I recently received a call from my father about experiencing slow internet speeds for no apparent reason. I had installed a Linksys N router for him a few months ago and all had been working well at the time. I did remember that I was able to see many (about 8 – 10) available wifi networks when I was configuring his new router. It occurred to me that he might be experiencing a problem with interference. I had a hunch that many of these networks were probably broadcasting on the same channel. I was going to first suggest iStumbler or WiFi Scanner v 1.1 (both are for Mac OS X) so that my father could detect the channels of the conflicting networks, but I know he has a dislike for installing software if it is not needed regularly. I then found this browser based WiFi detector that worked perfectly – Meraki Tools WiFi Stumbler. We quickly found that several of the networks were all on the same channel, including his. So I had my father connect to the router administration page and modify the channel. After a 5 second refresh, he was browsing the web at full speed again.
Troubleshoot a Slow WiFi Connection
Posted in Software.
– July 28, 2010
Save 30 Percent on up to 5 Yubikeys
Steve Gibson recently announced a discount for Yubikeys during SecurityNow! episode 257. Go to store.yubico.com and simply enter “securitynow” – all as one word – in the coupon code field during checkout. The offer is good until end of August 2010.
Posted in Hardware.
– July 25, 2010
Better Protect Your Mint Account
This is a great lifehacker article providing suggestions on how to better protect your mint.com account. A few tips include creating a separate email address login just for your mint.com account and using a generated password from keepass or 1password. This information can be applicable to any account that you would like to have a little extra security.
Posted in Web.
– May 25, 2010
1Password for Windows
Looks like there is a windows version of 1Password being developed. I’ve been using 1Password on the Mac for over a year and highly recommend it. Having it available for the PC will be great for when I’m at work.
Download the beta from the 1Password forum.
Posted in Software.
– May 7, 2010
2 YubiKeys + LastPass – Limited time discount
For only $40.00 this looks like a great deal. The offer expires on Jan 31, 2010. You get 1 Black + 1 White YubiKey + 1 LastPass Premium subscription for 1 year.
Posted in Hardware.
– December 16, 2009
Keep your online guard up
Thought I should pass along this site as a great resource for educating yourself and others about cyber safety and security.
OnGuard Online has some quick interactive games and light-hearted videos designed to make you more aware of online risks.
Posted in Uncategorized.
– October 27, 2009
Multifactor Authentication Tip
When banking online, select the option for multifactor authentication. This will require you to enter a password and an authentication code that only you can have in your possession. A possible option might be to have the bank send a security code to your cell phone. This is easy to set up and ads an excellent second level of security for your account.
Posted in Web.
– October 13, 2009
10,000 Hotmail Passwords Leaked to the Internet
Login credentials for more than 10,000 Microsoft Live accounts have been posted to the internet, most likely by miscreants who found them or harvested them in a phishing attack. Full story here.
Posted in Web.
– October 11, 2009
Use DropBox to Sync your Passwords
Great article on Lifehacker.com about using DropBox to sync your password files with multiple computers.
Posted in Software.
– September 15, 2009
