As we spend even more time at home and connecting online, we need to be even more aware of our privacy and security.  Now, more than ever, is the time to consider getting the protection of a VPN service. 

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  A private network, like your home WiFi network, is usually password protected so that only those with credentials can access the devices on that network.  A public network, on the other hand, is open to everyone.  The larger Internet, including big sites like Google, Pinterest, YouTube, Etsy, and smaller sites like blogs and local businesses, is one big public network that everyone can access.  Your ISP gives you a public address as a doorway between your network and the larger Internet.

A VPN gives you the security of a private network while you’re using the public Internet, by creating its own encryption.  This means that any data that goes through a VPN is secure, just like every site you see with “https” at the beginning of its address.  Using a VPN is the best way to get privacy on the Internet.  It will keep your personal information, banking details, passwords, and other data safe from hackers and thieves, even over their prime hunting grounds – public WiFi connections.   

Every year, there are more consumer VPN services to choose from, at all price points from free to several hundred dollars a year.  With varying feature sets, there’s sure to be one or several that suit your needs.  But remember that using a VPN doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful.  A VPN can’t protect you if you click on a sketchy email or enter your information somewhere you shouldn’t.  So stay vigilant and remember that a VPN is just an extra layer of protection.

As we spend even more time at home and connecting online, we need to be even more aware of our privacy and security.  Now, more than ever, is the time to consider getting the protection of a VPN service. 

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  A private network, like your home WiFi network, is usually password protected so that only those with credentials can access the devices on that network.  A public network, on the other hand, is open to everyone.  The larger Internet, including big sites like Google, Pinterest, YouTube, Etsy, and smaller sites like blogs and local businesses, is one big public network that everyone can access.  Your ISP gives you a public address as a doorway between your network and the larger Internet.

A VPN gives you the security of a private network while you’re using the public Internet, by creating its own encryption.  This means that any data that goes through a VPN is secure, just like every site you see with “https” at the beginning of its address.  Using a VPN is the best way to get privacy on the Internet.  It will keep your personal information, banking details, passwords, and other data safe from hackers and thieves, even over their prime hunting grounds – public WiFi connections.   

Every year, there are more consumer VPN services to choose from, at all price points from free to several hundred dollars a year.  With varying feature sets, there’s sure to be one or several that suit your needs.  But remember that using a VPN doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful.  A VPN can’t protect you if you click on a sketchy email or enter your information somewhere you shouldn’t.  So stay vigilant and remember that a VPN is just an extra layer of protection.

We offer reliable, affordable high-speed internet service in your neighborhood!  To learn about our plans and what we can offer you, contact us today!

Suddenly, in the spring of 2020, our entire lives went online.  Work, school, and entertainment all had to be done from home, mostly in the form of streaming media.  We’ve all made adjustments to this, but you may have found that your internet connection isn’t up to the workload.  Here are a few tips to get the best streaming experience for your whole household.

Speed matters for video quality, so check your connection’s available bandwidth.  Zoom’s group video calling requires 1 Mbps for “high quality video”, 1.5 Mbps for 720p HD, and 2.5-3.0 Mbps for sending and receiving 1080p HD video, plus another 60-80 kbps for your audio.  Steaming services like Netflix, YouTube, SlingTV, and Hulu call for bandwidth anywhere between 2.5-3.0 Mbps for SD video up to as high as 15 or even 25 Mbps for Ultra HD. 

Adjusting your playback settings can limit how much bandwidth a streaming service can use, so someone watching a movie in the next room can’t knock you off your video conference.  Netflix allows these settings to be set individually on each profile under a given account.  For SlingTV, playback settings have to be set on each device by going to Settings, and then Connection. 

And a couple more tips:

The more people using your connection, the less bandwidth each person has. If your Internet connection is 25 Mbps and 2 people are streaming on separate devices, both streams are getting about 12.5 Mbps and so on.  Keep this in mind if you’re having trouble in your Zoom meetings while your kids are in online classes or streaming their favorite shows.

Remember that HD is not always necessary.  Do your co-workers, classmates, boss, or teachers need to see your face in high definition?  Probably not.  And if you don’t have an HD tv, there’s no point to streaming the highest quality video.  Turning off HD will save you bandwidth and data and make your streaming experience smoother.

Suddenly, in the spring of 2020, our entire lives went online.  Work, school, and entertainment all had to be done from home, mostly in the form of streaming media.  We’ve all made adjustments to this, but you may have found that your internet connection isn’t up to the workload.  Here are a few tips to get the best streaming experience for your whole household.

Speed matters for video quality, so check your connection’s available bandwidth.  Zoom’s group video calling requires 1 Mbps for “high quality video”, 1.5 Mbps for 720p HD, and 2.5-3.0 Mbps for sending and receiving 1080p HD video, plus another 60-80 kbps for your audio.  Steaming services like Netflix, YouTube, SlingTV, and Hulu call for bandwidth anywhere between 2.5-3.0 Mbps for SD video up to as high as 15 or even 25 Mbps for Ultra HD. 

Adjusting your playback settings can limit how much bandwidth a streaming service can use, so someone watching a movie in the next room can’t knock you off your video conference.  Netflix allows these settings to be set individually on each profile under a given account.  For SlingTV, playback settings have to be set on each device by going to Settings, and then Connection. 

And a couple more tips:

The more people using your connection, the less bandwidth each person has. If your Internet connection is 25 Mbps and 2 people are streaming on separate devices, both streams are getting about 12.5 Mbps and so on.  Keep this in mind if you’re having trouble in your Zoom meetings while your kids are in online classes or streaming their favorite shows.

Remember that HD is not always necessary.  Do your co-workers, classmates, boss, or teachers need to see your face in high definition?  Probably not.  And if you don’t have an HD tv, there’s no point to streaming the highest quality video.  Turning off HD will save you bandwidth and data and make your streaming experience smoother.

For affordable, reliable, high speed Internet service in your neighborhood, contact us today!                         

Home WiFi is now about as common as cable television once was, and even more necessary.  Now that so many devices – phones, tablets, laptops, etc. – operate wirelessly and so much of our lives takes place online, a secure home network is the bare minimum required for protecting your information.

When you set up a new router or modem/router combo, you’ll find a sticker on the back with default passwords on it.  One is the admin password, which you have to enter in order to configure the device.  The other is the default WiFi password, and if your router offers a second or “guest” network, it may show a second default password for that.

The first thing you should change is the network name.  Usually, default settings use the brand of router or the name of your ISP, which can help potential attackers identify your network.  Change this to something unique that you will recognize as your home network.

Most importantly, you MUST change the WiFi password.  Default passwords may be used across an entire model of router, so if you leave it, anyone could attach to your WiFi network.  It’s not worth the risk to you and your data to not change this password.

Strong passwords are more important than ever, even on your home network.  Almost all devices will remember your password or connect automatically, so don’t be afraid to create a really solid password.

Wondering how to create a strong password?  It’s a pretty simple formula.  You’ll need a minimum of 8 to 12 characters, including:

• Capital letters
• Lower case letters
• Numbers
• Special characters (!, @, #, $, *, etc.)

This isn’t as complicated as it sounds.  One of the easiest ways to create strong passwords is to start with a phrase you’ll remember and then substitute other characters.  For example:

• M3mb3rs0nly!
• 0urF@m1lyN3tw*rk
• N0tF0rY0u2!

You can also use a random password generator to create a solid password for your network.  And if you have a second WiFi network, don’t use the same password for both.

Every time you access the internet, your data and information are vulnerable.  The more secure your home network is, the safer you and your data will be.

We offer reliable, affordable internet service in your neighborhood!  Contact us today to learn what we can offer you!

With more and more of our lives happening online, and every new site requiring a password, it’s more tempting than ever to just use the same password across all your accounts.  But we all know that’s a bad idea.  We’ve been told repeatedly by experts and learned the hard way that using different passwords is absolutely necessary to keep your data secure.  So we have a new problem: how to keep all our passwords straight.  For that, many people turn to password managers.  Here are five reasons you should, too.

1. No more “I forgot my password” clicks

With a password manager, you only have to remember the master password.  All your other passwords are stored in your account, so once you log in there, you have the rest of them at your fingertips.  You’ll never have to wait for that “forgot password” email again!

•  You can use stronger passwords

The strongest passwords are long strings of random characters, which are nearly impossible to remember.  Using a password manager, you can use extremely strong randomly generated passwords, so your accounts will be even more secure.

• They work across devices

Some of us have accounts we only ever access on our phones or tablets, and those accounts need protection, too.  Most password managers can be easily installed on a mobile device, so you can access all your accounts on all your devices without a hitch.

• They make changing passwords a breeze

Some sites require you to change your password at regular intervals, whether it’s once a year, every six months, or every quarter.  Other sites upgrade their security features and require a one-time password change.  And, of course, if you find your account is part of a data breach, you’ll want to change your password immediately!  With a password manager, you can set up regular password changes or change a password with just a couple of clicks.

• They’re not just for passwords

Think about all the security questions, memberships, and other easily-forgettable information you have associated with your accounts.  Password managers can take care of those, too, as well as medical information and lots of other data you need access to.

Password managers can help make your online life easier.  We can make it easier for you to get online!  Contact us today to learn about our reliable, affordable high-speed internet service.