Even though in most cases Apple’s Bonjour networking technology allows your Mac to discover relevant services that are broadcast by nearby systems (e.g., shared systems showing in the Finder sidebar), there are times when you may need to enter computer names manually to connect. In these cases, you will have to specify the full name of the system you are targeting, including its domain. For Mac systems, this means append the “.local” suffix to a computer name in order to target it on the local network. However, there is a quick way to avoid having to do this. Continue reading
Tag Archives: networking
Five quick fixes for Wi-Fi troubles in OS X
Perhaps one of the more ubiquitous problems that OS X users encounter is a periodic inability to maintain a steady Wi-Fi connection. While for many people Wi-Fi is relatively stable, for others there may be times (sometimes quite frequent), where the connection will drop, give an error, and otherwise refuse to join. There are many reasons why Wi-Fi connections may do this, including everything from electromagnetic interference to faulty configurations, so troubleshooting it may be daunting. However, if you find yourself running into this issue regularly, then there are a few quick fixes that should get you up and running again. Continue reading
Three approaches for quickly accessing shared folders in OS X
Do you access shared folders often on your Mac? While the use of AirDrop, Messages, e-Mail, and online drive options are great for personal and workgroup sharing, often in corporate environments you might have central shared folders to store data. You might also have a theater system, file server, or other central storage set up on your home network that you might wish to access regularly. Continue reading
Security Tip: Verify open Wi-Fi hotspots before using them
When you connect your Mac to a Wi-Fi hotspot at a cafe, library, or other public location, do you ever double-check to ensure the Wi-Fi hotspot is a legitimate one? Quite often, when you are out and about, it is not uncommon to find a number of open hotspots, that you can easily log on to surf away, and while most of these will be perfectly fine options to use, there is nothing to inform you whether or not the hotspot was set up for nefarious purposes. Continue reading
Sleep and power settings possibly behind Wi-Fi dropouts in Yosemite
Along with its perks and new features, OS X Yosemite has not been without its share of problems, with at least some of these being associated with the inability to keep your Mac connected to Wi-Fi. If this happens, there are some basic fixes from toggling Wi-Fi off and on, to fully resetting your Mac’s network configuration; however, there are times when these might not work, and your Mac will continue to drop its connection. Continue reading
Intel outlines Thunderbolt networking
Intel has announced Thunderbolt Networking as part of its push for Thunderbolt 2 expansion in the PC market.
Thunderbolt is one of the latest expansion technologies for PCs, developed by Intel under the code name “Light Peak” as a fiber-based connection technology, Thunderbolt debuted in Apple’s 2011 MacBook Pro and was soon implemented through Apple’s Mac lineup. Continue reading