Geek Choice Blog » networking

Tired of Weak or No Signal? Do Something About It!

Gregg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:27:52 +0000

That damn yellow triangle sign where your wireless bars should be has a “!” telling you that the signal is there, but due to a weak signal your internet use is put on hold. Until the signal can regain strength, your first thought might be to sit there patiently and wait it out, but who has time for that anymore? We live in a digital world, a wireless world, one that is very fast and waiting is something the tribes did sending a message to another camp hundreds of years ago. Try a second thought: change the things you can! The power to change the signal is yours, listen up.

If we look at the router, it is really an amazing machine that is capable of fascinating feats for which we should be grateful for, I mean this little network tool makes our lives SO much easier. If we did not have the router, where would we be? Think about it, while you walk across the office to deliver something that could have been handled on a wireless network.

It all started back in Stanford with Bill Yeager who created the first router, which allowed for the wireless internet to blossom, as well as open many doors for the future. Yeager was asked originally to connect various departments at the school, he did much more than that. Back then they were only running on 56kb of memory, look how far it has have come!

Now that you know a little bit more about where router’s come from, let’s talk on improving that sometimes weak signal which is everyone’s enemy if you use wireless.

Place the router away from the wall. The signal that is being given off the router is too high to go through walls very good, and until we start using the television white space which is a much lower signal but can travel through walls, it is best that you position your device to a more accessible spot. Try placing the router in the middle of the room, house or office. It will be able to reach all the computers trying to access it better.
Keep it off the floor. If you put the router on the floor, the signal being sent to other networks will surely be slow because it is not able to receive the data packets being sent back to the router from your computer.
Do not put the router near metal objects. This is self-explanatory, metal objects can deflect signals and interrupt them, causing that annoying warning sign to piss you off.
Use a hi-gain antenna. The router comes with a regular antenna that sends a signal in all directions, if it is placed in your office then half of the signal is going out the window! A hi-gain antenna focuses on a certain direction, a better choice if you have a desktop computer.
Still weak? Try another type of router. This is called a wireless repeater, you still need your router, but the repeater will take the strong signal it gets in the office, and transmits it to the living room to supply the same strong signal to your laptop while enjoying the news.

If all else fails, just turn the router on and then wait for a couple minutes, then turn it on again. Resetting the router will boot it up again, it usually works to get a good signal after reset.

I don’t know about you, but I am sick of that stupid yellow sign that blocks my internet and keeps me from accessing work, finishing emails, and all the basic tasks the internet allows me to do with ease. Thanks to these tips though, I will never have that problem again. After all, ignorance is the only real problem, everything else is just details.

Special ONE DAY ONLY sale of WinPatrol Plus for 99 Cents!

Ken — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:49:59 +0000

Want to maintain strict control over what’s running on your computer, keeping an eye on the use of your resources and restricting the operations of any process all the way to the farthest depths of your system?

WinPatrol Plus is a popular and extremely powerful tool that allows Windows users to monitor every aspect of their system, taking the core features of your Task Manager and amplifying them considerably. From controlling what launches at your startup to alerting you of any sudden change in your system, this is for the you users who always exercise vigilance when operating your system.

Normally retailing for $40, the developers of WinPatrol Plus have announced a special promotional offer, making it available for just 99 cents!

Good for ONLY today, this is an offer you might find difficult to ignore.

You can read about what this tool does at the developer’s site.

If you’re interested in owning this, visit either their site or purchase it off the Yahoo! Store.

Specify which programs users can run in Windows 7

Ken — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:24:41 +0000

If you’re the administrator of a shared computer on which you have multiple users, you very well could be someone who wants that computer used for a specific purpose, wanting to limit access to a select few applications. This is especially true of businesses where lapses in productivity could be a concern. You could be a manager looking to have your network administrator to craft a means of increasing the productivity of employees, or you might be a parent who’s mindful of the impact your children’s computer use is having on their studies.

For whatever the reason, Windows 7 allows you to decide just which applications users of that shared system can open.

This feature is not available for users of Windows 7 Home versions.

First, you want to click on the Start button and enter “gpedit.msc” in the search box. Press Enter.

Then, you’ll want to go to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System. Once there, look under “Setting,” where you will then double-click on “Run only specified Windows applications.”

You” have to set that to “Enabled.” Then, in the Options section, click on the “Show” button.

Doing so will pull up a “Show Contents” window in which you can enter only those applications you want users to have access to. Once you’ve completed the list, click “OK.” Close out of the Local Group Policy editor.

With that done, you have now set restrictions on which applications users of your computer can avail themselves of. Should someone try to use one that isn’t included on your list of allowed applications, they will see the following message:

If you’re someone who monitors which applications are being used on your computer, this a great feature that will assist you in that regard.

An easy and safe way to test Google Public DNS

Ken — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:17:02 +0000

Announced a couple of weeks ago, Google has recently rolled out with Google Public DNS, which is a said to increase the speed at which you browse the internet. Completely free, Google’s service replaces your Internet Service Provider’s DNS with theirs.

If you’re someone that feels uneasy when messing with the settings associated with your router and internet connection, you might be interested in an extremely easy-to-use application that gives you an opportunity to test Google’s Public DNS and determine whether its benefit outweighs whatever hassles you might fear from switching over to it.

It’s called the Google DNS Helper, and its purpose is to allow users a chance to test out multiple public DNS servers to determine which ones introduce a noticeable improvement over the speed of your current DNS server.

Using it is simple, with just two options for users to worry about, saving them the stress of having to wrangle with their network settings. With just one click, this application switches you over to Google Public DNS, saving your current DNS settings before doing so. You’re now able to browse the web with your new DNS settings, having only to click the other button if you ever want to return to your original configuration.

If you’re interested in trying out Google’s DNS solution, this is a convenient – and, more important, safe – way of doing so if you’re someone who’s wary of tinkering with your router and network.

Grab it here.

Setting up a firewall can put your mind at ease.

Ken — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:44:14 +0000

Within the private confines of their home, away from the prying eyes of co-workers lurking nearby, the average user of a home PC figures they can surf the internet without worrying about intruders. Spyware and Viruses are all that concern them, the installation of malware protection enough to ward off any stress about their computer’s vulnerability.

Yet, no matter how much we caution users against leaving their computers unprotected from malware, those pests are not the only threat to which your attention should be turned. Many home networks remain susceptible to the ill intentions of unwanted visitors.

Piggybacking ranks as one of the most common offenses, the term referring to the unauthorized use of bandwidth by an outside party. With a wireless connection, piggybackers access an unsecured network, using it as if it were their own. While piggybacking is a relatively mild transgression, usually committed by a struggling college undergrad who can’t afford internet service, it can impact the availability of bandwidth on your network — resulting in a slow response time when using the internet.

The more serious violations of network security occur when an intruder invades your network for the express purpose of retrieving private information. Housed on your network are files of all sorts, personal data that you wish to secure against snoops and thieves. Without ample safeguards in place, unauthorized users can ferret sensitive information from your network and use it for their own design.

Many people unwittingly leave their networks open, unaware that they’re leaving themselves subject to the unwelcome motives of the internet’s less scrupulous population. Protecting yourself against these incursions is paramount, and one of the most effective ways to do so is the establishment of a firewall.

Firewalls do exactly what the term suggests, erecting a wall of protection that shields your network from outsiders, blocking entry to those who haven’t been granted authorization. They can be implemented through software or hardware, to varying degrees, depending on just how secure you want to be.

For those looking to set up a firewall on their network, here are a couple free solutions that I like:

http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/firewall.php

http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/free-upgrade-security-suite-zonealarm-firewall.htm

Creating a firewall can be an involving process. If not properly configured, your firewall will leave you no more protected than you were before its installation. Should you have any questions on how to build one, feel free to give our office a call. We are here to help you.