another network available with a much stronger signal.
Or perhaps it automatically connected to an insecure unencrypted network instead of the secure network you intended to use.
Whatever the reason, you can easily switch your PC’s Wi-Fi connection from one network to another one with just a few clicks of your mouse. [Read more…]
Question from Beverly: I’ve always thought that Internet and WiFi were just two names for the same thing, but someone told me they were different.
Is that true? If it is, what’s the difference?
Rick’s answer: What that person told you is accurate, Beverly.
While WiFi and the Internet are frequently used together, they are in fact completely different technologies that serve two very different purposes. [Read more…]