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Whether you use a Google Pixel phone, Chromebook, desktop, or another device to connect to the internet, you'll encounter something that requires your IP address. Any networking activity requires knowing your IP address. It makes troubleshooting easier with internet service providers (ISPs) and tech support for software or hardware that requires an internet connection. Also, you'll need it to remotely access your devices or share your network with other devices, such as a printer. Here's how to find your IP address on a Mac, Windows, Android, or iOS device.
Best budget NAS in 2024
Save some money on smarter storage with these enticing budget NAS enclosures
Tired of renewing subscriptions for various cloud storage accounts? Take back control of your data with network-attached storage (NAS) devices that provide high-capacity, secure, and local data storage. A NAS is the ultimate upgrade to an external hard drive, storing multiple hard drive disks for tens or even hundreds of terabytes of data. This is perfect for small business data storage, warehousing media files, or running a full-fat Plex server at your home to stream 4K movies to your living room TV without breaking a sweat.
Best NAS devices in 2024
Looking to handle your own backups and media streaming? These are the very best NAS for home, work, and play
Network Attached Storage (NAS) is fast becoming an essential accessory for the contemporary technophile. If you're an avid content curator or live streamer or work heavily with images or video, a NAS is a secure data storage solution that is capable of integrating seamlessly into a home or small business network. They are a practical alternative to servers and cloud storage, giving you unrivaled control over your data with increasingly affordable and accessible form factors.
TerraMaster enclosures are renowned for offering unprecedented features at reasonable price points. That’s one big reason they are a preferred choice among many home users and small businesses for their data storage needs and why they made it to our favorite NAS enclosures list. Even compared to other brands like Synology, Asustor, and QNAP, you will often find that TerraMaster products get you more features per dollar, be it a desktop NAS, a rackmount unit, or a DAS.
Wi-Fi 7 explained: How fast is it and when can I use it?
Learn how Wi-Fi 7 will improve your network with much faster speed, reliable internet, and better smart home connectivity
Everyone wants better internet, and thanks to the fast pace of technology, Wi-Fi 7 is coming soon. Since we use the internet for work, news, entertainment, and controlling smart home devices, a faster and more reliable connection will make everything easier.
Asustor is one of the most prominent brands in the NAS business. The company has been around for decades and makes some of the best NAS enclosures available. In this guide, we'll be showcasing the very best Asustor NAS, whether you wish to create your own Plex Media Server, store some backups, run a small business, or all of the above.
QNAP TS-464 review: One of the best compact NAS devices for running Plex
QNAP's TS-464 has just about everything you'd need in a powerful compact NAS
QNAP is responsible for some of the more powerful network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures, including the QNAP TS-464. This four-bay NAS has an Intel Celeron processor, expandable system memory, M.2 SSD slots, a PCI expansion slot, dual 2.5GbE networking, and a dedicated HDMI port. It's designed for use at home or in the office and is more than capable of running more demanding apps and services such as Plex Media Server.
Get the most out of your Chromebook with noise cancellation and these other hidden Chrome OS 92 features
Improve your Chrome OS experience by enabling all this extra functionality
Chrome OS 92 has finally rolled out to Chromebooks following a week's delay, and it's packed with goodies like a brand new emoji picker and a clipboard manager for tablets. We've been digging into the new update and pulling up even more features that should help you get the most out of your Chromebook. Here are a few advantageous but experimental features we've found that you can take advantage of today.
Nest Wifi routers can now prioritize video conferencing as well as gaming traffic
No more "Everybody stop streaming their Netflix shows, mama's got a Zoom meeting!"
Google's routers are already packed with intelligent features like network stats, manual device prioritization, Wi-Fi pause options, or device grouping — not to mention the integrated smart speaker in the Nest Wifi. To further improve on these options, Google has decided to add the ability to automatically prioritize certain traffic via the Home app, such as video conferencing or gaming.
Google is adding a new Connectivity Diagnostics app to Chromebooks
Helps users remove the guesswork out of network troubleshooting
We all know how annoying it is when your internet connection suddenly drops out. While PC operating systems have built-in diagnostic features to help frustrated users get back online, Chromebook owners have had to download and install the Chrome Connectivity Diagnostics app manually. With the clock ticking on Chrome apps, it looks like Google's trying once again to bring user-friendly network diagnostics to Chromebooks, in the form of a new native tool.
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- The director of Android TV at Google reached out to us with some more information about this particular issue. They discovered the bug late in the release cycle, and the final build for the Nexus Player should include a fix.
If you've migrated your Nexus Player onto Android O, and you've noticed networking problems or sudden data cap issues, you're not alone. Some people, including our own Artem, have found that their Nexus Players are going a bit crazy, uploading hundreds of gigabytes of data for no apparent reason.
Everyone's getting into the mesh Wi-Fi business these days. Google Wifi was released last year, Samsung is working on a mesh router, and a handful of other products from Netgear, Linksys, Ubiquiti, and others are on the market. Now ASUS is preparing to launch its own mesh network system, called 'Lyra,' and the Android control application is already live on the Play Store.
One router just isn't cool anymore. Everyone who's anyone has released a mesh router system that uses multiple APs to blanket spaces with wireless coverage. TP-Link, which made the first OnHub device for Google, has now released its own mesh router system called Deco M5. It will compete directly with Google Wifi, Netgear Orbi, Eero, and others.As with other mesh systems, the Deco bundle comes with three small, stylish routers. They have a neat spiral design here. It doesn't seem to do very much that's different than the other mesh routers on the market. It supports dual-band AC1300 with a top speed of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. There's an app you can use to monitor and control the network as well.
Deco includes a number of features we've seen before like smart routing for your data across the network, parental controls, and the ability to expand your network with additional hubs. TP-Link points to the built-in antivirus protection as one of Deco's defining features. The PR actually makes a rather big deal of it. The AV powered by Trend Micro can intercept malicious files, quarantine infected devices, and actively prevent intrusion of your network. However, it's only free for three years. After that you have to pay a monthly subscription if you want to keep using it.The Deco M5 system is available now for $300 on Amazon and other retailers.
Some people want to deal with as few devices as possible - especially when it comes to their home network. If you happen to need a router, and also use anything in the SmartThings ecosystem, Samsung has just the product for you.
Just last week, Google announced plans to remove SPDY support from its open source Chromium project early next year, and it would be replaced by the not-yet-official HTTP/2 protocol. Today, the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG), the managing component of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), announced that the HTTP/2 and HPACK specs have been formally approved and are on the way to becoming official standards.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) aren’t the sexiest topic out there, but they are a pretty vital part of daily operations for almost every major company and many small businesses. VPNs are used to securely connect a computer, tablet, or phone to a company's private network over the Internet, thus allowing people to work remotely while ensuring strict authentication and enforcing administrative policies. Even some power users are apt to set up a VPN if they want to make their home networks accessible while they're on the road.
[For Developers] Samsung Releases Chord SDK For Easier Peer-To-Peer Connections
Few things attract new users to an app more than the ability to interact with other people; gamers demand multi-player and socialites want instant photo
Few things attract new users to an app more than the ability to interact with other people; gamers demand multi-player and socialites want instant photo sharing. To ease the burden of exchanging data fluidly, Samsung has released its new Chord SDK to make local peer-to-peer and group communication much easier for developers with little or no networking knowledge. It exposes features similar to Samsung's AllShare SDK, but makes it possible to broadcast data and share files with several devices at once.
Open Garden 2.0 Comes With Channel Bonding, Enhanced Reliability, Same User-Friendly Mesh Networking
Everyone's favorite mesh networking startup Open Garden today announced its 2.0 refresh at LAUNCH festival, having allegedly already served 2.1 million installs since version 1.
This likely won't affect too many average users, but if you happen to work in a business or university with an open wireless network that relies on an internal hostname within a domain for any redirection, you're in a bit of luck. Up until this point, there's been a bug in Android that makes it impossible for the system to resolve a hostname on a local domain to its proper IP address.