Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
If you ever have to call tech support for any issue that’s even tangentially related to networking or Internet connectivity, you’ll likely be asked to provide your machine’s MAC address.
Just so there’s no confusion, MAC addresses aren’t necessarily associated with Apple’s MAC line of computers.
Yes, Mac desktop computers and MacBooks have MAC addresses, but so do Windows PCs, Linux boxes, Android devices, iPhones and every other such device that connects to a network. [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…]
Have you ever used a hotel’s secure Wi-Fi network while staying there as a guest?
How about the secure Wi-Fi network that serves the building you work in – or even the network at your church?
Many of us routinely use these types of secured Wi-Fi networks without giving them a second thought, because…well, they’re encrypted, and therefore safe, right?
As a general rule these secured networks are indeed safe and we can use them without having to worry about having our usernames, passwords and personal info being stolen.
But there’s also a danger with using secured Wi-Fi networks that you need to know about…
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
If you have a broadband Internet connection you probably use a router to share that connection among multiple computers and mobile devices.
I frequently receive emails from folks asking if I think they need to replace their aging routers, and I usually answer them by asking a few questions of my own: [Read more…]
Question from Aaron S: Hi Rick. I really like your blog and appreciate all the help you give to so many people.
I hope you can help me with an issue I’m having with my HP laptop.
Ever since I updated it to Windows 10 the WiFi automatically disconnects after about 30 minutes and I have to reboot the computer to get it turned back on.
How can I keep the WiFi working until I actually shut the laptop down?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]