This means that the WPS’s reason of existence is simplicity and user friendliness, but it was also a reaction to the independent development of similar solutions by the major manufacturers (and we all know how much the developers like walled garden – this way, the WPS remains non-proprietary and universal). Not to delve too much on the history, the WPS was created out of necessity, but, as it has been discovered a few years after its launch, this feature has proven to be problematic on the long run.

The statistics show that about 90% of the people in the US had access to the Internet in 2019, and things got better since then so it\s safe to assume that almost every home now has a router to allow wired and wireless devices to connect to the network. This indicates that people got a lot more familiar with the networking devices and the wireless router/access point is no longer that weird industrial-looking piece of equipment that only a select few knew how to handle. That’s a consequence in part because of the continuous process of simplification of the software, but also due to the growing popularity of the Internet.

How is WPS implemented on Linksys routers?

The WPS allows the user to simply undergo the initial configuration wizard to personalize some aspects of the network, such as the admin account and the SSID + password (on some routers, you don’t really have to, but you still should do it for security reasons), while the WPS is not necessarily going to be a part of the setup wizard, but it will always remain there as that strange button (or software option) that, along with some other advanced features, will most likely remain ignored by the user (while some will simply feel intimidated by it). Let’s take the good ol’ Linksys WRT3200ACM as an example.

The router has the WPS button positioned next to the four Ethernet LAN ports (the first available button from the left) and in order to get a better understanding about how it works, I opened the web-based interface and, under Router Settings > Wi-Fi Settings, I clicked on the WiFi Protected Setup (WPS).

Here, I noticed a large switch that enables or disables the function (this will activate or deactivate the physical button as well) and, underneath it, Linksys offers three methods: the first is the Push Button which requires that you push the WPS button on the compatible client and then on the router (this way the WRT3200ACM will automatically detect and pair with the client.

You do have about two minutes to press the button on the second device. The next method is the Router PIN which prints a number that you have to enter on the client device and lastly, there’s the Device PIN, where you enter the PIN number generated by the client to quickly pair the two devices.

How is WPS implemented on WiFi 5 Asus routers?

As you can see, the WPS feature works in a similar manner using an Asus router (specifically, the Asus RT-AC86U).

This highlights one of the available implementation of the WPS: the Push Button method which only enables the WPS for about two minutes (the time limit when the pairing can occur) and, while the WRT3200ACM and the RT-AC86U has a physical button, some routers will have a virtual switch which will work in a similar manner – this is the case of the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, which allows the user to access the WPS feature directly from the main menu of the app (under the Router Settings). It’s worth noting that most (if not all) routers that have a WPS button will also provide a LED indicator which will let you know when the pairing process has been initiated, usually through a pulsating light.

Note: The WPS works only with devices that support WPA or WPA2 encryption type and it will not work with devices that still use the old WEP encryption type (please don’t use devices that have this encryption because they’re very vulnerable to exploits).

What about on mesh systems?

With the rise of the WiFi mesh systems, the manufacturers have stripped the traditional router of some buttons and functions to make it more digestible for the general public. So, in most cases, the WPS button is gone (replaced by the virtual button as can be seen on the Deco M9 Plus), but there are manufacturers that removed this function altogether (such as Google WiFi and Eero).

I also noticed that the WRT3200ACM lacks the WPS window if you install the OpenWRT (Project LEDE) custom firmware, so, why did that happen? To answer this question we have got to go back to 2011, when Stefan Viehböck discovered that the WPS PIN number was vulnerable to brute-force attacks and, in some cases (depending on the router), even if the user would disable the WPS function, the device would still remain in a vulnerable state.

To fix this many manufacturers have released patches that would either allow the user to completely disable the WPS or to time-out the pairing process in case a brute-force attack was detected. The next blow to the WPS function came in 2014, when Dominique Bongard talked about the Pixie Dust attack, which, once again was able to take advantage of the way the WPS process functions, so it could recover a part of the security code when the router would communicate with the client and part of it by using a brute-forcing attack – it is limited to only a few chipset makers, specifically MediaTek, Realtek, Ralink and Broadcom.

So, while the PIN number method is vulnerable, does this issue affect the Push button method as well? It’s tempting to think that the short period of time when the button activates the WPS process could render this method more secure, but, unfortunately, the WPS requires that the PIN method to be implemented (it’s mandatory), so the device still remains in a vulnerable state.

If everything suggests that WPS leaves your network vulnerable, why do people still want to use it?

You’d be surprised, but there was some outcry when Google decided to not include WPS into the feature set of the Google WiFi and when the Android Pie OS didn’t support it, so there are people out there that want this feature to remain in their devices and the reason for that is simplicity. The technology evolves to offer us (the users) a better and more simple way to do things and, a recent example is the app-only UI available on some minimalist WiFi systems that got more popular than the difficult-to-configure interface from the industrial-looking router.

Some tech-savvy people will object, but the large majority of users has fully embraced this new trend (and that’s not a bad thing). So why shouldn’t we keep on adding a printer to the router without dealing with long passkeys, since WPS made things so simple and intuitive? Unfortunately, this is one of those times when we have to get back to a previous, less intuitive way of doing things simply because security should be the top priority of every person that has access to the Internet.

I know that the necessity of security may seem abstract on a home network and one may wonder, why would a hacker target me? The better question is why not? For example, your network can be used for illegal activities, such as downloading copyrighted material or a lot worse (this case is an interesting read) or your router can become a part of large-scale attacks against various websites, institutes or organizations (and I’m sure you keep on hearing on the news about these attacks that often cripple businesses).

So what can you do to remain secure? First of all, make sure that your router is updated to the latest firmware available (if the manufacturer hasn’t released an update in a long time, maybe it’s time to search for a better option); next, make sure that your WiFi network has a personalized password and that it is long and strong enough (use various characters to make it more difficult) and lastly, disable WPS completely (this can be done from the user interface) – some routers don’t give the user the option to do so (yes, even high end ones) and, in this case, make sure that at least the firmware has protection against brute-force attacks.

How is WPS used in 2023?

Let’s take the Asus GT-AX6000 as an example. The wireless router is a part of the WiFi 6 standard, so it has all the bells and whistles of the commercial modern networking hardware.

But it still has a WPS button on the front which serves the same function as it did almost two decades ago. Is it more secure? It’s exactly the same as it was on the old Asus RT-AC86U, so not much has changed over the last five years in regard to the WPS, even if we’ll soon get WiFi 7 wireless routers.

References:
1. Wi-Fi_Protected_Setup & Vulnerabilities
2. How is WPS supposed to work?

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

In most cases, it’s not that big of a deal, but things got far worse after I started using a security-focused external SSD (a Secure Drive with a 1TB Samsung SSD inside). That’s because every few minutes, the drive would disconnect if I wasn’t actively working on it, like saving or moving files and I had to insert the security code every time I wanted to re-gain access to the drive.

That got annoying quickly, so I started to search for a solution to keep the drive alive and active for longer. It’s worth noting that I was using a Windows 10 OS, so the following options apply to this operating system.

The fix for disconnecting USB drives

Since this is a Windows OS feature to keep some extra juice in the battery, it’s just a matter of disabling it. These are the necessary steps:

• 1. Enter Device Manager in the Search bar (from the taskbar) or alternatively click on Win Key + X, and then select Device Manager.

• 2. Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and click on the arrow from the left to expand the menu.

• 3. Scroll down again until reaching the USB Mass Storage Device – right click it and select Properties.

Important: Despite what other guides say, do not touch other options since they will have no effect for this particular scenario.

• 4. Click on Power Management.

• 5. By default, the option to ‘Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power’ should be enabled.

• 6. Disable it and click OK.

At this point, the external storage device should no longer disconnect, so I didn’t have to enter the security code every 5 minutes like a maniac, which made me very happy. But there are some consequences to preventing USB ports from disconnecting external drives, right?

The Consequences

The most immediate and obvious consequence is a higher power consumption considering that the laptop needs to keep the external storage device up and running all the time. But is the impact so big as to cut tens of minutes from what you would otherwise get from your portable PC? The people of the Internet say that the maximum that a USB 3.0 port can output is 7.5W, but does the Samsung 860 Evo that’s inside my Secure Drive really needs that much?

Not really, because Samsung says that the maximum it can draw is actually 4W and that’s when continuously transferring data, which doesn’t really happen when I work. It’s more like quick bursts when saving some file. So, how many minutes I actually lost forcing the USB to stay alive all the time?

Since the power consumption is less than a watt per hour and the battery of the laptop (a Lenovo Y520) is 45Wh, then I lost about a couple of minutes (in worst case scenario), which is more than fine with me.

Do the settings remain active after restarting the laptop?

Yes it does, as long as the drive is connected to the USB port, the setting will remain permanently changed. In my case, the drive did briefly disconnect when restarting the laptop, but, after entering the security code, I could see that the USB port would not have the power cut off after 5 minutes. But, what if I would connect to a different USB port? Nothing would change, the setting is indeed permanent unless you manually change it back.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

Instead, understand that a lot of times, it is possible to push the signal farther by tweaking a few settings in regards to the WiFi networks from within your router (or access point) and, if that’s not enough, such as the case when trying to push the signal outdoors, then you should try to find some hardware solutions. These can include keeping your existing router/AP or a complete replacement if the budget allows it.

Extend the WiFi range by optimizing the WiFi networks

1. Analyze your surroundings

Some access points do have a site survey tool built into their native software (Ubiquiti and EnGenius APs do), but most commercial wireless routers do not. The good news is that there are lots of tools available for free which will show the necessary info about the WiFi networks in the vicinity. Let’s take the WiFiAnalyzer app for Android as a example. This app will show a list of the WiFi networks in the vicinity of the smartphone (those that are strong enough to be in the client device’s range) and each will display some of its main stats.

Let’s go through them because they are important.

• The signal strength: this value is represented in -dBm and, the closer to zero, the stronger the signal.

For example, -63dBm on the 5GHz WiFi network shows that the access point is fairly near and, as I tested various devices over the years, I can tell that it’s somewhere between 30 to 45 feet, so quite close, usually in the same building as the client device. The -88dBm shows that the access point is somewhere outside the house and most likely from your neighbors. So, if there are any networks that are not your own, but the -dBm is not too high, keep an eye on them because they will influence the performance of your own WiFi networks a lot more than you think.

• The channel (CH): as you can see from the screenshot, the nearby WiFi networks use the channel 2 for the 2.4GHz radio band and the channel 100 for the 5GHz radio.

The farther WiFi network (-88dBm) uses the channel 11 (2.4GHz) and this is not really the ideal scenario because the channel 2 is not non-overlapping, but in my case, channel 11 was far enough as to not cause any interference. So, if you have the choice, then always choose between 1, 6 and 11 for the 2.4GHz network channel, as long as it’s not used by the neighboring APs. If they are, try to see how powerful the signal is and match the farthest one. That’s because in this case, you will be sharing the bandwidth, but with overlapping channels, you’re most likely experience dropped packets.
Choosing the suitable channel can extend the signal strength and boost the throughput, leading to a better range.

2. Optimize the network

The usual steps to optimize a WiFi network is to make sure that the channel is properly set (choose non-overlapping), the channel bandwidth is the suitable one and that the transmit power is not too low or too high. In a crowded environment, you may have to use a lower channel bandwidth than the more appealing 80MHz or even 160MHz.

And the transmit power is also tricky because while it’s best to push the 5GHz to the maximum and the 2.4GHz to the minimum to limit the bleeding towards your neighbors, you rarely get the same courtesy back. So, how exactly would these changes help extend the WiFi range? I suppose only the transmit power would have an actual effect, but what I aim at is the perceived range. Let me explain. Say your router could potentially reach 100 feet with more than 100Mbps on both 2.4GHz and the 5GHz networks.

Add a dozen or more access points from your neighbors and your farther out client devices will start having trouble maintaining a proper connection. So, you immediately think that it’s a range issue when it’s actually the outside APs that are messing with your network. So, trying to keep the signal cleaner inside your house should offer a better overall performance.

Now, if interference is not that bad and you do want to reach a far away under-served corner of your house, then ramping up the transmit power may not be that bad of an idea, just be careful with older, legacy devices, since these can hog up the network (especially when Airtime Fairness is enabled).

Extend the WiFi range using additional hardware, but not an extender

1. Higher gain antennas

Using higher gain antennas makes the most sense to push the signal farther, right? It does, but there are a few factors to keep in mind, because the gained performance can be a lot less impressive than expected. That’s because the antennas won’t really increase the power themselves, that’s the router’s or AP’s role, so it’s most likely that the antennas which are already provided by the manufacturer are good enough for most use cases.

This usually means 360 degrees. Obviously, there is a set limit (by FCC) so you can’t really go above it, but it is possible to alter the way the signal is broadcasted. Higher gain antennas are usually more directional, so you will loose some range towards a certain directions, while you will gain more in others. If you manage to correctly point it at the far-away client device, then it should connect to the router or access point, due to the better range.

But, there’s a very big but. The client device also has a limit to how far it can communicate with an access point. And this is the tricky part because you may see the WiFi network, connect to it, but there will be no Internet – no error or anything of the sorts, things just won’t work. So, ideally, the client device should also receive some sort of boost, otherwise, there are some other options to explore.

2. More access points

If your WiFi networks are properly set and optimized, and higher gain antennas won’t add much to the table, then perhaps using some access points to reach a far-away area is a good idea.

I have explored several instances where an access point could add an additional of at least 70 feet to the network, depending how far you’re willing to add the Ethernet cable, and there was also the option to rely on outdoors access points to cover a patio or larger areas. In the open, the signal travels way farther – some APs would reach 500 feet and still be able to communicate with some client devices, which is amazing.

Obviously, the drawback is the Ethernet and the power cables which need to be installed either into the walls or outside.
The PoE APs do solve half the problem by being powered via the Ethernet cable, but it’s still annoying considering that a WiFi extender doesn’t have these issues. Before going ahead and halving your bandwidth, know that there are other solutions and they’re wireless, just like the extender.

3. Mesh networks

While I don’t mind dedicated mesh networks, I think they took a wrong turn somewhere in their pursuit for simplicity and minimalism. And I get that a lot of people prefer this approach, but I still believe that being able to control your hardware and set it up the way you want it, should not be taken away from the user.

That’s why systems such as the AiMesh or the OneMesh are superior in my opinion. And perhaps the best way to cover a large area with WiFi is by using multiple access points in a mesh configuration. let’s first talk about AiMesh and OneMesh. The former was developed by Asus, while the latter was created by TP-Link, but the concept is the same: inter-connect multiple routers which can be different models and even from across generations to form a mesh network.

Why I like this approach is because you can keep an existing router, if you were lucky enough to get a compatible one, and just add a second unit near the area where you want the range to grow bigger. And you’re set. Curiously enough, I did recently run a test to check how seamless the transition between nodes is when using an Aimesh systems, and it worked better than expected.

So, not only is it possible to extend the range of the main router, you can also get a single large network, where the client devices will move without experiencing an impactful temporary disconnection.
The access points perform very similarly, but the advantage is that you usually get a dedicated platform where you can set up all your APs globally, or just individually, plus the seamless roaming is usually a given on most modern devices. They’re also more stable since access points target SMBs, in most cases.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

I am talking about WiFi extenders which are usually terrible, but do provide some relief in areas where the WiFi simply does not want to reach and then there’s also the powerline adapter. The latter has been growing in popularity and rightfully so since it’s a reliable option, but only if the electrical wiring was designed with them in mind from the beginning.

Yes, newer homes can be configured any way you want them, so you could create circuits for powerline adapters, although why not simply use Ethernet cables to begin with? And yes, the cables, be it Ethernet or fiber optics, they do remain the most reliable ways to have Internet anywhere in your home. I do assume that you have tried everything possible to improve the range, such as choosing the suitable channel / channel bandwidth as well as adjusting the transmit power, so the hardware adjustment route is you last solution. That being said, let’s explore some of the available options.

1. Use a mesh network to boost the WiFi signal through walls

Like I said, I now work in an older building and there are two areas separated by a huge concrete wall which does not let the WiFi signal pass through, unless you sit right next to the wall and decide to rely on the 2.4GHz network. I said 2.4GHz because the 5GHz usually has a hard time going through walls and it’s far more prone to interference. This means that it’s less reliable over longer distances and it won’t do that great radiating through objects. So, naturally, I decided to use a mesh WiFi system and create a seamless single network by relying on multiple mesh nodes. I think it’s been six years since I tested the Eero mesh system (still sad about its acquisition by Amazon) and since then, there have been numerous advancements in tech, most notably being the transition to the newer WiFi 6 standard.

Still, the core concept remains the same. One main unit gets connected to the Internet and the others get scattered around the house, while still communicating wirelessly. Ideally, the units should use a dedicated band for the inter-node connection and leave the other/s to the client devices. And there are various options available on the market, from dual-band to tri-band systems, those with identical units or separate types of routers that can be used in a mesh network and more.

Why did I choose an Asus router?

The simple answer is because I already had one other Asus router, but the reasoning goes a bit deeper than that. Although not that much because I simply like their interface more than on other routers, but there’s also the support for a large variety of devices. Even the older ones that were released way before the Asus-made mesh system called AiMesh was released. I had an Asus RT-AX82U as the main unit and the RT-AX88U as the secondary unit, and, as you may expect, both covered the entire office nicely with WiFi, without any noticeable issues. And what’s interesting is the seamless transition between the nodes because even when I was in a conference call, I did not see any dropped frames, but I did test it with iperf to get a better idea on whether there are some dropped packets when moving between nodes or if the handshake is truly seamless. And this was the result:

The first photo is obviously showing the two Asus routers. On the second image, I went from the main mesh node (the RT-AX82U) and next to the RT-AX88U. This meant a brief disconnection, but depending on what type of app or service you’re running, you most likely won’t notice it. The interesting thing happened when I moved back to the main unit – as you can see from the third screenshot, there was no obvious data loss, but looking closely, you can see some serious lag with one data packet, although it still arrived, so it wasn’t dropped. This means that the movement between nodes is very close to seamless.

I know you will ask why not go for a tri-band option? And you’re right, it’s the best way to ensure that the bandwidth does not get affected by the backhaul traffic, so the second node can broadcast a powerful and reliable WiFi signal. The answer is because it would have been overkill for my network.

As you can see from my analysis of a less powerful WiFi 6 AiMesh system with the RT-AX58U and the RT-AX56U, the performance is very good at the second node, so, unless I had a huge number of demanding client devices (which I don’t), there was no need to pay more for something I would not use. And be aware that the WiFi 6 standard offers a serious performance boost if you have WiFi 6 client devices.

What other options are there?

There’s the dedicated WiFi 5 (or the overkill WiFi 6 and even 6E) mesh systems with identical units. The dual-band WiFi 5 systems work really well when there’s direct line of sight between the nodes (the units), otherwise, the performance is not that great. Still, depending on the width of the wall, it may work well enough as to push the signal through and have some half decent Internet away from your main router. Why I say half decent is because systems such as the Google WiFi (the early model) or the TP-Link Deco M5 use both bands for connecting the clients and for the inter-node communication. So, the bandwidth will be severely limited. The same concept applies to the Asus AiMesh that I previously praised, but the hardware is far more powerful, so I won’t experience any issues with the bandwidth.

To fix it, I would opt for the tri-band WiFi 5 mesh systems, such as the Eero Pro and even the sometimes unstable Netgear Orbi. In my experience these systems can deliver a phenomenal wireless performance at the second node, even if there is a lot of distance between the mesh nodes. But, at least in the case of Netgear, the software can break the entire system and, lately, the manufacturer has been a bit weird about its router software (it can be very slow), so I would be cautious.
Note: TP-Link is also experimenting with a similar system as Asus did with its AiMesh and it is worth checking, since their routers are usually cheaper.

2. Use a wireless access point to boost the WiFi signal

This option is not the one that you want, but the one that you’ll be the most happy with. That’s because it involves cables. Yes, I know, older houses don’t have CAT cables through the walls and it’s a pain to install them afterwards. I know because I have to do it myself and I’m postponing it as far away in the future as I can. But, a cable coming from your router and going through the thick walls up to your access point will give your client devices the maximum possible speed. There are a few issues though.

First, the possible interference with the main router, although that shouldn’t be a problem in our case since the lack of WiFi is the main issue. Then, there’s the lack of a seamless roaming through the separate networks. While the mesh systems do their best to mimic a single network experience, the access points rarely communicate that well with the main router, so you may experience disconnections when moving from one area of your house to the other (if both devices support some seamless roaming standard, it shouldn’t be that bad). I can also mention the possibility of using fiber optics as an alternative to Ethernet cables, since they’re less prone to interference and will keep the bandwidth intact for a longer distance. But see it more as a fun fact since it’s incredibly overkill if you want to simply add a new access point for boosting the WiFi signal through some walls.

3. Use a WiFi extender to cover more space

This is one of my least favorite options to boost the WiFi signal, but it’s what most people tend to use when they have a difficult-to-reach spot. And it’s because these WiFi extenders are usually fairly cheap and you don’t have to replace your existing router with some expensive mesh system. And it may be able to do its job up to a certain extent. That it because it extends one radio band, allowing the client device to connect to it, but then again, the backhaul traffic will not allow for many devices to use the bandwidth, the ping will be higher and all the other stuff that we hate about a bad WiFi connection. Still, if not other option is available, it’s going to give some Mbps to your wireless devices.

4. Use a powerline adapter to get Internet in difficult-to-reach areas

The premise behind the powerline adapters is amazing. You get to use the existing electrical wiring in your house to access the Internet. How cool is that? Very, but only in particular conditions. The powerline adapters do not like to move through circuits since the interference will affect the speed, cutting down significantly the available bandwidth (in some cases so dramatically that it’s unusable).

If you do have a properly designed electrical circuit in your house, then connecting two powerline adapters, one near the router and the other next to your access point (yes, the same concept as at the number 2 in this list), will indeed deliver a good wireless performance past a few thick walls. If you want to go this route, I would advice against using a WiFi powerline adapter at the receiving end and instead rely on a proper wireless access point since it will have a better performance. Always try to use separate devices in your network and avoid the multiple-in-one since there’s usually some cut corners.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

The best and most stable option is to connect a wireless access point to the router via a cable to reliably push the network farther away. But, if wires aren’t an option, you do get the possibility to use a WiFi extender which, although not that reliable, it should still work. And I saw that some people were also suggesting using outdoors mesh WiFi system. Which I suppose makes sense if you have the budget.

But, the use of mesh systems to push the range far predates Netgear Orbi’s ambitions, down to the early days of the small OpenMesh pucks. There were phenomenal projects where remote villages would receive access to the Internet with the use of multi-hop mesh systems. It wasn’t elegant, but it worked. And, since lots of access points have mesh built-in, you don’t necessarily have to use dedicated (and expensive) mesh systems. Lastly, some people want to cover miles with a PtP system, so let’s explore some of these interesting options.

Use outdoors WiFi extenders

I have dedicated an entire article for the best outdoor WiFi extenders and I am actually currently preparing to check the TP-Link EAP610-Outdoor to see how well it works as a WiFi extender. After I did test the EAP610-Outdoors, I saw that it didn’t really support the Extender Mode, despite the initial claims from some retailers. That being said, after setting up both the Mikrotik NetMetal ac2 and >the DrayTek VigorAP 920R, it became painfully obvious that the bandwidth was more than halved and the throughput wasn’t nearly as good as it would have been if these devices were operating in access point mode.

That’s because the WiFi extenders need to communicate with the router, as well as with the clients back and fourth, so a lot of the available bandwidth is simply wasted. At the same time, I won’t deny the practicality of such a device where cables are difficult to install. And speaking from personal preference, I hate installing cables both indoors and outdoors.

What I would suggest if you’re willing to go this route is to use at least a dual-band WiFi extender and, if possible to try to upgrade your network and the main client devices to WiFi 6. That’s because the new WiFi standard is built to deal a lot better with interference and far-away client devices won’t slow down the network. I did a full analysis on whether WiFi 6 improves range and the conclusion is that it definitely can. You can take a step forward and go with WiFi 6E since it will open up an entire new frequency band, but this is more of an option in the future, when compatible client devices will be more widespread.

Extend the WiFi range outdoors with access points

I think this is the best solution by far. That’s because you connect the access point via Ethernet cable (as well as a power cable, if necessary) and you get the full available bandwidth to serve your wireless clients. Like I already mentioned, I know you hate cables outdoors, but hear me out.

Get an inexpensive unmanaged PoE switch and a pair of Ubiquiti access points (you can choose the nanoHD if you prefer WiFi 5 or the U6-LR for the WiFi 6 standard). Connect the switch to the router and one access point to the Ethernet switch using a fairly long Ethernet cable. The beauty of this approach is that you get to power on the AP using PoE, so no need to use power cables. Then, make sure that the AP is positioned on the external walls.

Ubiquiti, TP-Link, Netgear, EnGenius, Zyxel, all offer the possibility to use some form of the mesh technology. In the case of Ubiquiti, they call it Uplink (rightfully so). So, the secondary access point will be positioned somewhere in the range of the first AP, but far enough as to broadcast its own signal without overlapping with the client devices inside the house. This way, you should be able to cover a few dozen feet (or more) outside your home without spending a fortune. And let’s not forget that you can’t beat SMB or enterprise-grade hardware.

Will WiFi extenders and access points survive outdoors?

As you may have anticipated, outdoors access points look very different than the indoors ones, well, with the exception of Ubiquiti APs, but we’ll talk more about that in a minute. The idea is that these devices need to survive outside conditions which include dust and water ingress, lightning (as much as possible) and extreme temperatures.

I have tested a few rugged access points and some of the best built ones were the EnGenius EWS850AP and the DrayTek VigorAP 920RP. Even if made of plastic, these devices were robust, could withstand extreme conditions, especially the VigorAP 920R. The Mikrotik NetMetal AC2 also has a metallic case which is great for mechanical shocks, but is a level below the aforementioned APs in terms of weather-proofing.

The problem is that these devices are also very expensive, although not more than what Netgear is currently asking for their WiFi 6 outdoor mesh systems.
So what about Ubiquiti? The UAP-AC-Pro, the nanoHD and the U6-LR should survive outside conditions, if you keep them from constant direct exposure to the elements. This means that it’s not as rugged as other outdoor-suitable APs, but it should do decently well if positioned on the soffit of a building or some similar spot.

Should you use WiFi mesh systems to extend the range outside?

Looking at the prices of the Netgear Orbi outdoors WiFi 6 mesh system, I would say pass, but it’s a very valid option if you have the money to spend for it. These units are IP56-rated, so they’re slightly bit better than the Ubiquiti U6-LR, but they’re still behind the properly rugged access points out there.

But, I have noticed that you don’t really get many options for mesh systems suitable for outside conditions, so Netgear released the outdoors satellite mostly for the people that already have an Orbi system in their home. This is pretty much the targeted audience and it makes sense to expand an existing network instead of spending close to $1000 for a new system. Which is why I still suggest going with the access points mesh setup to work as a mesh system. Also, I need to mention that I saw that TP-Link has released the Deco X50-Outdoor which is an alternative to what Netgear Orbi is currently offering.

Can your client devices use the Internet outdoors?

A lot of people focus towards whether the router or access point can broadcast the signal as far away as possible that they forget that not all client devices are equal and a lot of them use very bad WiFi adapters. So, even if you manage to push the signal far away outside your house, it’s very possible that at some point, even if the client devices (be it a laptop or a smartphone) do connect to the WiFi network, the access point or router won’t ‘see’ them back.

That’s a problem which appears especially when people raise the transmit power to increase the range of their network. In return, the only consequences are far more interference, annoyed neighbors and half your IoT devices unable to connect to the network. Oh, and let’s not forget that if the far away client device does successfully connect to the WiFi network, it’s going to do so at a low data transfer rate.

And, if it’s also on the 2.4GHz (which can reach farther than the 5GHz), it’s simply going to slow down the entire network. So, if you thought that forcing the signal outside the house and as far as possible would help increase the range outside your home, well, it’s not going to work the way you think it may. Unfortunately, this can be achieved only with extra hardware in most situations.

Push the signal for miles!

Not all people want to cover only their backyards, some want to broadcast the signal for miles. Obviously, having the signal uniformly covering miles of land is a far-away dream still, unless you decide to use the Starlink. No, the idea is to push the signal from one AP to the other, where there is line of sight and this can be achieved using PtP (Point to Point) or PtMP (Point to Multi Point) access points.

These type of devices usually come with a separate antenna (dish-type) and the power output is far higher than the regular home-suitable access points. But can you use them for a larger backyard? Yes you can, but it’s going to be overkill since they’re designed to push the signal towards a specific spot, while devices with omni-antennas are far better for this application, even if there’s a shorter range (than a few miles..).

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

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And yes, I am talking about Home Assistant. I know that you’re going to ask why I didn’t add a section to the previous article and the answer is because I did encounter some issues with the Tasmota / Gosund bulb. It was a firmware issue, so nothing serious, but it did take me longer than I am willing to admit to fix it. That being said, these are the steps to add a freshly converted Tasmota bulb to the Home Assistant.

Note: Before moving forward, if you wish to flash the software of a Tuya device, check out these steps on how to do it via air. You don’t need to solder anything, nor open the smart device.

IMPORTANT: I will assume that the bulb has been successfully flashed with Tasmota and that you have connected the device to your local network. Also, you need to have Home Assistant installed somewhere in your local network and, ideally, it should be the full version, not the Docker one since this way, you get more control and any arising issues are easier to fix.

1. Prepare Home Assistant for Tasmota integration

The Tasmota software can communicate with the Home Assistant via MQTT broker (Mosquitto) and you do have the option to add it as an add-on or rely on an external broker. I decided to go with the former since I had enough space on my Raspberry Pi.

• Access the Home Assistant Dashboard and reach Settings. Click on Add-ons.

• You should be able to see the ADD-ON Store button on the lower right corner. Click on it and use the Search bar to select the open-source Mosquitto broker.

• Install it and then head to Settings > Devices & Services. Click on Add Integration.

• Search and choose MQTT, and then click on Configure.

• There are four sections that need to be filled:
• Choose localhost for Broker.
• Enter 1883 for Port (the default for Tasmota as well).
• For Username, enter the user name that you log into the Home Assistant
• For Password, also enter the passkey that you use for HA.

You can create a different user for security or privacy reasons, but know that the credentials for Home Assistant will work here just as well.

2. Configure the Tasmota smart bulb to communicate with Home Assistant

• Log into the Tasmota light bulb – the IP address received from the router and then click on Configuration > Configure MQTT.

• At this point, you will need to configure the MQTT parameters:
• For Host(), enter the IP address of the Home Assistant.
• For Port, leave the default 1883 value.
• For Client, leave the default value.
• For User, I entered the username with which I logged into the Home Assistant, but it’s also possible to use the credentials of a MQTT user, if you set one up.
• For Password, I entered the HA password.
• For Topic, I decided to write TasmotaBulb, but you can choose any identifier.
• For Full topic, I left the default values. Click Save and wait until the smart bulb restarts.

3. Adopt the Tasmota smart bulb into the Home Assistant

Returning to the Home Assistant Dashboard, go to Settings > Devices & Services and you should see that the HA has discovered the Tasmota smart bulb and that you can Configure it.
But, that’s not what happened in my case, at least not immediately. There was no error or anything of the sorts, just that the bulb would not be seen by the HA. So, I went into the Console (from the Tasmota bulb GUI) and entered the SetOption19 On command, as well as the SetOption 19 Off, but Home Assistant would still not be able to see the device.

I made sure that was communication between the Home Assistant and the bulb by messing around with the port setting, but still nothing. That’s when I realized that maybe there’s a firmware problem, so I head back to the Tasmota interface and clicked on Information. The firmware version was 9.x.x.x and it was lite, so I checked if there was a newer version. Obviously there was, like way newer (12.3.1.6) and there are two ways to upgrade the firmware.

You can download the file into your computer and then load it into the smart bulb interface or simply copy and paste the OTA URL.I waited for a few minutes for the process to be done and I checked again if the Home Assistant saw the Tasmota smart bulb. And it did, so I quickly ran the Configure procedure which involves selecting an Area (the room – you can create a new one).

You can also check the dedicated options which include seeing the Logbook, Controlling the bulb, adding Automation, Scenes and Scripts to have some degree of inter-communication between your IoT devices, despite being from separate brands.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

The process is fairly straight-forward and, while it doesn’t require any soldering, nor is it necessary to open the device to connect any cables, it does require a bit of know-how. And yes, you do need to be able to navigate Linux – to open the console and copy-paste the commands, so again, nothing to scare any newcomers.

Why choose Home Assistant?

I got a Gosund smart bulb more than three years ago which worked well with the Gosund and the Smart Life apps, but then I got more smart bulbs from other brands. Add a few X-Sense smart smoke detectors, a Nest protect, a smart frame and the list went on and on. The problem is that each device can only connect to its app, so I end up having a few dozen apps on my phone and, in my case, I also switch the router very often. Imagine my joy having to re-pair all these devices every couple of months.

The idea is that I had to go with a centralized solution and why not also go open-source, cutting the cord to the brand-based servers. And yes, I am talking about Home Assistant which is one of the best things that happened to the IoT market – as usual, open source to the rescue. The problem is that Tuya devices are moody and the manufacturers really dislike you disconnecting from their servers. I mean, how else will they collect your data?

So, after having installed Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi device, I decided to adopt the Gosund smart bulb to this platform. I used a Seeed Mini Router for the Home Assistant and you can read this guide if you want to go this route as well. Then again, it’s far simpler to just use a regular Raspberry Pi since you don’t need to bother with the eMMC built-in storage (you won’t be able to use your own SD card).

Why flash Tasmota on a Gosund (Tuya) smart bulb?

I am fully aware that it’s possible to integrate a Gosund smart bulb into Home Assistant by relying on the Tuya IoT Platform, but there are several shortcomings when taking this route. You continue to rely on the manufacturer’s servers, so the data is still being collected, plus you’ll lose any control over the IoT device the moment the server shut down (or just the good ol’ planned obsolescence). The other disadvantage is that you can only use a trial version for 6 months – yes, I know that you can redo the steps every 6 months and not having to pay the subscription, but this is barely an upside.

When I added Home Assistant to the Seeed Mini Router, I did got his route and forgot about it only to get the flashing LED (on the bulb) that I got disconnected from the server. So, I did what any sensible person would do and just re-added the Gosund bulb to its native app. That worked for a couple of days until I got the flashing LED again. It got disconnected from the app as well. That’s when I decided I have had enough of Tuya’s shenanigans and I had to flash a new software for better control. It also had to be open-source – Tasmota fit the bill perfectly.

Some concerns

There are two main potential problems that need to be addressed. The manufacturers don’t want you to move away from their server connection, so they often do include both code and hardware parts to prevent you from leaving their Cloud server. This is also true for the Tuya smart devices, to some extent. The Tasmota firmware can be installed only on devices that are equipped with specific ESP chipsets. And, of course, the newer gen devices have moved away from that platform, closing the window of opportunity for people to get rid of the Cloud connection.

At the same time, the open-source community never sleeps and I have seen that the OpenBeken is very promising and a possible replacement to Tasmota for devices with newer non-ESP WiFi chips. Returning to the ESP chips, some brands have blocked the possibility to flash a new firmware via air, so it’s best to not update the firmware of the bulbs if you plan to use Tasmota.

Another concern is, of course, if the gain is proportional to the work that needs to be invested into the project. Since there is no soldering needed, nor do you have to open up the smart device, then it’s all about having a free hour in the afternoon to play around with Linux and most likely with a Raspberry Pi. If you don’t have a RPi with Linux, things can get far more complicated, as we’ll see in the following sections.

The Requirements

• A smart bulb (that uses the Tuya platform) that has a compatible ESP chip.

As written on the official website, these are the compatible chipsets: the Espressif ESP8266, ESP8285, ESP32, ESP32-S and the ESP32-C3.

• A smartphone – can be either Android or iOS.

• A Raspberry Pi with Raspbian OS and that has built-in WiFi support.

Why a Raspberry Pi?

The answer is simple, we need to use the ability of the WiFi chip to work in access point mode. That’s the reason. I have tried the flashing process using a PC equipped with a PCIe adapter and, as expected, the adapter would not be recognized. It is possible to use a WiFi dongle that has support for the AP mode, but if you have a RPi with WiFi around, then it makes the process so much easier.

Installing and Running the Tasmota Convert

• The first thing that you need to do is make sure that the Rasbian is up to date, so run these two commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade.

Wait a few good minutes, especially if you haven’t done this in a long while and after that, you need to make sure that the Raspberry Pi is connected to the WiFi. I usually just use the shortcut at the top right corner, Windows OS-style, but it’s also entirely possible to use the ‘sudo rapi-config‘ command as well. Next, you’re going to have to use the git command and I did have the package installed from other projects, but if the RPi doesn’t recognize this command, just enter ‘sudo apt-get install git‘ and again, wait a few seconds for the process to be done.

• After that, it’s time to download the Tuya-Convert from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/ct-Open-Source/tuya-convert

• Make sure to switch directory:

cd tuya-convert

• And install the prerequisites (it’s going to take a few seconds):

sudo ./install_prereq.sh

• You will see the message that the Tuya-Convert is ready to start the upgrade, so enter the following command to use the RPi as an access point:

./start_flash.sh

What this command does is to broadcast the tasmota-xxxxx SSID using the built-in WiFi adapter and you do need to keep this connection active, otherwise it will automatically turn off. At this point, you need to connect a client device to the SSID.

Use a smartphone to connect to the tasmota network and make sure that the Mobile Data is turned off, and that the phone won’t automatically re-connect to another active WiFi network (choose forget the old network – you’ll reconnect to it later).

Flashing the Tasmota firmware

While the smartphone is connected to the tasmota network, it’s time to put the Gosund (or another Tuya) smart bulb in pairing mode. This means that you need to make sure that the light flashes rapidly and not slowly – this can be done by turning on and off the light about 4 times and then wait for a couple of seconds for the Gosund bulb to start flashing quickly. Return to the Raspberry Pi and press Enter. This will automatically detect the smart bulb and it seems that a backup for the original firmware is going to be stored on the RPi.

Now, you will be asked to choose between several options and we’re going to choose option 2 to flash the “tasmota.bin”. To do so enter 0-2:2. And that’s about it, the bulb should now flash green and you should be able to see that a tasmota bulb network is available (from the ex-Gosund light bulb).
Note: You don’t really need to be near the smart bulb (although it’s not a bad idea to be fairly close) because I was able to perform this procedure while the light bulb was installed upstairs, about 10 feet away from the RPi device.

Configuring the Tasmota smart bulb

It seems that the default IP address for the bulb was 192.168.4.1, so I quickly accessed the GUI where I changed the AP1 SSId and the Password to match the one from the 2.4GHz network of my wireless router.

This way, the smart bulb will receive an IP address from the router – just check it from the list of client devices. Then, when accessing the GUI again, I could see the status of the smart bulb (along with the option to Toggle between states). Underneath, you can use the Console, upgrade the firmware, as well as configure the device. And the Configuration section will give you complete control over the device and I mean it my complete. This is one of the most in-depth set of options that I have seen on a device (developer-level config). This section (especially the MQTT) can be useful when pairing the device to Home Assistant.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

But there are cases when a VPN may limit the packet size, causing fragmentation or your router/wireless access point’s MTU configuration may not be aligned to the IP camera or NVR’s config. So, let’s explore the importance of setting up the correct MTU value and its possible impact on the connection between an NVR, the surveillance cameras and the router/gateway.

A brief explanation on what MTU is

I promise I’ll keep it short. The MTU stands for maximum transmission unit and it’s the largest size for a packet (measured in bytes) that can be transmitted over a connection between devices. The bigger the MTU, the more data that can be transmitted using a single packet, so there is more bandwidth left for other applications. But, if the packet is too large for a specific device (PC, smartphone, cameras and even NVRs), then it’s going to experience what is called packet fragmentation.

What this means is that the large packet is divided into smaller sized-packets which are then sent towards the receiver. While the data is still received, the packet fragmentation will eat up more bandwidth (than when MTU is set properly) and there will be some noticeable delay (and lag). if we take a security camera as an example, this can cause a delayed response in case of emergency, as well as just a dropped connection between the camera and the NVR.

Obviously, you can’t really set whatever value you want because the standard Ethernet (IEEE) can only support up to 1,500 bytes but it is possible to push this limit up to 9,000 bytes with the help of jumbo frames. On a Gigabit and multi-Gigabit line, it is possible to set the maximum transmit unit to be larger than the 1,500b and, as expected, the effects are a far higher efficiency with less overhead. But do be aware that all devices in your network must support the set maximum transmission unit otherwise (or at least some coordination to happen at the switch level) there’s the dreaded packet fragmentation. If you need a more in-depth analysis, TechTarget did a fantastic job at explaining the MTU.

What’s the optimal MTU value on an NVR (and on security cameras)?

I do have an NVR from Reolink that has a few cameras hooked to it (the RLN8-410 v2), so I was curious about what’s the default value set by the manufacturer.

Mind you, I never really had issues with the connection, so I didn’t have to change the MTU. So, I connected a monitor to the Reolink NVR and roamed the interface to see if I could check and change the MTU value. Reolink offers a lot of options, including some network-related ones, such as the possibility to set up DDNS, NTP, adjust the Port settings, as well as configure the IP Filtering. But there was no way to see what the MTU was – that doesn’t mean we can’t find out via other means. I checked what IP was given to the NVR from my router (I used DHCP) and then using a Windows machine, I opened a Command Prompt (run cmd) and pinged the Reolink NVR.

The command was the following:

ping 192.168.50.x -f -l 1500.

X is the address number given by the router. I went immediately with the maximum (1500) and the -f command means that there will be no fragmentation, while the -l command shows the size of the packets that are going to be sent. As you can see, I got the message that the ‘Packet needs to be fragmented but DF set’. That means that the MTU value of 1,500 bytes was too high, so I tried it out with lower values until I figured it out that it was 1,472 bytes. So, what happens if I set a different value on the router and/or on the cameras?

What happens if the MTU value is too large?

Let’s say that you set the MTU to 1,400 bytes on your router (for direct connection to the camera) or on your NVR, while the camera has a larger MTU, let’s say 1,500 bytes. What will happen is that the packets sent from your camera will be dropped since they’re too large, so, ideally, you should set the MTU to a lower than 1,400 value.

Another important factor that you need to take into account is that using a VPN can mess up the connection to your NVR and cameras exactly due to MTU configuration mismatch. A VPN Server will usually have a lower MTU than 1,500, so be aware that you may have to change the maximum transmission unit on your cameras and, if possible to your NVR as well.

What if the MTU value is too small?

I have mentioned in the other section that the camera should have a lower MTU than the server, but can the packet size be too small? Yes it can. You’re not going to have dropped packets, nor worry about fragmentation, but it’s going to have an impact on the network efficiency nevertheless. That’s because less data is being transmitted, while wasting more bytes for the extra header data. Furthermore, it’s also going to waste processing power, so, ideally, just keep the values close together across the network.

So, as a conclusion, yes, the MTU is important when setting up an NVR, although you’d most likely have to change it on your cameras and router since manufacturers like to put a default value that can’t be changed on an NVR, just verified.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

It’s been about a year since I switched to Apple (out of necessity) and I still have issues with minor stuff. Even the WiFi section can be mildly infuriating – just show all the available networks, not just the main ones, but I digress. The idea is that you can have this function enabled for either the Mobile Data or the WiFi and, if you want to turn it off, this is what you need to do (on the latest iOS 15.6 version).

How to turn off the Low Data Mode for the Mobile Data

• 1. Open the Settings.

• 2. Select Mobile Data from the first set of options.

• 3. Tap on Mobile Data Options.

• 4. Choose Data Mode.

• 5. Enable any other option than the Low Data Mode.

You should be able to choose between Standard or More Data on 5G, which is useful if you have a good 5G infrastructure near you (better performance).

Should you keep the Low Data Mode enabled for the Mobile Data?

The Low Data Mode was developed to cater to the needs of the people that have a very limited Internet plan, so there is a lot less data consumption from the background apps and the content streaming is done at a lower quality. There is a bit more to it because Apple has laid out a list of what Low Data Mode actually does:

• – stops the Background App Refresh – this feature would allow some apps to update their content using your Internet data even if these apps are not currently in use (for example, you’ll get the latest news, but the less bright side is that the the apps will also collect data and send it back to the home servers);

• – both automatic backups and updates are disabled – this one speaks for itself because it stops the apps to upgrade their firmware (this includes iCloud Photos), to automatically download any file or to perform any backup;

• – some apps will stop using data if they’re not in use;

• – if you stream videos, it’s going to be at a lower quality – this one is the most dramatic change because I am not a fan of seeing YouTube videos at 360p, yet here we are.

The idea is to keep the data consumption as low as possible and it works fairly well in case your provider offers very little at a premium cost. And yes, things have gotten better over the years, but mobile data plans are still too expensive for what they offer. But what about WiFi, should you disable the Low Data Mode while you’re on a private network and will you see any benefit leaving it enabled?

How to turn off the Low Data Mode for the WiFi

• 1. Open the Settings.

• 2. Select WiFi.

• 3. Identify the small (i) icon next to the WiFi network you’re currently connected to and tap on it.

• 4. Disable Low Data Mode (if it’s enabled).

Why enable it on WiFi?

I know we are accustomed to associate WiFi with a strong Internet connection and a high throughput, but, while it doesn’t really make sense to use the Low Data Mode in your home network, there are some situation where it does make sense. For example, when using mobile tethering or if you have some sort of bandwidth cap for your devices (usually done using QoS from within the router GUI).

And, just like with the Mobile Data, the consequences of enabling this mode are pretty much the same (streaming at a lower quality and blocked Internet access to background and non-active apps). This way, you can still gain access to the content that you want and need, while the data won’t be wasted on background apps.

It’s pretty much obvious that if you have unrestricted access to the WiFi Internet, that you should turn off the Low Data Mode on your iPhone (and any other mobile device) – the good news is that you can do it on individual WiFi networks, so it’s not a global setting.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com

It’s also very much possible to not have an Internet connection at all or a misconfigured router or client device. The annoying part about this error, besides having no Internet connection is that it can appear suddenly, with no warnings after having no issues for years. If this is indeed the case, the problem is most likely from the ISP side. So, it’s a very similar type of error to the DNS PROBE FINISHED NO INTERNET that we explored not so long ago and yes, the way to fix it doesn’t differ that much.

That being said, the way I usually approach these types of errors is by moving step by step towards the ISP side. First, we diagnose the client side, then move to the cables, the router and lastly, the modem & ISP.

Can your computer be the problem? It’s a bit unlikely that this issue is at the client device level, but we can’t rule it out, so you should check if you get the error ‘Your DNS server might be unavailable’ occurs only on a single browser or only on that specific device (can be computer, tablet or smartphone).

Do you experience the error at the browser level?

If yes, then follow these steps:

1. Clear the cache

No matter which browser you’re using, the concept is pretty much the same:

• access the Settings section (usually from the top right corner – can be three dots or three lines);

• select Clear browsing data (on Chrome) or Clear recent history (on Firefox);

• choose only the cache, unless you don’t mind losing all the other types of data.

2. Flush DNS

This method is a bit more radical than the previous one because it removes and resets the temporary DNS records:

• open Command Prompt (enter cmd in the search bar on Windows OS);

• type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

• type ipconfig /release (press Enter) and type ipconfig /renew.

3. Reset Winsock

This particular utility has the role of defining the way the applications can request access to the network services:

• type cmd in the search section (on Windows OS);

• right click the Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator;

• type netsh winsock reset;

• restart the PC.

Do you experience the error ‘Your DNS server might be unavailable’ at the computer level?

If so, this is what you can do:

1. Change the DNS server on that particular device

This is not the ideal approach, because it’s better if all the devices receive the DNS from the router for the very reason of this type of errors.

• on a Windows OS computer, type Settings in the search bar and click on the Network and Internet option;

• click on Change adapter settings and then identify the active network;

• right click it and choose Properties;

• double click the Internet Protocol Version 4;

• enable the ‘Use the following DNS‘ and choose 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for the Google Public DNS or, for a faster DNS, go with Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for the primary and secondary DNS.

2. Wrong static IP address

You can check if you haven’t forgotten about a previously configured IP address set to static and, after getting a new router, it may not be in the same subnet or in the DHCP pool offered by the router.

• do the same steps as in the previous section up until clicking on the Internet Protocol Version 4;

• if you see the checkmark next to the ‘Use the following IP address‘ and see a specific static address, you can simply let router give you an IP – enable the ‘Obtain an IP address automatically‘ to do so;

• if you still want a static address for specific applications, then, change the existing one to be in the same subnet as your router and make sure that it’s within the DHCP pool (you need to access the router GUI to check it – it’s ideal if you allocate the IP directly from the router).

3. Firewall problems

The easiest way to check if it’s a firewall problem is by temporarily deactivating it and checking if the error is now gone. Turn it back on and let’s see how we can fix this issue.

• from the Firewall & network protection section (just search it from the bottom-place bar), select Advanced settings;

• from the list on the left, select Inbound Rules and click on New Rule;

• choose Port and choose TCP (for now), then next to ‘Specific local ports‘, enter 53;

• press Next, select Allow the connection and choose the type of network that this rule will be applied to;

• give this rule a name and do the same steps for UDP as well.

Do you get the error ‘Your DNS server might be unavailable’ at the network level?

I do think this is the most common occurrence and it’s usually related to the default DNS provided by your ISP. The way you can check if that’s the case and fix it is by gaining access to the router’s GUI – you need to enter the IP address of the device in the URL (can be 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.50.1). The enter the credentials of the device and navigate to network settings.

I have explored how you can check the DNS servers on an Asus router in this article and how you can do the same on the Netgear router here.
The idea is to check if the router is using the ISP DNS and to change it to either the Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4), Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) or the OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220).

This should immediately fix any problem you may have. The reason why you should avoid using the ISP DNS is because they’re slow and are usually used for logging your data (to sell it afterwards, of course, because why not). So, if you got the router or modem router from your ISP, just go ahead and change it. If you got the router yourself, then it may be still checking the DNS from the modem, in which case either change it to the router DNS (for example Asus also offers encryption at the DNS level) or change it to the aforementioned public DNS.

To give the ISPs the benefit of the doubt, I have noticed that in a lot of cases, their DNS servers aren’t really that bad and can go down after after some major event, such as a large-scale blackout. But again, the solution is to simply use anything else, if you have the access to the modem router.

Mark B

Mark is a graduate in Computer Science, having gathered valuable experience over the years working in IT as a programmer. Mark is also the main tech writer for MBReviews.com, covering not only his passion, the networking devices, but also other cool electronic gadgets that you may find useful for your every day life.

www.mbreviews.com