Wi-Fi
Why Your Internet Drops at the Same Time Every Day
A fault on a schedule has a cause on a schedule. Here is how to narrow it down from the timing alone, and which ones you can fix yourself.
8 min read
Networking
23 guides tagged “Networking”.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Extender vs Mesh: Which Does Your House Need?
An extender halves your speed to save money. A mesh system does not. Here is which one suits your house, and the option that beats both.
8 min read
VPN
What Split Tunnelling Is and When to Use It
Route some apps through the VPN and leave the rest on your normal connection. Faster and less disruptive, as long as you remember what is not protected.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Reset a Router Without Losing Your Settings
A power cycle and a factory reset are not the same thing, and only one of them wipes your Wi-Fi password. Here is which to use and how to back up first.
7 min read
VPN
How to Set Up a VPN On Your Router
Check your router supports a VPN client before anything else. Then it is a config file, a reboot and a leak test — and a speed test you should not skip.
8 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Find Your IP Address, Public and Local
You have two IP addresses and they do completely different jobs. Here is how to find each one, and which one the instructions you are reading actually want.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
What Is Bandwidth, and Why Does 100Mbps Feel Slow?
Megabits are not megabytes, and bandwidth is shared. Here is where the number on your bill goes, and what actually makes a connection feel fast.
7 min read
VPN
VPN Connected But Sites Are Still Blocked
The tunnel being up says nothing about whether your traffic is using it. Four checks separate a leaking VPN from a site that has simply blocked the server.
8 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Change DNS on Your Router (And What It Fixes)
Set it once and every device inherits it. Here is where the setting lives, which devices ignore it, and what it genuinely speeds up.
7 min read
VPN
Why Your Internet Is Slower On a VPN
Some slowdown is physics and cannot be fixed. The rest is server choice, protocol and MTU, and those three account for nearly every case worth troubleshooting.
8 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Change DNS Settings on Windows, Mac and Phone
Exact steps for each platform, which DNS servers to use, and the honest truth about what changing them does and does not improve.
8 min read
VPN
VPN vs Proxy: The Difference That Actually Matters
A proxy redirects one application's traffic. A VPN redirects the whole device and encrypts it. Which you want depends on the job, not on which sounds stronger.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
What Is a Dual-Band Router, and Is Tri-Band Worth It?
Dual-band means two radios, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Tri-band adds a third, and only pays for itself in specific situations most homes do not have.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
2.4GHz vs 5GHz Wi-Fi: Which Band for Which Device
One band is faster, the other reaches further. Here is the real difference, and which of your devices belongs on each.
8 min read
VPN
What a VPN Router Is and Whether It Is Worth Setting Up
Running the VPN on your router covers every device at once, including ones with no VPN app. It also costs speed and makes ordinary problems harder to diagnose.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
What Is an SSID, and Does Hiding It Help?
An SSID is your Wi-Fi network's name. Hiding it is widely recommended as a security measure and does not work. Here is what it does instead.
7 min read
VPN
What a VPN Concentrator Is and Who Actually Needs One
Dedicated hardware for terminating hundreds of VPN tunnels at once. It is enterprise equipment, and almost nobody reading this needs to buy one.
6 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Find Your Router's IP Address and Log In
Your device already knows the address. Read it off Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android in under a minute, then get into the admin page.
7 min read
VPN
What VPN Passthrough Is and Why It Barely Matters Now
A router setting from the era of PPTP and L2TP. Modern VPN protocols do not need it, and most routers keep the toggle only for compatibility.
6 min read
VPN
What a VPN Tunnel Is and How Your Traffic Travels
A tunnel is ordinary packets wrapped inside other packets. Understanding that one mechanism explains almost every VPN problem you will ever hit.
7 min read
Wi-Fi
How to Set Up a New Router, Step by Step
The physical order matters more than the app. Here is the sequence that works on any router, and the three settings worth changing before you finish.
8 min read
Wi-Fi
Router vs Modem vs Access Point, in Plain English
Three boxes that do three different jobs, often sold as one. What each one actually does, and which one is causing the problem you have.
7 min read
VPN
What a VPN Actually Does, and Whether You Need One
A VPN moves the record of your browsing from your internet provider to the VPN company. Here is what that genuinely protects, and what the marketing overstates.
9 min read