Consumed Consumer . org

Having briefly discussed how to choose a virtual private server (VPS), we have experimented with a number of (hosting?) providers, some providing limited-time free service, some providing rock-bottom prices, and we are now ready to make a recommendation. We started this overview in 2020 and finished it in 2022.

Prompted by the latest Kali update (the rolling Sana), I looked through all my USB stick and decided to update them all. One such stick has Tails, the privacy and anonymity minded OS on a stick with Tor and i2P, used by privacy advocates all over the world (including Edward Snowden).

If you have ever participated in an auction, you may have sometimes lost what seemed like a very good deal at the very last minute. We will describe here how and why that might happen and how you could as well win an auction at the last minute.

Maybe you have run into your current webhost limitations or you discovered that running your own server is cheaper than whatever piecemeal services a dedicated provider might sell you. Or maybe you want to run a service that is either not offered or too expensive for your requirements. Or you consider a VPS an essential part of a mobile lifestyle. Either way, we shall quickly review how to accomplish that.

I recently had difficulties connecting to a cable modem / router combination and since it took me a while to find its default username and password, I decided to share it here.

You're traveling to a new country and either because you have a prepaid in your home country without roaming privileges, or because roaming is too expensive, you want to get a local SIM card to send and receive text messages (SMS), check your email and use Google Maps for directions. Where do you go and what do you get? In this series, we’ll have an answer (or more) for you for the countries we are travelling to most often. Today, Canada.

I once stayed at a hostel that had terrible Internet connectivity. This contrasted harshly with the superior customer service provided by the staff and the otherwise modern, cutting edge amenities. Let’s see how this problem could be solved.

Not long ago, identifying a song involved a rather complicated process. Today, finding that song stuck in your head is an app install away.

After wasting time and intense frustration, I have decided that waiting for videos of photos to upload to online services is not something I want to do from my laptop. I shall thus explore alternatives..

Oneandone or 1and1, a domain registrar and webhosting provider has had its share of praise and criticism. Some claim they are the largest in the world. Here the story of a customer attempt to regain control of their domains after what the customer felt was unfair treatment by this corporation.

After placing the order for my new cable modem it is now time to receive it, unbox it and test it.

For the longest time I've been renting a cable modem from my ISP for about $5-6/month. As DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems (capable of 400Mbps D/l and 108 Mbps U/l) have become widely available I've decided to upgrade my cable modem and also purchase it.

If you are only figuring out the Internet, Google has a book for you!

Although I have purchased my WRT-610n router (pretty much the same as the newer E3000 ) many months ago, only recently was I forced to install the Linux firmware on it – mostly due to lack of time and procrastinating. This is primarily due to some issues with my Internet connectivity, which I am hoping could be solved with a better router.

I'm through some infurating issues. When my home broadband Internet connection failed, I was not alarmed, as I had my iPhone tethering available through Fido 3G. I have done that before, it's never been an issue. Except that this time, it did not work.

As we shift our home to using more and more Internet services such as VOIP , it becomes necessary to replace the existing router, which is usually not able to handle well multiple connection and QoS. We are looking at the current alternatives on the market.

A while back (2006, most likely), I purchased several D-link Vonage locked ATAs, with the intention to try VOIP. They were cheap ($9.99) and figured that if I find that I do not like Vonage, I will unlock them somehow and use them with another provider. Though I have decided that I do not like Vonage, I was unable to unlock and abandoned the project. Now that I have a working VOIP setup, I decided to give unlocking one more try .

After discussing the softphone options in the first part and the VOIP device in the second, we are now looking at finding a provider and setting up the system.

I have recently received a Valentine's Day card from Google. But rather than signs of love, I'd much rather get signs of respect, for where there is no love, it's just (corporate) lust.

Unlike softphones , discussed in the first instalment of our beginner’s guide to VOIP , hardware solutions enable you to use the regular phone(s) you are presumably accustomed to use. There are three major solutions that could enable your home phone line to be routed over the Internet.