Passwords are continually under assault. Hackers want them because they’re the keys to getting into accounts of all kinds, including online banking, cloud software like Microsoft 365, online shopping with saved credit cards, and much more. [Read more…]
The longer you use technology, the more you get used to its quirks and “little issues.” For example, you might be so used to your screen locking up with one too many browser tabs open that rebooting to continue your work is second nature. Or you may have adopted a workaround to that key that continually pops off the keyboard. [Read more…]
Ever wonder why some people use dual monitors? They must be doing some serious coding or video editing work, right? Not really. Having an additional monitor can benefit any type of computing work you do, even if you mainly create documents or handle customer support. [Read more…]
Social media has become the main “hangout” of the internet for people of all ages. 81% of Americans use YouTube and 69% use Facebook. There are also multiple other social sites, like Instagram (40%), Pinterest (31%), and the up-and-coming TikTok (21%). [Read more…]
Just do a search on Twitter for “computer updates” and you’ll find that most people don’t have nice things to say about them. Updates get in the way of what you’re doing and can sometimes run into problems if you don’t have an IT professional handling them. [Read more…]
A laptop can hold your life. If you’re working from home, it’s essential to your income. For students, it’s where you keep all your notes and essays. Plus, there are the personal photos and videos. And you sometimes use it to stream your TV shows, or to video chat with friends and family. You may even make music, create art, or be writing the next bestselling novel on your laptop. So, you want to keep it in great shape. Here are five tips to protect your laptop.
[Read more…]
Does it ever feel like your team is on a plateau and you can’t seem to get to a point of peak efficiency? Do you have problems nearly every day with work stoppages because someone’s internet is slow or has dropped out?
Today’s parents go through a constant balancing act when it comes to technology. They want to protect their child from the dangers of the internet, yet they also don’t want them to get behind their tech savvy peers. [Read more…]
Home Wi-Fi’s have taken a huge uptick in use over the past 12 months. During the pandemic, nearly everyone started working and going to school from home, ordering online instead of going out, and replying on video as a substitute for online meetings.
All this extra bandwidth demand left many families with frustrating lags that caused buffering of their latest Netflix binge, frozen work video calls, and other W-Fi problems.
Here are a few statistics from Mid-March 2020, slightly after the pandemic first began that illustrate how much more online use it has caused:
Has your network been underperforming and causing your family to get frustrated? Is slow Wi-Fi ruining your family movie night? Do remote logins to your office workstation constantly lag?
We’ve got tips on two ways you can improve your home Wi-Fi speed and reliability and reduce your whole family’s connection-related stress.
There are a few different things that can cause an older router to have bandwidth problems. These include:
Today’s wireless systems were designed with those issues in mind and have more sophisticated technology to handle modern bandwidth demands.
When choosing the right Wi-Fi hardware for your family, there are two main options to consider:
We’ll go through each below.
Think all routers are created equal? Not by a long shot, especially if you have an older Wi-Fi 5 router (802.11ac).
In 2019, a brand-new wireless update came out called Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). This represents a major update in how wireless transmission is handled and also includes a big upgrade in security.
Testing by PC Magazine found Wi-Fi 6 routers to be as much as 71% faster than Wi-Fi 5. This is done through things like better packet handling and the ability to communicate in both directions with more than one device at a time.
If you think of your Wi-Fi connection as needing to deliver packages (data packets), Wi-Fi 6 is like buying a bigger delivery truck, allowing more packages to be delivered in a single trip.
Wi-Fi 6 is updated with a new security standard called WPA3. This improves connection encryption, so even users on a free-public Wi-Fi have protection from others trying to spy on their traffic on the same network.
It also includes a protection against dictionary attacks, which is when a hacker downloads a cryptographic key and then uses software to try multiple passwords in minutes trying to crack the code.
Wi-Fi 6 was designed to handle many more devices simultaneously than its predecessor. Bringing the router up to speed with today’s complicated bandwidth demands that can include computers, smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and other IoT devices on the same network.
A mesh Wi-Fi system can also use Wi-Fi 6, but instead of having a single router connected to your modem, you have that router, plus multiple satellite units (called “nodes”) that can be used throughout your house.
Just like its name, a mesh network bounces signals throughout each node and the modem-connected unit to cover your home with a strong “mesh” of internet connectivity.
Here are some of the benefits of having a mesh network.
If you have any weak or deal signal zones in your house, all you have to do is add a node there and it automatically strengthens your internet signal to the area and increases its reach.
Because nodes connect between each other, you also have multiple Wi-Fi connection points, not just one that emanates from a single router.
If one of the nodes goes down for some reason, everyone isn’t automatically cut off from the internet. Instead, their connections are just transferred to another node.
The same thing happens if one node gets overcrowded, devices are moved to one with less traffic to keep a strong and reliable signal flowing.
Do you wish you had Wi-Fi in your garage or out on your backyard patio? Using a mesh network gives you pretty much unlimited capability to expand your Wi-Fi reach, without needing to sign up for another internet plan.
Carl’s Computer Care can help you choose the best wireless option for your family for a strong, fast, secure, and reliable internet.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation! Call 225-315-3498 or reach us online.
The type of computers, hardware, and software a company uses, and how it’s set up and integrated, directly impact the health and wellbeing of that business. [Read more…]
