An open Wi-Fi network, one that requires no password or agreement of terms of service to use, is the most risky. Also keep in mind that public Wi-Fi from known entities, such as an airport or an office, is generally more secure than a Wi-Fi network at a random cafe. Better yet, refrain from doing any online banking using free Wi-Fi. That said, when using free Wi-Fi, unless you're accessing a secure website (one in which the address, or url starts with https) don't type in any sensitive information. Most importantly, when you're connected to an unknown Wi-Fi network (such as one you see popping up on your phone or laptop when you travel), keep in mind that because you need to access their router to get on the internet, the owner of that Wi-Fi network can potentially see all the information you're sending and receiving, including usernames and passwords. If running cables is not an option, then be sure to have no more than one Wi-Fi extender in a network. The best way to extend your Wi-Fi network is use multiple access points that connect to the main routers via network cables. This means if you have a few Wi-Fi extenders, by the time the signal gets to the device you're using, there's not much "internet" left for a fast, stable connection. Each time the Wi-Fi signal is extended, there's a 50 percent signal loss. These devices wirelessly extend the coverage of an existing Wi-Fi network. This means if all you care about is a full Wi-Fi signal, then you're missing the point. In this case, Wi-Fi is just the vehicle that carries internet to your device. That said, keep in mind that if you use Wi-Fi to share the internet, then it's the internet speed that you want. In fact, to know how fast your internet speed is, in most cases, you need to test it independently from Wi-Fi. Also, having a strong Wi-Fi signal doesn't always translate into fast internet speed. Just because you have Wi-Fi doesn't necessarily mean you have internet access. Now that you know the difference between Wi-Fi and internet, here are a couple of takeaways: For a Wi-Fi network, the speed of the local network depends on the standards used by the Wi-Fi router (or access point) and the connected clients, and can sometimes be slower than a fast broadband wired internet connection. That said, most of the time, the speed of the internet is still slower than that of a wired local network, which is either 100Mbps or 1,000Mbps. Ten years ago, a fast residential broadband connection generally capped somewhere between 1.5Mbps to 20Mbps now it's between about 50Mbps to 150Mbps and even faster. Internet speed has progressively increased in the last decade. Other than turning it on or off, the only other thing you can do is pay for the desired connection speed and hope you get what you pay for. The internet connection is generally beyond the control of the users. With the internet, your home local network is no longer secluded but becomes part of one giant worldwide network. In reality, the internet actually connects many local networks together, via a ton of routers. Generally known as the wide area network (WAN), the internet connects computers from around the world. And this also explains why sometimes your Wi-Fi signal is at full strength, yet you still can't access the internet. So Wi-Fi is just one way to bring the internet to a device. When this link is complete, the Wi-Fi signal of the local network will also provide a connection to the internet for any device connected to the network. To connect a home Wi-Fi network to the internet, the router needs to be connected to an internet source, such as a broadband modem, via its WAN port. A connection to the internet, however, enables them to also access internet-based services, such as Skype, Netflix, news, Facebook, Twitter and other services. Meaning that any devices on the network can always work with one another to share and back up data, print, stream local media and so on. Even the Wi-Fi router or access point itself can be changed or turned on or off any time.Ī home Wi-Fi network, which is almost always hosted by a router, is independent from the internet. She can change the name of the network, the password, the number of connected clients, allowing them to exchange data with one another or not, and so on. The owner of the Wi-Fi network is in total control.
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