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.
Directly set screen sharing image quality level
Learn how to set the quality level of a remote Mac's screen in the Screen Sharing application in 10.5 and 10.6.
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.
Check your Wi-Fi speeds
Glenn Fleishman shows you how to use AirPort Utility to find out at what speed has connected to an Apple base station.
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.
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.
Troubleshooting Back to My Mac
Apple's Back to My Mac service, which was supposed to make it easy to remotely access your Mac's files, doesn't always work as advertised. Glenn Fleishman explains how to get it up and running.
Mac management for Windows IT folks
The prospect of introducing Macs into a Windows environment brings with it many questions and challenges. Will Macs be able to access network resources? Can they be joined to an Active Directory domain? What sort of deployment and management options are there for Macs? Computerworld’s Ryan Faas tackles these questions.
Disable Screen Sharing’s lack-of-encryption warning
When you use Screen Sharing to connect to a host that doesn’t speak Screen Sharing’s encryption language, you’ll see a warning before the connection occurs. Learn how to disable the warning.
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.
Fix an error 51 with the Cisco VPN Client
If you use the Cisco VPN Client, you may have occasionally been hit with an ‘error 51’ when trying to launch the program. Learn how to fix that problem without rebooting your Mac.
Restore Screen Sharing buttons to 10.5.5
Learn a couple ways to bring back the hidden but useful toolbar buttons from pre-10.5.5 versions of OS X's Screen Sharing application.
Use a command-line AirPort tool
Learn how to use an Apple-provided tool to manage your Mac's AirPort card and connections.
Gain full keyboard and mouse control in 10.5’s screen sharing
Do you use 10.5’s screen sharing feature? Have you been frustrated by the inability to send, for instance, Command-Tab to the remote Mac? Here’'s a simple way to solve that, and other, problems.
More ways to protect yourself from phishing scams
Use the OpenDNS service, to give all your browsers—including Safari—protection from phishing attacks.
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.
Installing Nagios on Mac OS X 10.5 Server
John C. Welch updates his instructions for installing the open-source Nagios on to the latest version of OS X Server, an operation that will turn a Mac into a network monitoring station that can notify you of hardware and software problems.
Connect: Configure Leopard’s firewall
While OS X has long included basic firewall software, Leopard introduced some significant changes to it, leaving many Leopard users confused as to how to keep their Macs secure. But though the firewall interface in Mac OS X 10.5 is indeed quite different from that in earlier versions of the OS, it’s still relatively easy to use.
Laptop gems
Here are some favorite pieces of low-cost software specifically designed for—or just especially handy for—use on a laptop.
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.
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.
How do spam busters work?
Built-in and add-on spam busters—programs designed to work with your e-mail program to eliminate spam—go about determining what is and isn’t spam in a variety of ways.
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 OS X Hints - May 2007
This month Rob Griffiths offers tips on how to put your Mac to sleep from afar, get a handle on fonts, send long URLs via e-mail, merge two iCal calendars, quickly hide Mail’s preview pane and decode Mail’s folder colors.
No-stress remote access
When you’re at the office or on the road, it can be handy to have remote access to your home Mac—so you can retrieve a forgotten file, start a large download, or perform some other task.
Remotely access your Mac
You’re on the road, it’s the night before your big presentation. That’s when you realize that the presentation your business’s future depends on is sitting on your Mac at home, hundreds of miles away. With a little forethought and preparation, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Mac 911
Chris Breen takes a look problems dealing with an insomniac Mac, doing diagnostics, the cure for missing Key Caps, an imageless Outlook and old-school drives.