Tag Archives: Wireless

Computers Internet Networking

How to reset and secure my wireless router?

April 30, 2011 – 12:00 am

Q.

I was wondering if you could please help me!

I was trying to configure my wireless settings so that they are secure for all of my computers. However, I completely messed everything up! I don’t remember exactly what I did…just that I need a REDO button! I am able to connect wirelessly from my desktop computer, however, when trying to connect from my laptop, it says that it is unable to connect. I think the settings on my laptop have been messed up…and maybe it would be better to just reinstall the router?? My “dlink” connection is available but it will not let me connect. I was wondering if you could please help me.

My router is a DIR-615

The only thing I remember about what I did was that it printed the following when I tried changing things so my network was secure:

Wireless Settings
Network Name (SSID): Wagner
Network Key (WEP/WPA Key): ***********
Key Provided Automatically (802.1x): 0
Network Authentication Type: WPAPSK
Data Encryption Type: TKIP
Connection Type: ESS

A.

On the back of the router will be a small reset button, usually recessed into the plastic.  Using a paper clip, a pen, or something similar, depress the button for a full 30 seconds.  This will reset the router to it’s factory default.

As far as the D-Link software goes, if it were me, I’d uninstall it from the computer(s).  You do not need the D-Link software to access the router’s configuration, you just need to enter it’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.268.2.1) in a web browser.

As far as security goes – there is no such thing as a “secure” wireless connection, but there are steps you can take to make it very hard to crack.  Most important is using WPA for the encryption, and making the password as long as you can, using “special” characters (things like -’><}{][|\)(*&^%$#@!, etc…) – this will make it extremely hard for someone to crack. In your example (which I blanked out with *’s), you were using all numbers for the Network Key. NEVER use all letters or all numbers for a password with wireless – it makes it simple to crack. ALWAYS use a mix (something like “!a1^b2^c3!”).

Hope that helps.

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Computers Internet Networking Reviews Satellite

Review: Broadband Satellite Internet Providers

January 2, 2011 – 3:16 pm

In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to perform day to day activities without having broadband internet access. Unfortunately, not everyone in the US has access to cable internet, DSL, FIOS, or wireless internet. Dialup access is available anywhere you can get a dial tone, but lets face it, in todays internet world, dialup is dead – it’s almost impossible to navigate web sites these days with dialup, especially if there is any Flash or Java content. And streaming audio or video with dialup is just plain impossible.

If you’re one of the unlucky few who doesn’t have internet access via infrastructure systems (Cable, DSL, FIOS, etc..), your only alternative may be Satellite Internet.

Satellite Internet is what I like to call “not the best way to get broadband, but possibly the only way to get broadband”. Many rural areas in the US have no other options.

In the US, there are (now) three main providers for satellite internet – HughesNet (formerly DirecWay), WildBlue, and StarBand. One thing they all certainly have in common is their “cryptic” billing practices. Installation fees, equipment fees, lease fees, overage fees, early termination fees, the list goes on and on. It’s hard to decipher from their websites exactly what charges are involved, and their sales people are very well versed in the practice of disinformation. You could talk with a satellite provider’s representative for an hour and never get a “clear” picture of the actual costs.

Because of all this confusion, I’ve decided to make a simple spreadsheet that lays out the actual costs incurred in the installation and use of a satellite internet connection. The spreadsheet can be downloaded by clicking the links below – one is in .XLS format (Microsoft Excel) and the other is in .ODS format (OpenOffice and many others).

Basically, in my humble opinion, HughesNet is probably the best choice for the average internet user based on their low installation fee and many tiers of service. WildBlue comes in second for an average user, but is probably a better choice for those that tend to download more (videos, music, etc..). StarBand is listed mostly for reference, as they are more expensive, have less in the way of tech support, and in my experience, are generally less reliable than the other two.

There are some important things any prospective satellite internet user should be aware of -

First, you’re getting internet via a small satellite dish, which means bad weather can cause problems. Not so bad as television, as TV is an on-all-the-time deal, where any interruption is noticeable – internet disruption is less noticeable to the end-user. Generally speaking, all but the worst weather (mostly storms producing lightning or hail) won’t cause much of a problem with satellite internet.

Second, due to transmission speed and latency (the time it takes for an internet request to travel from your location to a satellite, back to a ground station, then the return trip), certain internet related services won’t work very well, if at all. They include VOIP Telephone Service, VPN Networking, online gaming in real time (First Person Shooters especially), and in general Video Conferencing, and anything else depending on a constant, steady exchange of data.

Third, satellite internet and heavy downloading don’t mix. Watching videos, using torrents or other downloading applications, downloading music, or anything else that is bandwidth intensive will violate a satellite providers “fair use” policies, or worse, will cause you expensive overages. Each provider (and each plan) only gives you a certain amount of daily or monthly download allowance – go over it, and your connection will get “throttled” (slowed down), or you’ll be charged exorbitant overage charges, or both. Careful monitoring of bandwidth use is a necessary evil (though the provider will alert you when you’re reaching the limit).

Keeping these points in mind, satellite internet is a fine alternative to dialup in areas where infrastructure broadband isn’t available. Hopefully this information helps you in deciding if satellite internet is right for you.

For more detailed info, click on one of the links below to download an Excel or OpenOffice chart detailing pricing, speed and bandwidth limits, contract lengths, and more useful info.


Satellite Internet Provider Compare XLS Spreadsheet

Satellite Internet Provider Compare ODS Spreadsheet

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Cell Phones Computers Internet Networking

How to get wireless signal from Verizon USB modem?

December 30, 2010 – 3:15 pm

Q.
I have a Verizon USB modem. I’m trying to get a wireless signal so that I can get online with my Ipod touch. Unfortunately, the modem I have isn’t a router and doesn’t transmit wireless. I believe all I would have to do is purchase a router to get my internet to pass it’s signal through. However, I’m not technologically savvy by no means and am wondering if someone can just tell me how I could go about getting wireless in my home by using my existing internet. Thanks!


Wirefly - FREE Wireless Internet Cards

A.
Unfortunetly, you can’t directly share the Verizon USB modem (or any other cellular 3G or 4G USB modem) via a router. There is however a solution.

The Verizon USB Cellular Modem is made to allow one computer to have access to the internet via cellular 3G. What you need to do is make the computer share the internet connection. This will require the computer to be ON in order to share the connection.

The computer will need a wireless card, or you’ll need a wireless access point or router. In Windows, you can share an internet connection via Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). ICS basically shares an incoming connection to other network devices through either the wireless card or ethernet port (then to an access point or router).

Instructions for setting up ICS can be found on Microsoft’s website for Windows 98 through Windows XP. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are a little more tricky – for those with a wireless card, you’ll be bridging a connection to the wireless (and creating an Ad-Hoc network), or bridging the connection to the ethernet port, then out to the AP / Router.

It’s not as hard as it may sound, but if you’re not the “techie” type, you might want to enlist the help of a friend who is familiar with setting up a network connection in Windows.

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Computers Home Electronics Internet

Looking for an eReader for under $200 with a color screen?

December 29, 2010 – 8:31 pm

Q.
I’m trying to find an eReader with a color screen that’s at least 6″ diagonal, and works with Barnes and Noble eBook service. WiFi is a must, as is having removable storage. Any ideas?

A.
We always have ideas :)

Recently, a company called Pandigital has released a product called the Pandigital Novel Color (Model PRD07T10WWH7). In the US it is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond for under $200, as well as a few online retailers.

The Pandigital 7″ Color eReader features an 800 x 600 pixel 7″ diagonal touchscreen (TFT LCD), an ARM11 processor (Samsung S3C6410) running at 800Mhz, 1GB of internal storage, an SD/MMC memory slot for up to 32GB extra storage, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, access to the Barnes and Noble eBook store, and (awesomely) it runs the Android Operating System. It’s our favorite new eReader.

Why is it our favorite you ask? It’s hackable. You can install a “vanilla” Android 2.0 OS in order to, basically, turn this bad boy into an Android Tablet (check out this site for some more info).

It’s also fairly lightweight (though not the lightest at 19 oz.), an capable of playing most media file types, including MP3, AAC, WAV, MPEG4 Movies and common picture formats like JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF’s.

The standard manufacturers warranty is 1 year. Take a look at some images below:

Pandigital 7" Color eReader
Pandigital 7" Color eReader

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Internet Networking VOIP

Looking for just VOIP, something simple, not a “package”, that works for a small business?

December 27, 2010 – 1:27 am

Q.
I run a small business out of a converted out building about 1000′ from my house, and I need a VOIP solution that will work with my wireless internet connection. I’ve tried using MagicJack, and while one works OK over the wireless connection, two or more causes major headaches or just plain stops working. I also tried a company called ViaTalk, but the quality of the calls was terrible. My wireless connection is to the house and is run off cable internet with a static address. I need at least 4 lines, and need it to work, and hopefully not cost much (less than what the phone company would charge for 4 additional lines, which is a TON of money). Any Ideas?

A.

Editorial Note – This answer is specific to a remote solution for business use, but the same equipment and providers would work equally as well for a single line residential setup.

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is actually ideal for your low-cost needs, though 4 lines over a wireless internet connection is asking a lot. It’s doable, it just requires proper setup and equipment. The same setup will work just as well (or better) if the connection is wired.

In this case, the first thing you’ll need is a decent wireless router. The best choice based on experience is the Linksys WRT610N ver.2, running the freely available DD-WRT firmware. The extra memory and build quality of the Linksys combined with the stability of the DD-WRT firmware make for an excellent, low latency, highly configurable router setup. The router is to be used as the “internet connection” in the out-building, via the DD-WRT’s “bridge” mode.

Next, you’ll need a fairly capable wireless access point to connect to the cable modem, to provide a wireless link to the Linksys 610N. After some searching on the net, the best, most cost effective solution would be the TRENDnet TEW-637AP. It’s reviews show it to be a capable performer while having very few drawbacks. The 802.11n link between the two should be very reliable at 1000′, so long as there is a fairly good line of sight, which, if you can get a link right now, should present no problem.

Now that the hardware is sorted out, you’ll need a VOIP provider that can suit your needs. Four lines shouldn’t be a problem with the above hardware setup, so the real concern now will be cost vs. quality. After doing some research, it’s a toss up between two companies, depending on whether you want to use the VOIP virtually (through a PC), or physically (through actual phones).

For a virtual setup, RingCentral would be the way to go. You can get single lines, virtual fax extensions, even a virtual PBX (multiple lines), all at really good monthly rates (very competitive with other VOIP providers). They even have free trials on the single lines, so you could try the system out for 30 days to test it to make sure it meets your needs.

For a physically connected phone setup (utilizing separate phones for each VOIP system), the best solution for your business would likely be Nextiva. They have an unlimited phone service for under $17 per month (per line), and experience shows that you can in fact use several of their VOIP adapters at once over a single internet connection.

Your internet connection will have to support at least 128k upload per active line in order for everything to work properly, not including the requirements for regular internet traffic. For the 4 line example, simultaneous use of all lines would require 512k of upload capability. For safety’s sake, doubling that would be advisable (in this case, a 1MB upload cap should be sufficient).

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Computers Internet Reviews

Review: Linux Mint 10

December 26, 2010 – 2:25 am

I’ve had a long time love-hate relationship with Linux distributions. I love that there is a stable, freely available operating system that will run on just about any computer you can throw it at. I hate that, partly due to it’s open-source nature, there are SO many different distributions – each with their own idea of what should or shouldn’t be included in an OS. Top that off with licensing problems, proprietary hardware and software drivers, and copyright/distribution issues with bundled software (like Flash or Java), and Linux distributions can scare some people back to the evil that is Microsoft.

Ubuntu, probably the most popular and well known distribution, is good in it’s own right – it is very stable, has different versions that suit almost anyone, and is supported by many software providers (including Google). But Ubuntu does have drawbacks (though, honestly, not many).

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, but comes complete with most of the little bits of software that make an internet connected computer much more user-friendly. Most of what comes installed in Mint is what any Ubuntu user would install anyways, without the hassles involved in doing the installing.

Linux Mint 10 Welcome Screen

Linux Mint 10 Start Menu

I have been using Linux Mint 9 LXDE edition on my eMachines em250 Netbook (a re-branded Acer Aspire) for about 6 months now, and have had relatively few hiccups. There were a few problems, in that sometimes it would hang on startup (which I’m pretty sure had something to do with the ext4 filesystem), sometimes the mouse would randomly decide not to work after loading the window manager (never figured that one out), the wireless connections would occasionally disconnect and never reconnect (all of which could be solved by rebooting – which I hate to do), and the biggest problem (to me anyways) was the piss-poor power management.

Well, after some late-night tinkering a few nights ago, I FUBAR’d the machine so badly that I decided to wipe it and start from scratch. I really like Mint, and the latest edition had just come out (Mint 10 GNOME), so I gave it a go.

I won’t bore you with the details. Simply put, Mint 10 is awesome. All the problems I had with Mint 9 no longer exist – the em250 boots clean every time (I reformatted using ext3), the mouse, sound, webcam and wireless work flawlessly (after installing the Broadcom wireless driver), the power management works as one would expect, and much to my surprise, the entire OS seems to work and respond faster, even with the desktop effects turned on with the GNOME desktop (as opposed to my previous LXDE / no effects setup).

Essentially, my opinion is Mint 10 may be the best consumer-grade, home user friendly distribution of Linux I’ve ever used. Check it out at www.linuxmint.com. You won’t be disappointed. Just make sure you download the DVD edition, which has all the cool stuff (CODECS, Flash, etc..) preinstalled. If you use a netbook like I do, you can make a USB flash drive installer using Unetbootin and a 1GB or larger USB stick.

Linux Mint 10 may just be the death of Windows.

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Computers Internet Networking

What is a good router for multiple computers and a PS3?

December 19, 2010 – 1:31 pm

Q.
My router sucks! I want to be able to play PS3 without lagging. I want a router where I can be on the computer or laptop and on the PS3 without the connection being interrupted. What would be a good router for this?

A.
Using multiple connected devices will cause any router to lag a little, but a cheap router will definitely have more of an issue. What you need is a decent router that has QoS abilities.

QoS (Quality of Service) is just a fancy way of saying “load balancing” – making sure no single device gets priority over the others. QoS can also be tailored to give a specific device priority over others.

Most Linksys routers are capable of decent QoS on their own, it’s simply a matter of setting it up properly. The best solution though, in my opinion, is using a router with the DD-WRT firmware.

DD-WRT is free, and can turn an off-the-shelf router into a workhorse router. You can check out their site to see which router models will support DD-WRT. Personally, I’ve had the best luck with the Linksys WRT610N.

Another option that might work (or might not, depends on what router you have) is to put the PS3′s IP address in the router’s DMZ. You’ll have to look at the documentation for your router to see if it supports DMZ (most do).

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Cell Phones Computers Internet

I am looking for an electronic organizer…?

December 16, 2010 – 3:52 pm

Q.
I was hoping you could help me. I am not looking for anything extravagant. This is what I am looking to use my organizer for…

* A Calender for managing my schedule
* An alarm system for reminders
* And most importantly, something which will allow me to organize my diet plan, make lists of foods and what I wish to eat on certain days

I thank you in advance. Right now I am not putting down a price, but for what I am looking for, I don’t expect the most expensive brand.

A.
A cheap smartphone will do everything you’re looking to do, but you’ll end up paying a monthly service fee. A better option would be something like a small Tablet PC.

Tablets have all the advantages of a PC, just smaller. Most of the better ones have built in wireless, so you can browse the web, get email, etc. so long as there’s a wireless access point available. Calendars, alarms, even diet planners are available, especially if it runs the Android OS.

Coby makes a decent little (7″) tablet from under $200. It runs the Android 2.1 OS (the same as many smartphones), has built in wireless, and tons of apps available, including calendars, schedulers, even diet planners. If you need more info, just click the picture below.

Coby Kyros MID7015 7-Inch Android Internet Touchscreen Tablet - Black
COBY Kyros 7″ Tablet with Android

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Cell Phones

How much is the monthly bill for the DROID X or DROID 2?

December 16, 2010 – 3:18 pm

Q.
I have a Blackberry now with AT&T, but thinking of going with Verizon for one of the Droids.

I’m just wondering how much is the bill? I would want unlimited text, internet and email then for the minutes I would want as little as possible because I barely talk on the phone. Thanks!

A.
There is really no such thing as “unlimited” services. Verizon has a package for the DROID X and the DROID 2 that will come close to what you’re looking for though. For about $90 per month, you will get 450 “anytime” minutes, unlimited night and weekend calling, and free calling all the time to other Verizon Wireless users. You’ll also get unlimited email and web browsing. Text messaging is where they get you though – it’s unlimited to other Verizon users, but outside the Verizon network, you’ll only get 5000 messages per month. For $10 less, you can get a plan that allows only 500 messages per month.

My personal favorite supplier of phones and plans is LetsTalk.com – they have every plan available for every network, and many of their phones end up being free after activation.

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Computers

What would be a good quality printer that is affordable on ink?

December 14, 2010 – 11:05 pm

Q.
What would be a good quality printer that is affordable on ink?

A.
The answer depends on what type of printing you do, and if you’re looking for an All-In-One printer, or just a plain printer, or a printer capable of printing pictures. For the sake of argument, and because they’re most popular, we’ll focus on the All-In-One models.

In general, all cheap(er) inkjet printers are going to be inexpensive to purchase, but the replacement ink costs will add up. Also generally, inkjet printers tend to be prone to breaking – because, well, they’re cheap.

The reason inkjets are so cheap is that the companies that produce them don’t sell the printer at a profit – they make their money on the ink.

A way around this is to purchase a color laser printer. They are more expensive to purchase, but they tend to last forever, and the toner cartridges cost pennies on the dollar for the amount of printing they provide. They also print much faster at higher quality that inkjet printers do.

My personal favorite is the Samsung CLX 3175FW All-In-One Printer / Scanner / Copier / Fax machine. It’s expensive at about $350, but it’ll probably be the last printer you’ll ever buy. It uses 4 toner cartridges – black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are included. Replacement cartridges cost about $43 each, which seems like a lot, until you realize they’ll last through about 1500 pages of printing (or a couple hundred color pictures). Coupled with the fast that laser printers rarely “break”, it really is the most cost-effective printing solution.

If you’re looking for something less expensive, Epson inkjet printers usually have a high page yield to ink ratio. The Epson WorkForce 630 runs about $100, and the replacement inks are about $20 each ($80 for all four), which will provide about 200 or so pages of printing. It’s less expensive initially, but the cost of the printer and the replacement inks will end up costing as much, or more, than the laser printer over the course of 3 ink changes.

No matter which way you decide to go, buying the inks or toners from the manufacturer or from a retail outlet is a big mistake. Ink and toner products are marked up more than almost any other computer item. If you need inks or toners, go to someone like 123inkjets.com or CarrotInk.com. Shop both of them to find the best price for whatever model you might have.

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