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Month: January 2021

What’s causing your mobile phone’s slow internet?

Posted on by Joseph Voldeck

It’s normal to expect your mobile device’s internet browser to be lightning-fast. When it’s not, you might automatically think it’s because you haven’t updated your device’s OS or the browser app. In lots of cases, however, it’s due to slow mobile internet speed. Find out the most common causes for sluggish internet connection on your mobile device.

Wi-Fi noise

Did you know that home electronic appliances emit wireless signals at a frequency similar to your router’s (2.4 GHz)? So when deciding where to place your router, determine whether there are any electronic devices nearby, as they emit signals that can interfere with your router’s signal. For example, even if the ideal location for your router is in the middle of your house, you shouldn’t place it there if a cordless phone is nearby.

You can also set your router on a 5 GHz band, as this frequency is less prone to interference from other appliances. But before you start tuning it, make sure your phone supports 5 GHz; otherwise, it won’t be able to connect to the router.

Router location

One simple yet overlooked reason why your Wi-Fi-connected phone may be experiencing internet lag is because of your router’s location. Although Wi-Fi has a range of up to 230 feet, the signal gets weaker the farther you are from the router. Large objects like doors and walls situated in between your phone and the router can also weaken the transmission.

It’s recommended to place your router in a centralized location, preferably away from concrete and masonry walls or other big objects like a chimney. As the router signal radiates from all sides, blocking any side with big objects will impact your Wi-Fi’s signal quality, and consequently impede your phone’s internet speed.

Slow network

Another reason for your phone’s slow internet connection could be fluctuating network speeds. Ask yourself these two questions to discover the cause of this problem:

  1. How many devices are connected to the router?
  2. What are these devices using the internet for?

You should increase your router’s internet bandwidth speed if you discover you have many users and all of them are either streaming movies or downloading computer games or software updates. This will allow every phone connected to your network to enjoy faster internet speeds.

If you’re outdoors and connected to a public Wi-Fi network, consider using your mobile data instead. You won’t have to share your internet when you use mobile data, enabling you to experience faster connectivity at all times as long as you have a high-speed data plan.

Too much cache

Last, check your smartphone’s cache if fixing your router, network, and positioning doesn’t improve your device’s internet speed. Your phone’s cache saves data from earlier searches in order to display faster results of similar searches in the future. Although your phone becomes more efficient for that particular search, it also makes your phone much slower when you do other things that require the internet.

You can clear out your cache manually or use a cache cleaner app to get rid of useless cache and optimize your phone’s internet speed. If you decide to download a cache cleaner app, make sure that it is trustworthy so you don’t accidentally download a malware-infected program.

There are more reasons for your phone’s lagging internet speed. If your business relies heavily on a speedy mobile internet connection and you’re unable to fix the problem, call our experts today. We’re always ready to help you.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Fix these business security flaws now

Posted on by Joseph Voldeck

As businesses have become more reliant on technology, they’ve also become a prime target of cybercriminals. If you want to protect your organization from cyberattacks, make sure your cybersecurity system doesn’t have the following flaws.

Open wireless networks

With just one main internet line and a couple of wireless routers, an entire office can get online. A wireless internet connection saves money, but there’s a risk that it might be unsecure.

It’s not enough to plug in a wireless router and create a basic network to secure your wireless network. If you have an open network, anyone within range can connect. With simple tools and technical know-how, cybercriminals can capture incoming and outgoing data, and even attack the network and any device connected to it.

Ensure that all wireless networks in the office are secured with strong passwords. Many internet service providers that install hardware when setting up networks will often just use an easy-to-guess password for the router. Change this password immediately to minimize the risk of unauthorized users gaining access to your network.

Unsecure email

Most companies that have implemented a new email system in the past couple of years are most likely secure. This is especially true if they use cloud-based platforms or well-known email systems like Exchange, which offer enhanced security and scanning.

The businesses that are at risk are those using older systems like Post Office Protocol, or systems that don’t encrypt passwords (also known as “clear passwords”). If your system doesn’t support encryption, anyone with the right tools can compromise your systems and data.

Unsecure mobile devices

Mobile devices help you stay connected and productive while out of the office. However, if you use your tablet or smartphone to connect to office systems without proper security measures in place, you run the risk of compromising your networks.

Imagine you have linked your work email to your smartphone but don’t have a password enabled. If the device goes missing, anyone who picks it up can have access to your email and your sensitive information. The same applies if you install a malicious mobile app. If you use this same device to connect to your company’s network, the malware will spread across your systems and disrupt your business operations.

Ensure that employee devices have adequate security, such as passcodes, and your company has sufficient security policies in place to regulate their use. Lastly, implement mobile device management solutions to prevent employee devices from being a security risk to your network.

Anti-malware software that isn’t properly maintained

Anti-malware software needs to be properly installed and maintained if they are going to stand a chance of keeping your systems secure.

If your anti-malware scans are scheduled during business hours, some employees may just turn the scanner off because it slows down their computers. This makes your systems vulnerable to malware.

The same goes for not updating your anti-malware software regularly. Updates are important for anti-malware applications because they implement new databases that contain recently discovered threats and fixes.

Lack of firewalls

A firewall is a network security tool that filters incoming and outgoing network traffic and protects data from being accessed from outside the network. While many modems or routers include firewalls, they are often not powerful enough for business use.

Get a firewall that covers the whole network at the point where data enters and exits (usually before the routers). These are business-centric tools that should be installed by an IT partner like a managed IT services provider for them to be most effective.

How do I ensure proper business security?

The best way to secure business systems and networks is to work with an IT partner like us. Our managed services can help you set up cybersecurity measures and ensure that they are managed properly. Tech peace of mind means you can focus on growing your business. Contact us today to learn more.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Picking the right office Wi-Fi router

Posted on by Joseph Voldeck

Selecting a Wi-Fi router, much like selecting any other piece of equipment for your business, can be a complicated task. The sheer variety of models available can make it difficult to choose the best option. However, if you know what features to look for, it’s much easier to make the right decision.

Network type

Look at any router and you will quickly see that there are a number of different network types available. Also referred to as wireless protocols, the four most common types are 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11ac. These designations indicate how fast the router can transfer wireless data, with 802.11ac being the fastest.

Newer routers now utilize the latest Wi-Fi protocol dubbed 802.11ax. Also known as Wi-Fi 6 or High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW) , this new protocol improves upon 802.11ac tech in the following ways:

  • Greater throughput speeds (up to 9.6 Gbps)
  • Reduced network congestion and expanded client capacity, thanks to Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
  • Improved range performance
  • Reduced power consumption by network-connected devices, courtesy of Target Wake Time (TWT)

OFDMA enhances network performance by splitting up Wi-Fi channels into sub-channels. Doing so permits up to 30 users to use the same channel simultaneously.

TWT reduces the power consumption of connected devices by allowing them to determine when and how often they will wake up to begin sending and receiving data. This extends the battery life of smartphones and battery-powered internet of things (IoT) home devices such as smart thermostats and security cameras.

Throughput

In communication networks, throughput is the rate at which messages are successfully delivered via a communications channel. A router’s throughput, in particular, is the speed at which the router is supposed to transmit data from your connection to users. To spot the router’s throughput, look for Mbps (or Gbps for its cable ethernet connections). It is usually one of the first things listed on router boxes and specifications.

Keep in mind that if you have a 100 Mbps internet connection, but your router can only deliver up to 80 Mbps, then the total speed of your network will be the lower figure. Therefore, it would be best to get a router with a higher throughput if your internet service provider delivers faster connections.

Bands

On every single router’s box, you will see numbers like 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz. These indicate the wireless radios on the router. A dual- or tri-band router will have both radios so that the connection workload can be split between them.

The 2.4 Ghz radio is sufficient for activities that don’t require much network bandwidth, such as web browsing and replying to emails. Since its band is of a lower frequency, it reaches farther than 5 Ghz but is more easily blocked by concrete walls.

The 5 Ghz band, on the other hand, has greater power, but has a shorter broadcast range. 5 Ghz is what you’ll want to use for video conferencing and playing online games (if permitted by the company after office hours, of course).

Multiple input, multiple output (MIMO)

MIMO is the use of multiple antennas to increase performance and overall throughput. MIMO-enabled routers ensure that more devices can connect to one router with less interference.

When it comes to real-world tests, there is often a slight improvement if the antennae are configured and aimed properly. However, getting a high-end router with six or more antennae may be an unnecessary cost for small businesses.

Beamforming

Beamforming is a feature that’s now standard in mid- to high-end routers. It is a form of signal technology that allows for better throughput in areas with poor or dead signals. In other words, it can help improve the connection quality with devices behind solid walls or in rooms with high amounts of signal interference.

By utilizing this technology, routers can see where connections are weak and act to improve it. While this is available on routers with many network types, it is really only useful with routers running 802.11ac or higher. Those who don’t mind paying a higher price point for an increase in network performance should consider this feature.

Quality of service (QoS)

QoS allows the router administrator to limit certain types of traffic. For example, you can use the QoS feature of a router to completely block all torrent traffic, or limit it so that other users can have equal bandwidth. Not every router has this ability, but it is a highly beneficial feature for office routers.

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to picking a router, which is why we recommend you contact us. We can evaluate your networking needs and help you find the best setup for your business.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

An excellent update to Microsoft Excel

Posted on by Joseph Voldeck

It’s difficult to create budget plans, data entry records, and financial information without a productivity tool like Microsoft Excel. Over the years, it’s been a staple in most offices because of its many useful functions, which aid in making business decisions a lot easier. And with a new feature, Excel has become even handier.

Previous Excel upgrades include the addition of dynamic arrays and array formulas, a feature that enabled single formulas to return an array of values. Another upgrade was the Stocks and Geography function, which lets users add stock and geography data into a spreadsheet with the help of the search engine Bing. These are both useful, but Microsoft decided to add even more functionality to the program.

New data types

Excel has always been a formidable tool for storing text, numbers, and formulas and allowing users to process information out of them. Still, the data that one could put in Excel grids were limited because they were flat. Recent upgrades improve upon that limitation.

Luckily, users can now add data types to Excel, making the program more dynamic and intelligent. These data types effectively expand what information inside cells can do. In particular, cells can now contain not just text and number data, but a connected, up-to-the-minute collection of information such as currencies, cities, population, stocks, and the like. Simply put, cells can interact with charts and formulas with live data.

Data in cells can be used as a reference for an even larger collection of different data types, images, and actions. In other words, you’re no longer just typing data and writing formulas into a cell, although you can still do both. Rather, a cell can contain a specific set of information that branches out into subsets of data that you would otherwise need to type directly into the cell.

For example, if you’re creating or upgrading a customer information spreadsheet, things like transaction history, preferences, or phone numbers don’t have to be typed one by one. Adding customer-specific data types could simplify this process: entering a customer name in a cell would link to a network of information about a specific entry (i.e., customer) using a scroll-over menu, as opposed to having to enter all that information manually. This makes data input more flexible, efficient, and less prone to error resulting from copy-pasting and manual entry.

Enhancements for Power BI customers

It is, however, users of Microsoft Power BI, the company’s business intelligence program, who will greatly benefit from the upgrades. If your company uses Power BI, data published into your account will automatically link to Excel, which makes the flow of company data types into the program more seamless.

In addition, Microsoft’s data connection technology Power Query will allow users to create custom data types, while pre-configured data types (through a partnership with knowledge engine provider Wolfram Alpha) will also soon be added to let users track different types of information.

This only scratches the surface of what these Excel upgrades can do. For more Office and general productivity tips, consult our IT experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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