networking & Wi-Fi | tech ease, Columbus Ohio https://connectyourtech.com connect with your technology Thu, 30 Jan 2025 01:20:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://connectyourtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TE_favicon.jpg networking & Wi-Fi | tech ease, Columbus Ohio https://connectyourtech.com 32 32 Disadvantages of letting your ISP set up your home network https://connectyourtech.com/disadvantages-of-letting-your-isp-set-up-your-home-network/ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 01:16:53 +0000 https://connectyourtech.com/?p=2802 More and more, ISPs (Internet Service Providers) such as Spectrum, Breezeline, Altafiber, AT&T, etc will offer “Wi-Fi” along with their modem and connection to their service. This usually includes at least one Wi-Fi router, or even a mesh Wi-Fi system … Continued

The post Disadvantages of letting your ISP set up your home network first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> More and more, ISPs (Internet Service Providers) such as Spectrum, Breezeline, Altafiber, AT&T, etc will offer “Wi-Fi” along with their modem and connection to their service. This usually includes at least one Wi-Fi router, or even a mesh Wi-Fi system with multiple “nodes” if you have a larger home. Some of them even use the brand Eero for their systems – which even I approve of. The care taken and installation quality of these devices definitely varies and because of time and equipment constraints, is difficult for a cable installer to do this well. Here are some things to think about when considering getting your Wi-Fi from your internet provider:

– they are usually not going to be able go over and above to make sure Wi-Fi nodes are in the best locations – no proper site survey

– they are going to put most or all of your devices on Wi-Fi – because it’s easier, not necessarily better

– ISPs will likely never take advantage of any built in ethernet wiring your home may have

– there is usually no easy support – If you need help or have a problem you usually have to call the ISP’s main number and you can’t just call or text the person that installed it to check on it for you

– no follow up or TLC from the person that installed it to make sure it’s working okay, perform updates, forward ports for you, troubleshoot, etc

– there will be a monthly charge on your bill to pay for their Wi-Fi equipment, which can add up and makes having a networking professional install your network even more appealing/cost-effective

– many people pay for higher speeds every month to compensate for bad network hardware and/or installation. You can usually get away with a lower internet speed (which means lower cost per month by $10, $20, $50+ per month potentially) if your network hardware and coverage are adequate and optimized

– you can always cancel the Wi-Fi service from your ISP, turn in their equipment, have your own equipment installed and save the $10+ per month on your bill

The moral of the story is, leave it to the ISP or “cable guy” to make sure the signal from their service to your home is as good as it can be, and leave it to a network professional to set up and manage the network inside your home.

Call Tech Ease at (614) 653-7315 to learn more about this, or set up a network consultation.

The post Disadvantages of letting your ISP set up your home network first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> Flush Mounted Ceiling Wireless Access Points https://connectyourtech.com/flush-mounted-ceiling-wireless-access-points/ Thu, 15 Aug 2024 18:53:39 +0000 https://connectyourtech.com/?p=2785 If you are building a new house or doing a major remodel and want to minimize the amount of items mounted on the ceiling, flush mounted Wireless Access Points are a nice option. Araknis, a brand of networking gear, makes … Continued

The post Flush Mounted Ceiling Wireless Access Points first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> surface mount vs flush mount WiFi devicesIf you are building a new house or doing a major remodel and want to minimize the amount of items mounted on the ceiling, flush mounted Wireless Access Points are a nice option. Araknis, a brand of networking gear, makes an in-ceiling bracket for flush-to-ceiling mounting of their WiFi devices. Contact Tech Ease for more details.

The post Flush Mounted Ceiling Wireless Access Points first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> The new eero PoE Wi-Fi 6 access points are here https://connectyourtech.com/the-new-eero-poe-wi-fi-6-access-point-is-here/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:58:10 +0000 https://connectyourtech.com/?p=2704 The new eero Wi-Fi 6 access point powered by PoE (Power Over Ethernet) is here! Powered by PoE means that the device doesn’t have to be plugged into a 120v outlet – a wire is run from a PoE enabled … Continued

The post The new eero PoE Wi-Fi 6 access points are here first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> eero PoE Wi-Fi 6 access pointThe new eero Wi-Fi 6 access point powered by PoE (Power Over Ethernet) is here! Powered by PoE means that the device doesn’t have to be plugged into a 120v outlet – a wire is run from a PoE enabled network switch to the unit – it powers the unit and sends and receives the network information. This allows for very flexible placement in well thought out locations. Get your Wi-Fi devices off of your desks or tables and onto the walls/ceilings where they belong. Mainly designed for new construction, wires can sometimes be “old-worked” to use these units. If you are building a new house at least one of these eero units and a PoE switch should be on the materials list! Eero makes a variety of Wi-Fi hardware options, and offers great value, performance and reliability. Contact Tech Ease for more information and recommendations for your house.

The post The new eero PoE Wi-Fi 6 access points are here first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> Wi-Fi in my Garage? https://connectyourtech.com/wi-fi-in-my-garage/ Fri, 31 Jan 2020 16:35:00 +0000 https://connectyourtech.com/?p=2604 In the past, good Wi-Fi signal in the garage was a low priority and reserved for people that wanted to work on their hobbies, usually woodworking or cars. That has changed recently. It seems as though one thing most people … Continued

The post Wi-Fi in my Garage? first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> Tesla logoIn the past, good Wi-Fi signal in the garage was a low priority and reserved for people that wanted to work on their hobbies, usually woodworking or cars. That has changed recently. It seems as though one thing most people new to Teslas don’t think about is all the software updates they receive. Customers have told me – “My Tesla is a few years old, but it is a better car now than when I bought it thanks to the software updates.” You can expect a software update at least every three weeks or so, and you are unable to drive the car until the update completes. The updates can be fairly large, so good internet speed is crucial to get you back on the road quickly.  Of course this depends on the layout of the house, but in the past most garages have not been a part of the Wi-Fi plan do not receive acceptable Wi-Fi signal levels. If you purchased a Tesla or are building a new garage and need help getting good network speeds in your garage, give Tech Ease a call.

The post Wi-Fi in my Garage? first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> No More Home Phone? Turn Your Phone Jacks into Network Locations. https://connectyourtech.com/no-more-home-phone-turn-your-phone-jacks-into-network-locations/ Fri, 20 Sep 2019 00:54:18 +0000 https://connectyourtech.com/?p=2595 If your home was built after about the year 1999, there is a good chance was wired with Category 5 cable for the phone wiring. That is the same wiring that is used for network ethernet cables, just that you … Continued

The post No More Home Phone? Turn Your Phone Jacks into Network Locations. first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]> If your home was built after about the year 1999, there is a good chance was wired with Category 5 cable for the phone wiring. That is the phone vs ethernet connectorsame wiring that is used for network ethernet cables, just that you use all eight conductors for ethernet instead of only two for a telephone connection. A lot of people are getting rid of their home phones these days and going to cell phones only. Even if you still have a home phone, most modern phone systems only use one of the likely many phone jack locations in your house. As Wi-Fi speeds go up, the usable range of the wireless is going down, hence the need for multiple wireless base stations to get good Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home. A lot of mesh networking systems tout the ability to produce good speeds without wires, but it is always better to hard wire the Wi-Fi “nodes” and any other devices you can. Sometimes these old phone jacks aren’t in the best locations to be utilized, but sometimes they are, and usually you only need two or three of them. The phone jacks can be replaced with ethernet jacks, a network switch can be put at the distribution point in the basement and you can plug in wireless access points, wireless extenders, computers, A/V equipment, etc, making your network more reliable, faster and taking load off of your Wi-Fi. Contact Tech Ease to see what it will take to get your phone jacks converted to network locations.

The post No More Home Phone? Turn Your Phone Jacks into Network Locations. first appeared on tech ease, Columbus Ohio.]]>