10 Best Ways to Protect Your Home Network Security

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Home network security is becoming increasingly important as people purchase more wirelessly connected devices. You can now connect nearly every device in your home to your WiFi, including your desktop PC, laptop, and smartphone, as well as smart home Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as baby monitors, refrigerators, fire alarms, and door locks.   With all of these devices connected to a single internet access point, homeowners must ensure that the security of their home WiFi network is adequate. While doing this on your own may seem intimidating, you don’t have to be a tech expert to protect your network.   In this article, we’ll look at the best ways to secure your network and protect your family’s data. Understanding home wireless network security It is critical to understand how to secure home WiFi networks in order to protect your devices from hackers and cybercriminals. By “listening” to your internet traffic, someone who gains access to your local network can easily access your personal data.   When this happens, the cybercriminal can launch a variety of attacks against your WiFi security, such as “man in the middle” attacks, ransomware, or outright data theft.   Securing your home WiFi security system against these attacks is time-consuming at worst and incredibly simple at best. However, as cybersecurity becomes a more serious threat, it is more important than ever to protect your network from cyberattacks. How to protect your home network security We compiled 10 of the best ways to increase the security of your home WiFi. And even if you can’t do them all, simply following several of these tips will help you lower the hacking risk that faces your WiFi-enabled devices and personal data. 1. CHANGE THE DEFAULT NAME AND PASSWORD OF YOUR HOME NETWORKThe easiest thing you can do to secure your home internet connection is to change the default name. This name is also known as the SSID (Service Set Identifier), and you can alter it by following these steps: -Open Windows Command Prompt-Type in “ipconfig”-Locate your IP Address-Type your IP Address into your browser’s address box-Enter your router’s login credentials-Open WiFi settings-Change SSID and password When changing your SSID and WiFi password, use a longer phrase that’s unique to that device. Don’t use any obvious or personal information, such as your name or birthday, during this process. 2. LIMIT ACCESS TO YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK This may seem obvious, but avoid giving people you don’t know access to your home network. The more people who have your wireless network credentials, the higher the risk of your data falling into the wrong hands. For example, if a contractor is in your home to perform repairs, they don’t need access to your home WiFi network. While there are exceptions to this rule – such as someone from your internet provider’s company – avoid allowing unknown devices to connect to your home network unless there is an important reason to do so. 3. CREATE A HOME GUEST NETWORKInstead of giving out your wireless credentials to anyone who needs it, let them connect to a guest WiFi network. The guest networking option allows you to set up a separate WiFi network that provides internet access but hides any shared folders, printers, storage devices, and network devices connected to your primary wireless network. Most wireless routers have this feature, which you can access via the device settings. When you set up the guest network, create a separate guest SSID and guest WiFi password. 4. TURN ON WIFI NETWORK ENCRYPTION Most WPA2 and WPA3 routers offer an encryption option. You can turn on this feature in your router’s WiFi settings, which you can access with your IP address and router login credentials. When you enable encryption for your WiFi network, it encrypts any data sent between your wireless channel and your device. This will prevent anyone from eavesdropping on your WiFi network without logging into your WiFi network. Just remember that you’ll need to manually reconnect all of your devices to your wireless network after you enable this. 5. TURN ON YOUR ROUTER FIREWALLMost wireless routers are preloaded with excellent hardware-based firewall options. A good firewall helps to prevent unwanted traffic from entering or leaving your wireless network without your knowledge. Router firewalls are often not turned on by default, which means you need to activate yours. To do so, log into your router settings using your IP address to enable the option. You may need to look under your router’s advanced settings to find the firewall toggle. Using your router’s firewall may slow down your internet speeds. As a workaround, you can turn off the firewall when you’re gaming or performing other tasks that require a faster connection. Once you’re done, just turn it back on. 6. TURN OFF YOUR WIFI NETWORK WHEN YOU LEAVE HOME It may be too much of a hassle to turn off your WiFi network every time you walk out the door, but it’s important to disable your home wireless network if you leave for any extended period of time. This will guarantee that your network is completely safe. 7. UPDATE YOUR ROUTER’S FIRMWAREYour router’s firmware is an incredibly important piece of the secure network connection puzzle. Most wireless routers don’t auto-update their software, so you must do it manually. To update your router’s firmware, visit the manufacturer’s website and download the firmware update file. Then, install it directly to your wireless router. Every router manufacturer has a slightly different process, so look for instructions on how to do it on their website. 8. SWITCH TO A WPA3 ROUTER WPA3 routers were first released in 2018, and they come with more robust security protocols to address many of the vulnerabilities found in WPA2 routers. If you rent your router from your ISP, chances are it may be a WPA2 device. In that case, you’ll have to purchase a separate WPA3 router. While it may be an unplanned expense, a WPA3 router will enhance your home wireless network

How to Highlight Text and Print in Firefox

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While browsing the Internet with Firefox, you may come across interesting information that you want to save or share. You can even print the page and highlight important text on it if you have a printer. Highlighting your text first and sending only that text to the printer is a faster, more efficient way to complete that task. Firefox lets you highlight any text on a Web page and print it to your preferred printer. 1.Launch Firefox and navigate to a Web page that contains text. 2.Highlight text you would like to print by clicking and dragging to select it with your mouse. 3.Click “File” and select “Print” to open the Print dialog window. Click the “Name” drop-down printer to select the desired printer. 4.Move to the window’s “Print Range” section and click the “Selection” radio button to select it. 5.Click “OK” to print the highlighted text.

My Printer Is Spooling Then Deleting

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Printing appears to be a simple process of converting your business documents into crisp, new output, but the computer-controlled reality is far more complicated than simply pressing “Print.” When documents enter your computer’s print-management queue and then vanish without even a single page of the job appearing in the printer’s output tray, your troubleshooting procedures begin with your hardware. Simultaneously, your application files should be scrutinised for their potential role as symptom triggers. Memory When printers run out of available memory, the software that controls their communication with your computer exhibits similar issues, causing the projects you send for output to be stalled. The list of documents in your print manager should include all of the files that are currently being printed and awaiting output, but some of them may appear in the list and then disappear without ever being printed. This symptom indicates the need for additional memory chips if you’re using a laser printer with upgradeable RAM. Printer Driver The driver software you instal to allow your computer and its operating system to send data from your application files to your printer must be compatible with your computer’s platform, operating system and version, as well as the specific model of your output hardware. As you update your operating system, your printer driver may become incompatible, and as you use your computer, the driver software may become corrupt, particularly during power fluctuations or as a byproduct of malware that you’ve had to remove. To keep all of these resources up to date, visit the printer manufacturer’s website and apply any new updates that match your system configuration. Project Size and Condition Extra-large documents can cause printers to struggle with processing. “Large” refers to more than just the number of pages. Photographs and other graphics, as well as elements linked from other files via DirectX on Windows, can increase the data size of a file. Along with file size, document condition influences how well or poorly a file prints. PDF files with incorrectly embedded fonts, documents with traces of corruption caused by recycling files to create new versions of recurring projects rather than building a template that creates a new file each time you use it: these common scenarios can result in print problems in which documents disappear from the print queue. Other Considerations To test your files, determine which files are having printing issues and where the problem occurs. Until the symptoms appear, print one page at a time. If your vanishing print jobs are the result of a printer’s overloaded memory, you won’t see these symptoms if you divide the job into page-by-page increments. If you are unable to reduce the file size, printing single or small groups of pages may be the simplest, or at least the least expensive, solution to your problem. If a page fails to print on its own, inspect its contents for signs of corruption.

My Printer Won’t Print All My Documents

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When your office printer appears to pick and choose which of your documents to process and which not to process, you must conduct some careful troubleshooting to determine why your hardware is suddenly acting up. To determine the source of “selective output,” examine the projects you’re attempting to print, as well as your hardware and print setup. Memory If your printer refuses to print the files you send it, the issue may be related to the amount of memory available to the device for spooling and processing documents. Inkjet printers rely on the computer to which they are connected for memory, whereas laser printers typically include installed and sometimes upgradeable memory. Print failures, such as jobs that appear in your print queue but do not print or disappear from it, are one of the symptoms of a memory-starved print operation. Upgrading the RAM in the printer or the host computer to which it is connected can help to eliminate these issues. Print Queue Status When the queue that manages the documents you print begins to act like a trap and refuses to let any jobs pass through, the cause could be the status you’ve assigned to the queue itself. If you brought up the queue on your screen to delete a project that you had accidentally printed, you may have accidentally paused the entire print operation. When the queue enters pause mode, no documents are printed until the status is changed back to active mode. Project-Related Problems A document that weighs several megabytes on disc and includes a hefty stack of embedded graphics or other file-enlarging assets takes longer to print than a one-page letter that is entirely text. A truly massive file may appear to stall in the middle of the printing process as your computer and printer collaborate to process the document’s massive amount of data. Similarly, a corrupt document can hang up in the middle of an output process, resulting in no pages being printed. Print a large file in sections or a problematic file from an earlier version to test the integrity of your print process. Printer Driver The driver software that communicates between your operating system and the printer allows you to press a few keys on your keyboard and watch perfectly formed pages emerge in the tray of your output device. If you’re attempting to use a driver that is incompatible with any aspect of your setup, or if your driver software no longer functions properly after a drive crash or other malfunction, reinstall the software so your system can communicate with the printer again.

What Causes LaserJet Printer Pages to Smear?

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HP’s LaserJet product line debuted in 1984 with a $3,500 model that printed eight pages per minute using a 3,000-page toner cartridge. When your modern office LaserJet begins to print pages that smear when touched, concentrate your troubleshooting on the printing components and consumables that directly contribute to the faulty sheets in the output tray. Toner Cartridge Toner is a powder that combines pigment and finely ground plastic to form a heat-set bond with paper. Toner formulations differ depending on the machine and manufacturer. Although new cartridges typically contain toner with the appropriate fusing properties for the printer they are intended for, remanufactured cartridges may be refilled with material that requires a higher fusing temperature than your LaserJet. Toner cannot bond properly under these conditions, causing it to smear and wipe off. To resolve the issue, try a different toner cartridge. Fuser The fuser in your LaserJet provides the heat source that permanently bonds toner to paper. If the fuser does not reach the proper temperature to complete the bonding process, the result is similar to what happens when you accidentally insert the wrong toner into your printer. Fuser problems can be caused by component failures, the use of improperly remanufactured parts, or improper setup after a repair. Some failures may result in a warning message on the printer’s front panel as a result of the machine detecting the fuser’s inability to reach the proper temperature, while others simply result in blotchy, smeared toner. These issues necessitate the assistance of a technician. Paper Selection Too-thick or too-smooth paper, as well as sheets with a heavy surface texture, can limit the ability of your LaserJet to fuse toner onto your chosen media. The recommended range of thicknesses that fall within your printer’s paper-handling capacity is specified in your user guide. Excessive paper may be unable to move smoothly through the sometimes-complex twists and turns of the printing path inside the device, limiting the fuser’s function. Heavily textured sheets have a surface that is too complex for the fuser’s heat to reach into the design’s low and high points. The too-smooth surface of glossy sheets, on the other hand, prevents a Smears that appear in addition to otherwise well-formed output may signal toner contamination inside your LaserJet, either from a leaky cartridge or from improperly fused sheets that leave toner residue behind. Smears at the edge of the sheet that enters the printer first point to dirty paper guides. Although you can follow your user guide’s directions for basic cleaning inside the printer, any cleanup that requires disassembly should be left to experts who know how to handle the laser and heat sources these devices contain.assembly should be left to experts who are familiar with the laser and heat sources contained in these devices.

My Computer Printer Won’t Pull in Paper

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Desktop printers provide dependable service that becomes ingrained in your daily office routine. If your hardware suddenly refuses to accept paper into its output mechanism, plan on using diagnostic procedures instead of page output until you figure out what’s wrong. These symptoms can indicate a variety of causes, from hardware configuration to paper selection. Examine your device and your media carefully to determine and correct the cause of your printer’s appetite loss. Paper Feed Mechanism Setup Some printers include feed guides, paper supports, and other mechanisms to facilitate proper paper pickup. Sliding guides fit alongside the stack of sheets you insert in printers with adjustable-size or manual-feed trays. If you overtighten or undertighten these guides, the paper will feed incorrectly or not at all. Paper supports on printers with vertical feed paths allow sheets to be loaded from an insert slot on top of the device. To allow the printer to correctly pick up media from the paper slot, you must extend these supports into their working position. Inappropriate Media Because of their dimensions or surface properties, paper that is too thick or media that your printer cannot accommodate may fail to feed correctly. Some inkjet printers use hardware or software modifications to accommodate premium photo paper, which is thicker than the standard sheets accepted by these devices. If you print with the incorrect settings, your paper may not move at all. Regardless of the setting you use, paper that exceeds the device’s handling specifications may be impossible to use. Similarly, if you try to print on a media type that your printer cannot handle, such as transparency film, the results will be disappointing. Dirty Rollers Printers use rollers to pull paper in and feed it through the machine. These rollers’ functionality is jeopardised if they become soiled with ink, dust, or other contaminants from the environment in which the device operates. Some desktop devices have rollers that can be cleaned by hand; in this case, your user guide should detail the proper procedure. Solvents, stiff-bristled brushes, fluids, petroleum-based lubricants, and other oils should be avoided as they may damage the printer. If you buy paper that comes with a cleaning sheet, make sure it’s compatible with your printer before using it, even if it’s manufactured by the same company. Other Considerations To ensure proper operation, a firm, level surface is required when setting up a printer. Feed failures may occur if the device is set crookedly or unevenly, or if it operates on a platform that allows it to vibrate or wobble. Loading one-sided media with the wrong side presented to the feed mechanism may also cause issues. Avoid damaged or damp paper, as well as sheets from a package that has been stored under a heavy weight. These conditions may cause your media’s flexibility and other printing properties to change, rendering it unsuitable for output.

My Printer Will Not Communicate With a Computer

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Sending digital documents to a desktop printer appears simple: deceptively so, as you’ll discover if your office output device stops communicating with the computer to which it’s connected. A problem prevents the process from reaching its natural conclusion somewhere between your application software and the tray where you expect to see completed pages emerge. Follow your output from computer to printer to diagnose and remove the bottleneck. ConnectionsData cables may appear to be as strong as power cords, but damage that is not visible can prevent them from functioning properly. You can fill your print queue with documents without the integrity of a reliable data connection. To rule out a bad cable as the source of your communication issues, turn off your printer and computer and replace the cable. When you restart your system, you should be able to print again. DriverAlong with the physical connection between your computer and printer, your hardware is controlled by a software driver to process data and print page information. If you use the incorrect driver for your hardware and operating system, or if your driver becomes corrupted due to a hard-drive crash, the output process is halted because the printer no longer receives data that it can process. Visit the manufacturer’s website and look for version-appropriate drivers to download. ConsumablesWhen printers run out of paper, ink, or toner, they stop processing new output until you replenish their supplies. An inkjet printer may stop communicating if only one of its ink tanks runs dry, providing self-protection against printhead damage caused by attempting to supply ink for heated or micro-piezo ink nozzles from a dry cartridge. Similarly, a laser printer will halt its output cycles if its toner runs out. Check the front panel of your hardware for indicator-light signals that indicate an empty consumable, and replenish supplies to put your device back in service. Media JamPaper misfeeds or jams, like an empty paper input tray, prevent printers from processing documents. With a stray sheet caught in its mechanism, a printer cannot process more pages without exacerbating the situation. Removing jammed sheets requires a deft touch to extricate the misfeed in one piece, because leftover scraps from a torn sheet will cause another jam. To ensure that you’ve extracted the entire sheet, flatten it out on a desktop and look for missing corners.. Output QueueWhen you pause or stop your computer’s output queue, you also stop your printer from processing new jobs. Because the same software you use to hold the print queue also gives you access to print jobs so you can delete them, it’s easy to press the wrong button in the printer management module and stop the entire queue instead of just removing one extraneous project. Examine your print management software for indications that someone — you or another user, if the printer is networked — pressed the pause button.

My Printer Says to Check That Cables Are Connected But Everything Is Connected Correctly

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Even if your printer cabling matches the diagrams in your user guide, your printer may still display error messages on your screen warning you to check your connections. Resolving a situation in which a device acts as if it’s disconnected can entail looking for clues in both obvious places, such as your cabling, and in parts of your system that don’t appear to be potential culprits. Cabling The most straightforward printer issue is caused by faulty connections. Simply plugging a data cable into your printer and your computer, hub, switch, or router does not imply that the connection is functional. Even if you performed a digital autopsy with a wire stripper and a magnifying glass, the insulation covering a perfectly normal-looking USB or Ethernet net cable can conceal physical damage or defects. Replace your cable and see if your problems disappear. If they do, throw the faulty cable in with your recycling so it doesn’t end up back in – or, more accurately, out of – service. Printer Driver Many printer problems that appear to be unrelated to software are caused by faulty printer drivers. When the software that handles the processes that make document data understandable to output hardware fails, you may see half-printed files, bogus error messages, and pages with content that appears to have exploded. Modern operating systems include built-in support for a wide range of output devices, detect new printers when they are plugged in, and offer to locate appropriate drivers for them. These conveniences are useless if your software becomes corrupted due to malware or hard drive issues, or if it requires an update to remain compatible with an upgraded operating system. Examine your system for hardware and malware issues, and then go to the printer manufacturer’s website to download new drivers. Hub If you connect a USB printer through a hub, especially one that draws its power from the USB port on your computer rather than an electrical outlet, your system and output device may not see each other properly. While some devices, such as flash memory drives and media card readers, may work flawlessly when connected via a hub, not all printers will function properly without a direct connection to a port on your system. Try directly connecting your printer to your computer. If your issues go away, go through your USB devices to find another candidate to plug into the hub or remove when you need to print. Other Considerations Even if nothing goes wrong between the computer and the printer, the process of moving bits and bytes from one to the other can leave the output device with a bad taste in its mouth. If an application crashed while you were printing from it, or if your electrical power fluctuated enough to cause your lights to dim slightly and your monitor to blink off and on, shut down your printer and computer before restarting them. Power cycling clears memory buffers, flushing away stale data and malfunction byproducts.

What is a router?

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A router is a device that connects two or more packet-switched networks or subnetworks. It serves two primary functions: managing traffic between these networks by forwarding data packets to their intended IP addresses, and allowing multiple devices to use the same Internet connection. There are several types of routers, but most routers pass data between LANs (local area networks) and WANs (wide area networks). A LAN is a group of connected devices restricted to a specific geographic area. A LAN usually requires a single router. A WAN, on the other hand, is a large network that spans a large geographic area. Large organisations and businesses with multiple locations across the country, for example, will require separate LANs for each location, which will then connect to form a WAN. Because a WAN is spread out over a large area, it frequently necessitates the use of multiple routers and switches*.. *A network switch forwards data packets between groups of devices in the same network, whereas a router forwards data between different networks.

Wi-Fi

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Definition Wi-Fi is a wireless technology used to connect computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices to the internet. Wi-Fi is the radio signal sent from a wireless router to a nearby device, which translates the signal into data you can see and use. The device transmits a radio signal back to the router, which connects to the internet by wire or cable. What is a Wi-Fi network? A Wi-Fi network is simply an internet connection shared by a wireless router with multiple devices in a home or business. The router is directly connected to your modem and acts as a hub, broadcasting the internet signal to all of your Wi-Fi enabled devices. This allows you to remain connected to the internet as long as you are within your network’s coverage area. What does Wi-Fi stand for? A marketing firm coined the term because the wireless industry was looking for a user-friendly name to refer to some not-so-user-friendly technology known as IEEE 802.11, and it stuck. Wi-Fi is frequently referred to as WiFi, wifi, wi-fi, or wi fi, and the organisation that paid for the marketing firm is sometimes referred to as the Wireless Fidelity Alliance Inc. How does Wi-Fi work? Wi-Fi transmits data from your wireless router to Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as your TV, smartphone, tablet, and computer using radio waves. Your devices and personal information may become vulnerable to hackers, cyber-attacks, and other threats because they communicate over airwaves. This is especially true when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network in public places such as a coffee shop or an airport. When possible, connect to a password-protected wireless network or a personal hotspot. Types of Wi-Fi connections Your options for connecting wirelessly at home are growing as mobile networks expand into the home internet realm. As with internet service, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of wireless connection, such as speed and strength of signal. We’ve outlined a few of them here. Wireline/router Most homes use a wireless router to access the internet these days. The pros include convenience of setup, mobility within range of the Wi-Fi access point (router) and the ability to connect multiple devices. The cons: limited bandwidth and reduced speed as more devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, as well as potential interference from other electromagnetic devices in the home. Mobile hotspot or jetpack Mobile and dedicated hotspots are becoming a more popular way of connecting safely on the go. Two common hotspot devices are your smartphone and a jetpack. Most any smartphone or tablet today can be used as a temporary hotspot and is a great option if you occasionally need it. It’s easy to use and doesn’t require buying extra devices, but it can zap your battery life and data pretty fast. On the other hand, a jetpack acts as a dedicated mobile hotspot that picks up a signal from cell towers in your area just like your smartphone. More devices can connect to it and it offers a greater range of Wi-Fi. And because it’s a separate device, your smartphone battery power doesn’t get touched. The downfall is having to buy the jetpack and a separate plan. LTE Home Internet If you live in a rural area with few internet options, 4G LTE Home Internet is an option to consider. It provides high-speed internet access via cell phone towers and mobile networks, with average download speeds of around 25 Mbps. The benefits of LTE over satellite include faster speeds and greater dependability, depending on your carrier. 5G Home Internet 5G Home Internet (Fixed Wireless Access) is now in more places around the country.* Even with multiple devices connected, it’s reliable and fast enough to power your whole home. Fixed wireless access has a simple plug and play setup, which means there are no messy wires and no need to wait for a technician to come to your home for setup. How to get Wi-Fi at home As mentioned, there are several ways to get wireless service at your home and most depend on geographical location and availability. (See what Wi-Fi home internet is available in your area.) The majority of urban and suburban areas offer most of these services, with 5G Home Internet right around the corner. Rural areas will most likely offer satellite and 4G LTE Home Internet. If you have a wired internet service, you’ll be able to set up your own Wi-Fi network at home. By connecting a router to your modem, you can share your internet connection with all your Wi-Fi enabled devices within range. If your home has two levels, concrete walls or random dead zones, adding a Wi-Fi extender that relays the wireless signal to these areas can make a big difference. Keep in mind that as the number of your mobile devices grows, so does the demand for bandwidth. To keep your devices running at top speeds, you may need to upgrade your internet speed plan. Verizon offers several internet services ranging from DSL and fiber to 5G Home Internet, depending on your location. For better reliability and Verizon’s fastest download speeds, check if Fios Internet or 5G Home Internet are available at your address.