network port

Home networking explained, Part 3: Taking control of your wires

Editor's note: This post is part 2 of a series. Here are the links to part 1 and part 2.

Now that you have learned about the basics of home networking in Part 1, and how to optimize your Wi-Fi in Part 2, in Part 3, it's time to get your hands dirty and learn how to take control of your network completely.

All home networks start with a network cable. Even if you plan on using all wireless clients, in most cases you will still need at least one cable to connect the wireless router and the … Read more

Home networking explained, Part 2: Optimizing your Wi-Fi network

Editor's note: This post is part 2 of a series. Here are the links to part 1 and part 3.

Since my last post on the basics of home networking, which is Part 1 of this series, I've been flooded with even more e-mails than I had been before (which explains why some of you haven't heard back from me). The good news is that nobody is asking about what a router is anymore. I guess I did an OK job explaining that in my previous post.

Most of the e-mails this time asked about how to … Read more

Home networking explained: Here's the URL for you

Editor's note: This post is now part of a series, of which the second part can be found here.

As the guy who reviews networking products, I generally receive a couple of e-mails from readers a day, and most of them, in one way or another, are asking about the basics of networking (as in computer to computer, I am not talking about social networks here.)

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate e-mails because, at the very least, it gives me the impression that there are real people out there amid the sea of spam. But I'd rather not keep repeating myself. So instead of saying the same thing over and over again in individual e-mails, I'll talk all about home networking basics, in layman's terms, in this post.… Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week we had questions on how the iTunes Home Sharing feature works, different approaches for upgrading to OS X Lion, how to list open network ports in OS X, and identifying whether or not you installed the Adobe Flash Trojan. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: How the iTunes home-sharing feature works MacFixIt reader "Kski" asks: … Read more

Monitor network traffic, simply

If something on your system is running amok, or you think you might have a spy in your midst, or you're simply curious (or obsessive) about the inner workings of your network, give this simple program a look. TCPView presents you with a very simple interface that is appropriate to its purpose and relatively easy to use. You get a list of the TCP/UDP connections on your system, and the ability to interact with specific connections or the process that created them.

The list auto-updates as connections are created or destroyed, so you can see your network activity … Read more