wifi

Five great Android Wi-Fi calling apps

There are many reasons to enjoy Wi-Fi calling, from starting video chats with family far and wide, to giving your old phone a new lease on life as a Wi-Fi-only device in little Johnny's hands. However you want to use it, you still need to know which apps are best.

There are quite a few companies battling it out in the data-calling space, each of which has its own benefits and drawbacks. Some offer voice-only calling, while others allow for video calls, photo transfer, and group chat.

Select apps share the love with other services, but others prefer to … Read more

Amped Wireless' 802.11ac router, the RTA15, is so amped!

LAS VEGAS--Amped Wireless, maker of extra-long-range, high-power Wi-Fi products, showed off at CES 2013 the upcoming RTA15 High Power Dual Band AC 700mW Wi-Fi Router, the company's first that supports the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

Like previous routers from Amped Wireless, such as the 600mW Gigabit Dual Band R20000G, the new RTA15 promises to offer incredible Wi-Fi coverage.

According to Amped Wireless, the new router features three high-gain, dual-band antennas and 10 total power amplifiers: four 5GHz 700mW, two-stage amplifiers, two 2.4GHz amplifiers, and four low-noise amplifiers. As the result, Amped Wireless claims it can cover up … Read more

Stream audio to every room of your home

LAS VEGAS--The Stream Wireless Home Audio System from Voxx International lets you play music and audio anywhere in your home and is relatively low priced to make it more accessible.

Once set up with included software, you'll be able to control your music library from any iOS device or your computer over Wi-Fi and Apple's AirPlay. The software lets you choose zones for your music, and you can select playlists to play in each room.

The single-room configuration for the system costs $199 and looks like a smart way to control your music wirelessly.

Vizio's M TV means major features up to 80 inches

LAS VEGAS--Vizio is traditionally known for cheap TVs, but at CES 2013 it's doubling down on its foray into step-up, feature-rich (read: slightly more expensive) territory with the 4K XVT models and the all-new "M" series.

The company's M range LED-based LCD TVs goes from 32- up to the company's first 80-inch model, the M801d pictured above. All of the sizes in the series should ship in the first half with the exception of the 80-incher, which is a second-half product. Pricing was not announced, but knowing Vizio it will be extremely competitive.

No other … Read more

Find hot spots with WiFi Free

No matter how robust a data plan you have on your phone, it's still probably limited and slower than Wi-Fi. It pays to do most of your downloading on your home's connection or on free hot spots. WiFi Free will help you find dozens of free places to connect, but it's nowhere near as seamless as other apps. It takes too long to set up and has a very simple layout.

When you install this supposedly free app, you'll be stuck either paying 99 cents or connecting it with your Foursquare account. If you don't … Read more

Transfer files between devices with Wifi File Transfer for Phone

If you ever needed to transfer a file from one Android device to another, you have probably wished that this app existed. Wifi File Transfer for Phone sets up your own private cloud between the two devices in the same Wi-Fi network and lets you transfer your files without much hassle.

Wifi File Transfer for Phone has a slick layout with bright colors and easy-to-read, intuitive icons. Once the app is set up, the devices can openly browse files between each other. Once the user finds a file they want, they simply select it for download and wait. If you … Read more

Use your phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot with Android-Wifi-Tether

The task of tethering devices to your phone has never been easier. Operating efficiently and quickly, Android-Wifi-Tether takes all the guesswork out of setting up a portable network.

Setup for Android-Wifi-Tether is very easy. The overall layout of this app is very good, too. It is easy to read and simple to use. After a quick browse through the main setup menu you are able to select the proper phone from a list of compatible devices. Click on a large Wi-Fi icon and you'll be up and running. Tablets and PCs should have no problem seeing your new Android … Read more

How to enable metered Wi-Fi connections in Windows 8

One of the new features of Windows 8 is metered wireless connections. In the past, you could run Windows programs to monitor your data usage, but they didn't do anything to actually reduce data usage. With mobile hot spot and broadband card usage on the rise and unlimited data plans nearing extinction, every kilobyte of bandwidth saved is a penny earned. Enabling metering in Windows 8 will limit your PC or tablet's data usage by preventing nonessential data transfers.

According to Microsoft's FAQ on metered connections, the effects of enabling a metered connection are:

Windows Update will … Read more

Fake a Wi-Fi network hacking attempt to entertain your friends with Wifi Hack

Simulating access to any type of Wi-Fi network, Wifi Hack can bring you a couple of minutes of fame as a hacker. However, even though it's fun to see your phone pierce its way through a Wi-Fi network in a fake manner, the entertainment with the Wifi Hack app only lasts once for every set of audience that you show your trick to.

Upon accessing the app, you are simply given a list of available Wi-Fi networks in the area. The list is of course based on the actual available networks that your unit can detect. Choose one of … Read more