Joseph Moran

Price: Free Pros: lets you find and share locations of open wireless networks Cons: only Windows XP (for now); doesn’t allow automatic access to encrypted networks   When you’re out and about and you need Internet access, stumbling across an open Wi-Fi network can feel like finding $10 on the sidewalk. The truth is that […]

Price: $549.99 (MSRP, 80 GB) Pros: Large screen and lots of storage; easy-to-use interface, includes Web browser. Cons: Limited native A/V codec support; DVR features require additional accessories. Having a digital media player can really help pass the time on a long ride or flight, and it’s even better if your portable device does other […]

If you often find yourself on the road with a wireless-equipped laptop or smartphone, you probably spend a fair amount of your time parked at Wi-Fi hotspots. While there are lots of hotspots out there, they don’t exactly provide blanket coverage, so finding one wherever you happen to be isn’t always easy. However, in any […]

Picture the following: You’re sitting at the computer minding your own business. Then, all of a sudden, Windows presents you with a warning: “There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network.” You then quickly realize that you no longer have Internet access, or your connection becomes so intermittent it becomes unusable. […]

In the ongoing discussion about the problem of climate change, much is made of our penchant for gas-guzzling vehicles. But another major culprit is our use of electricity — the desktop PCs found in a typical home or office can consume a lot of energy, especially if they’re powered on 24/7. Of course, you can […]

Price: $39.95 Pros: Easily set up free or paid hotspots; splits wireless network into public and private segments; use with or without existing broadband/Wi-Fi hardware.Cons: Must purchase hardware (or modify your own); limited configuration options compared to typical routers; PayPal fees cut into hotspot revenue. 2007 is shaping up as the year of Wi-Fi sharing, […]

When you think about it, your broadband router is a lot like your PC — it’s got a CPU, some RAM, and it runs an operating system (called firmware ) that provides its user interface and feature set. The firmware options for a given router are typically limited to those provided by the manufacturer of […]

Price: FreePros: Provides access to other members’ Wi-Fi networks; works with any WLAN infrastructure hardware.Cons: User must upload network’s encryption key to Whisher for use by other users; member hotspots currently few and far between. Stand on a random street corner in most neighborhoods, and you’ll probably be bathing in signals from many nearby Wi-Fi […]

Someone posed a technical question to me recently about the need for a broadband router in situations where an Internet connection isn’t being shared. The scenario is more common than you might think considering that there are still plenty of people who maintain a broadband connection but have only a single PC. Thus, if you […]

A recent visitor to the Practically Networked Forums posted a question about the feasibility of using an external antenna on a USB-based wireless adapter in order to cure a recurring connection problem that a particular system (and only that system) was having. It’s not hard to see the appeal of USB WLAN adapters, particularly for […]

Configuring or reconfiguring a wireless network — or just adding a new device to an existing one — can often be a hassle. In fact, keeping configuration effort to a minimum is one of the main reasons many people choose (unwisely) to do things like use default SSIDs , simplistic and easily guessed encryption keys, […]

Internet telephony, more commonly known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), was virtually nonexistent several years ago, but these days, it’s a viable option for almost anyone with a broadband connection. Considering all the attention VoIP is getting, you might be thinking about signing up for it and may even have already received (multiple) solicitations […]