Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- home_networking [2023/03/19 18:52] – phillip
+++ home_networking [2024/03/05 13:24] (current) – [How much speed do you need?] phillip
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Home Networking. ======
-Assumptions about this subject… Many homes is Sun City utilize Internet services for entertainment, education, work or all of the above. It is unlikely you wish to devote "**//too much//**  time" to getting your internet service to work //**properly**//  . A little bit of knowledge can go a long way towards avoiding waiting for technical support to answer the phone or understand your concern. Fixing it can consume your time and your dollars. Home networking is simple, if it works //**properly**//  , but the devil is in the details when it does not work. Identifying the details that are important for the problem you think you may have, requires some understanding of the Home Networking puzzle. If your network is working "good enough" to read this page, be patient. One of the details you discover in the rest of this page, might be the clue that clears your mind and leads to the resolution of the problem.
+Assumptions about this subject… Many homes in Sun City utilize Internet services for entertainment, education, work or all of the above. It is unlikely you wish to devote "**//too much//**  time" to getting your internet service to work //**properly**//  . A little bit of knowledge can go a long way towards avoiding waiting for technical support to answer the phone or understand your concern. Fixing it can consume your time and your dollars. Home networking is simple, if it works //**properly**//  , but the devil is in the details when it does not work. Identifying the details that are important for the problem you think you may have, requires some understanding of the Home Networking puzzle. If your network is working "good enough" to read this page, be patient. One of the details you discover in the rest of this page, might be the clue that clears your mind and leads to the resolution of the problem.
 This video, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4uzeX-ChFw&t=315s|Home Networking 101]] is a "starting place" for understanding home networking. This video is more of a "hands on" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV7Ay6KyB8U&t=100s|Home network setup]] . If the first two videos are not for you, [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=home+network|one of these might be better]].
+===== Free Tools. =====
+The first tool I reach for when trying to help someone with a home network/wifi concern is : [[https://androidutils.io/wifianalyzer/|Wifi Analyzer]]. The free version of this tool and lots of alternatives are available on the [[https://play.google.com/store/search?q=wifi+analyzer&c=apps&gl=us|Google App Store.]] The tool is an Android application that lets me "see" the networks and devices in a location. If you want to //**really understand network traffic**//  , [[https://www.wireshark.org/|Wireshark]] is the answer.
+===== Who might find this information helpful? =====
+If you just "want it to work" and/or the cost is not important, then the list of providers in the next section is probably all that you might find helpful. If you have some concern for "privacy" as relates to your use of internet services then the pages of the [[https://www.sctexas.org/club/scripts/memfac/memfac.asp?MFCODE=CCLUB_SEC|Cybersecurity SIG]] of the Computer Club contain a lot of information. A recurring "theme" of maintaining security in a home network might be: //**Use your own router**//  . There is a section about routers, below. If you have performance or reliability concerns with your internet service and you want to understand "why", then the **Network Performance Thoughts**, below, might be a first step to discovering a root cause of the issue.
+===== Wifi Security 101 =====
+If you have a router in your home that provides Wifi, for devices in your home, then using/keeping the "default" password for the router might be an "open door" to someone with "skills".    Often routers have their default (factory installed) wifi password printed on the bottom of the device.   Anyone that has access to your router might "take a picture" of the device and thus "have the password".  Changing the wifi password is a "good practice".    Knowing how to change the wifi password is usually documented in the router documentation.    This may not be the case for Optimum supplied routers since optimum usually supplies a modem/router combination and limits the set of "things" a customer can change in the modem/router they "rent" to you.
+In addition to changing the wifi password, you might consider using the "guest network" of the router for devices that just need internet access and are not used by your computers or phones.    Why?   Smart TV's and similar devices are yet another "computer in disguise".    It is not uncommon for Smart "devices" to be "out of date" as relates to the "system software" or applications that they execute.   Keeping devices with higher possibilities of "security issues" on the "guest network" is one way of mitigating the concern.
 ===== ISP (Internet Service Provider) options in Sun City. =====
-The choices you have for an ISP in Sun City are not the same across all of the roof tops in Sun City. Your location in Sun City does impact which ISP can deliver broadband internet access to your home. Today(March 1, 2023) the options include: [[:optimum_suddenlink_altice|Optimum]] //**, **//  [[https://www.getrsi.com/|Rock Solid]], [[https://www.verizon.com/home/lte-home-internet/|Verizon]], [[:t-mobile|T-mobile]], [[https://www.starlink.com/|Starlink]] or using the "tethering" feature of your cell phone provider.
+The choices you have for an ISP in Sun City are not the same across all of the roof tops in Sun City. Your location in Sun City does impact which ISP can deliver broadband internet access to your home. Today(March 1, 2023) the options include: [[:optimum_suddenlink_altice|Optimum]] //**, **//  [[https://www.getrsi.com/|Rock Solid]], [[:verizon|Verizon]], [[:t-mobile|T-mobile]], [[https://www.starlink.com/|Starlink]] or using the "tethering" feature of your cell phone provider.
+Today (March 2023) Optimum is the only company that provides "cable based" internet service to every house in Sun City. The other providers utilize radio based services. Rock Solid requires a small roof mounted antenna aimed at a "visible" cell tower. [[:t-mobile|T-mobile]] and Verizon require that your house be "visible" to a 5G (fifth generation) cell tower. Starlink is "satelite dependent". Tethering to your cell phone requires a "decent" cell tower connection. A 5G connection might perform better than a 4G connection, but 5G is not available all over Sun City, yet.
-If you are fortunate enough to have a home that does give you alternatives for an ISP, that fact may give you bargaining power with one of the providers. Bargaining power might mean you need to "change your ISP" for a few months until a competitor offers a better value. Communicating with the "retention department" of your ISP when you have alternatives can also be beneficial to your bank account.
+If you are fortunate enough to have a home that does give you alternatives for an ISP, that fact may give you bargaining power with one of the providers. Bargaining power might mean: you need to "change your ISP" for a few months until a competitor offers a better value. Communicating with the "retention department" of your ISP when you have alternatives can also be beneficial to your bank account. Switching between providers will be "easier" if you have your own router.
 ===== When communication with your ISP (Internet Service Provider) fails to resolve your concerns. =====
@@ Line 19: / Line 34: @@
 It is not uncommon for someone to indicate their "computer" is slow and after some conversation discover their "use case" for slow computer performance involves an internet browser and/or an internet service.
-When trying to understand poor computer performance when the "network" could be part of the problem, the next question might be… Is your computer connected to the network with wifi or an ethernet cable? Why? The best wifi connection is unlikely to match the capabilities of most cable modem connections to the internet. Wifi connections to your router are often "the neck of the funnel" when it involves network performance considerations. However, even an older technology of wifi connectivity, is most often "good enough" to not be the cause of poor performance at the computer, unless you are doing "gaming" over the internet.
+When trying to understand poor computer performance when the "network" could be part of the problem, the next question might be… Is your computer connected to the network with wifi or an ethernet cable? Why? The best wifi connection is unlikely to match the capabilities of most cable modem connections to the internet. Wifi connections to your router are often "the neck of the funnel" when it involves the speed of network connections. However, even an older technology of wifi connectivity, is most often "good enough" to not be the cause of poor performance at the computer, unless you are doing "gaming" over the internet.
 Why all the words in the previoius paragraph. Because more often than not, performance of an application that requires network resources is a reflection of the "network server(s)" and not your computer or the ISP(Internet Service Provider). This statement is based on the fact that it takes only a small part of a second, for data on your screen/monitor to arrive from your router/modem, even when you are connected to your router with older generations of Wifi. However, poor wifi signal strength can contribute to poor performance. Wifi signal strength does degrade with distance from the router and number of walls between the device and router.
-However, if you have reason to suspect your computer is "slow" because the "internet" service is slow or unreliable, then what follows "might" be helpful.
+If you have reason to suspect your computer is "slow" because the "internet" service is slow or unreliable, then what follows "might" be helpful.
 Peformance factors of your internet access that "might" be contributors to poor performance are speed, latency, DNS(Domain Name Service) and distance.
@@ Line 36: / Line 51: @@
 Repeating… If you use your internet connection to surf the internet and have a couple of TV's streaming Netflix and/or Amazon at the same time, 100 megabits per second is probably "plenty" of speed. Gigabit speed (sounds cool) but in many cases is unlikely to provide tangible benefit to your internet connected devices or your experiences with the devices.
+March 2024...  More details about the "[[https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-much-internet-speed-do-you-really-need?fbclid=IwAR2y1dotclHctJhxAs8Egmjm2kXmMr3PPUi9AosjkOTw1Ht5N0mgSPO4I_Y|How much speed do you need]]".
 ==== Latency ====
@@ Line 47: / Line 65: @@
 If you are using your "own" router, not one rented from the ISP, usually the router can be configured to use DNS servers that you prefer. By changing the DNS servers in your router, you can impact all the devices in your home network.
-The speed and latency of DNS services can be visible when they are slow. By visible I mean…. When you are viewing a "web page" there can be "lots" of different sites providing the data for the page. Each site that provides content for a web page will require DNS services.
+The speed and latency of DNS services can be visible when they are slow. By visible I mean…. When you are viewing a "web page" there can be "lots" of different sites providing the data for the page. Each site that provides content for a web page will require your device resolve its IP address with DNS services. If a "page" from an internet site is "slow", slow DNS services "might" be one of the contributors.
 ==== Distance ====
-Wifi is a technology that uses radio communications for data transmission. Reference: [[https://wififorbeginners.com/|Wif For Beginners]] The strength of the signal does matter. The amount of power a Wifi device is allowed to transmit is limited, which means the distance and number of walls between one wifi device(your router) and another wifi device (computer, printer, TV, phone) might impact all of the previously mentioned performance metrics. The two "common bands" of radio frequencies used for wifi in you home include 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz. Devices operating on 2.4 gigahertz will usually operate "properly" through "more walls" and at greater distance beteen the devices, than devices operationg on 5 gigahertz. The speed that is achieved with 2.4 gigahertz can be slower than 5 gigahertz, but your device may not care or need the speed that 5 gigahertz can provide.
+Wifi is a technology that uses radio frequencies for data transmission. Reference: [[https://wififorbeginners.com/|Wif For Beginners]] The strength of the signal does matter. The amount of power a Wifi device is allowed to transmit is limited, which means the distance and number of walls between one wifi device(your router) and another wifi device (computer, printer, TV, phone) might impact all of the previously mentioned performance metrics. The two "common bands" of radio frequencies used for wifi in you home include 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz. Devices operating on 2.4 gigahertz will usually operate "properly" through "more walls" and at greater distance between the devices, than devices operating on 5 gigahertz. The speed that is achieved with 2.4 gigahertz can be slower than 5 gigahertz, but your device may not care or need the speed that 5 gigahertz can provide.
 ===== Wifi or Wifi 5 or Wifi 6 or Mesh, in your house. =====
-This video about Wifi 6 touches on the history and details of wifi. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5egLKTwOt0|Wifi 6 and wifi stuff]]. Today (March 10, 2023) the wifi provided by your ISP will probably be "fine" for most houses in Sun City, if the router is centrally located in your house. If you experience "problems" with devices using the wifi, installing mesh devices, a "better" router or relocating your router, will probably help with resolving Wifi problems.
+This video about Wifi 6 touches on the history and details of wifi. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5egLKTwOt0|Wifi 6 and wifi stuff]]. Today (March 10, 2023) the wifi provided by your ISP will probably be "fine" for most houses in Sun City, if the router is centrally located in your house. If you experience "problems" with devices using the wifi, installing mesh devices, a "better" router or relocating your router, **//migh//t** help with resolving Wifi problems.
+==== Channel pollution and interference ====
-==== Channel polution ====
 ===== Cable Modems and Routers =====
@@ Line 75: / Line 92: @@
 Routers intended for home use ,keep evolving as has the Wifi technology that enables use of the services the Internet provides. Buying a router can be intimidating simply because there are so many choices from each brand that you might see on the shelves at Best Buy, Walmart, Office Depot or Amazon. When you need a router, you are lucky if you have the time to evaluate the available products that make your choice a "good value" for your requirements.
-Location of the router in your home can be important. Why? Todays routers usually provide connectifty over 2.4 ghz channels, 5 ghz or 6 ghz channels. 2.4 ghz channels provide better distance and wall penetration characteristics at slower speeds. If you can place your router in the "Center" of your house then there is a better chance the wifi signal will be adequate for your devices throughtout the house.
+Location of the router in your home can be important. Why? Todays routers usually provide connectifty over 2.4 ghz channels, 5 ghz or 6 ghz channels. 2.4 ghz channels provide better distance and wall penetration characteristics at slower speeds. If you can place your router in the "Center" of your house then there is a better chance the wifi signal will be adequate for your devices throughtout the house. How might you deterimine if the wifi signal in a room is "weak"? There are "free" applications for cell phones that display wifi signal strength. Here is a link to the one I use: [[https://androidutils.io/wifianalyzer/|Wifi Analyzer]]
 === Solutions to distance: Repeater, Mesh, Moca, switch. ===
@@ Line 81: / Line 98: @@
 Mesh references: [[https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-mesh-network-4842178|What is Mesh Networking]]?
-=== Cable Modem details Reference ===
+=== Cable Modem details Reference. ===
+This might be helpful… [[:cable_modem|Cable modem thoughts.]]