Tag: wifi
The Three SIM-only simple-plan network, SMARTY, has now switched on WiFi calling. We tested the network just over a month ago and there’s plenty of deals on right now – such as £12 per month for a massive 50GB of data with unlimited calls and texts. A help …
Google is the same age as me – just 22 today. To celebrate, they’ve knocked 22% off selected devices. To get the reduction, you’ll need to enter code GOOGLEBDAY22 at the checkout. Deals include the Google Nest Mini, which is now down to £38.22 (normally £49), the Google …
Need a new router? Fed up of the one your ISP gave you and want to perhaps get a far better coverage by whacking something better in? For £79.99, this is the new HONOR Router 3. It’s got WiFi 6 Plus (3000Mbps speeds), OFDMA technology (super-quick simultaneous connections …
This is a little tracker doo-hickey that you pop into or onto your valuables. It’s just £20 from Vodafone to buy, then you pay £2 per month to keep it working. Called “Curve” it’s part of a range of Vodafone smart tech products and will track your stuff …
With summer holidays written off, we’ll probably be spending more time and money in our own gardens this year. If you’ve got yourself (or you’re planning on getting) a barbeque, there’s always that worrying “is it or isn’t it” cooked question. So this, my friends, is the ultimate …
Back at college I vividly remember writing an essay about the future of the internet. The conclusion was that everything was going to get faster, and there’d be more content. Up until fairly recently, that conclusion has been fairly accurate. As the years have gone by, we’ve moved …
I’m probably talking to a fairly small subset of people here, but if you have an ultra-fast broadband connection this is for you. With rapid 5G home broadband and better fibre connections becoming available we all want the best internet speeds possible. Speedy Virgin Media or Virgin Media Business …
If you’re an active person and you’ve got a lot of cash stashed away, this could be for you. Garmin tell me that the new fēnix 6 Series smartwatch is .. Built on the exploits of countless explorers. It’s a rugged smartwatch “designed for life” with GPS and, …
OK, let’s talk about VPNs. This is usually the point at which most people lose interest though, because an acronym alone is enough to make people switch off. Put simply, a VPN will secure your smartphone connection and encrypt the traffic going over the web. So why do …
We’ve spoken lots here about mobile gaming, but there’s a battle that many smartphone manufacturers have fought for many years now. Running a graphic-heavy, high frame-rate game on your phone needs grunt. Lots of grunt. It sucks your battery, it makes your CPU work hard, you need more …
There was a time when HTC were doing big phone launches here in Barcelona. No longer. Instead this morning they’ve unveiled a new HTC 5G Hub. There wasn’t a big event or a launch here this morning. Instead it’s just a few pictures and a press release. No …
Keeping yourself safe online. It’s something that you know you should do, but you either rely on someone else to protect you or you haven’t had the time. Just a few years ago, mention a “VPN” and literally nobody would know what you were talking about. They were …
This is a 720p IP camera with a wide-angled lens and has night vision. It’s ideal for seeing to your home if you’re away for Christmas – you can setup activity alerts and setup certain positions so that you can quickly switch. A two-way audio system also means …
I used to have an internet radio in our kitchen. In fact, 10 years ago I wrote about it as Orange (the network that us “old people” used before EE) was selling them. It was a good solution, but the system which provided internet stations and their stream …
There seems to be quite a buzz about this thing. It’s a fully crowdfunded smart speaker. They guys behind it want to make the whole process more simple, and everything is open source. This clever gadget will let you access your audio, video, entertainment and information available with …
We have all now accepted the unrivaled role of smartphones in our lives. There is rarely a moment they are not accompanying us through the various different activities of our day; at work, during our commute, out with friends and even at the gym. Giving us direct access …
This morning I wrote a story about WiFi Calling. It’s something which is now becoming fairly familiar with users of compatible handsets and means that you can make and receive calls whilst on the Underground in London, in the local Tesco or in the office when there’s no …
The largest 4G network in the UK, EE, have just announced two new mobile WiFi devices along with some new plans. Meet the 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini. They are now smaller and lighter than previous versions. The 4GEE WiFi is CAT 12 enabled up to 600Mbps) …
A couple of nights ago I got home and noticed that my normally-strong Vodafone signal was down to either zero or 1 bars. I checked their coverage and “known issues” map online but that said that everything was fine. Then, just to ensure that I wasn’t going bonkers, …
I’m away on business at the moment, and as this is happening with alarming regularity I’ve slipped into a habit of bringing my “home comforts” with me. Trouble is, you can’t always get every home comfort. The tea for example, it’s just not the same. However, with the …
If you’ve got a standard ADSL connection then, even if you’re sitting next to the telephone exchange, you’re not going to get much more than 20 Mbps on ADSL2+. You’ll be connected via some copper wire hanging off telegraph poles or in trunking under footpaths. Here in the …
About this time last year I posted an article about how I setup my VPN. Merely mentioning “VPN” is probably going to scare a few people. It sounds complicated and, to some, it’s a technically advanced and confusing thing to tackle. However, it really isn’t that bad, and …
Got a patchy signal and on O2? Don’t worry! You can call over WiFi! Well, up until now you’ve had to use a separate app, but TU Go did let you make and receive calls in areas you weren’t able to before. However, here’s the bad news. Tomorrow …
Update: According to TheBestVPN, the most secure and reputable VPN is ExpressVPN. You can read their ExpressVPN review here. Right. Let’s be honest. People don’t want to pay for WiFi. Get to the airport and, if you connect and find there’s some insane pricing structure, you’ll probably decide …
If you read my epic explanation about how cable broadband works then you may have noticed that, like a lot of people, my phone, the internet router and the TV is all in the corner of the house. In the “old days” the smiley BT engineer would instead …
They call it a quadcopter. I’m gonna call it a drone. This drone, though, has considerably less “faff” about it than most drones, and it’s less than £40, which really isn’t bad at all. When it arrives, you’ll notice that the remote control is far bigger than the …
When I get home and do a scan of the surrounding WiFi hotspots, it’s pretty apparent that a huge amount of my neighbours have gone with BT Broadband. If that’s you, this post is perfect if you’re ready to switch to SIM only. BT, as you may or …
I remember a time when the Pocket PC was king. It was the device of choice in businesses up and down the land. You could connect it to your Exchange server and, with a small stylus or an on-board slide-out keyboard, you could work anywhere. It was a …
Yesterday things weren’t going so well for EE. They had problems routing calls to other networks all day and it seemed to be causing quite a bit of grief for their customers. They can, however, boast about their coverage. They’re aiming for 95% 4G coverage by 2020, and …
We all use the web, and we all see the horror stories associated with data and the privacy of it. Cybercrime is, unfortunately, a real thing these days and keeping you and your family safe online is very important. Here is a quote that sums it all up, …
At home I have a NAS box. I originally purchased one of these because I’ve somehow used all the storage that my cloud provider had available and the cost to upgrade was nothing short of insane. I’d tried other providers, however the cost, the reliability, and the fact …
So, we’ve had a few emails on this one. It’s a product called “Heelight” and is an intelligent bulb that can “hear”. It doesn’t use Bluetooth or WiFi but has 30 different modes including a “Candle” and “Rhythm Mode”. Some 16 million RGB colours are available and – …
At this time of year, it’s safe to say that many of you may be returning, or just about the embark, on a summer holiday. Now, as we mentioned before, if you fly from and to an EU country you can use your phone just as if you …
We’ve covered this already here at Coolsmartphone but now we’re lucky enough to borrow one to review. For $79.99, this is a pet activity monitor with in-built GPS, WiFi and a SIM card so that you can see where your pet is, live. Oh, and get this, it …
You’re at home. You’re struggling with slow broadband. The reality of “Superfast internet” is either a flaky ADSL connection or, if you’re properly unlucky, old-school dial-up access. Some are lucky. Some can get fibre to the cabinet or cable broadband access, but for the rest it’s a super-slow …
Both EE and Mobiles.co.uk have got in touch because the all-new HTC U11 (full details here) is now available to pre-order. First, and EE is obviously bigging-up their 4G network. The U11 is available on a range of 4GEE plans, and we’ve picked out a deal giving an …
We review one of these home helpers recently and, although it still has a little way to go (I still find I have to rephrase the odd request), it impressed me greatly. Now, although the magical Google Home speaker will sit on your fridge and connect to your …
Trust me, it’s not a scary thing. Just recently I had a relative ask why I had two WiFi networks at home. I explained that one was a VPN router, and offered me privacy and security. That, if I’m being honest, made their eyes glaze over a little. …
After returning from the Barcelona madness, I’ve finally got chance to reflect a little on the experience. It’s somewhere I don’t get to see a great deal, and instead it’s the inside of taxis or the rather excellent Metro system which runs through the city that I see …
It’s going to be a quick one to review this because, in all honesty, it takes seconds to turn on and get going. Let’s face it, WiFi isn’t always good enough. Sky TV have launched their new Sky Q system and, in order to try and solve the …
