Browse Networking Help and Tips

Browse Networking Help and Tips

Six ways to get online from anywhere
Can't find a hotspot? Don't worry: There are other ways to get online when you're on the road. Glenn Fleishman explains what they are and how to set them up.
Google's free airport Wi-Fi: Five ways to protect yourself
Planning on taking advantage of free Wi-Fi at the airport during your holiday travels? Make sure you follow these tips for securing your wireless computing.
Four ways to access files from afar
If you work in lots of locations, you may find yourself wishing you could access your files from everywhere. Here are four ways to do just that.
What's your wireless signal strength?
When you're having trouble with your wireless connection, it can be frustrating to figure out the strength of the signal from your client to the base station. Glenn Fleishman shows three ways to get the information you need.
Get an Ethernet-networked printer working in Snow Leopard
After upgrading to Snow Leopard, Ted Landau's trusty old HP LaserJet 4000N no longer responded to Print requests from his Mac. Here's how he tackled the problem. Plus: a bonus look at the low ink level warning in OS X 10.6.
Is your network fast enough?
Everyone wants a faster network. But you can't speed it up until you know how fast it's going now. Glenn Fleishman shows you three ways to do that.
Solve an iChat login issue on certain routers
Some routers, including certain Netgear models, may have problems logging into iChat. Here's one possible fix for the problem.
Switch network settings with ease
OS X's built-in Location feature lets you quickly change network settings based on where you are. Glenn Fleishman shows you how to get the most out of this feature, and how to tweak it with third-party tools.
Troubleshoot your Internet connection
Is your Net connection feeling poky? Are downloads taking forever? The problem could lie anywhere along the line from your Mac to your ISP. Glenn Fleishman explains how to get things back up to speed.
Understanding Wi-Fi's two spectrum bands
The versions of AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule released earlier this year can operate simultaneously over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum bands. Glenn Fleishman looks at common problems and solutions that might plague you in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and offers advice on manually setting channels in both bands or creating two unique networks with a simultaneous dual-band base station.
Eight iPhone apps and services for system admins
John C. Welch rounds up the iPhone apps and services that make his IT job go a lot smoother.
How to secure your home network
A reader writes Macworld, asking about the best way to set up a home network so both Macs and Windows PCs can securely connect to it, without letting any intruders in. Glenn Fleishman explains how.
Migrate data from PC to Mac
Your parents have finally relented and will get a Mac to replace their aged PC. It's your job to move their data. How? Try these techniques.
Setting up and using SNMPv3 on OS X
When it comes to checking on your network, Simple Network Management Protocol offers a relatively low-bandwidth way to see what’s happening. Version 3 of the protocol adds an extra layer of security. John C. Welch shows you how to set up SNMPv3 and explains why you would want to.
How to set up a cross-platform network
As your business grows and you add employees and computers, you’ll need to find a way to connect them—especially if you’re working in a cross-platform environment. By using suitable off-the-shelf networking equipment and the various operating systems’ built-in tools, you can connect your heterogeneous hardware to the universe in short order.
ExpressCard/34 Buyers’ Guide
If you've got a MacBook Pro, you've got an ExpressCard/34 slot (instead of the old PC Card slot). Jeff Carlson explains a few of the ways you can use that slot to beef up your laptop.
See more AirPort Extreme Base Station radio modes
If you’re using an AirPort Extreme Base Station on a network without 802.11n-capable machines, you can use a hidden feature in AirPort Utility to set a non-802.11n radio mode.
Adding 802.11n to older iMac
Have an 802.11n network that's slowed down by an older Mac's "g" wireless card? Here's a solution.
Windows and AirPort's Equivalent Network Password
Windows wants your AirPort base station's key code. Here's how to find it.
Mobile Mac: The portable hotspot
If you travel with colleagues for business trips, or if your multiple-Mac family brings its laptops on vacation, getting Internet access for everyone can be an exercise in configuration frustration. There is an alternative: a cellular router.
Improving AirPort's range
While Wi-Fi signals are supposed to reach 150 feet in any direction from a gateway, that optimistic number is rarely reached indoors.
Troubleshooting AirPort Interference
Imagine a large room full of loud people. Voices bounce off the walls, making it impossible to follow any one conversation. That’s something like what happens to wireless networks: there are all sorts of other electronic devices out there using the same wireless spectrum, and your AirPort hardware can have a hard time distinguishing one transmitter from another.
Laptop gems
Here are some favorite pieces of low-cost software specifically designed for—or just especially handy for—use on a laptop.
Redirect domain names
Registering more than one domain name to point to a single Web site isn’t unusual. Nor is it strange to host a Web page at an ISP or community site and want a subdomain to bring people directly to what’s often a long and hard-to-remember URL. Redirection is the answer.
New AirPort, old network
Apple’s new AirPort Extreme Base Station, based on the still-in-progress IEEE 802.11n standard, can wirelessly transmit more than 90 megabits per second (Mbps) of data.
Working Mac: Eight ways to go green
Three for the road
If you travel with any regularity, chances are you have your favorite tricks for making each trip go as smoothly as possible. Here are a few more techniques to add to your repertoire, from three of our mobile Mac experts.
Mac 911 - March 2007
Christopher Breen offers up tips on how to sync your Address Book without .Mac, find missing iPhoto pictures, fix fonts in TextEdit and run Windows safely.
Mac 911 - Oct. 2006
Chris Breen offers insights on ways to get iTunes Video audio on your nano, the dirt on scanners, child protection services, splitting underpowered USB and doing the dish.
Get online from anywhere
Until recently, if you wanted to get online while on the road, you had two main options: jack in to your hotel’s in-house network or find a Wi-Fi hotspot. But a third option is slowly gaining traction.