How to find happiness in a world of password madness

In early August, Wired reporter Mat Honan had his most precious passwords hacked via a complex series of social engineering exploits. The breach made headlines because it exposed security flaws in Apple and Amazon customer service policies; but let’s not forget that the Honan saga capped a long summer full of server invasions that exposed millions of user passwords en masse. In June, hackers stole some 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords and posted them online. That same month, intruders compromised about 1.5 million eHarmony passwords in a security breach, and in July hackers grabbed 450,000 Yahoo Voice passwords. Among the most common passwords used by those Yahoo members: "123456," "welcome," and the ever-popular "password." The fundamental problem isn’t that these sites should have done a better job protecting user data (though they should have). And it isn't that users chose passwords that were exceedingly easy to crack and then recycled the same flimsy passwords at every site where they registered (though they did). The problem is that passwords have become self-defeating, often impotent tools in the grand scheme of digital security. We need too many of them, and the strong ones are too hard to remember. “To use the Net these days you have to have dozens of passwords and logins,” says Terry Hartman, vice president of global security solutions for Unisys. “Every time you go back to a site, it feels like they’ve introduced new rules to make passwords more complex. Eventually, users revert to using one password for everything.” In short: The password system is broken. All of the passwords breached in the LinkedIn, eHarmony, and Yahoo exploits had been "hashed"—that is, the actual passwords had been replaced with algorithmically generated code. This transforms the passwords stored on servers (and stolen by hackers) into alphanumeric gobbledygook. Still, if your password is as simple as, say, "officepc," a hacker can easily crack it even in hashed form by using brute force or a rainbow table. But all is not lost. Complex passwords infused with numbers and special characters (and bearing no resemblance to a real name or word) give you a fighting chance against hackers, and you can store these codes in a handy password management app. Websites, meanwhile, are doing more to beef up security at their end, requiring multifactor authentication, and it looks as though biometric technology will soon be employed for mass-market security as well. The password problem won’t go away any time soon, however, and for now we’ll have to rely on the applications, services, and emerging technologies explained below to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. Password vaults Password management programs are like spam filters—boring but essential tools for managing your digital life. A good password manager remembers all of your logins, replaces the simple passwords you choose with complex ones, and lets you change those passwords quickly if a site or service you use gets hacked. The best part: Instead of having to remember dozens of unique passwords, you only have to remember one: the master password for your vault. And unless you always log on from the same machine and the same browser (in which case you’re probably reading this on an AOL dialup connection), you’ll want a cloud-based program like LastPass, 1Password, or Roboform that can apply your logins to any PC, phone, or tablet you use. The downside: You still have to remember your master password, and it really should be a good one, packed with a mixture of numbers, capital and lowercase letters, and special characters such as question marks and exclamation points. Of course, an attacker who manages to plant a keylogger in your system will be able to sniff out your password as you type it, notes Robert Siciliano, an online security expert for McAfee who uses a password vault to store more than 700 logins. Similarly, if crooks hack a cloud-based password vault—as happened to LastPass in May 2011—it could be game over. Fortunately for LastPass customers, no sensitive information was breached in the 2011 attack; but the next time a successful intrusion occurs (and that it will happen to some security firm somewhere is inevitable), users might not be so lucky. Bottom line: Password management vaults offer immense value, and are essential tools for anyone who values digital security. Multifactor authentication Complex passwords stored in an encrypted vault are only a first step. Some sites rely on a second level of security to identify users—typically a piece of hardware that only the rightful user has access to. That way, even an attacker who knows your password will need access to, say, your phone or computer in order to steal your data. Financial institutions are required by law to use multiple factors when handling online transactions, but they may do it in the background by authenticating your machine or its location, says Siciliano. So, for example, if you live in San Francisco and someone in Shanghai attempts to access your bank account, that transaction may be blocked, or that person may be required to provide an additional piece of authentication by entering a number sent to a device provided by the bank. Google and Facebook now offer two-factor authentication as well: You can have them send a temporary PIN to your cell phone whenever you log in from an unfamiliar machine (this PIN must be provided along with your password the first time you attempt to log in via that new machine). This failsafe would have prevented all the hardship Mat Honan suffered last month. Google's two-part authentication system ensures a greater level of security, but many users find it tiresome in real-world practice. Unfortunately, though, aside from banks and a handful of high-profile websites, most places online simply don't offer multifactor authentication—in part because it’s not very convenient, and the vast majority of Internet users are willing to trade security for hassle-free logins. “Two-factor authentication doesn’t always pass the grandma test,” says Siciliano. “That means more support calls, more password resets, and higher costs. That’s why it’s typically only used by companies with a lot to lose.” Biometrics The beauty of biometrics is that you don’t have to remember anything at all, much less a complex password. Instead, a biometric security system taps into the unique properties of your own physical packaging to authenticate your identity. Biometric systems can scan fingerprints, irises, faces, and even voices to establish whether a person should have access to a service or piece of hardware. They’re not yet deployed for the major cloud services, but Terry Hartman of Unisys says major banks are piloting biometric identification systems now, and expects them to begin rolling out next year. Apple’s recent $360 million acquisition of AuthenTec, maker of fingerprint-scanning technology, suggests that some form of biometric identification may be built into future Apple products. Rudimentary biometric security is already available on many notebooks. Biometrics aren’t perfect, however. Researchers have gamed fingerprint scanners by using gelatin fingers, and they've fooled facial recognition systems by using photographs. At last July's BlackHat conference, security researchers demonstrated a way to trick iris scanners by reverse-engineering the image data. And of course, hackers can target biometric data stored in a central database, and steal identities by substituting their own biometric data in place of their victims'. As with passwords and other personally identifiable information, the level of protection provided by biometric security would depend entirely on the competence of whoever stored the data (we all know how well that worked at LinkedIn). Requiring biometrics at login could also make anonymity difficult (if not impossible) for political dissidents, whistleblowers, and people who inhabit multiple identities for personal or professional reasons. Fears over Minority Report-style government surveillance may also give many consumers pause. Despite all this, Joseph Pritikin, director of product marketing at AOptix Technologies, a maker of iris scanners deployed at airports and border crossings, predicts that smartphones employing biometrics will be one of the key identification devices of the future, in part because the data can be stored securely on the device itself. “It will be a combination of something I am and something I have, most likely a smartphone,” Pritikin says. “Their hardware-based encryption would be difficult to compromise.” One ID to rule them all Ultimately, the ideal solution for password fatigue is to unify all of our disparate logins and online identities. Enter the Obama Administration, which in April 2011 launched a public-private initiative, the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, to develop an identity ecosystem that would allow consumers to use any verification system and have it work seamlessly across any site. Such a system would be able to verify that you’re old enough to buy wine online or that you qualify for a student discount, without necessarily sharing all of your personal information with each site, says Jim Fenton, chief security specialist for OneID, an Internet identity management system. The system would also allow you to operate under a pseudonym, if that’s how you wanted to roll. But the wheels of government churn slowly. Last month, the NTSIC’s steering committee held its first meeting. Among the issues it will eventually have to tackle are how much information should be shared between parties, and how much control consumers should have over that information, says Fenton, a member of the steering committee’s privacy group.
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Your PC may come with malware pre-installed

It is rare to find a new PC that doesn’t come with additional bells and whistles in addition to the operating system itself. The “bloatware” that PC vendors add on often includes useful tools like third-party security software. It seems, though, that some PCs also come with something more insidious—pre-installed malware. Microsoft researchers investigating counterfeit software in China were stunned to find that brand new systems being booted for the first time ever were already compromised with botnet malware right out of the box. Microsoft has filed a computer fraud suit against a Web domain registered to a Chinese businessman. The suit alleges that the Nitol malware on the new PCs points the compromised systems to 3322.org. Microsoft believes the site is a major hub of malware and malicious online activity. Microsoft claims that site in question hosts Nitol, as well as 500 other types of malware. A Washington Post report states that it’s the largest single repository of malicious software ever encountered by Microsoft. Most users—particularly most users of the Microsoft Windows operating systems—are aware of the many online threats. They’ve been conditioned to install antimalware and other security software, and update it frequently to ensure it can detect and block the latest, emerging threats. It’s a problem, though, if the PC is already compromised with malware before the antimalware software is even installed or enabled. Part of the concern lies in how the pre-installed malware works, or how deeply embedded it is. Most malware can still be identified and removed by security software after the fact. However, malware threats that are planted at the kernel level of the operating system, or in the PC BIOS operate at a level that is too deep, and can avoid detection by most antimalware tools. Malicious software is big business, and the criminals running the business are often quite clever and innovative when it comes to finding new ways to spread it. Planting malware in PCs, smartphones, or tablets before they’re even purchased and unboxed is certainly one way to go about it. What can you do then to defend against these threats? For starters, buy your PC, tablet, or smartphone hardware from established, respected vendors. If you buy an HP, Dell, Acer, Sony, or other such brand name PC the odds of it being compromised with pre-installed malware out of the box are pretty low. If you buy an Apple iPad, Google Nexus 7, or Amazon Kindle Fire you will most likely get a device free of malware infections. But, if you go bargain shopping online and buy a PC or knock-off tablet from a shady, unknown site the risk is higher. Regardless, don’t assume that just because your PC or mobile device is brand new that it must be safe and free from malware. And, you might not want to trust the pre-installed security software, either, since you can’t verify that it’s legitimate and free from malware itself. Make sure you install a reliable cross-device security tool to detect and identify malware that may already be present
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Who makes the best 802.11ac router? We review the only 5 models available today

It's a tricky time to be in the market for a new wireless router. The safe bet is buy a model based on the tried-and-true, rock-solid 802.11n standard—and I recommend that you adopt that course if you're looking for a new router for your small business. Consumers, on the other hand, may fall in love with the blistering speed and phenomenal range that routers based on the second draft of the 802.11ac standard deliver. The performance of each of the five 802.11ac routers that I tested for this story overwhelms the performance of the Asus RT-N66U, which may be the best 802.11n router on the market today. Looking to stream high-definition video over your wireless network? Using an 802.11ac router, I streamed a Blu-ray video ISO image—complete with high-definition Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio multichannel soundtrack—from a server in my home office to a bridge-connected PC in my home theater, an acoustically isolated room that some lesser-quality 802.11n routers can't even penetrate, much less stream media into. I experienced no glitches and no dropouts. But 802.11ac Draft 2.0 won't crystallize into a bona fide standard until sometime next year. We went through a similar routine as the 802.11n standard went through its final stages. Back then, however, the Wi-Fi Alliance (an industry trade group) assured consumers that all products based on the 802.11n Draft 2.0 standard and bearing the alliance's logo would be compatible with hardware based on the final standard—as well as with each other. The Wi-Fi Alliance offers no such assurances this time around. So there's a slim chance that these early first-generation 802.11ac routers will be incompatible with hardware released after the standard is finalized. Another caveat is cost: Either you'll have to buy two 802.11ac routers and configure one of them as an 802.11ac bridge, or you'll have to buy one router and a dedicated 802.11ac bridge, in order to realize an 802.11ac router's full potential. And though the bridge will establish a wireless connection to the router, you'll need to use ethernet cables to connect devices to the bridge—because no desktop or laptop PC currently has built-in 802.11ac network adapters, and no USB 802.11ac network adapters exist. (Broadcom announced in June that Asus's new G75VW gaming laptop would include a built-in 802.11ac adapter; but as of September 11, Asus's website indicates that the machine has only an 802.11n adapter. Netgear, meanwhile, has announced a USB 802.11ac network adapter, but as of the same date, it had not yet shipped its A6200.) So why should anyone consider buying an 802.11ac router? Well, if you're looking to connect up to four stationary clients in one location—a home theater PC, a smart TV, a Blu-ray player, and an A/V receiver, for instance—to a wireless network, an 802.11ac network will deliver better performance than anything else on the market. We're talking real-world throughput of 400 to 500 megabits per second (mbps) at close range; that's twice the speed of the best 802.11n routers. And at very long range, where most 5GHz 802.11n routers peter out, an 802.11ac router can deliver throughput of between 50 mbps and 100 mbps—more than enough bandwidth to stream high-definition video. For more details on how the 802.11ac standard is designed to function, check out "Three-Minute Tech: IEEE 802.11ac" on PCWorld's new sister site, TechHive. An 802.11ac router can also operate a concurrent 802.11n wireless network for your existing laptop, tablet, desktop PC, smartphone, and printer. In this sense, an 802.11ac router delivers the best of both worlds. As for the likelihood that the final 802.11ac standard will render products based on the 802.11ac Draft 2.0 standard obsolete, no one can guarantee that it won't, but in my opinion it's a fairly remote possibility. If you're ready to make a leap of faith to the unfinished standard, the next question is "Which 802.11ac router is best?" I'm glad you asked. Here are my assessments of all five 802.11ac router models available for sale as of September 10, 2012, based on my tests: • Asus RT-AC66U • Belkin AC 1200 DB • Buffalo WZR-1800H • D-Link DIR-865L • Netgear R6300
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment. http://www.pcworld.com/article/262148/who_makes_the_best_80211ac_router_we_review_the_only_5_models_available_today.html#tk.hp_fv

Who makes the best 802.11ac router? We review the only 5 models available today

How to keep your office organized

There's little hard information on the subject--and some of the evidence is conflicting--but it seems logical to say that a disorganized office leads to a lot of nonproductive time spent looking for stuff. Similar Articles: Great Gear for Working Out at Your Desk How to Find Digital Copies of Your User Guides How to Become an Ethical Hacker How to Carry Any Operating System in Your Pocket How to Edit Office Documents on Your Tablet Why You Should Keep Data Folders in Your Root Directory One study from Brother found that workers waste, on average, 76 hours per person per year looking for misplaced items on their desks. And years ago, NEC-Mitsubishi said that cluttered desks can cause mental and physical stress, both as a result of frustration with the mess and owing to poor posture while working around all the junk. The data isn't exactly scientific, but having a clean and organized working area is surely a good idea for any small business. Even if it isn't better for your own sanity, think of it in terms of the impression you give to clients and customers who visit your premises. A sloppy office telegraphs an unappealing message to visitors "I do sloppy work." Go as paperless as possible A central premise of most organizing and productivity strategies is to minimize the amount of time you spend dealing with paper. Whenever you pick up a piece of paper, make an immediate decision about what to do with it: Act on it, delegate it to someone else, file it, or throw it away. But don't just drop it on your desk. The vast majority of paper on your desk is probably trash, with a smaller percentage of material that you should keep in a file. [Click to enlarge] NeatReceiptsNeatReceipts can help you digitize and organize a shoebox of receipts.Dealing with what remains ought to be part of the work you do during the day, with the goal that—by the end of each day—your desk will be clean. This is a powerful way to help you start the following workday with a clear head instead of a feeling of being overwhelmed. Going paperless isn't terribly difficult today. The first step is to convert paper documents to digital form. Sign up for e-billing for utility statements, encourage contractors to send invoices via email, and use do-not-mail lists to cut down on junk mail. While you're at it, use your various service providers' privacy setting systems to opt out of receiving marketing messages. Next, you need a plan to deal with paper documents that you do receive. Any scanner and OCR software package can do the job for you, or you can invest in something more specialized, such as a Neat Company scanning device, which has feeder slots for documents large and small. Drop your receipts and paper invoices into the device, and then discard the paper after the scanning is done. You can scan business cards with a standalone device or with an app such as WorldCard Mobile. A word of warning: With some banks, older financial documents may not be available for printing on demand. Relevant laws may require you to retain of financial records for up to seven years for tax purposes, so if your bank doesn't provide long-term archiving, you must either archive the PDFs yourself (on your own computer) or keep paper copies. Of course, you should kep your file cabinets organized, too—by year, account, or topic—and purged annually. Embrace digital note-taking What about all those notes you take during the day? Countless business owners have notebook after notebook filled with to-do lists, product ideas, meeting notes, and other ephemera, none of which are ever referred to again. Instead, the notebooks clutter up desk drawers and bookshelves, hogging space and gathering dust. Besides getting extra junk off your desk, going digital organizes your collections of extemporaneous thoughts into something more coherent and useful. Evernote has quickly become the de facto industry standard for this kind of task; a special version of the program for business users who want to share information with multiple users is due in December. Microsoft devotees may prefer OneNote. Not into tapping away on a cell phone screen? Use a voice recorder app to save audio messages to yourself. Better yet, use dictation software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking to convert your musings into text. It may not be perfect, but neither is your handwriting. Organize digital files and folders Now that you have an array of digital documents, what do you do with them? Your computer should be as organized as your desk; otherwise, you've just moved the mess from a physical place to a virtual one. [Click to enlarge] Bluelounge SanctuaryA charging hub, such as the Bluelounge Sanctuary, can cut clutter.Start with your desktop. For many users, the desktop is a wasteland of forgotten applications and random files from years gone by. Organize the area just as you would your physical desk: Uninstall the apps you don't need, delete the cat pictures you've downloaded from Facebook, and put the rest of the stuff into folders. Your system's Documents, Pictures, and other user-specific folders are the best place to park your data, because Windows is configured to index those areas for searching. Folders should follow a natural hierarchy (such as "Employees > 1099 Contractors > Bob Smith" or "Financial Statements > BofA > 2012"), and you should keep them tidy enough to avoid having to scroll to see the contents of any given folder. If a folder gets too large, split it into natural subfolders. And remember, the more descriptive the name of each file or folder is, the easier it will be to find it later. Next, do the same for your inbox. Using your inbox as a catch-all for every message you've ever received is great if you like to send lots of "I didn't see your email" apologies. Otherwise, it's a nightmare waiting to happen. Some well-organized people make an empty inbox an everyday, end-of-day goal; they move anything not addressed that day to a calendar item. Others try to keep their inbox nearly empty, allowing one message to remain for each major to-do item. With my inbox maintained at a manageable 6 to 12 items, I can see at a glance what projects I need to work on next. Ironically, technological convenience works against you in this quest. In fact, Google's official position is that searching for documents is easier than filing them, which is why folders get minimal attention in Gmail. In my experience, however, spending extra seconds each day organizing my digital life is time well spent. Why? Because while search may help me find a message, it won't ensure that I see it in the first place, and it may scroll off the bottom of the screen so quickly that I never read it in the first place. EvernoteEvernote, which runs on most platforms, helps you keep track of ideas on the go.Not all mail clients and OSs treat search the same way: Windows 7 doesn't index Outlook's "Deleted Items" folder, for example. As a result, you can search Outlook's trash folder manually within the client, but not from the Start menu. Organize your equipment Component clutterThis doesn't have to look familiar.With all of the attention paid to organizing paperwork, it's easy to forget about the other things piling up on your desk—including tchotchkes, hardware, peripherals, and cables connecting everything. Here's how to keep the clutter in check. First, declutter. Just as most of the paper on your desk is garbage, so are the food wrappers, souvenirs, dead pens, and mementos from vacations gone by. Keepsakes are fine, but having too many on your desk gets in the way of your work. If you don't touch something on your desk at least once a week, find a better place for it in a closet or drawer. Charging systems like the Bluelounge Sanctuary can help cut down on cable clutter and keep mobile devices organized, easy to find, and within reach when you need them. A docking station can give your laptop a more permanent and functional home. Don't have a docking port? Use a laptop stand to prop your display up at a better height. You can control unruly cable with twist ties or custom cable management tools so that the wires don't tangle and bunch up on your desk. Newer printers have much smaller footprints than those of yesteryear. Invest in a new model and remember that a multifunction printer can do the job of up to four devices, saving loads of space.
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/262033/how_to_keep_your_office_organized.html#tk.hp_fv

How to Extend Your Wi-Fi Network

If you’re not getting the range you want from your home or office wireless network, there are many ways you can go about expanding your coverage. In this guide we’ll discuss some of the most popular methods, many of which involve upgrading and purchasing new gear (always a fun topic). Before you spend a cent, make sure to check out our tips on how to fix your Wi-Fi network to see how you may be able to get better Wi-Fi coverage from changing your router’s channel or placement. If those tips don't do the trick, keep reading for a few more specific ways to extend the range of your wireless network. Replace Router With New Wireless N or AC Router Wi-Fi products are designed to meet specific standards (set by the IEEE) so that devices from different vendors will work with one another. The popular standards developed thus far (from oldest to newest) are: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11ac. So if you have an older wireless b or g router, consider replacing it with a newer wireless n or ac device that offers longer ranges and faster connection speeds. With either wireless n or ac, you’ll see anywhere from a slight increase of range to a doubling or more of speeds from a device operating on an older standard. Though wireless n and ac routers may not significantly increase the range of your wireless network, you should at least get better speeds at longer distances. [Click to enlarge] How To Extend Your Wi-Fi NetworkWireless n routers like this D-Link DHP-1320 are faster and have greater range than routers using older wireless standards. To figure out what sort of device you own, you ought to be able to see what standard your router uses just by looking at it. You might find a b, g, or n somewhere on it or in the model number. If that's not the case, search for your model number online to see its exact specifications. If the router was given to you by your Internet service provider or the Wi-Fi is integrated into the ISP's modem/gateway, you may have to call your service provider and ask what Wi-Fi standard your device uses. If your ISP won't help you upgrade, then it's probably time to upgrade your Internet service provider. If you have a router that uses the b or g standard, you should upgrade at least a wireless n router; if your Wi-Fi is in fact integrated with your service provider’s modem/gateway, consider purchasing your own (much better) router and hooking it up to the ISP’s modem/gateway to increase the range of your wireless network. Upgrade Network Adapters to Match Your Router The wireless b, g, n, and ac standards are all backward-compatible with each other. So if you buy a new wireless N or AC router, all your computers and devices should still be able to connect. But you won’t get the maximum range and performance from the newer router unless your computers and devices are also using the same Wi-Fi standard. Take a quick inventory of all your computers and other network-ready devices (or at least those that need the furthest range) and check their Wi-Fi standard; consider upgrading their adapters if any are using an older standard than the one your router is using. Of course, depending on the devices you own, figuring out what wireless standard they're using can be tricky. The Wi-Fi standard on PCs and laptops is usually listed in the name of the wireless network adapter: Open the Control Panel and navigate to Network Settings > Network Connections to check on your adapter. For iPads, tablets, and smartphones, check the specifications from the documentation or look online. If your computer or device is using an older Wi-Fi standard you have a few upgrade options The simplest upgrade you can make for any PC or laptop is usually to buy a cutting-edge USB wireless adapter, and then just plug it into a USB port. When shopping for a USB adapter for a desktop PC, consider purchasing one with a wire so you can place the adapter (and the antenna within) in an optimum spot. Of course, laptop owners should probably consider buying a shorter USB adapter so that it doesn’t stick out too much. For desktop-PC owners, another option is to buy a PCI wireless adapter that you install inside your PC case (assuming you’re comfortable opening it up). When shopping for a PCI adapter, consider buying the antenna extension kit, if the vendor offers it, so you can place the antenna in an optimum spot. For laptops that have a PC Card slot, another option is a PC Card wireless adapter that you simply slide into the slot. Buy or Build a High-Gain Antenna Most wireless routers and wireless adapters that have external antennas come with cheap omnidirectional antennas (those that send the signals equally in all directions). Replacing those cheap omnidirectional models with higher-gain antennas (those that concentrate the signals in a specific direction) can help increase your Wi-Fi range, especially if you have a home or office that's narrow and extends predominantly in one direction from the router's location. If that's the case, consider purchasing any higher-gain antennas that the vendor recommends for your particular router and/or wireless adapters. If you prefer to do (and make) things yourself, consider building your own—as explained in our previous guide on how to extend your wireless network with a parabolic reflector. [Click to enlarge] How To Extend Your Wi-Fi NetworkDIY types can try their hand at mounting a homemade reflector onto their router. Turn Your Cable or Electrical Outlets into Wireless Access Points If you want to double or even triple your wireless network range, you can try adding additional wireless access points (APs) to the network. The traditional and generally more reliable way is to buy access points and run ethernet cables from your router to each additional AP, a process we’ll discuss later. But if you don’t already have ethernet ports around your home or office, you can try utilizing your existing cable or electrical outlets instead. How To Extend Your Wi-Fi NetworkTo use your cable outlets, look into products certified by MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance); or, for electrical outlets, consider Powerline products certified by HomePlug. Both types of technology work in a similar fashion: You plug an adapter into an electrical/cable outlet and connect it to the router, bridging your network to the electrical/cable lines (or you can buy a router with a built-in adapter). If that works for your network, you can plug additional adapters into different electrical/cable outlets throughout the home or office and connect them via an ethernet cable to a computer or a wireless AP. If that's not feasible, you can also buy an adapter with a built-in wireless AP and use it to extend your network. If you want to try this method, we recommend MoCA adapters from D-Link and Actiontec or HomePlug routers and adapters from TRENDnet, D-Link, Linksys or ZyXEL. Add a Wireless Repeater Another way to significantly increase your Wi-Fi coverage (often by up to 40 percent) is to add a wireless repeater or range extender. You should place this repeater at the outer (but good) range of your existing router’s coverage and it should repeat the network signals between the existing router and any Wi-Fi computers and devices that wirelessly connect to the repeater. The problem with this approach is that it significantly reduces the network speeds for those Wi-Fi computers and devices connecting via the repeater. Nevertheless, this performance reduction may be acceptable if you only plan to do basic Web browsing on those computers; you won't have much fun transferring large file transfers or streaming video between your computers on the network. Wire Additional Wireless Access Points The most reliable—but usually the most difficult—way to extend your Wi-Fi coverage by double or more is to wire in additional wireless access points (APs). This method is similar to using HomePlug or MoCA adapters, but it usually offers better connection speeds and performance. However, it requires running an ethernet cable from the router to each additional AP. So if your home or building isn’t already wired with ethernet jacks, this can be quite an involved project. When shopping for an AP, keep in mind it is different from a wireless router. You only need one router in a home or building, so purchase an AP instead of a router when you want to extend your Wi-Fi coverage. The router is basically the network controller, and it hooks up to your Internet modem or is integrated with it. An AP doesn’t include any network control capabilities; it connects to the back of a router to simply provide additional wireless access. Good luck!
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 http://www.pcworld.com/article/261495/how_to_extend_your_wifi_network.html#tk.hp_fv