Wi-Fi routers, home servers, virtual private networks, and more.
Networking
What options do I have for cloud storage over 2TB?
Episode 1567
James fromJames has a large family that records many videos, and he's run out of storage in the cloud. He can't buy anymore iCloud to store everyone's movies and music. Leo says that James has transitioned to the enterprise-grade needs. Especially for backups. Leo says maybe just creating a duplicate Synology NAS off site and have it Sync. That way he can have as much storage he needs, rather than paying for it in the Cloud. It's also far more practical, since it won't take up bandwidth. Carbonite will even send a hard drive to back up and ship to them for storage. But that isn't readily available.
Why is data being corrupted on my NAS?
Episode 1566
Steve fromSteve is a professional photographer and he stores his raw images on a NAS (network attached storage) with Mac File sharing. But he's finding that about 10% of his images are corrupted. Leo says that there's two ways this can happen. 1) the data is corrupted on the disk. Is the file corruption happening locally? Or on the network. It helps to test if it happens the same every time. That means the data is getting corrupted on the NAS itself. If it was a network corruption, it would happen intermittently and randomly.
What MESH router should I buy?
Episode 1562
Matt fromMatt wants to know what mesh router he should buy to control his landscape system. Leo says that Orbi is ideal because it's easy to install, and they have outdoor base stations.
Why can't my laptop connect to the internet?
Episode 1561
Joe fromJoe's laptop won't connect to the internet. Leo says that some laptops have a function key that will set your laptop into Airplane mode. So check that out. Other than that, there may have been a corrupted WiFi driver that's preventing the internet from talking to your router/modem. But Joe erased some "unnecessary files" and Windows told him to do it. Leo says that's not the case here. But Microsoft has a tech note about this same issue.
Will a mesh router work with my VOIP phone service?
Episode 1557
Gwen fromGwen has internet through Spectrum. She's looking at getting a NetGear Orbi mesh router. Will she have issues with her phone service? Leo says that she will because Spectrum requires their router to use their phone service. But she can hook them up in tandem and have them coexist. It works with Comcast in a similar fashion. Leo says this is why you don't want to bundle services. It causes issues like this.
Can network switches work with mesh routers?
Episode 1555
Greg fromGreg wants to know if his mesh router can work with a network switch. Leo says that mesh routers prefer to handle all management on the network. He can use a switch as a hub, though, and the dumber they are, the better. TP-Link makes a 24 port switch that works great with the Eero. The key is to get an "unmanaged switch".
Can I have a static IP with my mesh router?
Episode 1555
Tom fromTom updated his Wi-Fi to an Eero mesh router system, but it changed his static IP address and it's causing problems. How can he fix that? Leo says that all he'll need to do is reserve the IP for those devices. It's in the Eero settings. But the fact that Eero keeps an eye on his network worries him from a security point of view. Leo says that they do that for quality of service, as they are always adjusting the router for the best possible performance. If he doesn't trust Eero to do that securely, then he shouldn't be using it.
Can my mesh router work with my Comcast router/modem?
Episode 1555
Bobby fromBobby wants to know how he can get his Eero mesh router to work with his Comcast modem/router. Leo says that's called Double NAT and it's problematic. Leo recommends getting his own modem and using that. Comcast has a list of modems that are supported and they cost under $100. He'll want one that supports DOCSIS III or better. The added benefit is that he'll save on the rental of the modem.
(Disclaimer: Eero is a sponsor)
Why can't I connect my Sonos with a mesh router?
Episode 1551
Jeffrey fromJeffrey got a mesh router and he's having issues with his Sonos home theater system. Leo says that it's always a challenge to use Sonos with mesh, but he can get it done. Keeping the Sonos in Boost mode and updating his firmware will help. Leo has a few links to read up on:
How can I improve my Wi-Fi signal?
Episode 1550
Bruce fromBruce has Wi-Fi coverage in his house because it's long and narrow. He doesn't want extenders. So he's thinking of using Cat5 ethernet. Can he take an ethernet connection and convert it to Wi-Fi? Leo says that the TP-Link EAP225 access points will do the trick. He can also turn his router into bridge mode for that. But he can also use Powerline Networking, where he can use his electrical grid for networking and get internet access in every room. He can just plug in the Powerline adapters.
