It can be confusing how some devices, like your phone, always seem to be connected to the internet and other devices, like a tablet, are only connected at home or where there is public Wi-Fi.

Your computer and usually a tablet (unless you purchased it through your cell phone company), only connects to Wi-Fi. Some desktop computers may not even connect to Wi-Fi and need to be hardwired to the Ethernet cable (which connects to the router).

Your phone connects to WiFi and LTE (Long Term Evolution). While Wi-Fi comes from your cable and internet provider, LTE is a wireless broadband sent through the radio spectrum. To access LTE, you pay your cell phone provider. You most likely pay a monthly bill for different data caps of usage. We break down what Wi-Fi is on this post. Your phone is more mobile than your computer, so it makes sense that you can access the Internet from nearly anywhere. 

So how can you tell if you're on Wi-Fi or LTE? 
Look on your phone on the top bar. If you see 4G or LTE, you're using LTE, or cell phone data. If you see a dot with three arches above it, you are on Wi-Fi. ​

Is WiFi more secure?
Surprisingly, LTE is encrypted making it more secure than Wi-Fi. The safest way to use Wi-Fi is if there is a firewall and password protection. If it's not, your neighbor or anyone else can tap into your WiFi. Plus, the more people that are on it, the more that it slows down. We talk about how to speed up your Internet on this post.

How do I know if someone is stealing my WiFi?
Even with a password, it's possible that someone is using your Wi-Fi. If your internet is slow and nothing else seems to be affecting it, you can check if someone has hacked your Wi-Fi. If your computer is slow, there are ways to speed it up.

We first suggest that you connect with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You most likely have a provided modem and router from your ISP, and they can direct you how to check if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi.

If you are a bit tech savvy, you can type in your IP address into your browser address bar. This will bring you to your router's administration page. There you can look for a list of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that are connected to your Wi-Fi. If you see an address that you don't recognize, change your Wi-Fi password. 

If that's intimidating, the team at Small Town Tech can assist you. 

What is Wi-Fi short for?
Wi-Fi... it sounds like an acronym or an abbreviation, but it's not. It's simply a name a marketing agency created for the creators of Wi-Fi, which originally was named "IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence." It's a good thing for the name change, or there may not have been as many computer cafés during the boom of the Dot Com Era! Can you imagine seeing "We have Coffee and Free IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence" on a sign? We can't either!

In the 21st Century, most people dropped the hyphen and capitalization and simply write "wifi".

Tune in on KSDM 104.1 FM, KGHS 1230 AM, KGHS 95.3 FM on Wednesday at 8:40 am for the next episode of Tech Talk. 

Send your tech questions to info@smalltowntech.shop.

Your computer is slow and you're not sure why or what's changed.

A slow computer is a common concern, but there are several possible reasons.

First, make sure it's your computer and not the internet. If your Internet is slow, you can learn how to fix that here. How do you know? If your computer is only slow when you're on the Internet, your computer should not be the issue.

After you tried restarting it (learn why that usually works here), and you still find the computer is slow, there are steps you can take at home before bringing it in for a repair. 

1. Dust Bunnies
You would be surprised how much dust and hair can get trapped inside of your computer. If you have a pet especially and if your computer sits on the ground, it is inevitable that dust bunnies will make its way into your devices. That can significantly bog down your computer. Computer generate heat, so there are air vents and fans to help cool it down. If the vents are blocked from dust, it can cause your computer to overheat and can simply slow down the effectiveness of the hardware.

What you can do: Get a bottle of canned air and try to blow it out. You can also grab your standard vacuum hose and suck out what you can. Review your warranty before removing any panels on your computer.

2. Old Hardware
If your computer is getting old, it cannot work as efficiently as it used to. Think about an old, vintage car, it can't drive as fast as newer cars or play BluRay movies. It's much harder to retrofit an old device to keep up with the evolving technology. As your computer gets older and the software sizes increase, your computer may not be able to compute everything you are asking of it.

What you can do: Clean old files and applications to clear up as much storage as possible.

3. Infection
If neither of those things increase your computer speed, your computer may be infected. Viruses can severely impact your computer's speed and function.

What you can do: Get a trusted antivirus software, like Protech. Try it for free for 14-days. 

If none of the above speeds up your computer, call your nearest computer technician service like Small Town Tech. 

"Did you try restarting it?" It seems like any time you call a technician, this is the first question you're asked. 

This is a little secret of IT professionals... turning it off and turning it back on fixes 90% of technology problems. (Yes, that's a made up statistic, but it really does seem to solve a lot of problems.)

But, there's a reason. There is actual science behind it. 

Why restarting it usually works
Think of your electronics like a line of people completing a series of handshakes to make whatever process on the device occur. Thousands of handshakes have to occur in the right order, at the right speed, and at the right moment for everything to work correctly. If just one person in the chain of handshakes doesn't shake correctly, it won't work. Instead of trying to pinpoint the one shake that didn't work, we tell everyone to stop shaking hands and start at the beginning again. After restarting, it works. 

Think of all of your devices - like your computer, television, router, gaming devices, phone, and the like. There are thousands of processes that go on simultaneously as you're trying to operate it, and if something doesn't work, how do we track that one that little thing out of the thousands that isn't working? If we just restart it, a lot of errors in all those processes are cleared up. 

Another reason can be that the device has been "on" for too long. While electronics are turned on, things can change. As you open several tabs, applications, or different games, you leave "footprints" on your electronics. Sometimes these footprints get in the way of each other. By restarting your device, you clean up all the footprints and start with a clean slate. 

After you turn it off, why should you wait 10 seconds?
After you unplug, many devices hold electricity after it is unplugged. You'll usually see this with a light that will slowly fade away. You want to make sure that the device has been completely turned off and allowed to reset before restarting it.

When shouldn't you restart it?
Never restart your device when it is finishing an update. Sometimes updates can take awhile, but be patient. If it seems like things are not working as it should or an update is taking too long, reach out to our Tech Team for assistance. 

Tune in on KSDM 104.1 FM, KGHS 1230 AM, KGHS 95.3 FM on Wednesday at 8:40 am for the next episode of Tech Talk. 

Send your tech questions to info@smalltowntech.shop.

If you've ever purchased a computer, your eyes probably glossed over the computer specifications. Maybe you called up your tech savvy friend for advice to interpret just what all that means! 

Computer manufacturers have not simplified the purchasing process, but we will help by giving you two specifications that you need to know. If you understand just two specifications, you'll be able to purchase a computer with confidence. 

But first, you need to answer this: 

How are you going to use your computer? If you are a gamer, for example, you will need a different set up than someone who is using their computer to access accounting software. A videographer will need something different than a distance-learning first grader. You get the idea. 

Understanding HOW you use your computer helps you narrow down the right brand, screen size, whether you need a laptop or a desktop, and the memory and storage, which we discuss next. 

1. RAM - Memory
When you're shopping for a computer you will have a choice to keep the standard RAM or upgrade. RAM is your computer's memory, and it is usually 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB. It's always in multiples of 4. By the way, "GB" stands for gigabyte, and it's about eight billion bits of memory. Memory is different than storage though, which is also measured in gigabytes (or terabytes, which is 100 GB). 

Memory is your computer's ability to multi-task. Similar to our own brains, we are limited on how many tasks we can simultaneously complete. Imagine you have a pot of rice cooking on the stove when your neighbor knocks on the door. While you're talking to your neighbor, the phone rings and you answer it. Your neighbor waits at the door, you're still on the phone, and now your children are asking for help with their math homework. Then the dog starts barking. Consequently, you forget to check the rice and it burns. You can only do so much at one time!

Your computer is the same way. Think about on average how many browser tabs you have opened, while at the same time, you're streaming a podcast, reviewing a document, and creating a presentation. You also have several applications open in the background that even though you aren't actively using it, your computer is thinking about. How many applications can you have opened before your computer's "brain" can't handle it anymore and crashes? 

It's like a juggling act. With RAM, you add more hands and more brains, so your computer can handle all of the balls in the air.

It's best to get this right the first time. Maxing out your RAM when you purchase a computer is much better (and more affordable) than retrofitting it later on.

How much RAM is right for me?
​For most people, 8 GB is sufficient. However, if you're a gamer, videographer, graphic designer, or another specialized category where you use large software, upgrade your RAM to 16 GB or more. 


2. Storage
Storage is like your longterm memory in your brain. In a computer, this is all your files - documents, pictures, videos, and more. Anything you click File > Save. 

If it looks like your computer is low on storage, don't panic. Storage can be added at any time. Just like in life, it's easy and affordable to add storage solutions. After all, you can always build a storage shed in your backyard. 

What happens to your files if your storage shed burns down? 

We recommend saving files to cloud-based platforms, like Protech Business, and then even if you can't access your computer, your files aren't lost due to a fires, floods, or theft. 


If you need assistance finding the right computer for you, our Tech Team is happy to help. 

Tune in on KSDM 104.1 FM, KGHS 1230 AM, KGHS 95.3 FM on Wednesday at 8:40 am for the next episode of Tech Talk. 

Send your tech questions to info@smalltowntech.shop.