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very important component in your home network.
One offers simple fixes to Wi-Fi “dead
zones” (moving your router and avoiding interfer-
ence from other devices in your home and/or
William Fosdick
your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks). Another ex-
plains why you should consider upgrading your
In case you did not receive my earlier Google router, even if you are using older devices in your
Groups LCACE email, I am sad to report that William network (reduced interference, better coverage,
“Bill” Fosdick passed away suddenly in late Novem- improved security, updated software, automatic
ber. He and DeBorah Sirilla have been regulars at updating and specialty features).
our monthly meetings, and hosted our 2016 LCACE
picnic at a Vernon Hills Park District location. Bill However, while you are mulling over all this ad-
was an active participant at our meetings, often sup- vice about your router and home network, do not
plying answers to technical issues that came up and forget two crucial actions to take now to protect
offering constructive suggestions for future action. yourself against intrusion by bad guys and keep
He was also a major financial supporter for our club your current router operating as effectively as
through his advocacy for our monthly 50/50 raffle possible. The first is to ensure that you have up-
and high ticket sales for our Holiday Party raffles. dated the internal login information in your router
His contributions, sense of humor and personality from the “admin/admin” combination that it proba-
will be missed by all! bly came with when you first installed it. If you
haven’t done this, simply re-visit the set-up in-
A recent How-To Geek newsletter included an article structions that came with your router, visit the
about why rebooting your router fixes many prob- manufacturer’s website or do an online search for
lems with your Internet connection. If you are like a step-by-step process. A new, longer and
me, and have experienced Wi-Fi slowdowns, pauses stronger router password will help to keep the
or crashes, I encourage you to check this out. bad guys at bay.
Here’s the link: https://www.howtogeek.com/165110/
do-i-really-have-to-unplug-my-cable-modem-for-at- The second is to be sure that your router’s inter-
least-10-seconds/ . nal software / firmware is up to date. If your rout-
er model is several years old, chances are that
Moreover, this article contains links to other How-To
Geek articles devoted to different aspects of this (Continued on page 4)

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