GeekwithEnvy

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi or Data Plan?

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Just about anywhere you go these days there is a Wi-Fi connection somewhere nearby, and generally it offers great speed and reliability, not to mention most places offer Internet for free. So, why in the world would you need to use your data plan to check your mail or make a quick tweet? I understand that there are many places in which your data plan might be your only option, but unless you need to be constantly checking  your e-mail in the middle of nowhere, it just seems silly. I have many mobile devices that I use day to day and most of them operate full time on a Wi-Fi connection. I can refresh my inbox and download the latest updates for my news apps and just read them on the go. I guess at times you could say it’s a bit like filling up at the gas station and heading out on the road.4G speed tower connection illustration design over white

Let’s face it, data plans today suck. The price hardly justifies the usage and if you’re not on an unlimited plan, using your phones network to access anything could be a stressful task. Data over cellular just is not what it should be, our smart phones have clearly outgrown their networks. To look even deeper into this, think about how this could affect cellular providers.

Why use it at all? Some communities have Wi-Fi everywhere you go. Going into this even further, you realize that some companies  could end up competing with themselves. If only you could break off completely from your data plan in these areas, but wait you can’t. You can’t get that awesome phone with out a data plan and perhaps this is part of the reason why. Remember it’s all about the dollar, broadband prices would skyrocket if there was a universal adaptation to Wi-Fi.

There are many arguments to whether or not Wi-Fi is actually the better option and cellular data has come along way from what it was. Major issues can arise from using Wi-Fi networks especially unsecured networks. How do you know your data is safe? Did the business who is providing  your Wi-Fi connection properly set up security features to protect you ?  Is someone in the corner of the cafe just gobbling up all your good personal information? These are some of the potential drawbacks of using public Wi-Fi.

It would seem that for now a hybrid of both networks is still the best option but I definitely do not need to subscribe to a premium data service with all wireless broadband floating around out there.

Wifi Analyzer

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This handy little app will help you optimize your wireless network as well as find others with ease, and all for the great price of free. You can get this Android app from Google Play and start optimizing your wireless network immediately.

WiFi Analyzer Screen Shot

Besides being fun this app is useful when trying to pin down which wifi channels are less crowded. It has an easy to read display with good amount of customizable features. With the the Scan interval option set at its shortest you can watch your signal increase or decrease in near real time. One of the view options included is the signal strength over time which i found quite useful when checking for interference. This app is simple but very useful and for free its definately worth checking out.

How To Protect your Wi-Fi Connection

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You might be surprised to see just how many people are using unsecured Wi-Fi connections in their homes. I see this all the time and am quick to help them lock up their connections. Keeping your Wi-Fi connection secure not only improves your speed by keeping the neighbors kid from gaming on your internet connection while you try to download the latest movie but also keeps your private data from being intercepted as well.

Here are a few good security tips to follow.lock and keys

Make sure you change the default user name and password to your router. Many routers use a default user name and password that is universal and if you don’t change it anyone can get access to your router. I have actually seen scenarios where someone will encrypt their Wi-Fi connection only to leave their router credentials at the default. This is counter productive as a would be internet thief could simply log in and change your security settings to gain access to your network.

Enable WEP or WPA. WEP and WPA are technologies that will encrypt the data sent over your wireless network. When choosing a security type be sure it is comparable with all of your devices. If you set up your encryption but your old iMac wont connect to the network even with the right password, you might need to change to a different encryption type such as WEP.

MAC address filtering. Any device you use to connect to a wireless network will have a physical address or MAC address associated with with it. Your router keeps track of each device connecting to it by using its MAC address. Your router or access point will have features in it that allow you to only provide connectivity to certain MAC addresses you list.

Locking down your Wi-Fi connection is simple and can be done fairly easy. Many routers and access points these days come already encrypted and have software to help you along.

Improving Your Wi-Fi Reception

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Whether your struggling with your Wi-Fi connection at home or just want to optimize the connection you already have here are a few steps you can take to improve your Wi-Fi reception.

1. Keep your router in a central location, basically keep your router away from outside walls and if you have a multi-level home, keep the router on the first floor and not tucked deep in the corner of the basement.wifiGraphic

2. Keep away from mirrors, this causes more problems than you would think. All metal surfaces reflect Wi-Fi and mirrors contain a thin layer of metal which can create dead zones.

3. Keep the router off the floor, this is not the greatest location for a router for many reasons, especially Wi-fi reception. Try placing it on a high shelf or at least on top of a desk or table.

4.Check your cordless phones, do you have cordless phones in the home that operate on 2.4 Ghz? If you do, chances are your having issues with your Wi-Fi. Wireless routers and older cordless phones operate on the same frequency and interfere with each other, newer cordless phones work at 5GHz and up and should not cause interference.

5. Keep adapters and routers away from other electronics and power cords as these may hinder your Wi-Fi signal as well.

6. Change your routers broadcast channel, to do this you will need to log in to your router. Here are a few of the default addresses you can use to access your routers settings. You simply enter the following IP addresses into your browsers address bar.

**You will need to get the specific instructions for your router manufacturer in order to locate the area in your router settings that allows you to change the broadcast channel.

Router Address

D-Link 192.168.0.1
3Com 192.168.1.1
NetGear 192.168.0.1
Linksys 192.168.1.1
Mircrosoft 192.168.2.1
Actiontec 192.168.0.1

7.Keep up-to-date, always keep your router and or adapter firmware up-to-date. These firmware releases often fix buggy software problems including reception issues. The same goes with you device drivers.

8. Stick with the same vendor, if you utilize a wireless adapter such as a USB adapter, to receive Wi-Fi then try to utilize the same vendor that made your router. These companies after all designed these components to work together and getting support for either device should be easier since you can go to the same website for all your drivers and firmware.