Wi-Fi

iPhone 5 so far: One road warrior's two-week test

Two weeks in, I've got a better feel for the iPhone 5, both good and bad.

After upgrading from the iPhone 4S to the 5 two weeks ago yesterday, I've been on the road -- bouncing between the east and west coasts. That's plenty of opportunity to test the iPhone 5's mettle.

The good, the bad, the meh:

Wi-Fi: This was the first gotcha. After arriving at my destination in Philadelphia, a Wi-Fi network I needed to access didn't take -- despite working fine with a host of other devices, including an iPhone 3GS and … Read more

Linksys ships its first 802.11ac router and media bridge

Linksys today announced the availability of its latest Smart Wi-Fi router, the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router AC 1750 HD Video Pro router (model EA6500). This is the company's first router to support the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

The new router is to compete with similar routers from other networking vendors, such as the Netgear R6300, the D-Link DIR-865L, and the Buffalo AirStation WZR-D1800H.… Read more

Use Wi-Fi diagnostics to find active Bonjour services in OS X

Apple's Bonjour service in OS X is a convenient zero-configuration autodiscovery technology that allows the operating system to locate and present various network services available to you. For example, if a computer on the network has file sharing available, then the system will discover that and make it available in relevant areas of the system such as the Finder, and also allow your system to easily discover shared printers, remote log-in capability, screen sharing, and similar services the remote computer may have enabled.

While convenient, most of the services that Bonjour broadcasts are contextual, meaning that they only appear … Read more

Get a D-Link 802.11n router for $9.99

Do one or more of the following traits describe your router?

1. It's old.

2. It supports only 802.11g or "draft-N" Wi-Fi.

3. It's not working as well as you think it should.

4. It died last night.

5. It doesn't support the cool DD-WRT firmware you've been itching to try.

If you answered yes to any of the above, today's your lucky day. For a limited time, and while supplies last, GearXS has the refurbished D-Link DIR-601 802.11n Wi-Fi router for $9.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It sells … Read more

iPad Mini rumors ramp up

Tuesday's CNET Update turns up the heat:

More rumors about the iPad Mini are cropping up. We've previously heard that the iPad Mini may be unveiled in October, but a source tells Fortune that Apple will send press invites next week for an October announcement. In addition, a Japanese Apple blog says a Brazilian factory has begun production of the iPad Mini, and other blogs have been showing purported images of parts, including rear casings and screen covers.

The "sexy" thermostat is back. Nest 2.0, the second generation of the learning thermostat, is 20 percent … Read more

Apple wireless adapter patent could resolve cable woes

A new patent granted to Apple could eliminate issues with incompatible cables and adapters should the technology ever appear in the real world.

The U.S. patent awarded today -- No. 8,280,465 -- describes the ways in which a wireless adapter could interface between a device and an accessory.

Such an adapter could include one wireless interface to talk to the device and a second wireless interface to talk to the accessory. The adapter would be able to handle different wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

"A user may encounter a situation where she has multiple … Read more

iPhone Wi-Fi glitch may affect users on other carriers

The software glitch that gobbled through the monthly data allotments of some iPhone 5 users may be affecting subscribers on carriers other than Verizon Wireless.

Last week, iPhone 5 users on Apple's online support community complained that they were blowing through their data plans even when they were spending the majority of their time on Wi-Fi. Over the weekend, Apple issued a software update that fixed the problem for Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon issued a statement saying that the glitch had been fixed and no one would be charged for any overages related to the glitch.

It's still … Read more

Shining light on new Kindle Paperwhite

Monday's CNET Update has a glow about it:

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is now shipping, and CNET has given it the Editors Choice award. You can read the full review here. The Nook GlowLight dropped its price to $119 to match the Paperwhite.

Apple has released a Wi-Fi bug fix for the iPhone 5 on Verizon. The bug caused the iPhone 5 to use data even when the device was connected to a Wi-Fi network. Verizon won't charge iPhone 5 customers for any excess data as a result of the bug, but customers should download the fix … Read more

Verizon won't penalize iPhone 5 owners for Wi-Fi bug

Verizon iPhone 5 owners bit by Apple's Wi-Fi bug won't be charged for any excess cellular data used as a result, the carrier said today.

iPhone 5 and iOS 6 owners have been complaining of various problems with Wi-Fi networks since their release last month. For certain Verizon subscribers, the iPhone would actually use up cellular data while connected via Wi-Fi.

In response, Apple rolled out a software fix yesterday, at least for Verizon iPhone 5 users, that lets them update their devices to resolve the issue.

The bug could've easily racked up data overage charges for … Read more

Apple fixes data usage snafu on Verizon iPhone 5

Apple issued a software update for the iPhone 5 on Verizon Wireless's network Sunday that will fix a problem that causes some Verizon iPhone 5 customers to use their Verizon data allotment when they they're connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Apple issued a the software update on Sunday and posted instructions for getting the update.