Keith Shaw
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Keith Shaw
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802.11: Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained
In the world of wireless, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with wireless access in general, despite the fact that it is a specific trademark owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group dedicated to certifying that Wi-Fi products meet the IEEE’s set of 802.11 wireless standards.These standards, with names such as 802.11b (pronounced “Eight-O-Two-Eleven-Bee”, ignore the “dot”) and 802.11ac, comprise a family of specifications that started in the 1990s and continues to grow today. The 802.11 standards codify improvements that boost wireless throughput and range as well as the use of new frequencies as they become available. They also address new technologies that reduce power consumption.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is MU-MIMO and why you need it in your wireless routers
The only thing techies love more than creating acronyms is the chance to create even longer ones. Such is the case with wireless acronym MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), which got some additional letters with the release of MU-MIMO a few years ago and is on the verge of becoming more popular with the release of the forthcoming 802.11ax wireless standard.MU-MIMO stands for multi-user, multiple input, multiple output, and is wireless technology supported by routers and endpoint devices. MU-MIMO is the next evolution from single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), which is generally referred to as MIMO. MIMO technology was created to help increase the number of antennas on a wireless router that are used for both receiving and transmitting, improving capacity for wireless connections.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is disaster recovery?
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just catastrophic events such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, but also incidents such as cyber-attacks, equipment failures and even terrorism that can be classified as disasters.Companies and organizations prepare by creating disaster recovery plans that detail actions to take and processes to follow to resume mission-critical functions quickly and without major losses in revenues or business. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: REVIEW: 4 top disaster-recovery platforms compared Go-to storage and disaster recovery products Video: Questions to ask your recovery vendor before you buy What is disaster recovery? In the IT space, disaster recovery focuses on the IT systems that help support critical business functions. The term “business continuity” is often associated with disaster recovery, but the two terms aren’t completely interchangeable. Disaster recovery is a part of business continuity, which focuses more on keeping all aspects of a business running despite the disaster. Because IT systems these days are so critical to the success of the business, disaster recovery is a main pillar in the business continuity process.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is disaster recovery?
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just catastrophic events such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, but also incidents such as cyber-attacks, equipment failures and even terrorism that can be classified as disasters.Companies and organizations prepare by creating disaster recovery plans that detail actions to take and processes to follow to resume mission-critical functions quickly and without major losses in revenues or business. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: REVIEW: 4 top disaster-recovery platforms compared Go-to storage and disaster recovery products Video: Questions to ask your recovery vendor before you buy What is disaster recovery? In the IT space, disaster recovery focuses on the IT systems that help support critical business functions. The term “business continuity” is often associated with disaster recovery, but the two terms aren’t completely interchangeable. Disaster recovery is a part of business continuity, which focuses more on keeping all aspects of a business running despite the disaster. Because IT systems these days are so critical to the success of the business, disaster recovery is a main pillar in the business continuity process.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is disaster recovery? How to ensure business continuity
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just catastrophic events such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, but also incidents such as cyber-attacks, equipment failures and even terrorism that can be classified as disasters.Companies and organizations prepare by creating disaster recovery plans that detail actions to take and processes to follow to resume mission-critical functions quickly and without major losses in revenues or business. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: REVIEW: 4 top disaster-recovery platforms compared Go-to storage and disaster recovery products Video: Questions to ask your recovery vendor before you buy What is disaster recovery? In the IT space, disaster recovery focuses on the IT systems that help support critical business functions. The term “business continuity” is often associated with disaster recovery, but the two terms aren’t completely interchangeable. Disaster recovery is a part of business continuity, which focuses more on keeping all aspects of a business running despite the disaster. Because IT systems these days are so critical to the success of the business, disaster recovery is a main pillar in the business continuity process.To read this article in full, please click here
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Wide area networks: What WANs are and where they’re headed
If it weren’t for wide-area networks it wouldn’t be possible to create unified networks for organizations with far-flung locations, to telecommute, or to do online anything. But WANs do exist and have for decades, constantly evolving to carry more and more traffic faster as demands increase and technology becomes more powerful.What is a WAN? A WAN is a network that uses various links – private lines, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), virtual private networks (VPNs), wireless (cellular), the Internet – to connect smaller metropolitan and campus networks in diverse locations into a single, distributed network. The sites they connect could be a few miles apart or halfway around the globe. In an enterprise, the purposes of a WAN could include connecting branch offices or even individual remote workers with headquarters or the data center, in order to share corporate resources and communications.To read this article in full, please click here
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Wide-area networks: What WANs are and where they’re headed
If it weren’t for wide-area networks, it wouldn’t be possible to create unified networks for organizations with far-flung locations, to telecommute, or to do online anything. But WANs do exist and have for decades, constantly evolving to carry more and more traffic faster as demands increase and technology becomes more powerful.What is a WAN? A WAN is a network that uses various links – private lines, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), virtual private networks (VPNs), wireless (cellular), the Internet – to connect smaller metropolitan and campus networks in diverse locations into a single, distributed network. The sites they connect could be a few miles apart or halfway around the globe. In an enterprise, the purposes of a WAN could include connecting branch offices or even individual remote workers with headquarters or the data center, in order to share corporate resources and communications.To read this article in full, please click here
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Wide-area networks: What WANs are and where they’re headed
If it weren’t for wide-area networks, it wouldn’t be possible to create unified networks for organizations with far-flung locations, to telecommute, or to do online anything. But WANs do exist and have for decades, constantly evolving to carry more and more traffic faster as demands increase and technology becomes more powerful.What is a WAN? A WAN is a network that uses various links – private lines, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), virtual private networks (VPNs), wireless (cellular), the Internet – to connect smaller metropolitan and campus networks in diverse locations into a single, distributed network. The sites they connect could be a few miles apart or halfway around the globe. In an enterprise, the purposes of a WAN could include connecting branch offices or even individual remote workers with headquarters or the data center, in order to share corporate resources and communications.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is a hypervisor?
Hypervisors often get overlooked as a technology in favor of the flashier concept of virtualization, but you can’t get to the fun of virtualization until you understand what a hypervisor does within a computing system.While the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing may now seem like old hat within the IT infrastructure, that wasn’t always the case, and it is hypervisor technology that has helped drive innovation in the world of cloud computing.Hypervisor definition A hypervisor is a process that separates a computer’s operating system and applications from the underlying physical hardware. Usually done as software although embedded hypervisors can be created for things like mobile devices.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is a hypervisor?
Hypervisors often get overlooked as a technology in favor of the flashier concept of virtualization, but you can’t get to the fun of virtualization until you understand what a hypervisor does within a computing system.While the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing may now seem like old hat within the IT infrastructure, that wasn’t always the case, and it is hypervisor technology that has helped drive innovation in the world of cloud computing.Hypervisor definition A hypervisor is a process that separates a computer’s operating system and applications from the underlying physical hardware. Usually done as software although embedded hypervisors can be created for things like mobile devices.To read this article in full, please click here
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The OSI model explained: How to understand (and remember) the 7 layer network model
When most non-technical people hear the term “seven layers”, they either think of the popular Super Bowl bean dip or they mistakenly think about the seven layers of Hell, courtesy of Dante’s Inferno (there are nine). For IT professionals, the seven layers refer to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, a conceptual framework that describes the functions of a networking or telecommunication system.The model uses layers to help give a visual description of what is going on with a particular networking system. This can help network managers narrow down problems (Is it a physical issue or something with the application?), as well as computer programmers (when developing an application, which other layers does it need to work with?). Tech vendors selling new products will often refer to the OSI model to help customers understand which layer their products work with or whether it works “across the stack”.To read this article in full, please click here
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The OSI model explained: How to understand (and remember) the 7 layer network model
When most non-technical people hear the term “seven layers”, they either think of the popular Super Bowl bean dip or they mistakenly think about the seven layers of Hell, courtesy of Dante’s Inferno (there are nine). For IT professionals, the seven layers refer to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, a conceptual framework that describes the functions of a networking or telecommunication system.The model uses layers to help give a visual description of what is going on with a particular networking system. This can help network managers narrow down problems (Is it a physical issue or something with the application?), as well as computer programmers (when developing an application, which other layers does it need to work with?). Tech vendors selling new products will often refer to the OSI model to help customers understand which layer their products work with or whether it works “across the stack”.To read this article in full, please click here
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Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained, compared
In the world of wireless, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with wireless access, even though the term Wi-Fi itself (and the Wi-Fi Alliance) is a group dedicated to interoperability between different wireless LAN products and technologies.The standards themselves are part of the 802.11 family of standards, courtesy of the IEEE. With terms such as “802.11b” (pronounced “Eight-O-Two-Eleven-Bee”, ignore the “dot”) and “802.11ac”, the alphabet soup of standards that began in the late 1990s continues to see improvements in throughput and range as we race to the future to get faster network access.Along the way, improvements are being made by adopting new frequencies for wireless data delivery, as well as range improvements and reduced power consumption, to help support initiatives like “The Internet of Things” and virtual reality.To read this article in full, please click here
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Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained, compared
In the world of wireless, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with wireless access, even though the term Wi-Fi itself (and the Wi-Fi Alliance) is a group dedicated to interoperability between different wireless LAN products and technologies.The standards themselves are part of the 802.11 family of standards, courtesy of the IEEE. With terms such as “802.11b” (pronounced “Eight-O-Two-Eleven-Bee”, ignore the “dot”) and “802.11ac”, the alphabet soup of standards that began in the late 1990s continues to see improvements in throughput and range as we race to the future to get faster network access.Along the way, improvements are being made by adopting new frequencies for wireless data delivery, as well as range improvements and reduced power consumption, to help support initiatives like “The Internet of Things” and virtual reality.To read this article in full, please click here
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What is 802.11? Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained
In the world of wireless, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with wireless access, even though the term Wi-Fi itself (and the Wi-Fi Alliance) is a group dedicated to interoperability between different wireless LAN products and technologies.The standards themselves are part of the 802.11 family of specifications written by the IEEE, eachwith its own letter code after the intial 80211, such as “802.11b” (pronounced “Eight-O-Two-Eleven-Bee”, ignore the “dot”) and “802.11ac”. This alphabet soup that began in the late 1990s continues evolve, with improvements in throughput and range as we race to the future to get faster network access.Along the way, improvements are being made by adopting new frequencies for wireless data delivery, as well as range improvements and reduced power consumption, to help support initiatives like “The Internet of Things” and virtual reality.To read this article in full, please click here
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Review: Two higher-end peripherals for your notebook lifestyle
The world of smartphones and tablets hasn’t yet completely taken over the world just yet – there are lots of people who still use an old-fashioned notebook (gosh, can’t believe I’m using the term ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘notebook’ in the same sentence) for their work, whether at home, in the office or traveling.But there are still limitations to these devices when it comes to audio and video – especially if you’re looking for some higher-end quality, as well as some portability. I recently tested two such devices – the new Logitech BRIO 4K webcam and the Jabra Speak 710 Bluetooth speaker. Don’t be scared by the higher price tags compared with other webcams and speaker systems – the higher-end quality and style make up for the extra price tag.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Review: More sleep-related devices to help you get more ZZZs
The month of May has been dedicated “Better Sleep Month” by the Better Sleep Council. If you don’t like that group and you prefer to follow the guidelines of the National Sleep Foundation, you just celebrated Sleep Awareness Week (April 23-29, 2017). Either way, there’s no better time to look at some new products that want to help you get a better night’s sleep.I’ve previously written about two other devices – the ASTI Sound+Sleep SE sound machine, which provides 64 different sounds to help provide a white-noise-like effect; and the LIVE sensor by EarlySense, which tracks your heartbeat, breathing, stress levels and sleep stages to give you data about how much (or how little) you’re sleeping.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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App time! Rounding up two new mobile and desktop apps
The main goal of the column has always focused on gizmos and gadgets, but on occasion I still discover some non-gizmo goodies – aka software or apps. So here are two quick apps that have spent some time on my phone and computer:Moodelizer: If you’ve always wanted to add a soundtrack to your mobile phone videos, but didn’t want to take the time to grab some royalty-free music and open up a video editor after the fact, Moodelizer should help. Think of this app like an Instagram filter, but for audio. The app provides you with a selection of audio clips, with names like “Arcade, Sitcom, Horror, Bride, Cartoon, etc.” A box that takes up the majority of the screen lets you film from either of the phone’s camera (rear camera or ‘selfie’ camera). When you choose your audio style, a button inside the box lets you choose different zones within the camera frame – when you move around, you get a different sound as part of the “soundtrack”. You can rehearse what you want to do, or you can tap a button and start recording.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, Continue reading
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Tiny gadget roundup time!
Being little doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t important, but sometimes I get a bunch of little gadgets that do simple things that don’t warrant a fuller review/writeup. I save these for this type of post. Lots of little gadgets to help you along your journey in life. Let’s begin! Ventev The Ventev Chargestand 3000c combines a portable battery, power cable (Lightning or Micro USB, depending on which option you choose) and mini-stand in one small package. When the battery is charged via USB, you can flip open the lid (like an old-school flip phone) and rest your smartphone on the tip of the power cable.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Data time: Tracking sleep, tracking my car
Seagate and IDC recently issued a white paper that predicted an explosion of the amount of data that we’ll be dealing with by 2025. As more device makers create Internet of Things devices, these devices will create tons of data for people to analyze.Two devices I recently had a chance to test produce a bunch of data, but in different environments. The HumX system by Verizon tracks and analyzes data from your car, while the Live Sense sleep sensor tracks and monitors your body during sleep. Verizon The HumX by Verizon system includes an OBD reader, Bluetooth speaker (that clips onto a driver's visor) and smartphone app.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here