wifi | Mobiles365

With so many devices crowding the airwaves, is 5GHz really better than 2.4Ghz in practice?

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Joe Levi

Yesterday we talked about the benefits of 802.11AC over 802.11n, and the majority of our readers agreed that the newer AC spec wins out almost every time. But what if you don’t want to jump on the 802.11AC bandwagon just yet? Good AC routers still cost around US$200, and from a speed standpoint, 802.11n may suit you just fine. Isn’t there something you can do with your current 802.11n router that could help without spending any money? After all, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! Luckily, yes, there ...

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802.11AC versus 802.11N in practice

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Joe Levi

I’ve been having some problems with the WiFi side of my router — the wired side works fine, but WiFi has been giving me problems. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence and usually happens as routers age, but happens more frequently as the chips that run the radios get hot. It’s that latter part which is kind of interesting. Besides distance issues, I can’t recall having had problems with WiFi connectivity in my home. Then over the last year or so I’ve been suffering from intermittent connectivity problems, dropped sessions, slow transfer rates, and more. The ...

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Which tethering method is better: WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB cable?

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Joe Levi

Tethering is one of those things that many of us got really excited about way back in the early days of cell phones. Here we had a little phone that we could connect to our laptop which would let us access the Internet or closed network (the office, university, etc.) without having to plug into a land-line to do so. Speeds weren’t all that great, but being able to work from anywhere often trumped that. Today we have our choice of various high-speed technologies offered by any one of a handful of cellular carriers. We also have numerous ways to connect our laptops to our phones ...

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Here’s why you should use 5GHz WiFi instead of 2.4GHz

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Joe Levi

Way back when Wi-Fi first came out, there were two versions that you could chose from: 802.11a and 802.11b. From a consumer perspective, there wasn’t much difference between the two. Devices based on 802.11b were generally less expensive and more readily available than those based on 802.11a, so the b specification quickly became the consumer standard. 802.11b operates in the 2.4GHz spectrum. These days, it’s getting pretty crowded, and to help address the digital noise that comes with it, 5GHz WiFi is making a comeback. 802.11a (2.4GHz) 802.11a was a standard in 1999 which ...

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Voice and text should (optionally) fall-back to WiFi networks whenever possible

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Joe Levi

Technology sites like Pocketnow often focus on carrier coverage and wireless technologies made available through the cellular towers that dot our landscape. We are constantly bombarded with acronyms: EDGE, GMRS, HSPA, Wi-Max, LTE, CDMA, GSM, and so on. That’s all fine and good, but one technology we often overlook is WiFi. More often that we’d like to admit our “traditional” cellular coverage (voice and text) isn’t ideal, but that’s something that could be remedied through data networks. Local-area wireless networks have some distinct advantages over ...

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Can we use ambient Wi-Fi signals to trickle charge cell phones?

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Joe Levi

We all have a smartphone or tablet, and we’re all acutely aware of how much battery life we can eek out of them. Most can get through their day, but many still have to recharge at some point before they call it a night. That’s when our devices typically get the life-giving electricity they need to make it through another day: tethered to an electrical outlet. But you can get electricity from more sources that just the socket in your wall. Many of you already know that I’m a proponent of wireless charging. I own four Qi wireless ...

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Pocketnow Weekly 051: Baby, you’re a firework

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Michael Fisher

It’s weird when holidays fall in the middle of the week, because either you’re kicking off a long weekend with the special celebration, or you’re returning to work the next day with a fuzzy brain, a sunburn, and sand in your hair. We’re in the latter situation this week at Pocketnow, the American portion of the team coming down from a day of BBQ and a night of fireworks … but in our case, it’s a good thing. Because today’s the day for our weekly mobile tech podcast, and we love us some mobile-tech podcasting. We hope you do, too, because ...

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Why is WiFi so much worse on smartphones than on laptops and computers?

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Joe Levi

WiFi is great, isn’t it? The power of a local area network without the inconvenience of cables strung all over the place! WiFi seems to come to the rescue whenever our cellular signals can’t get through whether due to distance, over-crowding, or even power failures. WiFi, when used on desktop computers (like the one on which I’m writing this article), lets us place those computers where they’re convenient, instead of close to an Ethernet port. WiFi when used on laptops frees us from our desks entirely, enabling us to venture outside and into nature, the coffee shop, ...

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In a world with LTE and HSPA+, why you should care about 802.11ac?

Posted on May 31, 2013 by admin

The router at Pocketnow HQ recently broke-down and had to be replaced. The one that was chosen to replace it featured the latest and greatest in wireless technologies, including 802.11ac WiFi. Since many of today’s smartphones and tablets are coming with 802.11ac built-in, what does this “new” technology mean for you, and why should you care about making sure your next device has 802.11ac on its spec sheet? Wireless networking started to gain popularity in 1997 with 802.11a and 802.11b. It was slow. It was expensive. It wasn’t ...

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How Scared Should I Be To Use Public WiFi on My Smartphone?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by admin

The question came from someone close to the Pocketnow family, which means that even the geeks among us are still confused with just how secure (or insecure) public WiFi is. It’s a valid concern, and one that you may not have stopped to consider. We all like free WiFi, right? Should we be worried? What’s the worst that could happen? For the context of this article we’re going to limit the conversation to just “public” WiFi — meaning wireless Internet access that’s available to the general public. This could be offered at a school campus, ...