Android Tricks 4 All: WiFi

Showing posts with label WiFi. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

What is a mesh WiFi router and why you should buy one

blognet Tuesday, June 02, 2020 Comment

It doesn’t matter how big or small your house or apartment is, the WiFi signal strength can vary dramatically depending on where you are using your smartphone or laptop. This issue is especially prevalent in larger homes, or homes with multiple stories. This is due to the way WiFi signals are broadcasted, along with the materials your home is built with.

WiFi signals usually don’t travel so well when faced with a solid material, like brick or concrete. The more corners or walls you have, or the more objects that are in the way of the signal, the worse your reception is going to get.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

How to change DNS server on your Android phone or tablet

blognet Saturday, May 02, 2015 Comment

How to change DNS server on your Android phone or tablet manually

NOTE: You cannot change the DNS servers of already known Wi-Fi networks. You must remove them from the list of known Wi-Fi networks and then connect to them again during which you will be able to enter a DNS server of your choice.

Step 1: Go to Settings -> Wi-Fi. Then tap and hold the Wi-Fi network your are currently connected and click on Forget.

Step 2: Tap on the name of the Wi-Fi network again at which point you will be asked to enter the password.

Step 3: Once you have entered the password, scroll down and select Advanced options. Change IP settings from DHCP to Static

Step 4: Scroll down to DNS 1 and DNS 2 and enter your preferred DNS addresses. Once done, tap the Join button.

Using apps from the Google Play Store

You can also try DNSet and Dns Changer to change your DNS server on your Android phone or tablet. These apps do not require root (allow root access does allow for more options when dealing with DNS issues) and will automatically change your server once enabled.

Using Dns Changer, run the application and select 2 servers from the available server list.

Once your two servers are selected, Dns Changer will notify you of a successful connection.

Do note though that these apps only work with selected versions of Android and do not change the default DNS server while using a 3G connection. For the latter, you will need to use an app called Override DNS, though it requires root access to work properly.

If you run into any issues, feel free to drop us a line in the comment section.

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Powerbank with built in Qi wireless charger & other charging options – review.

blognet Sunday, April 26, 2015 Comment

Following last year’s Gadget Show (2014), I was sent a Qi wireless charging car kit and charging pad from Mobile Solar Chargers, which really impressed me. The review can be read here.

A short while ago, Tim from the site contacted me again with a multitude of goodies for me to review, namely; a small and compact and well designed powerbank, a 7000 mAh powerbank with a wireless charging plate on the top, and a 3 coil Qi wireless folding stand.

1. MSC Power Stick Portable Phone Charger.

Specs.

Samsung 2600 mAh battery
input: USB DC 5v/1A
Output: USB DC 5v/2A
Cycle life > 500 full charge/discharge
Weight: 77g

The MSC Power Stick has an aircraft-grade aluminium body and feels premium in the hand. It’s the size and shape of a large lipstick, which means it’s very pocketable. The charger has a handy display which shows the remaining charge. On the inside, the charger is fitted with a 2600mAh Samsung battery, so there should be no issues on the reliability stakes.

In Use.

The Power Stick took just under 3hrs to charge to full from a 1A output mains charger, and was able to charge my OnePlus One from 0% to 80% in just under a couple of hours (this will be down to the fact the OnePlus is fitted with a 3100mAh battery).

I’ve tried a number of powerbanks of various shapes and sizes, and the MSC Power Stick is one of the better ones due its build quality, handy display and small size for portability.

The Power Stick is available in a number of colours and costs £15 from Mobile Solar Chargers.

2. 3 Coil Folding QI Wireless Charging Pad.

Specs.

TX Input: DC5V/1.5A
RX Output: DC5v/1A max
Working Frequency: 110-205KHz
Conversion: 72%
Size: 66 x 117 x 18mm

Nearly all the ODM’s (Original Device Manufacturers) are including wireless charging options in their flagship devices, the notable exceptions being HTC and Apple due to their metallic construction. There are currently two standards for wireless charging; these being Qi and Powermat, with Qi currently inching in front as the industry leader (older readers will remember good old Betamax v VHS).

I have encountered a couple of the problems using some Qi charging, these being 1: the time it takes to charge your device, and 2: positioning of your device on the charging pad is important to align the coils. Both of these issues are eliminated if you use a well-made – and to-be-honest – more expensive charging pad.

Mobile Solar Chargers sent me through their 3 Coil Folding Qi Charging stand, which is I suggested before, a well made multi-position stand with 3 powerful Qi charging coils. You literally can plonk your device on it and it begins to charge. Marry this with multi-position, and you have an excellent bedside/desk charger. I used it to charge my phone every night, and it looked really nice with the daydream clock showing while charging.

The wireless charging stand is available from Mobile Solar Chargers for £39:99

3. 7000 mAh powerbank with a Qi wireless charging plate.

The next device Tim sent through was a powerbank, (yes another powerbank) but this one has a clever add-on: it comes fitted with a wireless charging coil in the top of the unit.

Specs.

Capacity: 7000 mAh
Input: DC5V/1A
USB Output: DC 5V/1A
Product Standard: QI
TX Input: DC5v/1A
RX Output: DC5v/1Amax
Working Frequency: 110-205KHz
Frequency: 110-205KHz
Size: 131 x 84 x 16 mm

The powerbank is fitted with a 7000mAh battery, and at one end is a Micro USB port for charging and a regular USB port with a 1 Amp output for charging your device. On the opposite side it has a touch power button and a charge remaining graphic consisting of 4 bars within a battery icon.

Charging a device is as simple as plugging one in, or enabled plonking one top of the wireless charging pad. I plugged my iPad Mini which was at 0% and a couple of hours later it was fully charged and only 2 bars were gone from the indicator, so it might well be possible to get two charges from it. I would have liked to see a 2 Amp output from the powerbank which would have sped up the charging process.

The powerbank again is available from Mobile Solar Chargers for £49:99.

Conclusion.

All the devices that Tim sent through are at the higher end of the price range, but they’re not your average run-of-the-mill, far-east, cheaply made units. Out of the devices sent through, I made my order of favourites is:

3 Coil Folding QI Wireless Charging Pad. I love the idea of this stand and I think it’s the perfect bedside companion for your smartphone.
MSC Power Stick Portable Phone Charger. This is a lovely sized device to pop in your pocket and have power when you need it.
7000 mAh powerbank with a Qi wireless charging plate. This unit is more suited to being put in your bag for use on a long trip, or a holiday.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Reset your GoPro WiFi password in less than 2 minutes

blognet Friday, April 17, 2015 Comment

Well, I suppose you didn’t come here just out fo curiosity. Most probably, you’re desperately trying to connect to your GoPro’s WiFi network to check your footage or stream the “live feed” of your camera. I was in the exact same situation days ago. Some friends wanted to see how the video that my GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition was currently filming looks like. I said “sure, no problem we can see the video stream right on my phone”. Problem was, for some reason the GoPro’s WiFi login wasn’t saved on my phone anymore and I couldn’t remember its password. So, after two minutes my friends lost their interest and I gave up.

After checking the official guide to reset the WiFi password on the GoPro’s website, I was a little disappointed, because it involved quite a few steps. So I searched a little longer and, luckily, found a quicker way to do it. Since this procedure isn’t the “official” way and wasn’t so easy to find, I want to share it here, so you can get back faster to the important thing – shooting cool stuff with your GoPro!

Resetting the WiFi password on a GoPro 4

If you own the 4th generation of the GoPro, then you’re lucky. Resetting the WiFi password can be done via the camera’s menu. All you need to do is go to your camera’s settings, select “RESET CAM” and then “RESET WI-FI”. That’s it!

Now you can pair your phone through the GoPro app with your camera the same way as you did it the first time.

How to reset the password on a GoPro 3 (all models including 3+)

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy with the 3rd generation and 3+ models. However, it doesn’t take longer than a minute or two. All you need is your GoPro with the microSD card inserted and the cable to connect it to your computer.

Okay, here’s what to do:

Connect your GoPro to your computer. (Alternatively, you can also just insert your microSD card using an SD card adapter)
Download the correct file from the list below
Extract the zipped folder
Copy the contents of the folder and paste its content to the root folder of your GoPro’s microSD card.
- Hero 3+: Paste the whole “UPDATE” folder to your GoPro’s root folder. The files must be in a folder with the name “UPDATE”, otherwise it won’t work.
- Hero 3: Paste only the files, not the folder, to the root directory of your GoPro.
Unplug your GoPro. It should automatically turn off.
Turn it back on. Your GoPro should display now that it’s updating. Once it’s done it will turn off again.
You can turn it back on now and connect to its WiFi network with your device using the default login:
- Network name (SSID): GoProHero
- Network password: goprohero

In case you want to directly have a different SSID and password, you can change that by editing two lines in the “settings.in” file:

"ssid":"GoProHero",
"password":"goprohero"

Alright, I hope you managed to connect to your GoPro successfully. Now get back to it and shoot some great stuff!

Saturday, April 11, 2015

No signal, no problem: EE's WiFi Calling service launches with the Galaxy S6 on 10 April

blognet Saturday, April 11, 2015 Comment

EE has revealed that its WiFi Calling service will launch on 10 April, debuting with the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and Microsoft Lumia 640.

The service is aimed at customers who've got spotty cellular connections in their homes, suffering from poor call quality or even the inability to make calls and receive texts in certain areas of their house.

WiFi Calling eliminates that by allowing devices to make and receive calls as well as texts, using a Wi-Fi connection. It's a welcome feature, but it does sadly mean that we might soon start hearing people nattering away on Underground platforms.

While other networks like Three also offer this service, they require separate apps. EE's solution is built-in to the actual devices themselves, and WiFi Calling is automatically enabled the moment a Wi-Fi connection is established.

That means that users can use their devices exactly as they would normally - the same dialler, the same text app - without having to take any extra steps or open up another app.

We've been testing the service out for the past week, and it's worked as advertised, letting us make calls in notorious dead spot rooms without any problems.

There's no specific list of supported devices yet (and EE was unable to confirm iPhone support), but we do know that EE is planning to bring the service to more than 5 million customers by summer.

WiFi calling is a feature present in iOS 8, so we'll eat our SIM cards if EE doesn't roll out the feature to its Apple-toting customers in future.

Update: EE has told us that the WiFi Calling feeature is actually available a day early, for iPhone users who have downloaded the latest iOS 8.3 update from Apple. Compatible handsets include the iPhone 5s, 5c, 6, and 6 Plus.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Top 5 File Downloading Managers [Android]

blognet Friday, April 10, 2015 Comment

There are many uses that we have for the Internet. You can use the Internet forsetting up your own e-commerce store, communicating via email and VoIP among other things. However, there’s no denying that downloading files over the Internet is a primary thing done by almost every Internet user. This means that more data is being transferred than ever before.

With the advancement of 3G and 4G mobile phone technologies, this allows even more usage of the Internet via smartphones and other gadgets. There are plenty of downloading manager softwares that can help make the downloading process more efficient, managed and fast. In this post, we have put together 5 file downloading managers designed for Android devices. Take a look to see what fits your needs.

1. ADVANCED DOWNLOAD MANAGER

Advanced Download Manager is a simple yet powerful application to speed up the downloading process with up to 3 simultaneous files. Apart from this, you can also resume the download of a file and save files of different types in different folders. You can also backup your list of downloaded files and much more by using Advanced Download Manager.

2. Download Manager for Android

Download Manager for Android can be used to download any type of file up to 3 times faster than the normal speed. Other noticeable features includes the ability to download files with an unknown format and unknown size, the capability to resume interrupted downloads, speed indication via downloading progress bar and so on. It also has a built-in media player to play the downloaded files.

3. Loader Droid Download Manager

Loader Droid Download Manager is a small sized application which can download any file with any format easily and efficiently. It offers a user friendly interface which includes a downloading progress bar, a notification bar and different colour themes to choose from.

A few of its important features include downloading files faster, pausing and resuming the downloading process automatically once the connection is lost and restored respectively, scheduling downloads and a lot more.

4. Download Blazer

se/resume downloads and organizing all your downloads in a queue and much more.

Download Blazer can integrate with almost all browsers (excluding Opera Mini and Opera Mobile). You can use the ad-supported version of Download Blazer for free a

Download Blazer is a simple app which can download any type of file except YouTube files. Some of its key features are downloading files at fast speed, the ability to paund the ad-free version by paying a sum.

5. Download All Files

Download All Files is a free download manager which has been downloaded 15 million times by users around the globe. The seamless integration of the app with web browser allows one to download almost all formats of files and you can save these files on an SD card easily.

You can also download and save all your Gmail attachments without any difficulty. The free version of app is ad-supported while the pro version is ad-free. Due to Google policy, it can not work for streaming videos such as YouTube etc.

Bonus – BitTorrent

BitTorrent is an official and free App for Android devices to find and download torrent files. It provides a beautiful yet simple and easy to use interface. You can even download selective files from a torrent to minimize the usage of storage and can play these files via integrated media player of BitTorrent.

While using the App in WiFi mode, there is no speed and size limit. You can download more than one torrent music file and can download any torrent file with magnet links. You can access the licensed content from BitTorrent’s content partners as well as other handy features.

Android Tricks 4 All