Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with internet and wifi

Help, I need a stronger wifi signal!

OuttaHere — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:53:19 -0800

Help! I live in a basement and need a stronger Wi-Fi Connection! I live in a Basement of a townhome and pay for internet which my landlord provides via Wi-Fi.

The problem is that he has the router on the third floor of the house, and I am in the basement. It probably doesn't help that it is an old building, so there is a lot of brick and mortar. Anyways, he uses Comcast so in order for us to have a land line in our residence we would have to pay for a completely new cable package/modem etc.

In my room I am getting like 25% signal, 2 bars out of 5 pretty much, and get a really shitty and slow connection. If I move my computer out to the main room my speed and connection increases 10 fold.

Anyway, I'm not the greatest with this kind of tech stuff so I was wondering if people out there had options for me. I haven't talked to my landlord about it but wanted to confront him with some options.

Anyone have ideas, especially if you are familiar with comcast. Are those "Range Extenders" worth it? Can you add a router to a lower level somehow to increase the range? Is there anything comcast can do?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

How to separate open wifi from wired network.

Jackie_Treehorn — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:37:12 -0800

How can I offer guests in my home or business wifi that is separate from my home or business network? I'd like to be able to easily offer guests in my home or business free, unsecured wireless access, but at the same time not allow them access to my other wired or secured wireless network.

How would I do that?

Thank you!

Why-Fi?

Rhaomi — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:17:19 -0800

What's killing my wi-fi connection? The last few days I've been having some odd problems with my wireless network. I'll be browsing on my laptop when all of a sudden things get really slow, as if I lost the connection. But instead of being sent to "This page is not available" or "server not found" pages like when there really is no connection, I just get stuck loading forever. So if I open a tab and go to Google, it will sit and load saying "Waiting for www.google.com" in the status bar for a minute or two, then eventually say "Done" -- even though the only thing that has loaded is a completely blank tab (even the source code of the page is empty) with the raw URL in the title bar.

But throughout all this, there's no indication that I've lost my connection. The wifi icon in the system tray doesn't change, and says I'm connected if I hover over it. When I open up the Command Prompt and enter ipconfig /all, it says all my internet connection stats are normal. The subnet mask, DHCP server, DNS, etc. are all there. The IP address doesn't start with 169. It's all okay.

Weirdest of all, despite the fact that I can see that all the connection info is normal, if I enter my router's IP address into the address bar (which usually takes me to the router's settings page), it just does the same thing. Load... load... load... blank tab. I understand not being able to connect to the internet, but if I can see all my connection and router info in Command Prompt, why can't I connect to the same router with my browser?

The only way to fix it, I've found, is to disconnect from the wireless network and reconnect. It'll then work fine for anywhere from one minute to fifteen, at which point the connection drops again. This is only affecting my laptop, by the way -- iPods and other laptops connect fine.

I've tried restarting my computer, restarting the router, and repairing the connection -- nothing works. It seems that getting closer to the router improves things, but I'm not sure since the problem comes and goes randomly. And besides, the router is in the same place as it's always been, so unless it's suddenly lost broadcasting power I don't see what would cause the problem. And in the "View Wireless Networks" window, it says the network has an Excellent signal when I'm not connected (though that decreases a bar or two once I do).

The only incident I can think of is that a power surge recently burnt out the power supply, and I had to buy a universal one with an adapter to get the router up and running again. But this was a week or two before the trouble started, so that's probably not the source.

Is there anything that would cause a wireless router to lose signal strength like that? Is there something I can do to fix it, or should I just spring for a new one?

Details: I have a Dell laptop running Windows XP SP3. I have a Bellsouth Fast Access DSL internet connection. The router is a 2Wire HomePortal 1700HW. The loading problem happens on Firefox, Chrome, and IE7.

One more detail I remembered: For awhile when the problem first started, ipconfig /all was giving me some weird info. For instance, it said that the "lease" for the connection expired one second after it was obtained. But it's not doing that anymore.

Seattle company that provides temporary internet for events?

kables — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:31:21 -0800

Where can I find a Seattle company that provides temporary internet connections for conferences & events? My Google-fu is failing me.

I'm part of a group organizing an unconference in Seattle in October. Our location is a public high school.... and it is looking like we might need to get internet access from a separate vendor (connectivity issues asides, public-school-mandated content filters might be a real issue if we use the school's connection).

Does anyone know of any companies in Seattle that provide temporary internet drops for conferences and events? We expect around 300 attendees.

Experience with Sprint / Nextel MiFi?

bamassippi — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:04:59 -0800

Experience with Sprint / Nextel MiFi? Moving into an area of Seattle with a cable/Internet provider with a poor reputation and performance. My wife and I are considering the MiFi 2200. We both work from home and I wanted to ask the MeFi-ers first to see if anyone has had any experience with this device/service.

We need something that can handle everything from running reports through VPNs, to watching videos, to downloading large files. What should we need to know (or be concerned) about? How does it compare to a top-of-the-line high-speed broadband service?

Is Minneapolis Wireless any good?

voltairemodern — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:51:20 -0800

Is the USI Wireless service in Minneapolis any good? I'm interested in any recent experiences (positive or negative, preferably within the past year) that you've had with the Minneapolis Wireless program.

I'm going to be living right by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and will need a connection for two laptops and an imac.

WiFi Filter

bad grammar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:33:40 -0800

Is there a scammy catch or otherwise bad deal to Starbucks' free WiFi through the Starbucks card and AT&T? Don't whale away at Starbucks and their corporate fascism and terrible coffee, please; I am taking an online class at my regular university and have to get online through the day. I registered by Starbucks card for 2 hours of free WiFi access at Washington, D.C. area Starbucks locations. As for why not the public library, the National Mall, etc. it is 90+ hot and I am carrying a laptop, which I used to access (not a smartphone) and books.

I realize that I've let myself in for a deluge of promotional e-mail from both companies, but have I let myself in for anything worse? Will AT&T send me bills?

I logged on at the Starbucks at 1502 Dupont Circle and then the AT&T link dropped out and I was unable to log out. I logged back on but the AT&T sign-in screen did not come back up. Will I be penalized for not logging out? I was able to log on and log out properly at another location. There were very many competing wireless links at the Dupont Circle location.

Cheap smartphone that will make Skype calls over Wi-Fi?

redteam — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:28:02 -0800

Can anyone recommend a cheap smartphone that can make Skype calls over Wi-Fi? I don't want to use the smartphone on the cell phone network (though I might if I can get a cheap one that will work with AT&T). I just want one that will be able to make and receive Skype calls over my home and office wifi networks. I would prefer that the phone actually run Skype's official software, and not some alternative. Basically, I want a cheaper alternative to one of those Belkin or Netgear wifi phones.

The Skype calls must be able to use the phone's built in microphone and speaker - like a normal phone call. I mention this because some of these phones will run Skype but only with a headset or only over the speakerphone or some nonsense.

I will try and find any recommended phones on Craigslist in Los Angeles, if that matters.

Wi-Fi-Free-For-All

nam3d — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:37:23 -0800

(2 part question) I have an open wifi router which I am happy for neighbours and passers-by to connect to. Is there a piece of software out there (for the mac) that will tell me when people connect to my router? and would there be a way of redirecting people to a landing page when they connect to my router?

SSL and compromised networks?

Busoni — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:01:55 -0800

Does SSL protect information even if the wi-fi connection is unsecured? Say a person is using an available wi-fi network, the source of which he doesn't know. It could be a generous neighbor, or a honeypot. If the person checks his email and his bank accounts, does it matter that the URLs begin with https://?

If the ethics of this question are problematic, consider the hypothetical case of "duplicated" public wi-fi hotspots, in which a hacker creates a network with a duplicate SSID.

Whitelisting sites for an Ipod Touch

mecran01 — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:45:38 -0800

My son (12) has saved his lawn mowing money and is buying a refurb Ipod touch. I want to mediate his internet access, if possible, at the router level. Please believe me when I say that I know that social control is the best method for helping my son make choices about his internet usage.

But due to reasons I don't need to go into regarding the micropolitics of our home, I need to know if there is a way to use my linksys router or some other tool to create a whitelist of sites that he can visit, preferably without restricting the other computers in the home.

If you want to tell me I'm an idiot for trying to restrict my son's access, that's fine but please do it in a private message. I just am looking for an ipod touch/router/whitelist solution, if one exists, that has a nice degree of granularity. It's not just about protecting him from EEEEEEvil, but also to keep him from surfing the web until 2 a.m.

There is a limited discussion of Ipod parental controls here, but it's not quite what I'm looking for. And here is information on changing the /etc/hosts file, but that doesn't let me turn off the internet at 11pm (for him) while keeping it on for the rest of the house.

Thanks!

Create a wireless bridge in my house

jasondbarr — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:53:59 -0800

What's the best way to bridge two wired networks within a home, wirelessly? So this question has been asked before, but it's been a couple of years, and I know this stuff goes out of date quickly. Is the advice in the prior AskMe still valid, or are there better ways to do it? I have a wifi connection point in my home (wireless cable modem), and would like to get a piece of equipment to recieve that signal and allow me to hard-wire into it with some game consoles, a Roku box, filesharing server, etc. Sometimes, I need to be able to have a wired connection on these devices (for instance, if I'm installing a new OS that will require me to have an internet connection before I have drivers for wireless cards) but don't have the inclination to move them.

BTW, forgive the terminology if I'm using some of it wrong. Feel free to correct me. :) Thanks.

wifi router can't make it through walls: what's the most effective way to extend the range of our wifi cloud?

krautland — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:44:00 -0800

our new belkin router doesn't have the power to make it all the way through the house. are range extenders good? which one should I choose? (more inside) I gave my parents (in germany) a wireless router for their mac/pc mix household. it's this belkin G (802.11g), their basic model. unfortunately the router has to sit in a room in the far corner of their house and thick german cement walls (no plywood here) are ensuring the signal doesn't make it all the way across the house into the attic or kitchen. the signal currently covers half the house, so getting through the walls is not completely impossible, they just do to the router what a pair of massive mittens would do to your dexterity.

I'd like to extend that range so that certain rooms they use as offices are covered by the signal. belkin seems to offer a universal range extender but the german amazon page for that product has a user opinion stating that said extender doesn't really work if it's more than a couple feet from the router itself. I wonder if the hivemind has an opinion on this...

I'm not married to using belkins to extend the range of the router but I am married to the router since exchanging it would be rather difficult for me right now.

what's the most effective way to extend the range of our wifi cloud?

Something is clogging up my wifi connection

gfrobe — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:49:09 -0800

How do I isolate and fix this WiFi problem on my home network? I have two computers, a desktop and a laptop, connected to my router wirelessly. When transferring a large file wirelessly from the desktop to the laptop (or to my Xbox via FTP), I'm unable to connect to any internet sites at all from the desktop. It's as if the wifi connection is being sucked up completely by the transfer. However, while this transfer is happening, I can surf the web fine from the laptop without any problems.

This all started happening only recently. That is, I used to be able to transfer a large file from the desktop across the network and still browse the internet from the desktop at the same time without any problem. I've also noticed that the same problem also happens with bittorent i.e. if I'm downloading or uploading from the desktop, even at slow speeds, I can't connect to any sites at all from the desktop but can surf from the laptop fine.

How do I fix this?

Best WiFi / Internet Radio

dance — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:03:27 -0800

As an English ex-pat, my fiancée really misses the BBC's Radio 4. We both do. Can anyone speak from experience about the best Internet/wifi radio for both listening live and the BBC's 'listen again' feature? I've done some Googling but there is lots conflicting information and I don't feel like the reviews I've found have been informative enough to make a purchase. Is there a Mefite who owns one and uses it for this purpose?

Help me use my Laptop as a Wireless Router!

Master Gunner — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:19:57 -0800

Help me turn my Laptop into a Router! I am running Vista Home Premium, and I am away from my home. The person I am staying with does not own a wireless router, and is not interested in buying one.

I want to connect to his Broadband Connection, and use my Laptop as a wireless router (for my iPod Touch, his laptop (running XP), etc...)

Is there a way we can share the internet connection with only one PC physically hooked up? We would prefer using my Vista machine as opposed to his XP machine.

Basically, I want to hook up to his hard-wire broadband connection, and use my WiFi card to broadcast the signal so that the other laptop (and any other device) can share the internet connection.

I need dummy-proof instructions on how to do that.

Google-fu has failed me.

Airport Distress

popcassady — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:22:52 -0800

Airport Express and my iMac don't get along. My iBook works fine. What's wrong? I have an airport express base station. About a fortnight ago, my iMac (G5 1.8ghz, 10.5.5) decided it wanted to be difficult and only connect to the internet when it wanted to. I've tried a load of things: done the permissions business... reset the airport express... turned the IPv6 thing off... made sure the airport card was installed correctly... moved the computer to get better reception... used the network wizard in Safari... updated my airport firmware... turned the firewall off... Some of these tricks have worked -- just not permanently.

The little signal strength icon says I've got a good signal. The computer seems to have no problem finding the network. It just won't get me online. What's more, my iBook (10.4.11) is fine with connecting to the internet -- even from the exact same location!

What do I do? How do I get my iMac to pull itself together?

How to extend a wifi network at home.

barnone — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:10:57 -0800

Help extending a wireless network? I have a Time Capsule acting as my primary wifi base station. It's in the living room, attached to the only DSL line in the house. It has a great signal all over the house...except of course in my office, in the back room. Any good ideas how to extend the network back there? A few more details inside. The walls are thick plaster, so I think they're basically blocking the signal, because it's not physically that far from the Time Capsule to the room in question. I can get a full signal from some very minute areas of my desk, but if the MacBook gets moved even a millimeter, the network can't even be found! And it's not the exact same location each time, so I can't just mark X where the Macbook goes.

It's pretty much impossible to run an ethernet cord from the router to the office - it's across a big hallway and through several rooms. We rent, so no major drilling.

I do have an older Airport Extreme Base Station (802.11g - the dome shaped one). But I know that setting that up will effectively make the wireless bandwidth 1/2 of the slower speed, right?

Totally willing to buy something else (or make something) if it's about $50 or less. But I don't really want to plug something into my computer each time I sit down - those little antennas look annoying. Would even consider buying something more expensive if it's pretty guaranteed to work. Repeater? New Airport Express with 802.11n?

This has been driving me nuts for months -- would be so grateful for any help you can offer!

I can't make decisions!

Nickel — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:03:42 -0800

Should I buy a computer today (the last day of the apple promotion) and/or is my landlord required to provide me with a stable wifi signal if it is included in the lease? I have two interconnected questions for the hive mind.

1. I recently moved into a new studio apartment. This apartment is a cottage in the backyard of the landlord's house. Free wifi was advertised in the craigslist listing of the apartment and was included in the lease. However, once I moved in I discovered that the connection is not that strong. I have to stand on the landlord's back porch with my laptop to establish the initial connection and once I move into my apartment the signal strength drops considerably. In addition, the signal cuts in and out randomly. The signal has been gone for the past 24 hours, and when I called the landlord she said that nothing had changed so she doesn't know why I can't get it anymore.

Is my landlord required to provide a stronger signal since wifi is a utility she provides in the lease or am I getting what I paid for?

If I buy my own router and plug it into the cable outlet INSIDE my apartment, can I use her cable service or would I have to get my own plan with comcast? Would I still be able to get my cable tv (if I use a splitter or something)?

2. Related to that, I have been considering buying a new macbook and getting a free ipod touch with the apple educational promotion. I don't need a new computer - mine is only 2 years old and I have a 3 year applecare plan on it. Plus, I don't have enough money for a new computer and would need to buy it on credit, which I really don't want to do.

BUT.... the new macbooks have better wifi cards so my signal at home will be better. I'm a big internet user, so I need internet service at home. In addition, I am in the market for a new smartphone (I was thinking the iphone of the new T-Mobile Android). Maybe I can use the free ipod touch as my on the go email/internet/map service and I won't have to spend money on a new phone and a monthly fee.

But then I heard rumors that the macbook will have a significant upgrade in October, and I don't want to regret buying the older (current) model. Plus, the ipod touch won't work away from a wifi signal which limits it's smartphone replacement benefit.

I've been going back and forth for the past 2 weeks and today is the last day of the apple deal so I need to decide NOW! What should I do? I'm even thinking of buying the computer and leaving it unopened just so I have 2 more weeks (the return period) to decide.

Will I be able to use my future iPhone's data plan to surf on my laptop?

raygan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:44:55 -0800

Will it likely be possible to use a 3G iPhone as a modem for a laptop, or to use its data plan with some other hardware? I'm sold on the new iPhone, but I've got some questions about the whole data plan thing. It seems like a bit of a waste to pay for what is essentially a second, wireless, broadband account, without the ability to use it on my laptop as well.
I've seen how-tos on the internet for how to use a jailbroken iphone as a modem of sorts for a laptop, sharing its data connection over Wi-Fi. It was a complicated process, but the possibility intrigues me. Will this be something likely to show up as a possibility without jailbreaking, now that developers can work on the iPhone legitimately through the app-store? (I'm imagining some kind of a "Internet Sharing" app) Or would that be something AT&T would likely put the kibosh on?
If the app-store terms of service will likely make this impossible, is there a piece of hardware I could swap my sim-card into and plug into my laptop? Something like that?

My own hotspot...

wongcorgi — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:01:55 -0800

What is the legality of providing free/cheap wifi to neighbors? I live in a townhouse complex, what is the legality of broadcasting an access point that gives free or possibly cheap internet? Barring your own internet providers' stance on sharing internet, are there any permit requirements, legal issues that may come up?

I'm thinking a redirected portal page that comes up, so no advertising other than the AP name. Possibly free low speed and nominal charges for full speed.

Would this be something that would warrant something more than a slap on the wrist or a letter from the homeowners board saying "don't do that?"

Several ISPs enter the ring, only one leaves...

vernondalhart — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:48:17 -0800

What is the best ISP in Vancouver, Canada? We're moving from a house which has 'built-in' internet---i.e. we aren't dealing with the ISP---to an apartment. So who should we go to for highspeed internet? It might be worth nothing that we already have a cellular contract with Bell, so it might be easiest to go through them.

But really, I'm looking for your personal experiences. Which is cheapest? Who has good customer service? Which companies kick puppies while selling children into diamond-mining slavery?

Home internet networks over large distances?

zaebiz — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:48:45 -0800

I have a wireless router in my house. 150 metres away I have a shed where I want to be able to use the internet on my laptop. There are electricity outlets in the house and in the shed but not in between. How do I get the signal from the house to my shed? For example are there battery-powered boosters that I could lay between the two places and recharge them at night? Can I buy a more powerful router? Can I buy some sort of signal magnifier to attach to the router? Or .... is it crazy to run a telephone cable all the way from the ADSL port in my house to the router in my shed? Any other ideas?

Downloading torrents at sea?

thilmony — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:23:56 -0800

What's it like to use the Internet on my laptop on a cruise ship? I'm leaving Saturday on a Holland America cruise. This website talks about the wifi in parts of the ship for a fee, or some computer room with pc's on the Internet for a fee. Also rooms have "dial up" available. So a few questions...

I am bringing my laptop with, for copying my digital photos off the camera, itunes, etc.

I'd also like to check email -- I use gmail so that should be fine. If it costs too much I'll probably wait until we are at one of the ports.

On my my last vacation, I uploaded photos daily to flickr. Higher bandwidth than email or browsing the www... is that possible from the rooms on this "dial up"?

Is the dial up really DIAL UP? As in, do I need an ISP with a dial up account or is there something on the ship they let you use?

Another site says "direct dial to your Internet access provider through your laptop is very expensive possibly at $10 + per minute." - so maybe I should just upload to flickr at port?

So what's my real question? I guess I'd like to know details about your experiences using your laptop on a cruise ship - bonus points if it's Holland America!

Need help with Internet access with a laptop.

valleys — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:48:17 -0800

I have a couple of questions about accessing the internet when travelling with a laptop for the first time. Questions about travelling with a laptop which I've been given for work:

1) I assume wi-fi is available in most airports? I also assume it is not free. (Feel free to correct my assumptions!) How much will I typically pay for internet access? How does it work? Have laptop search for available networks, select one, follow the instructions, feed in credit card number? I assume this is relatively safe?

(I'll be in Toronto Pearson, Heathrow, Dhaka, various airports in India.)

2) In Bangladesh and India, if I don't get internet where I'm staying, can I take the laptop to an internet cafe and connect, or is it necessary to use their PCs? I'll have a power adaptor and network cable with me. Any security concerns? I've read about various means to thwart keyloggers if I'm using cafe computers, but enough to know that they're not perfect. What about if I'm using my own laptop ... any network concerns?

Any other advice? (Dell laptop running XP)