Wi-Fi routers, home servers, virtual private networks, and more.
Networking
Can I crack Wi-Fi passwords?
Episode 1422
Jerry has been using an app to hack a neighbor's Wifi for free WiFi. Leo says that is a violation of federal law and Jerry really shouldn't be doing that. And it probably doesn't work anyway since most wifi routers are using WPA2 these days and that's a lot harder to crack.
What NAS should I get?
Episode 1422
Eric from
Eric is looking to get a new NAS and wants to know whether he should get a Drobo or Synology? He wants everything on RAID that can be swappable. Leo says that Drobo is USB and is essentially a very large, fast USB external drive system. But for network attached storage, Leo prefers Synology. It's a computer with massive storage on his network.So it really comes down to what he'll want to use it for.
What's the best mesh router?
Episode 1417
Cindy from
Cindy wants to know what the best mesh router is. Leo says there's a bunch of them, including Plume, Eero, and the Netgear Orbi. They're all very good for people struggling with dead zones in their own home, or if there's a lot of WiFi congestion in the area. Mesh routers work by having a base unit along with extenders positioned all over the house to pass the signal around (much like a "mesh").
Are there cameras using buttons and knobs these days?
Episode 1416
Dale from
Dale says that the Fuji X-T2 and he says that most adjustments can be made without the menu settings. They have dials and buttons like the old days. Leo says that seems to be the trend now, going back to physical dials to make changes while shooting, and you can even reassign and program buttons for your most often used settings. It's mostly in higher end cameras, though. Leo says that they look like the old retro style film cameras and he loves that.
Can I disable the WiFi router on my cable modem and use my own?
Episode 1412
Matt from
Matt wants to get rid of his cable modem/router and get his own. Leo says that's a good idea. He'll most likely have to keep the modem, but he can disable the router in the firmware and use his own instead. Leo recommends an ASUS 3200.
Why won't my Lenovo Yoga connect to WiFi?
Episode 1411
Carrie from
Carrie has a Lenovo Yoga 2 convertible and it won't connect to the internet. It's asking for an adapter. Leo says that the Yoga is wireless, so it shouldn't need an adapter. Leo advises going into the Device Manager by pressing Windows Key and typing "device," then pressing Return. This will show her a list of all her hardware. That will show her if there's a problem with the networking device. She can delete it and then restart the machine. Windows will then reinstall the device driver. There's also a WiFi on/off switch.
How can I fix my laptop network adapter?
Episode 1411
Kevin from
Kevin has a Toshiba laptop and his network adapter went belly up. Can he use a third party adapter? Leo says that Kevin should be able to. Reliance on proprietary adapters went by the wayside thanks to pressure from the EU.
How can I get details on the signal strength of my wireless network?
Episode 1411
Keith from
Keith wants to know how strong his WiFi network is. Leo recommends WiFi Analyzer. For the Mac, there's WiFi Explorer. It will give him a line graph with signal strength according to channel. It's $20.
He can find other WiFi analyzer apps at netspotapp.com. It may be that all he needs to do is reset his WiFi settings.
How can I hardwire my home network?
Episode 1411
Brian from
Brian's gear needs ethernet, but the ethernet connections in his home aren't near the router. What are his alternatives? Leo says that TPLink's Powerline Networking is a solid option. It will use his home's electrical grid to create a wired network. Another option is to use mesh routers like Plume.
Why does the Amazon Echo stop streaming?
Episode 1410
Tamar from
Tamar has an Amazon Echo Dot. She'll be listening to streaming radio and then it will just stop working. Leo says that he's had the same problem and it could be that it hears the word stop and stops. But it could also be that the stream stalls and the Echo gives up. Leo discovered that when he used the Echo Show and could see the error message. When a stream stops, it could be a random stop of the stream to force it to restart. This is largely due to having to pay royalties for music that they play. But if it's stopping suddenly and after just a few minutes, then that's not normal.
