ISPs

Rob wants to know how he can find out the more accurate speeds he's getting on his internet service. Leo says that when ISPs tell you speeds, it's usually under ideal conditions are are "peak speeds." Look for the phrase "as fast as." Then go to several internet speed testing sites like Netflix's Fast.com or SpeedTest.net. User several of them and get a good average. Also do it at different times. After 6pm is going to be different because people are watching Netflix.

Bob lives in a desert and he's he's stuck with Frontier as an ISP. Leo says that a lot of people are commiserating with him because the access is so bad. They want to charge him $100 for 720kbps. Leo says that's totally unusable. Leo says it's likely because Bob is too far away from the central DSL station. If he had cable internet access, he'd be much better off. He also can't get satellite internet via Dish. Leo says the state of internet in the US is shameful, and Frontier is the worst amoungst them. At best, we have a duopoly, or maybe even a monopoly.

Dan got a new router from his ISP and he can't change the router settings. They're grayed out. Rich says while he can change the router settings in the router, he can also change them in his computer's OS. He'll have to be sure he has administrator access in the router to make any changes. The other option is to buy his own router.

David is thinking about installing a home VPN. Leo says he understands the security concerns, but he won't like using it for very long. It will really slow down his bandwidth. Leo recommends a service called CloudFlare. It changes his DNS to 1.1.1.1, and then masks his traffic so his ISP doesn't know where he's going. He can set it at the router level and he will protect every device in his house.

Adam wants to know if he can control a mobile device from his computer. Leo says that Remote PC does not work in the opposite direction, unless the phone is physically connected. You could control another laptop from a laptop, or Desktop. But not a phone. So in the case of your phone being stolen, you have to get your carrier or phone manufacturer involved to brick it or wipe is remotely.

Isaac is worried that the new Net Neutrality rules in the US will affect his internet access in Canada. How can he get involved to try and prevent that? Leo says that as the US goes, so goes the world. Net Neutrality is definitely in jeopardy all around the world, and it's difficult to get his voice heard in the face of huge companies with a lot of money to buy access. But in Canada, the law requires ISPs be treated as utilities. So they can only go so far in protecting under those regulations.

Bryan wants to know if Leo is for or against repealing the Net Neutrality rules. Leo says he's definitely against repealing it, as he believes it will benefit the big ISP companies and not the end user. Sure, it's government regulation, but if you trust the water coming out of your tap, why not trust regulating the internet to keep it open and neutral? By throwing out rules that keep ISPs common carriers under Title 2, it now gives ISPs the power to do whatever they want and charge whatever they want. Leo understands the mistrust of government. Many technology types are libertarians.

Bryan wants to know if Leo is for or against repealing the Net Neutrality rules. Leo says he's definitely against repealing it, as he believes it will benefit the big ISP companies and not the end user. Sure, it's government regulation, but if you trust the water coming out of your tap, why not trust regulating the internet to keep it open and neutral? By throwing out rules that keep ISPs common carriers under Title 2, it now gives ISPs the power to do whatever they want and charge whatever they want. Leo understands the mistrust of government. Many technology types are libertarians.

Rene's internet access disconnects several times a day. Leo says he has the same problem and he knows it's the ISP. It could also be his mesh router, however. But the only way to check that is to use another router to eliminate it from the mix. Could it be a DDOS attack? Leo doesn't think so unless he knows of someone who is targeting him to keep him off the net. That's unlikely, though. It's probably just his ISP having issues.

Gloria wants to get rid of her ISP and change her email. Leo says if she's going to get rid of her ISP and its email, Leo recommends going with Gmail first and setting it up to get the email off her old email account. Her ISP is DSL Extreme. Leo says that DSL Extreme is a good provider, but if she's having issues, it may not be their fault. It may be the carrier that DSL Extreme is piggy backing on, which is usually AT&T. They have to allow them to carry it, but they don't really want to share. So they make it difficult.