How to Set Up a Wireless Network

July 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Setting up a wireless network for your home will allow you greater access to all your devices, more mobility, and it’s more easy than you may think. Here is a quick step-by-step on setting up your own home wireless network.

1. Set up your router.

You will need a wireless enabled router. Different types of routers have limits on how many devices can be connected, so research this information in advance. Once you have the router and have it connected, secure it with a password, and place it in the most central location possible in your home.

2. Plug things in.

If you will be connecting any devices with a wired connection, plug those in now. This may include computers that you want to have connect via Ethernet, but it can also entail devices that don’t have wireless hardware.

3. Plug in the wireless computers.

The simplest way to get your wireless connection rolling is by wiring it into the router first. This will make the rest of the process much more simple.

4. Go into the Windows Wizard

Now that you’re plugged in, we will want to get into the standard Windows configuration wizard. To do this, go to “Start” in the bottom-left hand side of your screen. Now click “Control Panel.” Within “Control Panel,” select “Network and Internet Connection,” then “Wireless Network Setup Wizard.” The exact location of this wizard may vary dependent on your version of Windows. Once you have selected this, follow the step-by-step directions to create a wireless connection with the devices you want your computer to have access to. Some version of the wizard will also allow you to create a USB “automatic setup” drive to simplify the process in the future.

5. Connect devices independently.

Many devices come with the ability to access this wireless LAN on their own. This includes anything with a major graphic user interface, such as tablets (think iPad) and mobile smart phones. The exact procedure will vary dependent on the device, but many of these will allow you to connect to the network by progressing through a simple setup wizard.

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Filed Under: Internet, Technology, Wi-Fi Networks, Wireless Technology Tagged With: , , ,

The Fascinating History of the Game of Chance

July 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gambling is an age-old pastime of mankind and has become a popular vacation activity.  Online sports betting may be one of the newest options available for avid players, but it all began long ago with a roll of the dice. In fact, followers of classical Greek Mythology believe Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus divided their universe by rolling dice.  

You can find some amazing information about gambling’s history from network and satellite news. Archeologist have uncovered evidence that some cavemen used part of a sheep’s ankle bone as the original dice, dating over 400,000 years ago. Artifacts of dice made from various materials have also been found in Egypt, India, Japan, Greece, and Rome — dating between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. The Romans were enthusiastic about gambling, so much so that a law was passed that all children be taught how to throw dice and gamble. Roman leaders were known to seize the property of the wealthy to pay for their gambling debts.

During the Roman era, townspeople gambled over the fate of those on trial for treason, incest, robbery and other serious crimes. It was common during this time that royalty and landowners were privately passionate about gambling, but outlawed gambling by the public in order to keep soldiers from participating in the games instead of refining their fighting skills. When pilgrims made their voyage to the new world, they found that Native Americans already had their own games of chance.

In 1793, President Washington bought the first lottery ticket in a lottery that began as a fundraising method to develop the District of Columbia. Federal and state level lotteries continued to be popular in the United States all the way through the 19th century. During the era of prohibition, gambling was sent to the underground along with alcohol, but in the early 1930s, gambling was once again made legal and sports betting, mainly horse racing, became widespread.

Filed Under: Internet Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Childproofing the Web

July 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Default Blue Luna
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The internet has countless websites on just about every subject that you can think of. However, not all of these topics are going to be G rated. Some of them aren’t even going to be child friendly enough to be R rated. As such, when your child gets old enough to start using the computer and internet, it’s a good idea to do some childproofing for the web. Here are some basic procedures that will allow you to do just that.

Step 1: Set up Independent User Profiles

In order to prevent your child from undoing any of your installations or other precautions, you will want to set up a user profile for them. Make sure this is not an administrator account, that it is password protected, and that it’s the only profile they have access to on the family computer.

Step 2: Set Some Rules

Before you go about locking things down, let your children know the ground rules. Develop reasonable standards with them for what can and can’t be done, and educate them on the risks of web chatting with strangers, providing personal information, and so forth.

Step 3: Keep Visible Eyes on Them

One way to prevent your children from exploring, due to curiosity, confusion, or raging hormones, is to make sure they know people are watching. Placing the computer in a well trafficked area will help with keeping them literally watched, but letting them know that you track their web activity will help them avoid any inappropriate sites.

Step 4: Check for Built In Controls

There are a few basic controls that can be added with Windows XP and above. There are also some advanced parental controls that are granted by many of the major internet service providers. See what you have to start with, and decide if more is needed from there.

Step 5: Buy Blocking and Monitoring Software

There are dozens of brands which provide software that will let you restrict sites, get reports of your child’s behavior, and monitor the amount of time your child spends online. This will let you catch any issues before they become too severe.

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Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Get Incredible Deals With Dell Coupon Codes

July 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Photo of a Dell XPS M140 Laptop.
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When you use Dell coupon codes, you’ll save money on a variety of their top-quality products such as desktop computers, laptops, televisions, cameras and more. The offers also might include free shipping, and in some cases you can have your order delivered in 48 hours. Dell is constantly upgrading their products, striving to give their customers the best their money can buy. And with the coupon codes, your money will buy even more. For instance, if you’re shopping for a new camera, you might consider Dell’s Canon brand PowerShot digital camera with a 12X optical zoom. The design is sleek for easy handling and storage. Other recent offers included a loaded Studio XPS 16 multimedia laptop with a discount of 30% when purchased with the coupon code.

Dell has a sound and respected reputation for quality products and great customer service. Listed as number 33 on Fortune 500’s list of top companies, Dell is the company that most small and medium-size businesses turn to when they need desktop and laptop computers. Each day, the company ships approximately 140,000 computers. With Dell shipping that many computers, it’s clear they know how to make them and how to keep their customers satisfied. The company provides excellent customer support either by phone or online. Their website is full of helpful information such as troubleshooting tips, product manuals and a support forum where other users like yourself discuss computing issues.

All the coupon codes will have an expiration date, so you have to take advantage of the offers before they’re no longer available. Some websites that feature the Dell coupon codes include ways to track great deals. For instance, you can have the best offers sent to you via email or set up an account to watch specific deals. You can also share the deals with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.

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Filed Under: Internet

Profiting Personally by Hosting Web Space

July 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’ve been on the Internet for any amount of time, you are probably familiar with the term web hosting. It is impossible to get online without purchasing an Internet service first. Maybe you’ve bought into a plan with your cable TV company or telephone service. Data such as those included with your email files are hosted on their servers. Similarly, you’ll need a host if you want to have a website and upload data and files to a server, which would appear on the site or support the various functions it offers to users.

For not that much of an investment, you can actually become a Web host yourself. By purchasing a package from a hosting company, you can set yourself up for the ability to sell server space to other people. All you need is enough space to store their data on, and this can be done by purchasing storage space on a remote shared server. In turn, you charge others for using a certain amount of space, as a monthly fee, on that server, and can make a profit by doing so.

The technicalities of this are not that difficult, and all you need to do once you are set up is to network. This is important, since many so-called webmasters are out there looking for customers on the Web. If you advertise your service in enough forums, it is possible to get the attention of a few prospects and start your own little business selling Web space. Other methods of marketing your business include posting ads on other websites, or even buying ads in local newspapers.

Accomplishing such a task on the side can help, especially if you are in need of a part-time job. The server space is not that expensive, and if you can get enough people to purchase space for their storage and websites, you can profit enough to get the bills paid and have some financial comfort.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: ,

5 Reasons to Secure Your Wireless Network

July 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The vast majority of wireless networks are now secured – a significant change from five years ago. However, some people still haven’t taken the ten minutes required to secure their network. While it may seem like a minor inconvenience to not have this security, there are many reasons why this security is important. Here are five of the most significant.

One: Your Bandwidth Use is Increased

It should be obvious that your total bandwidth use will go up with more users. As there is only a certain amount of total bandwidth that you’re alloted, it’s important to keep your bandwidth under control to maximize your speeds.

Two: Your Router Will Be Mad at You

There are multiple points at which your internet speed are limited. Beyond the bandwidth issues mentioned above, you should keep in mind that even the best wireless routers have limitations. If more people are accessing the router, it’s more likely to overload, slow down, require hard resets, and be generally problematic.

Three: Your Files May Be Vulnerable

A savvy hacker will be able to access other devices and computers on the network if you haven’t engaged in appropriate security. This means, among other things, that private documents, pictures, and files will be vulnerable.

Four: You Can Get Locked Out

If you don’t set a password for your network, anyone else can. It isn’t required that they plug into your router in order to access it as an administrator. If you haven’t gone through a setup, set an administrator username and password, and so forth, then anyone who taps into your network can go into your control panel and lock you out of your own web.

Five: You May Be Supporting Crime

If other people are accessing your wireless network, you have no control over what they’re doing. Every foul thing that can happen on the internet, ranging from harmless music pirating to child pornography to illegal gambling rings can be happening using your internet. In addition to being terrible in and of itself, there are legal liability issues that you will have to face if these activities are traced to your IP address.

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Filed Under: Wi-Fi Networks, Wireless Technology Tagged With: , ,

Do You Need Credit Counseling?

July 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Many households in the United States are plagued by credit card debt.We hear about this all the time on network and satellite news. These news services are always talking about debt and credit problems.   This high-interest method of borrowing money has taken the place of good, old-fashioned saving, resulting in an epidemic number of families struggling just to pay their bills each month. The following criteria may help you determine if credit counseling is something to consider.

Do you fight with your spouse about money on a regular basis? Has sleeping become difficult because you’re stressed over bills and unavailable cash? Is the pile of overdue bills much taller than the pile that you can pay? Does the telephone ringing cause you to pause before answering because it’s could be a bill collector calling once more about that unsettled medical bill or auto loan payment? Do you put off paying bills until the disconnect notice comes? If “yes” was an answer to some or all of these questions, help is available in the form of credit counseling.

Debt counseling can help you by formulating a personalized plan. A credit counseling agency serves as a mediator between you and your creditors. The agency will negotiate with creditors to lower interest rates, waive late fees, and reduce payment amounts and terms to save you money over time. You will pay a set amount of money to the agency, which is generally a lower amount than all your individual bills, and the agency pays all of your creditors for you. Your bills will be paid in a timely manner with no more worries about creditors’ phone calls or juggling to make ends meet. Many times, a credit counseling agency will set up your individualized repayment plan to help you become debt free in as little as a few years. If there hasn’t been enough month at the end of the money and you’re tired or worried, credit counseling services can help you.

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Strengthening Your Home’s Wireless Internet

July 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Huawei Technologies D25HW 3G-WiFi Router / USB...
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Even with super-fast internet connection, the best possible hardware, and no major bugs, it’s possible that you’re not getting the most out of your home’s wireless internet. Here are a few quick tips on getting better signal strength and faster connection with your home’s wireless router.

1. Position, position, position.

Your wireless router should be placed in the most central location possible. The router will “bubble out” from where it is positioned, so if it’s placed close to the edge of the home, much of the signal strength will be wasted. If you absolutely can’t move it, there are different antenna types that can be used so your wireless stream isn’t being wasted.

2. Make your hardware as shiny as possible.

If you don’t already have a top-of-the-line router, you can always look into something that has a little more strength. When you’re buying your modem and router, you will get more bang for your buck by investing in multiple items from the same vendor, since doing so has shown a strong tendency to increase the hardware efficiency. Beyond your router, your computer’s network adapter might get a fair deal stronger with replacement. If you can’t, or just don’t want to, replace your hardware, make sure that your firmware and device drivers are all up to date. You can also invest in extras like wireless repeaters in order to bolster signal strength in all portions of your house.

3. Get rid of interference.

There are many things that can get in the way of your router’s transmission. Metal objects, or metal materials as a part of your decor, can disrupt your wireless broadcast. Other wireless devices, such as cordless phones, can also get in the way. Getting rid of these items, moving them to different areas, or moving your router away from them, can all help improve your signal strength.

4. Secure your network.

If your internet connection isn’t password protected, it’s entirely likely that other people are leeching off of it, and that’s one surefire way to hurt your signal strength. Simply adding a password to your wireless router will get rid of these unwelcome guests.

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Filed Under: Internet, Satellite Tagged With: , ,

High-Speed Internet Expands its Horizons

July 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

High-speed Internet, perhaps as longed for in western Kansas as in eastern Africa, will be coming into the homes of thousands of additional people in the U.S. as a multi-billion dollar stimulus package, intended to make access to high-speed Internet more widespread, begins to be spent. With people using the Internet for shopping, conducting business, and even getting payday loans, better Internet access is being relied upon to help stimulate the economy.

Dial-up service is usually the only affordable Internet access available in rural areas in the U.S., where many have to travel to a library to check their e-mail. The new stimulus package awards grants and loans to companies large and small to encourage them to lay more fiber optic lines and erect additional microwave towers. Most improvements in Internet access have and will go to hospitals, libraries, and schools, where companies see more profit from the expense they go to to lay lines in areas that are geographically difficult to access. But lawmakers hope that the money given to Internet providers will encourage them to make high-speed Internet more easily available to homes and businesses as well.

Many small business owners are glad for the change. Better Internet access will increase the amount of business they can conduct online, which in turn can increase their profit margins. Some, however, worry that if their customers get increased Internet access, they won’t frequent local stores as often, hurting the economy of already impoverished rural areas. These customers may even be able to receive federal aid to help them afford their Internet bills, adding insult to injury. But this kind of give-and-take has been the story of stimulus packages in a weak but complex economy. For many business owners, the bottom line is the bottom line: better Internet means better business.

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Filed Under: Computers, Internet Tagged With: ,