Sunday 8 January 2017

Tenuous connection

I am going out and I may be some time. I am just about to rig up a new WiFi router.

This probably sounds as simple to you as they describe on the box, but you know me and electronics. According to the box, you don't even need to plug in a cable to set it up. You simply power it up and configure it using WiFi, or so they claim.

I looked for my router and account passwords which I created years ago in case I am asked for them, and discovered that if I did write them down, I put the bit of paper somewhere so safe that I cannot find it. I called up a friendly Indian man who works on the Live Chat for my server, and he told me what my secret passwords are, so now I don't have to worry about that... or do I? During the time he spent digging up my details, he offered to send me a new router - free of charge...

When Green-Eyes was doing all her university course-work, she would get pissed off with me for not having WiFi to use with her laptop, and I said we didn't need it because the Mac is only about 4 feet from the router.

She got so fed up with going between the Mac and her laptop, so many times, that she used to go down the street to the public library to use their WiFi. Last night I turned on the WiFi on my iPhone and - blow me - I got a perfect signal from the public library! The trouble is that it is switched off at night, when we watch films.

It is only now that I have finally set up H.I. with her iPhone that it makes any sense to use WiFi in the house, and not rely on the mingy allowance of data that the pittance we pay to our mobile server gives us, and I like the idea of watching films in bed on my little screen, streamed from downstairs.

I am sorry to have to report that the phone company which Jack@ uses refused to unlock the iPhone which she kindly gave us, and they refuse to even say why. Well we all know why really, and they have already said that it would take about two months to unlock it, if they ever unlocked it at all, so everyone has given up on them. Suffice to say that I would never, ever, consider using them in the future because they are such a bunch of mean-spirited bastards.

Anyway, I will get back when the WiFi is up and running. Like I say, I may be out for some time...

16 comments:

  1. I never bothered to put security on my wifi. Any fool who wanted to part in my driveway and use it was welcome. But, here at the mobile home park, the wifi installer gave me a password that only a geek would recognize. How uncharitable. It is written down and pasted up several places in this house.

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    1. When I had WiFi before, the computer suddenly slowed right down, so I looked out of the window and saw a young couple parked outside - both on laptops, as I could see through their sun roof. I turned it off and they looked up to see me looking down on them. They drove away. You need security in town, otherwise everyone piggy backs off your data allowance.

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  2. Replies
    1. Done it! It was as easy as adverised. It's been a long time since they first made it complicated.

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  3. Success - and the whole thing loads up twice as fast.

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  4. Congratulations! The printer I recently bought is connected to the computer and iPhone via wifi. It turned out to be relatively easy to set up. I was very relieved.

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    1. The last time I set up a WiFi router, you had to type in all the codes manually. These days it is pretty much idiot-proof - which is good for me.

      If I had known how much good routers speed up download and streaming times, I would have done it a while ago. This is a good router.

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  5. Congratulations! Don't you feel heroic when you are able to make something technological work the first time? What next?? -Jenn

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  6. Years ago I got a phone unlocked at Luton indoor market.......it cost a pittance and took about 2 minutes if I remember correctly!

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    1. Those were the days. The companies have been trying to work out how to make more money/keep customers ever since the market got saturated. I think there are 3 mobile phones for every person on the planet - maybe more.

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  7. I hope this is not a Captain Oates moment.

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    1. Without the snow, glory or historical significance.

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  8. There used to a 'geezer' at a nearby market who'd unlock phones in five minutes. He's no longer there, but probably still doing the same thing in some French prison.

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