Wi-Fi routers, home servers, virtual private networks, and more.
Networking
How can I improve the WiFi in my house?
Episode 1406
Jose has issues with WiFi reaching to the back bedroom in the house. He gets practically no signal at all on his phone back there either. He's told it would be a major issue to move his base station to make it better. What should he do? Leo says that it's a common problem that is largely due to congestion from everyone in the neighborhood. So the key is to get an extender. But you want one that's from the same company. And it cuts your bandwidth in half, so that's not an ideal solution.
Why and I getting a DNS Server error?
Episode 1405
Tom from
Tom is having issues with Google's DNS server not responding. DNS is the phone book for the internet. It takes the URL and converts it to the unique IP address for that website. It will look in local memory first, then the router, and then the Internet Service Provider for the address. It can even go beyond that to the master servers that house all domain names and DNS lookups. If it can't find it, you get an error message that there's a kink in the chain. That could mean there's something broken on your PC, or even your ISP's servers.
Why do I get less bandwidth in my bedroom?
Episode 1404
Terry from
Terry got the Luma mesh router and he gets pretty good 100 MB bandwidth everywhere but his master bedroom, which is about a third that. He even bought another module and it didn't help. Leo suspects that instead of a daisy chain extension, it's more like a star pattern, and that could end up with some dead or weak spots.
(Disclaimer: Eero is a sponsor).
Can I hardwire my laptop to a router in bridge mode?
Episode 1404
Trevor from
Trevor has a Netgear modem connected to his Google OnHub router. Everything works fine except for an old laptop. Can he connect hardwired to a repeater? Leo says that a second Google device would work because they have two ethernet ports.
How can use my Internet of Things devices with a mesh router?
Episode 1404
Ken from
Ken has an Eero mesh router, but he's concerned because he has several "internet of things" devices and he hears that mesh routers don't like them. Leo says that is the current problem, and it may be that the devices aren't smart enough to handle the mesh way of handling the network. They're working on it and Leo says that a fix will some sooner or later. But in the meantime, hardwiring to the router may be the best solution.
Can I use my cable coax for networking?
Episode 1400
George from
George wants to run Cat6 cable in his house, but it's difficult with the home design to do it. So he thought of using the coax cable and MoCA adapters to do it. Leo says that's a good idea, but it can get expensive since he'll have to buy a Moca adapter for each room and it's not as fast as Cat6. It's kind of like Powerline networking.
What mesh router should I buy?
Episode 1398
Jeff from
Jeff is thinking about buying an Eero mesh router. Is it worth it? Leo says that Eero is a great mesh router, and he uses it. They aren't the only game in town, however. Plume is not as fast, but it's more consistent. The NetGear Orbi is a more tradition router style option, but it does the same thing.
(Disclaimer: Eero is a sponsor)
Why can't I connect my iPod to my network?
Episode 1397
Steven from
Steven is having trouble with an old iPod logging into Wi-Fi. Jason says that some routers don't like Apple products much. Resetting network settings often helps, as does rebooting the router.
Why is my Wi-Fi network so bad?
Episode 1392
Ted from
Ted is having trouble with his Wi-Fi. Leo says that's not really the fault of his network so much as it's just congested from everyone else's networks and activity. Also, Ted is streaming 4K video and that takes a lot of bandwidth. It may be that Ted's ISP just isn't giving him the bandwidth he needs to consistently get a good stream. On top of that, anything they publish gets cut in half when streaming via Wi-Fi and with the congestion and the bandwidth, that's quite a challenge to overcome.
How can I find out how good my Wi-Fi is in my house?
Episode 1391
Joslyn from
Joslyn is getting ready to move and she wants to know how she can determine how strong a Wi-Fi signal is where she may live. Leo says DSL Reports will give her reviews on how good her internet is in any given area. But that won't tell her how good it is inside where she's going to live. If the building was built with a lot of metal, she'll have a hard time.
