Managing Home Maintenance Costs

This website is all about saving the homeowner and the consumer money on their maintenance costs for the home as well as operating costs on a monthly basis. We decided to tackle a common issue more and more people are dealing with – WiFi vs Data Plans.

Most cell phone or mobile subscription plans require that you sign up for a data plan. In fact unless you turn your data off on your phone, you could incur huge monthly bills for accessing the Internet and just updating your apps if you do not have a data plan or unless you use WiFi exclusively .

If you must access data for app update , Browsing the Internet, getting your email, and downloading music or movies on your phone then you must have either a data plan with an unlimited amount of data that you can download or you must turn off your cellular data so that you do not incur any data charges. If you do not believe this try using data for a month without a data plan and prepare to be shocked.

Turn Cellular Data Off

If you can purchase a smartphone without a cellular data plan, make sure you turn the cellular data off to avoid any unnecessary charges. There is a solution to turning your cellular data off.

Using WiFi wherever it is available is usually sufficient for most people unless you must have real-time access all the time. WiFi is now available in most hotels, coffee shops, home hardware stores, and even some laundromats. It is amazing how much free WiFi is available. WiFi is becoming more available all of the time and it is usually free. There is a down side to free WiFi. Security issues can be a concern and also if you using WiFi at a hardware store for example, they are learning information about you. what products you are looking at, the area of the store you are in, time of day to shop and on and on. They can also have access to your email and social networks if you chose to use them.

WiFi vs Data Plans – Reduce Charges

This is a great way to reduce your monthly charges from your cellular carrier and still have access to the Internet for all the things that you like to do from a smart phone perspective. Most high-speed modems for consumers now come with the option of WiFi as well as a wired Internet connection. Most people will turn the WiFi on and make it available to their friends and families. Whenever you’re visiting someone always ask if they have WiFi available and ask if you can connect to the WiFi system to browse the Internet and retrieve your email.

These private systems should always be protected by passwords that are not easily broken. This is for your protection as well as the protection of your host as well.

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I used to have Ethernet cables running around my office to connect up several computers that I owned. There was no Wifi at home. This is from the cable modem that we receive our internet connection with. I even had an Ethernet cable running from my office out the door , along the walls and over to the couch so that I could multi task at night. This included watching my favorite show or at least being in the same room as my wife in the evening. While I kept track of email or played a game or kept up with Twitter and Facebook.

Now with WiFi all of the cables are gone and my wife is happier since there are no cables running around the room. She still is not happy about my multi tasking when we are supposed to be spending time together. Oh Well. It was pretty simple as well. The cable company came and replaced the old modem which had only Ethernet connections with one that had Ethernet and WiFi capability. I do not even use the Ethernet any more preferring to use the WiFi when I am at home regardless of what room I am in, including the office.

WiFi Products are Interoperable!

Wi-Fi products from all manufacturers are easy to connect together. The Wi-Fi Alliance has awarded more than 11,000 product certifications to devices that have been tested for interoperability. This ensures that they are good neighbors to other Wi-Fi equipment. This means that they won’t interfere with operation in other products that you have in your home. Or while you are traveling about outside of the home with your WiFi enabled computer.Many coffee shops now have WiFi for their customers , although some limit the connection time to 2 hours.

All Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products have been tested to operate well on wireless networks. They contain the latest security features to protect users who are connecting to the Internet over the WiFi network.

Is Wifi at home for Me?

If you want to avoid having unsightly cables running around your home, WiFi is definitely for you. That really is the main reason for WiFi. It allows you to roam around your home or office within specific distances and still be on the internet. Upstairs, in the basement, out side on the driveway or in the backyard.  Best reception for WiFi devices is found when you locate the WiFi in the center of your home or as close to that as you can.  Some people have had weak signals if they locate the modem in the basement and they are at te other extreme end of the house.

Everyone can use Wi-Fi, almost anywhere in the world, in coffee shops, in their homes, even at the office. We will discuss WiFi more for business in the next post. Home Wi-Fi networks act as a gateway to the internet. As well as they can connect multiple devices to each other, to audio and video content, and to the Internet via a single high-speed connection. A Wi-Fi network can connect a family’s computers, media and display devices together. There are no cables to share hardware and media resources such as printers, audio files and Internet access.

Summary

We think that just getting rid of the cables and being able to wander around the house or yard with your computer, your smart phone or iPod is a real bonus. You are still be connected and it is by far the most advantageous benefit for having WiFi in the home.

If you have similar ideas or thoughts about WiFi at home, please leave us a comment. All helpful and thoughtful comments will be approved. We will even approve a link to your web site if you provide a quality comment  that is interesting and helpful to our readers.

For more information about using WiFi in your home, click here.

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Wi-Fi has become almost universal for  business applications these days as a means of enhancing productivity as well as controlling costs. It does not matter whether you are a small business owner or a multi-national corporation. There are excellent reasons for using WiFi in the office. As well as making it available for your staff who work out of the home. Is WiFi for Me? We have discussed WiFi in several other posts. If you need more information check out our posts about What is Wifi and How does WiFi technology work?  Assuming that you either already know something about WiFi  we will plunge right in.

Is WiFi for Me – Security and WiFi

Network security is a big thing for corporations of any size. No one wants outsiders to break into your network  and do damage or steal your secrets. WiFi does not make it easier or harder to do this , although many people would argue this point. Security for  the office is really about making sure that you have your network behind a strong firewall. This is needed to protect you from hackers coming in though the network. Keep strong passwords on all devices including your wireless modems. They prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your wireless network. IT administrators need to manage security very closely regardless of whether you use WiFi or not.

Each device connecting via WiFi connection must be password protected. Each device  must also have to enter a secure password to enter when connecting to the WiFi network.

WiFi for Employees

Most IT managers will want to hard wire via Ethernet cable all desk top computers to the network. This delivers connection to the corporations internal network and also the internet. They feel that this is somehow more secure and delivers better performance. In addition, they will enable WiFi so that all laptops can connect via WiFi. This makes it easier when they are moving around the office to meetings etc and / or connect via Ethernet cables. Utilizing a WiFi network in this manner provides a much better and flexible communications capability for employees. Hence it enables increased productivity as well.

Many employees are provided with smart devices or have their own. These devices may or may not be allowed on the corporations network. But they can connect through the WiFi network to obtain their emails and keep their calender’s up to date etc.. Using the wireless network for this purpose will significantly reduce the mobile data traffic. Hence your monthly bill from the mobile companies will decline!

Wi-Fi products can be used  to extend standard wired Ethernet networks to public areas. For example meeting rooms, training classrooms and large auditoriums.

Wi-Fi networks also work well for small businesses. They provide connectivity between mobile salespeople, floor staff and behind-the-scenes finance and accounting departments. Because small businesses are dynamic, the built-in flexibility of a Wi-Fi network makes it easy to operate It is also affordable for them to change and grow.

WiFi for Guests

Whether it is an employee from another city or a vendor paying a sales call, providing wireless at your work location will be appreciated. Many companies will provide a second wireless network in common areas such as conference rooms that only allow access to the public internet. For example this prevents a guest from access corporate servers and getting into places they should not be allowed.

WiFi for Staff who Work at home

Many corporations also provide wireless networks to their off-site and telecommuting workers to use at home or in remote offices. Even home offices benefit from the advantages of wireless technology. As you work from the comfort of your home office, you can connect your PC, printer, scanner, smart phone, audio/video equipment and other wireless devices with a single access point. All accomplished without a lot of wires running under your desk. No cables to mess up the home so the spouses are happy as well. Their home is not messed up with extra cables. Yet they have the benefit of their husband or wife to work at home.

If you have comments about this post , please feel free to leave a comment.

For more information about using WiFi in your home, click here.

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