wifi Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Will it cost a lot to fix the WiFi on my laptop?

Posted on September 2, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Fred: I have a 2 year old Lenovo laptop. It was working fine till yesterday evening but now the Wi-Fi won’t work.

I thought it might be a setting, but the Wi-Fi adapter isn’t even showing up in the Device Manager under Windows 11.

Since it won’t work with Windows, I tried booting into Linux Mint (I have a dual-boot setup). Mint won’t recognize the Wi-Fi adapter either so I’m thinking it must be a hardware problem.

Can this be fixed without costing me an arm and a leg? [Read more…]

Q&A: How’s my daughter getting on Facebook with her phone shut off?

Posted on September 2, 2023

Question from Deidra: I have grounded my 13 year old daughter for a month for getting into some pretty serious trouble at school.

Part of her “grounding” is a total ban on cell phone and Internet use of any kind.

To enforce that, I’ve had her iPhone shut off and I’ve also turned off the Wi-Fi on our router.

The problem is she’s still finding a way to get on Facebook and talk to her friends because I can see her “liking” stuff and leaving comments. How is that possible? [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I get a WiFi Extender or a Mesh Network System?

Posted on August 28, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Amanda: I bought a smart TV for my living room but the WiFi in there is too weak to maintain a solid connection.

There’s enough signal in there for my laptop and tablet to use the Internet with no problem, but it just doesn’t allow the streaming to work as it should.

I’ve been doing some research about ways to boost the signal on that end of the house and I keep seeing the terms “Wi-Fi Extender” and “Mesh Network Systems”.

I’m really confused about these devices. What’s the difference between them and which one should I get? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I use a powerline networking kit to share my Internet with the house next door?

Posted on February 23, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Jane: Hi Rick. I recently read your post about using a powerline networking kit to access the Internet from a distant room.

Last night I began wondering if that solution would work in my situation.

[Read more…]

Tips for fixing a slow Internet connection

Posted on February 23, 2023

As you probably know, the dependency on the Internet has increased by leaps and bounds over the years.

Coronavirus and the consequent remote work culture has made this dependency even more severe. This is why it becomes intolerable for many of us when our Internet connection slows to a crawl.

In many cases it can be difficult to pinpoint the reason(s) behind a sluggish Internet connection. If you’re struggling with this issue, this post just might be a help to you. [Read more…]