How To

Since most homes are now using wifi routers, speed checks to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth is not as simple as it used to be. The router may not give you the same bandwidth as what you’ll get with a hard-wired connection. Also, the speed may vary based on usage in the home. Here are some things you should know coming from experts in the field.

It should be clear that you cannot check the speed of your broadband using wifi. When you buy a broadband service from an ISP (Internet Service Provider), they are only responsible for the service delivered to your premises or, at best, to the router. Also, if you buy a service that offers “up to” a certain speed, that’s basically the best case. It only guarantees that [some] of the users of that service get that speed. Most people will get less. (more…)

(more…)

Few things are as exciting as shooting something out of a cannon…but try shooting a GoPro using a 3D-printed projectile!  This very cool video is going viral as hell, showing two guys doing just that.  David and Ryan, created a homemade cannon with their GoPro as a cannon ball.  The footage it shoots on its way up, and then back down where they catch it, is astounding! (more…)

Eliminating your FAT cable bill is easier than you think !

These days, streaming devices are inexpensive and popular, compared to the steep monthly price of a cable subscription.  Cable subscribers pay anywhere from $80/month on the low side, to over $150, for simple cable internet service with TV.  Now in 2014, cable TV is losing market share to sites like Hulu, Amazon, and Neflix.  Not to mention satellite.  It’s time to cancel cable and save, while adding services you only dreamed of.  It’s easy to find great alternatives to cable TV. (more…)

by Kim Komando, Special for USA TODAY

A few years ago, a cable technician was working on the lines outside my house. When I mentioned I was paying for the company’s top-tier Internet service, he snorted and said, “You can’t get that tier of service with these lines.”

It was a lesson to me: We have to always be on guard in dealing with these large cable and Internet companies. (more…)

As insecure as passwords generally are, they’re not going away anytime soon. Every year you have more and more passwords to deal with, and every year they get easier and easier to break. You need a strategy.

The best way to explain how to creating a secure passwords is to explain how they’re broken. The general attack model is what’s known as an offline password-guessing attack. (more…)

No contract phone plans that you’ve never heard of!

The mobile phone industry is changing rapidly, and it’s all good for you. It used to be that signing a two-year contract with a major carrier was the only way you could get the newest phones and the best coverage. That’s not so true anymore.

Instead of a standard 2-year contract, you can bypass it and purchase an unsubsidized, unlocked phone – even leading-edge models.
(more…)

Many Internet service providers are now giving their customers combined devices that function as both a modem and a wireless router. With these devices, you don’t have to buy a router — but you can, if you like.

While separate routers can be more powerful, configurable, and feature-filled, that isn’t necessarily a good thing for everyone. Whether you should get a separate router or not depends on what trade-offs you want to make. (more…)