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Tag: Wi-Fi

Glenn Fleishman 37 comments

Reconnect a HomeKit Accessory over a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Network

After a network hiccup caused his HomeKit-enabled smart thermostat to lose its network connection, Glenn Fleishman had to do tweaky network reconfiguration to get it to rejoin his Home setup.

Adam Engst 14 comments

LittleBITS: New Year’s Resolution, macOS Upgrades, Ad Hoc Wi-Fi Networks

Feeling overwhelmed by negativity? Adam Engst shares some 2021 wrap-up posts showing that even in a pandemic-ridden year, a lot of good stuff happened that didn’t make the headlines. He also looks at the solution to a macOS upgrade problem and explains how to bring back the menu command for creating an ad hoc Wi-Fi network.

Glenn Fleishman 66 comments

Improve Your Home Wi-Fi with Mesh, Powerline, MoCA, or More Routers

We have many choices now for boosting coverage and throughput on our home Wi-Fi networks. The main determinants on the path you might pick? Cost, complexity, and installation hassle.

Adam Engst 9 comments

Speedify Bonds Multiple Internet Connections for Speed and Reliability

If you’re putting up with slow or unreliable Internet connectivity and are willing to pay for better service, the Speedify VPN promises to combine multiple Internet sources into a single connection that’s faster and more reliable.

Josh Centers 8 comments

Obscure Bug Could Disable the %p%s%s%s%s%n Wi-Fi on Your iPhone or iPad

An odd bug in iOS and iPadOS could render your Wi-Fi inoperable if you join an oddly named network.

Glenn Fleishman 11 comments

How to Connect to Wi-Fi Networks Faster in iOS 13

In iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Apple has added a new, faster way to connect to a Wi-Fi network, upping the total number of methods to four. Glenn Fleishman explains each of them.

AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.8.1 Agen Schmitz 11 comments

AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.8.1

Patches security vulnerabilities on AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations with 802.11n Wi-Fi. (Free)

AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.9.1 Agen Schmitz 15 comments

AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.9.1

Patches several security vulnerabilities on AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations with 802.11ac Wi-Fi. (Free)

Josh Centers 32 comments

How to Work Around Wi-Fi Hotspot Captive Portals on Browserless Devices

Many public Wi-Fi hotspots require you to click a button on a “captive portal” page before you can get online, which is a problem if your device doesn’t have a Web browser. Here’s a workaround you can try with a device like an Apple TV or Nintendo Switch.

Glenn Fleishman No comments

Wi-Fi Switches from Obscure Protocol Names to Simple Generation Numbers

So long, 802.11ax. Hello, Wi-Fi 6! The Wi-Fi Alliance has simplified the names for Wi-Fi standards to make it easier to tell generations of equipment apart.

Josh Centers No comments

The 1998 Meeting with Steve Jobs that Spawned Wi-Fi

The story of the meeting between Steve Jobs and Lucent Technologies to add wireless networking to Apple laptops is short and quirky, but it changed networking forever.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 41 comments

Velop Provides First-Rate but Expensive Wi-Fi Mesh Networking

With Apple’s AirPort line of base stations gone to that Wi-Fi network in the sky, the Velop wireless system from Linksys is a solid alternative. Unlike Apple’s base stations, Velop is “mesh” hardware, with multiple units working in unison to bathe a residence in bandwidth. Velop works well but is costly. Luckily, there are less expensive options.

Josh Centers 79 comments

RIP: Apple AirPort, 1999–2018

Long a mainstay of wireless networking for Mac users, Apple’s line of Wi-Fi routers — the AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and AirPort Time Capsule — have been officially discontinued.

Glenn Fleishman 3 comments

WPA3 Promises Better Wi-Fi Security with Less Effort

The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced WPA3, a replacement for its current local network encryption options. WPA3 both fixes an exploit and increases security for those using open networks, all while reducing the burden on users. But don’t expect it to take over from WPA2 soon.