Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!
plug your computer in directly bypassing router
You mean dig out the cable from the bottom of the mystery closet and connect it to the modem?
than do a speed test. Maybe search for speakeasy san francisco a lot of people use that.
Speakeasy san francisco is...a program?
I'm serious when I say I don't really know anything about this.
Also, I have no idea where the cable is that would connect the laptop to the modem (I lied; there is no mystery closet). That's why I got a laptop, so I don't have to deal with cables and shit.
Well, huh. I don't want to buy a new router if I don't need one, but it seems like an 802.11b router would be silly with an 802.11n laptop.
Speakeasy has a website with a speed test.
Five years old could be still be 802.11g, I think. What's the model of the router? Realistically you'd be fine for Internet usage with g. If it is b, you should definitely upgrade to n, there's no reason not to.
Compared to the cost of the MBP, though, a new 802.11n router is pretty small potatoes so maybe just buy a new one and don't worry about figuring out the old one.
Teppy, do you have a method for regular backups? Do you need one? The Apple Time Capsule is an 802.11n router that has a built-in hard drive, which allows you to use Time Machine to automatically do backups while you're connected.
The cheapest one is 1TB at $299.
Well, so much for my iPad plan. My current laptop (a 2006 macbook) started wigging out tonight and wouldn't recognize the backup drive, so I...panicked and went to the Apple Store and bought a new computer. This does not leave money in the budget for an ipad. Sigh.
tommyrot, I do back up regularly, using Carbon Copy Cloner, onto a Maxtor (I think) external hard drive. The drive is 160 GB, which was great for my iBook, which is only 60 GB. The new MPB is 250 GB, so I definitely will need a new external drive for backups.
I checked the internet speed (we have DSL, not cable), and it's averaging about 4.5 Mbps. The very rough knowledge I gleaned suggests that this is not Dark Ages slow, but still kind of poky. So maybe I don't need a new router after all.
Scarily the network speed at the PixDesign residence is now so fast (60 Mbps) that even 802.11n can't keep up. Only the hardwired machines in the office can see the full speed.
Please don't break the space-time continuum with your network speed.
I'm trying to improve the space-time continuum with it.
