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It’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive back into my favorite subject: wireless networks. I realize we’ve hit that drum a lot at Lifehacker, but that’s because WiFi issues are a fairly regular source of frustration for readers who don’t hesitate to give mine Tech 911 Inbox one ear.

This week, Lifehacker enthusiast Gareth writes:

I’m a lockdown teacher working from home. My personal laptop has such incredibly inconsistent speeds that I couldn’t use it for teaching. Fortunately, the work provided me with another laptop that works fine. My laptop is pretty new and I’ve never had WiFi issues. My current package is 125MB download and 10MB upload speed. However, some tests regularly come in under 5MB. In addition, my ps4 is hardly usable. Speeds under 5MB are the norm. Sometimes less than 1MB. I bought a wifi extender and a LAN cable and still under 5MB even though as you can see in the photos my phone has over 100MB in the same room as the ps4 which has a LAN connection.

If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear then. I tried changing DNS online to the recommended ones and did port forwarding but it made no difference. The speeds seem to be available in the router as other devices are fine. I know the ps4 only has 2.4 GHz, but doesn’t that limit the speed as dramatically as it is?

It is probably time to buy a new router

First off, I’d like to thank you for sending pictures of your network nightmare Gareth confirming that your connection speed is junk on both your PlayStation 4 and an older laptop (<5 Mbps downloads) on yours Phone great though (~ 110Mbps downloads). I thought I had some great troubleshooting ideas in mind, until I got to the point in your letter where you say that connecting devices with an ethernet cable didn't fix your speed at all. That makes things more complicated.

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In general, there are three basic troubleshooting tips that I would recommend to people when they experience inconsistent speeds on their devices:

• Reboot your router.
• Update your router’s firmware.
• If possible, switch to Ethernet to improve your connection.

I am assuming that you have already made the first suggestion. Try the second one if it helps troubleshoot errors or other network problems. And then I can even recommend a general factory reset of your router. While you have to set up your WiFi again (which should take every five minutes), this could work magic on the problem. As for the last suggestion, I also assume that you connect your laptop directly to one of the Ethernet ports on your router (possibly not to the one on your WiFi extender) using a relatively modern Ethernet cable (Cat 5E) or cat. 6). Have you tried using a different Ethernet cable just in case?

It’s really weird that your PlayStation 4 should have such big problems with an ethernet connection, and I’m assuming you would get the same results if you plugged your old laptop directly into the router via ethernet. If you can get faster speeds, connect to your PlayStation 4. If you’re still driving slower, try connecting to your new laptop, etc. Basically the goal here is to determine if something is wrong with your router (where I think the problem is) or if it is your devices. While I would normally expect a faulty router to perform poorly for all of the devices connected to it, it is possible that there are some variables that make this difficult to identify.

For example, it’s possible for your newer laptop to connect over your router’s 5 GHz band and this kind of gives you a solid connection, whereas your older laptop only connects over 2.4 GHz and messes everything up. The ethernet problem is confusing, but it is possible that you will see normal performance using a different ethernet cable as mentioned or testing different ethernet ports on your router yourself.

If your “router” is indeed the router / modem your ISP gave you, I think now is the time to call them and ask for a replacement (or upgrade). If they are reluctant or you don’t want to bother with it, ask if your devices need firmware updates that they can send you. (Or unplug your cable modem, wait a few minutes, and then plug it back in to see if that forces updates.)

You can also try buying your own router – I recommend something cheap and easyGiven your speed and how your cable modem / router is set to bridge mode. Basically, you want to turn it into a “dumb” cable modem and let your new router do all the heavy lifting.

If you already have such a setup, you have probably reached the troubleshooting point where it is worth exploring a new router. Again, opt for something quick and simple like the $ 60 TP-Link Archer A7 and swap it out for whatever you’re using right now. That should completely fix your problems – and you probably won’t even need your wireless extender to get a decent signal all over your house.

In general, I don’t use wireless extenders when I can avoid them. They determine your speed when you don’t know exactly where you placed them (about halfway between your router’s location and the end of your router’s coverage) and when the extenders themselves don’t support a dedicated backhaul connection to your router. You want one that either uses 5 GHz to connect to your router and puts out a 2.4 GHz network, or one that uses 2.4 GHz to connect to your router and a 5 GHz Network output. If your extender is set to send to your devices and router in the same band, cut your maximum potential speed in half – at least.

I applaud the steps you’ve taken so far to troubleshoot your router – switching to a faster DNS is a great, general thing that you can do in any situation. You don’t have to bother with port forwarding though as it doesn’t affect your download / upload speed, but more importantly your overall connection (if you are) trying to access an online gaming service, for example).

My only other thought, if you really want to stick with this router, is to split your WiFi into separate networks for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This could at least allow you to squeal in the meantime with devices that can access any tape that gives you reasonable results (if any). However, this is really just a patch. If everything I’ve suggested doesn’t work, I really think it’s time to buy a new router. And that’s normal! Routers are messed up for the strangest reasons.

Do you have a technical question that keeps you up at night? Tired of troubleshooting problems with your Windows or Mac? Are you looking for advice on apps, browser extensions, or utilities to accomplish a specific task? Let us know! Let us know in the comments below or via email david.murphy@lifehacker.com.

Image: Bartesian

Bartesian | $ 350 | Amazon

Just before last year’s vacation started, I found myself owning one Bartesian. The main goal? Drinking as many cocktails and mocktails as possible to get through the rest of 2020 in one piece. The holidays are almost always hectic – between buying gifts for loved ones, writing a steady amount of content, and everything else (like a one-off 100 year pandemic plus a classic coup!) I was stressed out the hell out of it. I won’t waste time describing my personal woes as I am not Drake, but we can dive into the Bartesian and how it actually works.

If you are familiar with a single serving beverage company, with Keurig being the most popular, you will understand how it works. The Bartesian is large and uniform in appearance, but still an eye-catcher on your countertop. It comes with four glass bottles – one for vodka, whiskey rum / gin and tequila. It is important to place the glasses where they are labeled so that the computer can draw the correct type of alcohol for the cocktails.

Similar to the Keurig, unlike coffee pods, you have to have cocktail capsules ready. I used the Cosmo and Lemon Drop with vodka. There is a water reservoir at the foot of the Bartesian. This is very important too – if you want to keep your guarantee just put water in the back. So no strange jungle juice preparations. This is specially made for the adult and sexy.

Photo: Ignacia Fulcher

After choosing a pod, you can choose between cocktail, light, normal or strong. If the cocktail you’ve chosen doesn’t need to be shaken, you’re good to go! If not, investing in a shaker as well and then pouring your drink into your preferred glass and enjoying it might be a good thing. The cocktails themselves are delicious as hell and have been a hit with my family over the holidays (and after). They loved the fact that they didn’t have to mix drinks by hand. Ringing in the New Year was a simple but spirited affair.

Sure, the Bartesian has a pretty high price tag $ 350and a six-pack pod is around $ 15 each, but it really gets your money’s worth. I mean especially when you miss going to bars and paying $ 13 for a top notch vodka cranberry. Why not have some fun you know We’ll all be in the house by at least autumn 2021 anyway.

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$ 350

Of Amazon

1 bought by readers

G / O Media can receive a commission

G / O Media can receive a commission

$ 15

G / O Media can receive a commission

$ 15

G / O Media can receive a commission

$ 15

Of Amazon

1 bought by readers

Photo: Voyagerix (Shutterstock)

There has been a lot of eye catching news about people using metal detectors to uncover valuable artifacts –old coins, precious jewelry, Gold nuggets, maybe even a piece of the crown of Charles I.? (The British always have the best finds).

As exciting as these discoveries are, the chances of finding such items are slim and may depend on your experience, the metal detector you use, the places you explore and, crucially, your level of commitment. You could make a little more money with a metal detector, but don’t expect to make a living from it –maybe only $ 20 a week. On the other hand, the prospect of a big find is tempting too, but you need to invest the time, money and know-how if you hope so – and be ready to spot lots of old rusty nails along the way.

How metal detection can pay off

If you are lucky enough to discover valuable objects during metal detection, keep in mind that they have to make up for the cost – your time is money, metal detectors costs thousands of dollarsand you will likely have travel expenses too.

Also, even if you find one, you may not be able to keep the treasure. While most states have a finder-keeper Treasury ActSome states require that items worth $ 100 or more be turned over to the police.

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Realistically, you will likely make more money as a professional detector searching for people’s lost jewelry. You can join websites like that Ring seekerSo people in your area can set you as a local metal detector. Note, however, that professional detectors typically only charge for gas money and a “retrieval fee” of $ 25-50 (for the trouble if nothing shows) and usually operate on a “reward basis” (pay what you can) . . The joy of finding a lost wedding ring might be a reward, but you probably don’t want to think of it as much more than a hobby.

Another way to make money is by doing a popular metal detection youtube channel, but you’d really need to invest the time and some money into these first (for more information on making money on YouTube, see here Lifehacker Post ).

Aside from that, who knows, you might find some hidden treasure under your porch after all?

Ethical considerations

There are many reasons why it is possible and it is possible to decide and regulate where you can perform metal detection. Do not try national parks, near monuments, on historical battlefields, or in Native American countries. People who ignore the rules tend to give the hobby a bad rap, which is why many detectors follow a Code of Ethics.

For more information on legal considerations, see Check out this post from the metal detection blog Tech Metals Research.