Windows 10 - March Update

Microsoft has been ever increasingly aggressive in its attempts to push consumers to download Windows 10. Starting recently, the company is upping the ante once again. As of now, Windows 10 is now classified as a “Recommended” update, which means many Windows 7 and 8.1 users will download and begin the installation automatically.

The upgrade process is less problematic now, some users have managed to upgrade with no problems. But there still remains a small risk if upgrading, we can normally sort out any problems for you.

By default, Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 shipped with updates enabled and a second box — “Give me Recommended updates the same way I receive important updates” checked as well. Plenty of users have changed these settings, but you can bet millions of people haven’t. 

Microsoft has stressed that end users who begin the upgrade process will still have the option to say “No” before the upgrade begins, but we're dubious of this for several reasons:

First, we’ve already seen what Microsoft’s version of “No” looks like — it looks like this:

Microsoft have made it nearly impossible to NOT upgrade to Windows 10. The company’s opt-out for Windows 10 installation is unlikely to be much better. Even if it is, however, there’s still a larger issue — specifically, the people this upgrade is going to hit are those who are the least likely to know it’s coming.

There’s no way this doesn’t create headaches for at least some Windows users, as well as Microsoft. Some drivers still won’t update properly if you upgrade to Windows 10. Some people will misinterpret the installation as malware, since Microsoft hasn’t historically updated its operating systems in this fashion. Some will click on “Get Windows 10″ without realizing that it’s an entirely new operating system that makes massive changes to how basic system functions work and look. 

All of these issues are issues with any system upgrade upgrade, but OS updates are typically something the user initiates and wants. Microsoft clearly wants its entire user base on Windows 10. But think about this: This move targets users who don’t know enough to disable Recommended updates, but have also rejected Microsoft’s previous offers. This could create a nasty snarl of blowback if the upgrade push starts making life difficult for large numbers of people.

Microsoft has published a KB article detailing how end-users can control the upgrade prompts and disable them in the future, available here.

We are still advising customers to only upgrade if they have newer computers and have taken a full backup before they start the process. Sometimes it is possible to downgrade back to your old OS, but a lot of the time it is not, so think twice before upgrading.

How to extend WiFi internet to a Garden Office or Outbuilding

How to extend your home internet to a garden office or outbuilding

With more and more people working from home, it's increasingly common to have a converted barn, garage, summerhouse or out-building specifically built for a home office. Often people come to us saying that the WiFi range from their router in their house just won't reach the office.

What’s the situation?

You've probably tried moving your router to the windowsill nearest the garden or pointing it towards the outbuilding, but often you find this still won't provide a stable strong wireless link to the outside office or it suffers annoying drop-outs, or can even adversely affect the wireless coverage in the house.

Let's assume you have an external office in a summer house approximately 30 meters away from the house, which already has power but no internet connection. The house already has a Broadband connection with a WiFi router in the hallway. The garden office has two PCs, a network printer and you would also like to use a laptop and iPad wirelessly in the office. You can't get a signal in the office from the WiFi router in the house but you want to share the broadband as no-one wants to pay for another line - right!?

What’s the solution?

Well, the simplest way to do this is with a WiFi point to point link. This means you have a dedicated WiFi link between your house and the office providing maximum data-throughput with no drop outs. At the office end, you're presented with an Ethernet connection which can be connected to a switch to provide connectivity for all the desktop PCs, printers etc and to a WiFi access point to provide WiFi for your iPad and laptop. Happy days!

What is a WiFi Point-to-Point link (PtP)?

The WiFi Point-to-Point link consists of a pair of outdoor WiFi access points for a dedicated link between the two points. This link runs on a completely different frequency to that of the house Wi-Fi, so it doesn't cause any interference or affect the range in any way.

Is it difficult to install?

No, it's easy to install but sometimes requires a bit of drilling. We mount one of the bridges on the outside of the main house and the other on the office building, the higher the better. The unit on the side of the house needs to be connected via an Ethernet cable to the WiFi router.

For ease of installation you can always use Homeplugs to provide a physical Ethernet port where the cable enters the building rather than moving the router. Alternatively, a more long term solution is to lay cable is between the 2 devices.

At the office side, you have exactly the same setup. The other WiFi Point-to-Point link is mounted on the building and a single Ethernet cable runs from the unit into the office delivering your connectivity, only this time the wireless signal is now converted back to Ethernet, via a cable into an Access Point to provide a local WiFi hotspot in the office as well as some wired links.

How much is this going to cost?

We will carry out a free* site survey to see if this solution is good for you. If it is then it really depends on the distance between the house and the outside office and the speed of your current internet. We can then give you a rough indication of the costs and any other solutions.

Contact us on 0208 445 6700 for more information! 

*Free - subject to completing the job with us otherwise there will be a charge for the site survey.

Public WiFi Security - Why you need to be vigilant

These days, it’s not uncommon for us to connect to Wi-Fi wherever we go, especially over the Festive season when you are out and about. In fact, we’ve come to expect there will be a Wi-Fi connection at hotels, coffee shops, airports, and now even on some flights, so pretty much everywhere! 

While the ability to connect to the internet to check your emails or Facebook is convenient, it also has opened the door for hackers to gain access to our personal information. By connecting to a public, unsecured network, wherever you are, you run the risk of having your sensitive data hacked.

While it may seem strange to worry about the bad guys snatching our personal information from what seems to be thin air, unfortunately it is more common than we think.

Basic Connection Tips:

• Turn off Wi-Fi. When you’re not using your Wi-Fi connection on any of your devices, it’s good practice to turn it off. That way it won’t automatically connect to any Wi-Fi that is in the area. Mobile devices will help save your battery life if your WiFi is off since your mobile will not be constantly searching for an available Wi-Fi connection.
• Only connect to secure connections and save your sensitive searching for home. Make sure that any network you connect to away from home, such as those in cafes and hotels, are secure. You can tell when a network is not secured because you will see a message when you connect saying that you are “connecting to an unsecured network.” And if you are using an unsecured network, do not shop online or access any of your personal and financial sites.
• Only use HTTPS. HTTPS, or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) with secure sockets layer (SSL, hence the S after HTTP), is a more secure option set up by a website owner who knows security is essential. Look for “HTTPS://” in the address bar to signify you are on a secure page. Even on an open, unsecured wireless connection, HTTPS is more secure than HTTP.
• On your Mobile only use Official Apps for Facebook, Twitter and Banking as these have inbuilt security. For Banking it is advisable to wait until you are on a secure network.

These are a few tips that we recommend, please feel free to phone or email us for any further advice. 

OneDrive - How to Keep your free 15 GB of Storage

In November, Microsoft made significant changes to its OneDrive storage plans that ended up limiting the amount of storage available to most users.

Storage that you got for free as part of the service will be reduced from 15GB to 5GB. Users obviously are not very happy with this decision, especially if they use OneDrive for photo uploads.

Luckily, Microsoft had a slight change of heart, and as a concession for those users, the OneDrive Team is offering the opportunity to opt-in until January 31st, 2016 to keep it.

Keep Your Free 15 GB of OneDrive Storage

Go to https://preview.onedrive.com/bonus/ then click on Keep your free storage.

You will now have your base 15 GBs of storage in addition to 15 GBs for your camera roll.

This is great news for free users of OneDrive and makes the idea of saving all of your photos videos to OneDrive relevant again. 

However, Microsoft are not bringing back unlimited storage, but if you have an Office 365 subscription, you get a 1TB as part of the package. If you get the Office 365 family plan you get five accounts, and each of those accounts gets 1 TB of OneDrive storage. For the average user, this should be more than enough storage space.

It’s worth repeating: You have to sign up to keep your Free 15GB of OneDrive Storage before January 31st, 2016. Make sure you get it right away, it  takes two seconds to secure it.

Windows 10 - December Update

The excitement may have died down somewhat, but the free Windows 10 upgrade is something Microsoft are still offering. Windows 7 or Windows 8 can get your hands on Microsoft’s latest software absolutely free of charge. The free Windows 10 upgrade is a smart move for both users and Microsoft. 

We are getting on average every 1 in 6 customers who've upgraded to Windows 10 coming in with big problems. Most of the time we can safely return your PC to its original Windows 7 or 8 state, but worst case scenario we need to re-build your computer.

Why might I have problems upgrading?

Your computer may be compatible, but there may be drivers missing and drivers are what keeps your hardware and software communicating between each other.  Some software may be incompatible with Windows 10, meaning that when you upgrade, your favourite game or accounting package fail to work anymore, again causing big problems

Should I upgrade yet?

We advise to hold out a couple more months and wait for another major Windows 10 update, which will hopefully iron out some bugs and make your move to Windows 10 as smooth as possible.

We are more than happy to advise on whether to upgrade or not, so call us or pop into our workshop for some advice.   

Slow WiFi? It's probably your fairy lights

You know how it is, you put up your tree, stick up some baubles and fairy lights, then sit back and relax in a christmasy glow. But then, as you go to stream Christmas films online, it takes forever because your WiFi is horribly slow. .

Sure, this sounds like a load of rubbish, but it genuinely isn't. Ofcom did some tests that prove it does. In fact, around six million homes and offices could improve their broadband connection because they've set up things that interfere with their signal.

Ofcom say: “the app tests the Wi-Fi set-up and, if it finds a problem, will provide some troubleshooting tips to help improve broadband. For example, it may suggest you: move your router away from electrical devices: Halogen lamps, electrical dimmer switches, stereo or computer speakers, fairy lights, TVs and monitors and AC power cords have all been known to cause interference to broadband routers. Keep your router as far away as possible from other electrical devices as well as those which emit wireless signals such as baby monitors etc.”

“Move your router to a different part of your home: The walls and furniture in your house act as an obstacle to the Wi-Fi radio frequencies. Ideally routers should be kept centrally within the home and placed on a table or shelf rather than on the floor”

If the WiFi signal still doesn't improve, talk to us about our ENTERPRISE WIFI SOLUTIONS ! 

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Home and Business Wireless Solutions – For Luxury Homes & Large Office Buildings

Optima Computers are now offering high end wireless solutions for large luxury homes, complicated, RF interference affected structures and office buildings.

Wireless Network Planning and Design

Optima Computers are leading Wi-Fi experts in Wi-Fi network Planning, Design, Installation, Support, Survey, Analysis, Optimisation and Troubleshooting.

Not many other companies can offer what we do - Authority, Expertise, Competence, Delivery.

Wi-Fi network Planning and Design probably are the two most crucial phases of any Wi-Fi network deployment - yet in most cases this is done badly, or not at all!

Wi-Fi Network Engineering

Optima are unique in delivering Optimised, Guaranteed Wi-Fi network Solutions.

Many organisations use Optima to Plan and Design their Wi-Fi networks - because we survey and build validated designs that guarantee Wi-Fi Coverage, Capacity, Performance and Reliability.

How can we Guarantee all of this?

Essentially, Optima build Wi-Fi networks using state-of-the-art tools and methodologies that few, if any, other companies have.

Expert Wi-Fi network engineering is essential - if your Wi-Fi network is to deliver the Coverage, Capacity, Performance and Reliability that is required.

Why do some Wi-Fi Networks Fail to Deliver?

Wi-Fi network deployments often fail to deliver Reliability, Capacity and Performance - because of:

• Poor Planning
• Poor Wi-Fi RF network Design
• Incompetent RF Site Survey
• Poor Wi-Fi network implementation.

We're here to help you avoid the pitfalls and enjoy the benefits that expertly-design Wi-Fi networks can deliver.