Wireless Home Networking

Computer Care: Tweaking your wireless network

	By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com

Is your laptop across the house from your router or on a different floor? Do you get the same poor reception on your wireless network that you get on your cell phone?

I can't get a decent cell signal inside my house without standing in front of a window. Sometimes I place the phone on the windowsill and use my Bluetooth headset.

But on your wireless network, there is no reason you shouldn't have a good signal. Here are some tips to help you improve reception. Most are easy fixes and many are either free or inexpensive.

First try rearranging your modem and router. If it is one device, move it across the desk; if two devices, put some space between them. Keep them away from cordless telephones that use the 2.4 GHz frequency (the 900 MHz and 5 GHz models are OK).

Try to place them centrally in the house, not in an end room or by a window. Don't put them on the floor, near other electronics or by metal filing cabinets. A DSL modem can connect to any phone jack in the house and a cable modem can connect to any coaxial outlet. You can get splitters for both to accommodate your Internet while maintaining your phone and TV connections.

The signal is line-of-sight, so if it has to travel through block walls, walls with aluminum studs and microwave ovens, the signal will be affected. Higher is better; thus, the placement of cell towers on hills (for all the good it does in my house).

If your router has antennas, try adjusting them to a lower angle. I got good results with this reaching down stairs in my house.

If you want to cut the (Ethernet) cord on your desktop, you can purchase a PCI wireless card for less than $50. Open the case, push in the card on an empty PCI slot, screw on the antenna, load the driver and you're set.

Alternatively and easier to install is a USB wireless adapter for about the same price.

While any wireless adapter will connect to any router, sometimes you get more speed staying with the same manufacturer. If you have a Linksys adapter, try to get a Linksys router.

The standard for wireless is 802.11 and has types g, b or n, each being progressively faster than its predecessor. All will work and are backward compatible.

Another thing to try is updating your router's firmware. Make sure you download the correct version. See the label under the device to be certain. Also update the driver for the wireless adapter in your computer.

To extend the wireless range in your house, you may consider getting a repeater or a wireless access point. Again, stick to the same brand with these.

These won't make the signal stronger, but will stretch the distance it travels. Less expensive than buying a wireless access point, is buying a second wireless router, as the former can be pricey. For instructions on using a router as an access point, go to http://ezlan.net/router_AP.html.

For a You Tube video on repeaters, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0ji8-y4w0. While there, look in the right margin for other tutorials that may be of assistance.

You could also swap out antennas on either or both the router and your wireless adapter. Depending on placement of the router, get either unidirectional or omnidirectional antenna replacements. These don't cost much and often yield great improvement.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, watch this short video tutorial at http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/11/20/how-to-extend-your-wireless-range-for-5-cents/. It's a good, cheap antenna fix.

Another option for getting better reception is to try changing channels in your router setup. Although many channels are listed, I suggest you stick with 1, 6 or 11.

To access router's setup, you need to type its IP address in your browser's address bar. Linksys for example, uses 192.168.1.1 for the (private) IP address. D-Link uses 192.168.0.1 for theirs. The User and Password for Linksys is "Admin," while for D-Link it is "Admin" for the user and the password is left blank.

If you want to determine your public or outside IP address, the easiest way is to go to whatismyip.com.

With wireless networks, be sure the information is encrypted. Setup usually does this for you. WEP encryption is good; WPA is better. If it is not encrypted, not only will your neighbors (or passers-by) be able to see your network, they will be able to log on to it.

You will then be sharing your bandwidth with them, experiencing a slower connection. If they can access your network, they can access your computer and your files. So yes, encryption is important.

I can't elaborate here. Like I've said before, that's another column.

So if your wireless network's reception is as bad as my cellular reception, try some of the changes I've suggested. I can check my e-mail all over the house. You should be able to as well.

Can you hear me now?

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Updates vs Upgrades

Computer Care: Updates vs. upgrades: Know the difference

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

UPDATED July 9, 2010 9:50 p.m.

Every program on our computers needs updating every now and then as does the operating system itself. But wait; is it an update or an upgrade?

Let’s see, if I upgrade to a newer version, it will be current, but is it free? Hmm, I’m not going to pay every time I get a new version of a program. Or will I?

You upgrade an operating system, but update an application. No, you can upgrade them both, but you can also update them both.

Well, who’s on first?

OK, now that I have thoroughly confused some of you, this is the way it works. There are both updates and upgrades for programs, utilities, games and even operating systems, Windows included. The difference being that usually updates are free while upgrades are not.

For example, if you have the free edition of Advanced System Care, version 3.60 and it advised you of an update, it will be free. You then go to the website and download version 3.61.

But they also want you to upgrade to their Pro version. It has more bells and whistles, perhaps a scheduler and is an all-around better program. That one will cost you.

Some companies charge when the update is to the next full integer, like from version 3.9 to 4.0.

If you paid for an application like your anti-virus program, then you will get free updates for that year, as they are on an annual basis. Those you should set to update automatically.

In most programs, you’ll have the option to set it to update automatically. To upgrade though, you’ll need to click on a link or a button.

Keep in mind, whenever you initiate a system restore with Windows, you will lose your updates previously installed and will need to redo them. Some installations in Windows Update are permanent. Be sure you need these as there is no going back.

Driver updates are always free from the device manufacturer and a good thing to look for occasionally.

The big one in question is Windows Update. There are many options when it comes to updating. Upgrading would be from XP to Vista or Vista to 7, and we all know that is not free.

If you click on the update link in Windows, whatever version you have, you will be given choices. You can set it to Automatic and let it download and install whatever and whenever it sees fit. It is in control.

There is also an option to only download the important updates, but they decide what is important. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like decisions being made for me.

You can also choose to have it download the updates, but not install them; that would be on you.

Alternatively, you can turn it off and look for the updates manually from their website. They will let you know when the updates are available. This way, you are in control. You get to look over the menu and order only what you want. You choose what to download and when to install it. This is the way I like to do it.

You can also turn off the update option completely, should you want to.

In XP, you can right-click on My Computer, choose Properties and then click on the Updates tab. All of your options will be there.
In Vista, click on the Start button and then go to Control Panel. Click on the Security heading and you can get your updates there. Look in the left panel to change your update settings.

In Windows 7, you click the start button and then go to the Control Panel, then to Windows Updates. Look in the left column to change the settings.

There are other ways to get there in all versions. That’s one of the nice things about Windows. There is always more than one way to get somewhere.

So more about updates; I used to let the system call the shots. I set it on automatic and soon discovered I was downloading and installing fonts I’d never use (Korean and Russian), security patches for Internet Explorer (I use Firefox and Chrome) and add-ons for the scientific calculator (I’m a wordsmith, not a mathematician). So now I avoid the ones I know I won’t need or use.

Plus the fact, I hate when I get a pop-up telling me Windows is installing something and then wants to reboot the computer. I feel like I’ve lost control of my system. Hey, I’m writing a column here. Hold off on the reboot, will you guys!

It’s like the User Access Control in Windows 7 and Vista where you are constantly being asked for permission to open a folder on your computer. I thought I was in charge; obviously not. You can turn that off too, by the way. But that’s another column.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.