Newsletter Archives

• The forums, and networking

  Posted on March 20, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Will Fastie

  FROM THE FORUMS

  

  Last week, Will wrote a “From the forums” note titled How to participate in the forums. The response to that note was greater than expected, as you can see if you visit its associated forum topic.

  Your reaction in the forums has already spurred us to make a change.

  Will’s article about his encounter with Verizon also resulted in heavy forum activity. The comments were interesting and instructive.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.12.0, 2023-03-20).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  From the Forums Forums, Networking, Newsletters

• Let your PC start the new year right!

  Posted on January 2, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.01 • 2023-01-02

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Taking a little time now to check and proactively service your Windows PC thoroughly can pay off big time in the coming year.

  Whether you’re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10, this easy-to-follow annual checkup is the preventive medicine that can help ensure that your PC begins 2023 in the best shape possible.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.01.0, 2023-01-02).

  Hardware Backups, Drive maintenance, hardware, Networking, Newsletters, PC maintenance, security

• TrafficMonitor — Breaking the Language Barrier

  Posted on February 14, 2022 at 02:42 CST by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  Sipping coffee and browsing the latest GitHub projects with Google Translate.

  That’s my idea of fun on any given morning or evening. If I did my searching with my American blinders on, I would miss 80% of the great, open-source software the world’s developers have to offer.

  I happened to stumble across a talented Chinese developer, who goes by the GitHub handle of “zhongyang219,” and the open source project TrafficMonitor. It’s a small applet that runs in the System Tray and displays your current network transfer speed plus CPU and memory usage.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.07.0 (2022-02-14).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Networking

• Why Wi-Fi 6, aka 802.11ax, for wireless?

  Posted on June 21, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Now that there is broad availability of routers compatible with the new Wi-Fi 6 standard, it’s easy to ask, “What’s in it for me?”

  There is a myriad of devices that are compatible with the 802.11ac specification, from laptops to cell phones to tablets to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. But the 802.11ac spec is not without limitations.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.23.0 (2021-06-21).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware, Wi-Fi 802.11ax, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Networking, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6

• Set up a guest network that’s actually secure

  Posted on February 1, 2021 at 01:10 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  Set up a guest network that’s actually secure

  By Brian Livingston

  In the computer industry, too many things that should be simple and easy are instead complicated and hard for the average person to understand. Take Wi-Fi routers — please!

  In my column on January 25, I showed you a way to protect your most essential computing devices by placing them on a different network from easy-to-hack Internet of Things devices. The trick uses two different Wi-Fi routers.

  But what if you have only one device? A cable company often installs a gateway that offers several wired Ethernet ports as well as Wi-Fi. In that case, you don’t have two devices to play with — you have just one.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.4.0 (2021-02-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender, Uncategorized AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Networking, Public Defender

• How to manage your router – Part II

  Posted on January 13, 2020 at 01:15 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  

  NETWORKING

  By Lance Whitney

  Your router holds the keys to your local network. Here’s how to use some of its advanced settings.

  In Part I of this two-part series, I covered the basics of router management: changing router and Wi-Fi credentials, guest networks, parental controls, and blocking devices. If you missed it, head over to the 2020-01-06 AskWoody Plus issue.

  The basic settings add some security and protection, but if you want to kick that up to a higher gear, you’ll need to dive into the more advanced options. In Part II, we’ll cover topics such as changing DNS servers, running a speed test, blocking specific sites, setting up MAC-address control, viewing logs, and updating your firmware.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.2.0 (2020-01-13).

  Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, DNS servers, MAC filtering, Networking, Router settings, Site blocking

• How to manage your router – Part I

  Posted on January 6, 2020 at 01:15 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  

  NETWORKING

  By Lance Whitney

  Your router holds the keys to your local network. Here’s how to interpret and configure its various settings.

  Router management has always been a somewhat challenging task, especially if you venture beyond the basic settings. Over the years, router manufacturers have tried to make the initial configuration process simpler through one-touch buttons and easy-setup wizards.

  But making sure your Wi-Fi network is configured securely and properly means delving into the local router’s firmware, checking and tweaking various options.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.1.0 (2020-01-06).

  Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Networking, Router management