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Why Would Anyone Want to Lookup My IP Address?

There are a wide variety of reasons that someone might want to perform a lookup on your IP address.

Websites may want to analyze where traffic originates to better tailor their offerings.

Ad agencies can use the data to produce targeted campaigns which are based on your location.

Certain services such as legalized online gambling may only be made available if your IP address indicates you are in a specific geographic location.

Law enforcement or government authorities may use the information while conducting investigations.

Hackers may be able to conduct attacks by using the knowledge gained from an IP lookup.

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Google WiFi vs Eero

Two competitors have emerged on the top of the WiFi residential mesh network competition: Google WiFi, and Eero. Each offers similar capabilities:

Increasing the range of the WiFi network.

Offer an easy to use method of extending the mesh network

Offer an affordable price

The question is — which WiFi mesh network is better for your home? We’ll explore each product offering and help you decide which product would be better in your home.

Check here: Google WiFi vs Eero

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Slow WiFi: What Causes It and How Can You Fix It

Why Is My WiFi So Slow?

To understand what makes your WiFi slow, you first need to understand what WiFi actually is. Essentially, WiFi is a technology that allows various internet-enabled devices to connect to the internet over the air. A WiFi network is created using a wireless router. Not all wireless routers create the same WiFi network, however.

WiFi Standards

Older wireless routers only support older specifications for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication, such as 802.11g, which operates at a maximum transmission speed of 54 Mbit/s and was adopted in the market starting in January 2003.

Newer wireless routers support 802.11n (capable of operating at a maximum transmission speed of 600 Mbit/s on both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands) and 802.11ac (capable of operating at a maximum transmission speed of 1 Gbit/s).

As you can see, it’s unreasonable to expect very high WiFi speeds with an old wireless router. Similarly, it’s also unreasonable to expect high WiFi speeds with a cutting-edge wireless router but an older electronic device that doesn’t support the same modern specification for implementing WLAN computer communication.

If you know that your wireless router is past its primetime, you should consider upgrading to a newer model. While the other tips how to fix slow Wifi described in this article would be applicable even with a slow router, you might be wasting your time trying to implement them since the gains would likely be minuscule.

To determine whether your current wireless router is due for a replacement, we recommend you download and use NetSpot, a wireless network site survey application for Mac and Windows.

Open NetSpot.

Start a new site survey.

Select the WiFi network broadcasted by your wireless router.

NetSpot will accurately measure wireless network speed, sending queries to random servers and calculating the time it takes for them to be sent and received. Using the obtained information, which includes upload rate, download rate, and wireless transmit rate, you can then decide whether your wireless router still has some life left in it.

Utilization

Any WiFi network is like an invisible party venue. When you’re on a WiFi network alone, you can go wild and crazy and use it to its full capacity. When you invite just the right number of friends to join you, everyone can still have fun without bumping into one another too often. But when too many people come in, the network quickly becomes crowded and the options how to have fun become severely limited.

The total capacity of the invisible venue is determined mostly by your internet connection and the kind of specification for implementing WLAN computer communication you’re using. If you pay for fiber optic internet, you can naturally expect higher speeds than with a broadband internet services.

The problem with many WiFi networks is that they are held at the same party venue as other networks. The WiFi signal is transmitted on five distinct frequency ranges: 2.4 GHz, 3.6 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 5 GHz, and 5.9 GHz. Each of these five ranges is divided into several channels, with some channels overlapping others.

In practice, if your wireless router and your neighboring’s router both broadcast a WiFi signal on the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the first WiFi channel, it’s like two parties being held at the same party venue simultaneously.

Being a professional wireless analysis application, NetSpot can help you discover all nearby WiFi networks and determine which of them might be interfering with your WiFi network. In Discover Mode, NetSpot connects information about surrounding WiFi networks and presents wireless data as an interactive table. NetSpot supports both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, making it effortless to locate the busiest and the least occupied channel.

Range

Like any signal, the WiFi signal has a limited range. There are several factors that influence how far from a wireless router a device can be and still have a good signal strength, and the router itself is one of them.

Low-end routers tend to have weaker, often internal, antennas that are not nearly as powerful as the antennas found on high-end wireless routers. What’s more, high-end routers support MIMO technology (multiple-input and multiple-output), which is used for sending and receiving more than one data signal simultaneously over the same radio channel by exploiting multipath propagation.

MIMO is often used in conjunction with beamforming, a signal processing techniquethat allows for directional signal transmission or reception. In other words, a wireless router with support for beamforming can focus the signal to the device that needs it the most, which results in a longer transmission range and higher maximum transmission speeds.

But even the most state-of-the-art router equipped with all the latest and greatest technologies is limited in terms of its range to a certain degree. And when solid obstacles and large metal appliances are thrown into the mix, the limitation can be quite severe.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to use NetSpot’s Survey Mode, which allows you to make a WiFi signal strength visualization by walking, marking your position on the map, and giving NetSpot a few seconds to collect data samples.

To use it, simply open NetSpot and click the Survey button. Then upload or create a map of the area you wish to survey and let NetSpot guide you through the process. After you’re done, you will know exactly what the range of your wireless router is and how to fix slow WiFi.

Source:  How to fix slow WiFi

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Top 10 Ways to Boost Your WiFi

1. Select a Good Place for Your Router

Not all places are equally suitable for your router. To start with, you want to avoid placing your router close to metal objects and appliances that emit electromagnetic waves. Ideally, you also want to keep a safe distance from electric wires. To cover an area with an even WiFi signal, you should place your WiFi router roughly in the center. You can slightly boost your wireless signal by elevating the router above the floor level.

2. Keep Your Router Updated

If you follow the news, you’ve heard about the growing number of large-scale malware attacks that are costing businesses and individuals alike billions every year. Many of these attacks wouldn’t be possible if all routers were kept updated. Once a malware infects a router, it can steal bandwidth and spread itself across the network to other devices. But even without a presence of a dangerous malware, routers with old firmware perform worse than routers that are properly updated.

3. Get a Stronger Antenna

Most WiFi routers come with small, weak antennas. It’s not that manufacturers want to save every cent they can, but powerful WiFi antennas tend to be hideously large. Compared to the antenna that came with your router, which probably is just a few inches tall and has around 4 dB gain, a 10-dB antenna can be anywhere between 10 to 15 inches tall. But if you don’t mind the size, a new, powerful WiFi antenna is a great way how you can boost WiFi at home or office without buying a new router. All WiFi antennas use the same RP-SMA connector, so you can just head to Amazon and order any home WiFi antenna with great ratings.

4. Cut Off WiFi Leeches

An encrypted, password-protected WiFi is a must in this day and age. With more people than ever relying on WiFi than ever, the hunger for open, fast WiFi networks is real. Don’t think that your neighbors won’t use your WiFi network just because they have their own — they will, and they might not even know about it. You should encrypt your WiFi and protect it with a strong password that can’t be easily guessed. If you have lots of guests, create a separate guest network and either significantly limit its range or protect it with a different password and change the password often.

5. Buy a WiFi Repeater/Booster/Extender

Even though they are referred to by many names, WiFi boosters, repeaters, and extenders are basically the same thing. Simply put, they take a WiFi signal, amplify it, and transmit it again. A good repeater costs around $100, and it can be installed in a few minutes by anyone. The installation process usually involves only the press of the WPS button. Some are meant to work with a dedicated WiFi booster app that makes it easier to fine-tune certain WiFi settings to achieve the best performance possible.

6. Switch to a Different WiFi Channel

Just like lines on the highway, there are multiple WiFi channels on which a WiFi router can broadcast. Even though most countries have six non-overlapping channels (1, 6, 11, and 14), many users leave their router set on the default channel, which is usually either Channel 1 or Channel 6. This results in a WiFi traffic jam as too many packets are trying to drive on the same line. The solution is simple: find out which channel is occupied the least and switch to it. This can be done with the help of NetSpot, a professional and easy-to-use WiFi analysis and surveillance tool.

7. Control Bandwidth-Hungry Applications and Clients

It takes just one bandwidth-hungry application or a client to make download and upload speeds come to a crawl for everyone else on the same WiFi network. Luckily, modern routers support services like QoS (Quality of Service), which allow users to prioritize certain applications over others. With QoS, your online gaming session won’t ever be interrupted again by a person watching a 1440p video on YouTube or downloading a huge Linux distribution from the Internet.

8. Use the Latest WiFi Technologies

The newest wireless technology, IEEE 802.11ac, offers superior download and upload speeds as well as improved range compared to older WiFi technologies, such as IEEE 802.11b, g, and others. To take advantage of the latest WiFi technologies to boost home WiFi, you need to make sure that both your home router and your WiFi-enabled devices, such as smartphones and laptops, support them.

9. Switch to 5 GHz

The 5 GHz wireless frequency provides faster data rates at shorter distances and is typically much less busy than the 2.4 GHz wireless frequency. If your router supports it, consider switching to it for an instant short-range speed boost.

10. Don’t Forget to Reboot

The timeless IT advice, “If it doesn’t work, try switching it on and off", also applies to WiFi routers. A simple reboot is often enough to considerably improve your WiFi speeds. A reboot clears the router’s memory and allows updates to install.

ConclusionWith these ten tips, you should have no problem boosting your WiFi network without buying a new router. Make sure to have NetSpot at hand to check whether our tips helped each time you try one. We guarantee that by the time you get to the number ten, your WiFi will feel faster than ever before.

From: https://www.netspotapp.com/top-10-ways-to-boost-WiFi.html

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Wireless Internet Access Everywhere with Xfinity® WiFi and NetSpot

Xfinity®, a subsidiary of Comcast®, has been developing a network of hotspots intended for use by Comcast® customers. Called Xfinity® WiFi, this innovative wireless system is comprised of millions of WiFi hotspots broadcasted by home routers of Comcast’s existing customers. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at how the Xfinity® WiFi network works and how you can make the best of it using NetSpot, a professional Windows and Mac OS X app for wireless site surveys and in-depth WiFi analysis.

How Does the Xfinity® Router Creates a Hotspot?

Each Xfinity® router is equipped with two antennas. One antenna is used to broadcast a private home network based on the plan selected by the customer. The other antenna broadcasts a separate public network called xfinitywifi.

This allows businesses and homeowners to provide their clients and guests with an internet access without sharing their WiFi passwords. Because the private network can’t be accessed from the public network, opportunistic hackers have no way how to gain access to the information broadcasted on the private network. To keep the private connection unaffected, Comcast® allows only 5 people to be connected to a single Xfinity® hotspot at a time.

Any Comcast® customer who has signed up for XFINITY® Internet can access all Xfinity® WiFi hotspots free of charge. Comcast® also sells Xfinity® WiFi Access Passes, starting at $2.95 for 2 hours and going all the way up to $54.95 for a single month of access.

In theory, one could travel across the country and get by without a cellular data connection, hopping from one Xfinity® hotspot to another. Because the location of the hotspots is publicly available, businesses have an incentive to make Xfinity® Wifi available to their customers and passers-by.

Comcast® has released a Xfinity® WiFi app for Android and iOS to help customers locate all Xfinity® hotspots within range and automatically connect to Xfinity® WiFi around town. If you happen to stumble upon a Xfinity® WiFi that’s not working, you can use the app to find the closest suitable alternative quickly.

Make the Most of Your Xfinity® WiFi Hotspot: Xfinity® Speed Test and Optimization

Comcast® has over 23 million internet customers, with most using the Xfinity® router to broadcast public WiFi for others to connect to. With so many people broadcasting at the same time, the 2.4GHz range can become very crowded, and the download and upload speeds can come to crawl.

Fortunately, you can easily optimize your Xfinity® internet speed using NetSpot, a professional wireless site surveys, WiFi analysis, and troubleshooting app for Windows and Mac OS X. NetSpot can help you discover WiFi networks around you and create detailed WiFi strength heatmaps. To use the tool, all you need is a laptop or desktop computer running Windows 7 or higher or Mac OS X 10.10 or higher.

Perform a Simple Xfinity® Signal Strength Test

If you’re experiencing slowdowns with your Xfinity® home connection or your Xfinity® WiFi hotspot, you should find out how strong the signal is and how many other WiFi networks are broadcasting on the same channel. NetSpot features two ways how to measure your WiFi signal strength: one quick and one detailed.

The quick method can be accessed by activating the Discover mode:

Click on the Discover/Survey slider at the top of the main screen to highlight the Discover option.

NetSpot will instantly create a concise report of all WiFi networks in your surrounding area, coupled with a lot of useful information such as the WiFi band, the average signal strength, the amount of noise, the encryption method, and more.

Use the information to access the status of your WiFi connection.

With the Discover mode, you can find out how strong or weak your WiFi signal is to verify the cause of your sluggish internet speeds. If the signal is strong, you know that the problem is most likely elsewhere.

But if the signal is weak, you need to take some actions to fix it. For that, you’ll need more information, which is exactly what the Survey mode is for:

The Signal level heatmap visualization displays the WiFi signal strength throughout the surveyed area.

The Signal-to-noise ratio visualization helps you pinpoints sources of signal noise and get rid of them. These often include home appliances, radio equipment, or lights.

The Signal-to-interference ratio shows the interference from other wireless networks.

Once you’re done, you can use the gathered information to decide which areas should be strengthened using WiFi boosters and repeaters, and you can also determine whether it wouldn’t be beneficial to move your Xfinity® router elsewhere.

Give NetSpot a try and discover how easy it is to optimize your home WiFi network and improve your internet speeds. Even though NetSpot offers professional features, its approachable, modern user interface makes it suitable even for casual computer users.

Reliable Home Security with Xfinity® Home

Fast and reliable internet speeds are essential for all users of Xfinity® Home, Comcast’s home security system with around-the-clock monitoring, remote control, real-time alert, and voice control. Xfinity® Home equipment, including window sensors, motion sensors, cameras, and water sensors, transmit data over WiFi, freeing users from messy cables.

As such, Xfinity® Home is a subject to signal interference and potential signal dropouts. With NetSpot, you can quickly and easily ensure that all security devices connected to your Xfinity® Home security system are covered by your home WiFi network. Use the Survey mode to select the optimal places for your security cameras and other equipment.

Note: All trademarks mentioned are property of their respective owners.

Source: https://www.netspotapp.com/xfinity-wifi-router.html

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Best WiFi Extenders in 2018

If your current WiFi coverage leaves a lot to be desired, you need a good WiFi extender. With a WiFi extender, you can significantly improve your WiFi signal strength in a matter of minutes and extend your WiFi network almost anywhere you want. A WiFi extender doesn’t replace your existing router, it works together with it, making the original signal stronger.

WiFi extenders work like stereo amplifiers used for driving hi-fi systems. They use electric power from a power supply to increase the strength of the original WiFi signal, transmitting the amplified signal in the air. To accomplish this feat of engineering, WiFi range extenders contain two WiFi antennas: one is used for signal capture and the other one for signal transmission.

A WiFi extender is often referred to as “booster”, “repeater”, or “WiFi extender”, but all these names mean the same thing: a device that captures a WiFi signal, amplifies it, and transmits it.

Most wireless range extenders plug into the standard electrical outlet. They can be then set up with the help of the WPS button or a dedicated smartphone app. WPS is a network security standard that allows WiFi-enabled devices to communicate without entering long passphrases.

With modern WiFi extenders, you get to enjoy the same robust encryption protocols as you get with your main WiFi router, so there’s no need to worry about your privacy. However, you should be prepared for some speed loss. Some of the best WiFi extenders on the market can rebroadcast WiFi signal with only a negligible speed loss, but most single-band extenders lose up to 50 percent of the original bandwidth.

To minimize the speed loss, it’s paramount to position the WiFi extender in the optimal spot, preferably with the help of a professional app for wireless site surveys, Wi-Fi analysis, and troubleshooting such as NetSpot.

How to Find the Best WiFi Range Extender?

WiFi range extenders come in all sizes, shapes, and price ranges. A purchase of a WiFi extender only makes sense if a purchase of a new WiFi router isn’t a cheaper way how to achieve the same result. Always make sure to read online WiFi extender reviews before you click on the Order button. As you may know, networking equipment isn’t exactly known for its reliability. Some products work seemingly flawlessly, whereas virtually identical alternatives from other manufacturers only cause headaches. If you care at all about your security and privacy, avoid products from unknown manufacturers and companies with a poor reputation. With almost 400,000 new malware samples detected every day, WiFi security isn’t something to be taken lightly. In the day and age of targeted ransomware attacks, it often takes just a single determined attacker to bring down an entire company or ruin someone’s life.

Use NetSpot to Plan Your WiFi Extender Purchase

To select the best WiFi range extender, you should check your current WiFi coverage to see where the weak spots are. In theory, you could take your smartphone or laptop and simply base your analysis on the WiFi strength indicator icon, but a professional wireless site surveillance app such as NetSpot will give you much more accurate results. NetSpot comes with two survey modes: Discover and Survey. The former mode is great if you want to get a quick overview of all WiFi networks in your area, but the latter mode is what you need for a comprehensive WiFi survey.

Even though NetSpot satisfies the needs of professional network administrators, it’s accessible even to casual users. The polished, modern user interface removes all complexity from wireless network surveilling, allowing you to generate detailed signal heatmaps with a few clicks. It all starts with a map of your local area. You can either upload an existing map or create a new map using NetSpot’s map-building tools. After that, it’s time to walk from room to room until you cover the entire area. NetSpot will then analyze the gathered data and present you with results.

Top 5 Best Wireless Extenders

For your convenience, we’ve selected top 5 best wireless extenders that you can buy in 2018, and here are our picks:

1. D-Link DAP-1650 WiFi Range Extender (AC1200)

D-Link’s WiFi extender supports dual-band 802.11ac alongside 802.11n/g/b/a for superb backward compatibility with older WiFi devices that can’t take advantage of the speed offered by 802.11ac. The extender has four gigabit Ethernet ports for high-speed wired connections.

D-Link has designed their product to be very easy to set up, and the use of Multiple Antenna Technology provides superior wireless coverage compared to standard home routers.

2. Linksys RE7000 Max-Stream AC1900+ WiFi Range Extender

Featuring Cross Band Technology for maximum use of both bands at the same time for high-speed connection as well as Beamforming Technology for directional transmission of the WiFi signal to the connected devices, the Linksys RE7000 WiFi range extender has what it takes to cover up to 10,000 square feet with a strong WiFi signal.

You can find Linksys RE7000 Max-Stream AC1900+ WiFi Range Extender in any local electronic shop or buy it on Amazon right now.

3. Netgear Nighthawk X4 AC2200 WiFi Range Extender (EX7300)

The extender relies on a set of multiple-input and multiple-output technologies for wireless communication, known as MU-MIMO, to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, allowing the entire family or office to enjoy high-bitrate multimedia content without buffering.

Delivering speeds up to 2.2 Gbps, the Netgear Nighthawk X4 is a high-end WiFi extender with modern features, sleek design, and simple setup.

4. TP-Link AC1750 WiFi Range Extender (RE450)

Featuring three adjustable antennas that let you dial the extender for optimal coverage, the TP-Link AC1750 can cover up to 10,000 square feet, helping you eliminate dead zones and expand your WiFi network to places where it would otherwise be inaccessible.

The TP-Link AC1750 WiFi range extender has won numerous awards for its modern design and remarkable performance — both delivered at an affordable price.

5. Linksys AC1200 Max WiFi Range Extender RE6500

The Linksys AC1200 differs from most WiFi range extenders because it looks like a traditional WiFi router. With the larger size comes fantastic performance and two adjustable, replaceable antennas. The extender also features excellent connectivity options, offering four Gigabit Ethernet ports.

The Linksys AC1200 comes with Linksys Spot Finder Technology, which makes it easier to find the best place for the extender.

Test Your New WiFi Extender with NetSpot

Shortly after you buy and install a new WiFi extender, you should verify whether it performs according to your expectations using NetSpot. You can either do a quick, local WiFi analysis using the Discover mode, but we recommend a complete site survey using the Survey mode.

The easy-to-understand heatmap that NetSpot generates will instantly help you see whether your new WiFi extender has eliminated the dreaded weak spot.

Source: https://www.netspotapp.com/best-wifi-extenders.html

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WiFi Direct: WiFi Without the Internet

What Is WiFi Direct?

Over the past decade or so, even the smallest electronic devices gained WiFi connectivity. This increased the need for ad hoc networking and the ability to connect two devices to each other without a wireless router and at speeds fast enough to transmit multimedia files.

The need for faster data transfer speeds meant that existing wireless technology standards such as Bluetooth were insufficient. A new wireless technology standard had to be developed, one that would provide simple connections for simple tasks such as sending a file from a smartphone to a computer or printer.

To give the world the wireless technology standard it so desperately needed, the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies Wi-Fi products if they conform to certain standards of interoperability, developed the WiFi Direct standard, enabling devices to easily connect with each other without requiring a wireless router.

How WiFi Direct Works?

WiFi Direct is built upon the same WiFi technology used by most modern consumer electronic devices to communicate with wireless routers. It allows two devices to communicate with each other, provided that at least one of them is compliant with the standard to establish a peer-to-peer connection.

Before WiFi Direct, it was possible to establish a similar connection with ad-hoc networking, a decentralized type of wireless network that doesn’t rely on pre-existing infrastructure, but WiFi Direct makes decentralized wireless networking accessible even to people who are not technically inclined.

The standard gives compatible devices a way how to discover each other and securely connect using Wi-Fi Protected Setup and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a network security standard created by the Wi-Fi Alliance to allow home users who know little of wireless security and may be intimidated by the available security options to set up WPA, a protocol and security certification program developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks.

How to Use WiFi Direct?

WiFi Direct is supported by more devices than most people realize. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) included WiFi Direct in its interoperability guidelines in November 2011, and Google has been supporting the standard in all versions of its Android operating system since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Samsung has been taking advantage of the WiFi Direct support in Android since Android 2.3 on the Galaxy S2, while the users of Apple devices have been enjoying WiFi Direct since iOS 7 in the form of Air Drop. Even BlackBerry had supported the standard before the company faded into irrelevance.

Besides Android WiFi Direct-enabled devices, the standard can also be found on gaming consoles, such as the new Xbox, or WiFi Direct Windows 10 computers. Many hardware devices and peripherals, such as portable media players, wireless headsets, computer mice and keyboards, or printers, use WiFi direct to connect with other devices instead of Bluetooth.

That’s great news for end users because WiFi Direct is straightforward to use as there are no unwieldy set-up procedures to go through. For example, to connect two WiFi Direct Android smartphones together, all you have to do is activate WiFi Direct on both devices, wait a short while for the two devices to find each other and then start the automated pairing process. The smartphones will automatically negotiate the security key, and you may only be asked to press a button or scan a QR code to confirm that you indeed want the devices to connect to each other.

The pairing of other WiFi Direct devices works similarly, but it should be stressed that network created by a WiFi Direct device doesn’t behave as a standard wireless network does. A WiFi Direct remote control of a streaming player such as Roku will most likely be able to connect only to the corresponding Roku player, a digital picture frame with WiFi Direct connectivity might provide only the most basic services needed to allow digital cameras to connect and upload images, and smartphones might have data tethering functionality and other advanced features.

How to Troubleshoot WiFi Direct Connectivity Issues?

Because WiFi Direct relies on the same underlying technology that allows modern laptops, smartphones, TVs, or even appliances to wirelessly connect to the internet, devices with WiFi Direct also suffer from the same connectivity issues as wireless routers do.

NetSpot is the easiest way how to diagnose and solve any WiFi-related problems. This professional app for wireless site surveys, WiFi analysis, and troubleshooting runs on macOS and Windows operating systems, and it works with any 802.11 network.

With NetSpot, you can visualize, manage, and troubleshoot wireless networks with a click of a button and understanding the cause of your wireless vows right at the spot. It doesn’t matter if a neighborhood kid is learning how to hack wireless networks and using your router for practice or if data packets have trouble making it to their destination because of excessive interference — NetSpot can reveal the problem and give you the information you need to solve it.

To see how NetSpot works, you don’t even need to pay any money as this professional WiFi troubleshooting app for macOS and Windows can be downloaded for free.

Conclusion

WiFi Direct is a greatly underappreciated technology that allows many WiFi-enabled devices to seamlessly connect to each other and exchange data without the need for a central wireless router to organize the traffic and relay data packets. Especially when optimized using NetSpot, the easiest native wireless site survey software for Mac and Windows, WiFi Direct can make many tasks that would otherwise be complicated simple.

From: https://www.netspotapp.com/what-is-wifi-direct.html

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Wireless Internet Access Everywhere with Xfinity® WiFi and NetSpot

https://www.netspotapp.com/xfinity-wifi-router.htmlXfinity®, a subsidiary of Comcast®, has been developing a network of hotspots intended for use by Comcast® customers. Called Xfinity® WiFi, this innovative wireless system is comprised of millions of WiFi hotspots broadcasted by home routers of Comcast’s existing customers. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at how the Xfinity® WiFi network works and how you can make the best of it using NetSpot, a professional Windows and Mac OS X app for wireless site surveys and in-depth WiFi analysis.

How Does the Xfinity® Router Creates a Hotspot?

Each Xfinity® router is equipped with two antennas. One antenna is used to broadcast a private home network based on the plan selected by the customer. The other antenna broadcasts a separate public network called xfinitywifi.

This allows businesses and homeowners to provide their clients and guests with an internet access without sharing their WiFi passwords. Because the private network can’t be accessed from the public network, opportunistic hackers have no way how to gain access to the information broadcasted on the private network. To keep the private connection unaffected, Comcast® allows only 5 people to be connected to a single Xfinity® hotspot at a time.

Any Comcast® customer who has signed up for XFINITY® Internet can access all Xfinity® WiFi hotspots free of charge. Comcast® also sells Xfinity® WiFi Access Passes, starting at $2.95 for 2 hours and going all the way up to $54.95 for a single month of access.

In theory, one could travel across the country and get by without a cellular data connection, hopping from one Xfinity® hotspot to another. Because the location of the hotspots is publicly available, businesses have an incentive to make Xfinity® Wifi available to their customers and passers-by.

Comcast® has released a Xfinity® WiFi app for Android and iOS to help customers locate all Xfinity® hotspots within range and automatically connect to Xfinity® WiFi around town. If you happen to stumble upon a Xfinity® WiFi that’s not working, you can use the app to find the closest suitable alternative quickly.

Make the Most of Your Xfinity® WiFi Hotspot: Xfinity® Speed Test and Optimization

Comcast® has over 23 million internet customers, with most using the Xfinity® router to broadcast public WiFi for others to connect to. With so many people broadcasting at the same time, the 2.4GHz range can become very crowded, and the download and upload speeds can come to crawl.

Fortunately, you can easily optimize your Xfinity® internet speed using NetSpot, a professional wireless site surveys, WiFi analysis, and troubleshooting app for Windows and Mac OS X. NetSpot can help you discover WiFi networks around you and create detailed WiFi strength heatmaps. To use the tool, all you need is a laptop or desktop computer running Windows 7 or higher or Mac OS X 10.10 or higher.

Perform a Simple Xfinity® Signal Strength Test

If you’re experiencing slowdowns with your Xfinity® home connection or your Xfinity® WiFi hotspot, you should find out how strong the signal is and how many other WiFi networks are broadcasting on the same channel. NetSpot features two ways how to measure your WiFi signal strength: one quick and one detailed.

The quick method can be accessed by activating the Discover mode:

Click on the Discover/Survey slider at the top of the main screen to highlight the Discover option.

NetSpot will instantly create a concise report of all WiFi networks in your surrounding area, coupled with a lot of useful information such as the WiFi band, the average signal strength, the amount of noise, the encryption method, and more.

Use the information to access the status of your WiFi connection.

With the Discover mode, you can find out how strong or weak your WiFi signal is to verify the cause of your sluggish internet speeds. If the signal is strong, you know that the problem is most likely elsewhere.

But if the signal is weak, you need to take some actions to fix it. For that, you’ll need more information, which is exactly what the Survey mode is for:

The Signal level heatmap visualization displays the WiFi signal strength throughout the surveyed area.

The Signal-to-noise ratio visualization helps you pinpoints sources of signal noise and get rid of them. These often include home appliances, radio equipment, or lights.

The Signal-to-interference ratio shows the interference from other wireless networks.

Once you’re done, you can use the gathered information to decide which areas should be strengthened using WiFi boosters and repeaters, and you can also determine whether it wouldn’t be beneficial to move your Xfinity® router elsewhere.

Give NetSpot a try and discover how easy it is to optimize your home WiFi network and improve your internet speeds. Even though NetSpot offers professional features, its approachable, modern user interface makes it suitable even for casual computer users.

Reliable Home Security with Xfinity® Home

Fast and reliable internet speeds are essential for all users of Xfinity® Home, Comcast’s home security system with around-the-clock monitoring, remote control, real-time alert, and voice control. Xfinity® Home equipment, including window sensors, motion sensors, cameras, and water sensors, transmit data over WiFi, freeing users from messy cables.

As such, Xfinity® Home is a subject to signal interference and potential signal dropouts. With NetSpot, you can quickly and easily ensure that all security devices connected to your Xfinity® Home security system are covered by your home WiFi network. Use the Survey mode to select the optimal places for your security cameras and other equipment.

Note: All trademarks mentioned are property of their respective owners.

From: https://www.netspotapp.com/xfinity-wifi-router.html

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Selecting and Installing a WiFi Booster

Our homes and workplaces are filled with obstacles that significantly reduce WiFi signal strength. Metal appliances, thick walls, electric wires, lights, and computers can bring an otherwise blazing fast internet connection to a crawl. When this happens, people often waste hours talking with their internet service providers or trying various tips and tricks on how to avoid interference and extend signal range. The net result of these attempts is seldom satisfactory.

The good news is that everyone can say goodbye to their WiFi signal problems. All that’s needed are the right tools for the job. Tried and tested by countless professional and home users alike, the combination of NetSpot, a wireless site survey, WiFi analysis, and troubleshooting app for Windows and Mac OS X, with a WiFi signal booster yields excellent results and is guaranteed to fill all the bars on the WiFi strength indicator on your smartphone or laptop.

Continue reading here: https://www.netspotapp.com/wifi-booster.html