Updated 18/05/2023: Some links updated or removed from section "Extending Wi-Fi".
Wikipedia
20 Years Old
Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page),
the much-used online encyclopaedia was launched on 15th January
2001. It remains an independent,
non-profit organisation funded by donations.
It is maintained by a community of volunteer editors.
The
Old Edge
The old version of Microsoft Edge will be
removed from Windows 10 with the April patch-Tuesday updates. This is shortly after they end support for it
on 9th March. Hopefully, by
now, most people are using the new version which is based on the open-source
Chromium browser. Chromium is the basis
for most Windows browsers, except Firefox.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo
(DDG) is the strangely named search engine that has been around since
2008. DDG has protecting your privacy
and security at the heart of what it does.
Search results are the same for everyone – they are not tailored to your
‘profile’. It does not retain your IP
address or search history and restricts the use of cookies to the minimum.
If you don’t like being tracked and you are concerned about Google knowing too much about you, you could give this search engine a try. It is available as the default search engine on Safari on your iPhone/iPad, i.e. the search engine used when you search from the Address Bar. You can also set it as the default search engine on your PC in whatever browser you use (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc). There is also a DDG app for iOS and Android which you can use as your default browser, incorporating the DDG search.
You can add browser extensions to Chrome or Firefox which will change the default search engine to DDG and block tracking.
Other Search Engines
We had a brief discussion on other search engines. Obviously, Google is the best known and most widely used search engine. The main alternative search engine is Microsoft's Bing. Other search engines tend to rely partly or totally on one of these two.
DuckDuckGo mainly uses Bing together with other sources and some of its own efforts.
Yahoo search used to be independent, but now uses Bing.
Google
Graveyard
Google
have a bit of a reputation for killing off some of their products and
services. This includes things like:-
- Google Hangouts
- Google Cloud Print
- Free, unlimited storage on Google Photos
- Inbox (an alternative web interface to Gmail)
- Picasa
You
can find a comprehensive list on this web site which, at the time of writing,
lists 224 products and services terminated by Google:-
https://killedbygoogle.com/
Google Play Music
Chris pointed out that "Google Play Music" is no longer available. People who used this previously could store their music library in Play Music. Users can transfer their music library to YouTube Music. Google have more details on this at:-
https://support.google.com/googleplaymusic/answer/9973710?hl=en
Royal Mail Scam?
Margaret had an email saying she had a postal delivery which had failed and she would need to make a payment. This appears to be a scam. We have previously talked about reporting scams which you can do by sending details to:-
report@phishing.gov.uk
You can read more details about this on the National Cyber Security Centre web site:-
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/report-suspicious-emails
As Linda advised, you can hover your mouse over, or click on the "from address" at the top of the email to reveal the actual email address, rather than just the display same name.
Scam Phone Calls
Phil mentioned having a "robocall" - a phone call which plays a message stating that, for example, you owe tax and will be arrested if you do not respond. These messages ask you to press a key on your phone to respond. The general advice is just to put the phone down. If you actually press a key, the robot detects it has reached a human and will log your number for repeat calls.
Extending Wi-Fi
Brian had issues with his wife's phone failing to connect to wi-fi sometimes. So we had a discussion about improving wi-fi coverage around the home.
If you are prepared to make the investment in time and money, probably the best solution is a mesh router system. Mesh routers are, in effect, a single logical router that consists of 2 or more physical nodes which can be strategically positioned around the house. This article is one of many that reviews the "best mesh wi-fi router 2021":-
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/networks/1406868/best-mesh-wifi-routers-boost-the-range-of-your-home-wi-fi
You should note that these mesh systems tend to be routers, rather than modem/routers, so you will still need a modem. I use a separate OpenReach modem, alternatively, you may be able to switch your current modem/router into modem-only mode, also known as bridge mode.
I use a pair of TP-Link Deco M4 nodes which are available from Argos:-
https://www.argos.co.uk/search/tp%252Dlink-deco-m4/?clickOrigin=searchbar:home:term:tp%252Dlink+deco+m4
BT offer "BT Whole Home Wifi" which you can see reviewed here:-
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/bt/1405560/bt-whole-home-wi-fi-review-great-value-mesh-wireless
You can purchase Whole Home Wi-Fi products from the BT shop:-
https://shop.bt.com/learnmore/bt-branded-products-and-services/bt-whole-home-wi-fi/
BT also offer "Complete Wi-Fi" also known as Halo. I believe you need to be a BT ISP customer to use this (unlike "BT Whole Home Wi-Fi") and it consists of BT's SmartHub router with additional nodes. These nodes are also circular (like the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi) but are black rather than white. You can read a review here:-
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/bt-halo-review
A simpler and possibly cheaper solution to increase your wi-fi's range is a "wi-fi extender". This TP-Link extender on Amazon is under £20:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/RE220-Universal-Extender-Broadband-Indicator/dp/B07ZWBBPQN/
Note that wi-fi extenders have to spend half their time talking to the router and half their time talking to any connected devices. The effect is to halve the speed of the connection while extending the distance.
Another device which can get your network to difficult-to-reach areas of your home is a Powerline Adapter. Here is an example of a pair of Powerline Apapters from Amazon for £28:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-PA4010PKIT-Passthrough-Powerline-Configuration-Required/dp/B01G5Q9E0O/
Powerline Adapters use the mains wiring of your house to carry the network signals between these adapters. This is an ideal solution to get a wired network cable to your smart TV, for example. You can add additional adapters so the network can be picked up in other parts of your house. Adapters can easily be linked together by pressing a button on these devices.
PC Name
Linda asked about changing the name of her Windows PC. This is easily done in Windows 10 by going to:-
Start, Settings, System, About and clicking Rename this PC.
There should not be any major issues caused by changing the computer name.
Next Session
Wed 10th March 2021 at 2pm by Zoom.
