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Articles by Andy O'Donnell
Think Your Kids Can't Bypass Your Internet Rules? Here's What to Check Original
The Download Try first: Physically lock the router, set time limits, disable remote administration, and scan for unsecured networks. Try next: Enable parental controls on devices, keep the PC visible at all times, and enable activity logging. This article explains ways to prevent children from accessing the internet without your permission on PCs and other devices. How to Set Up Internet Parental Controls Our kids are more tech-savvy than we can ever hope to be.
Are You Sure Your Webcam Isn't Watching? Here's the Quick Fix Original
The Download The easiest way to secure your webcam is to disable it, cover it up, or disconnect it. Scan your computer to find any webcam-related malware. Avoid clicking suspicious links, downloading strange email attachments, or opening short links on social media. This article explains how to protect your webcam from hackers and unintended broadcasts.
Apple Watch Security Settings That Protect Your Data
The Download Change your Apple Watch passcode by going to Settings > Passcode > Change Passcode. Enable Notification Privacy: Settings > Notifications > Tap to Show Full Notification. Turn on Erase Data if someone enters the passcode wrong too many times: Settings > Passcode > Erase Data. Securing an Apple Watch is an extension of protecting your linked iPhone and all the data it holds, including contacts, messages, calendars, and more.
How to Strengthen Your iPhone's Passcode
The Download Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Enter your existing passcode. Select Change Passcode and enter a six-digit passcode or select Passcode Options. Options include four-digit (least secure), six-digit, alphanumeric, and custom numeric passcodes. This article explains how to strengthen your iPhone's passcode. iOS provides robust passcode options that enhance the device's security. Instructions in this article apply to iPhones running iOS 7 and newer.
Take Control: Tame Your X Account and Sidestep Unwanted Follower
What to Know Use privacy settings to approve who can follow you and see your posts on X. You can remove followers without them knowing, but they can still view your profile. Blocking stops someone from following you or seeing your posts on X. This article explains how to stop strangers from following you on X (formerly Twitter) by setting your account to private instead of public. It also covers how to remove or block followers and why strangers might follow you.
Tech Treasure Hunt: Track Down Your Lost Bluetooth Devices in Style
The Download Use a Bluetooth scanner app to find nearby devices by checking their signal strength. Play loud music from lost Bluetooth headphones to help locate them, if they are still connected. This article explains how to locate a misplaced Bluetooth device using an Android, iPhone, or iPad. Locating a Lost Bluetooth Device If the Bluetooth-enabled device has some battery life and was on when you lost it, you can likely find it using an app on your phone or tablet.
The One Password Change That Can Secure Your Entire Home Network
Hackers are everywhere these days but you can make it difficult for them to get into your home network with just a single password change. This article explains how to change your Wi-Fi password through your router's settings (even if you don't know the current one). How to Change Your Wi-Fi Password The process unfolds along the following general steps. These are generic instructions for changing a Wi-Fi password.
The One Password Change That Can Secure Your Entire Home Network
Dacian_G / iStock Hackers are everywhere these days but you can make it difficult for them to get into your home network with just a single password change. This article explains how to change your Wi-Fi password through your router's settings (even if you don't know the current one). How to Change Your Wi-Fi Password The process unfolds along the following general steps. Expert Tip: Important These are generic instructions for changing a Wi-Fi password.
How Your Wi-Fi Name Could Invite Hackers—And How to Protect It
When your wireless router broadcasts its wireless network name, known formally as a Service Set Identifier (SSID), it's like putting a virtual bumper sticker out in the air around your house or wherever you happen to have your network located. Some people use the default wireless network name set at the factory, while others get creative and use a more memorable name.
Packet Sniffers Explained: How They Can Fix Networks or Breach Security
Packet sniffers or protocol analyzers are tools used by network technicians to diagnose network-related problems. Hackers use packet sniffers for less noble purposes, such as spying on network user traffic and collecting passwords. Packet sniffers come in several forms. Some packet sniffers used by network technicians are single-purpose hardware solutions.
Is Your Wi-Fi Network Name a Security Risk?
When your wireless router broadcasts its wireless network name, known formally as a Service Set Identifier (SSID), it's like putting a virtual bumper sticker out in the air around your house or wherever you happen to have your network located. Some people use the default wireless network name set at the factory, while others get creative and use a more memorable name. Is there such thing as a good wireless network name that would be considered more secure over other names?
How to Block Political Robocalls
Tips for stopping these disruptive annoyances Dave and Les Jacobs / Getty Images By Andy O'Donnell Updated February 14, 2020 As an election year ramps up, so does political spending to try to influence voters. Campaigns spend hundreds of billions of dollars on commercials, print ads, yard signs, pamphlets, and, of course, robocalls. If you find yourself on the receiving end of unwanted canned statements from pleading politicians, here's what to do. It's not just robocalls anymore.
The 5 Things You Should Never Post on Facebook
by Andy O'Donnell Updated on February 12, 2020 Facebook is an incredibly popular social media channel, helping people stay in touch, share news, and express themselves. Most users are familiar with Facebook's privacy settings and feel secure that the information they post is being seen only by trusted friends and family members. But many Facebook users have become too comfortable with the platform, freely sharing news and information and forgetting they're on the internet, where dangers lurk.
Is Your Router Firmware Updated? Learn How to Do It
Firmware updates offer feature and security improvements By Andy O'Donnell Updated November 13, 2019 Router firmware updates are as important as updating any device's firmware. A firmware upgrade offers new features and security improvements. If you've had your wireless router for years, chances are there's a firmware upgrade you could (and should) perform.
How to Beef Up Security on Your Home Wireless Network
Your Wi-Fi network probably has tons of devices sitting behind the router, like smartphones, desktops, laptops, tablets...you name it. To stop your everyday hacker from breaching your network, you need to follow some simple guidelines. Out of the box, the average network is not secure because routers come shipped with a default password that anyone can easily find out with a simple web search.
Security Tips for Online Dating
Don't let the quest for love stop you from using common sense by Andy O'Donnell Updated on July 29, 2019 Dimitri Otis / Getty Images The online dating world can be both an exciting and scary place at the same time. You want to "put yourself out there" while also not risking your personal safety or your privacy. It seems like a difficult balancing act, too much information being shared might help someone steal your identity, while too little might make you an unappealing dating prospect.
Tips for Creating a Virtual Reality Room
So, you finally ponied up the cash and bought a Virtual Reality-capable PC and a VR Head Mounted Display. The big question you have now: “where am I going to put this thing?” To experience the most VR has to offer, you're going to need a room-scale play area where you have enough room to move around freely, which helps to heighten the feeling of immersion.
How to Avoid Virtual Reality Sickness
Try using VR in a seated position to avoid dizziness. Ease into standing by using it with a simple standing game, like Google Tiltbrush. Looks for comfort mode options in your VR app or game. This article explains how to avoid virtual reality sickness. Instructions apply to any model of VR headset. A VR environment is different from a regular gaming environment.
Know the Dangers of Oversharing on Facebook
How much is too much information when it comes to sharing on Facebook? Oversharing can become a personal safety risk. Some people—thieves, lawyers, and stalkers—like oversharing. Others, such as employers, don't. Here are some of the dangers you need to be aware of before making your next Facebook post. Peter Dazeley / Getty Images Stalkers Love Oversharing Your Facebook timeline is like a scrapbook for stalkers.
Zombie-Proofing Your Home (and maybe keep burglars out too)
I’m a huge fan of the zombie apocalypse TV show The Walking Dead. I got me thinking “What the hell would I do if there was a real-life zombie situation. How would I protect my home from hordes of the undead?” I ended up writing an article on Lifewire.com about the topic: How to Zombie-Proof Your Home It goes into great detail on what you need to do in order to prevent the undead (or any bad guy) from physically breaking into your house.
Our 10 Favorite Virtual Reality Games For Kids
If you were 10 years of age or older back in the mid-1990s, you probably remember the first batch of virtual reality devices that hit the market. They were only available to the super-rich or those in academia. Our only glimpse of VR technology was in movies such as The Lawnmower Man. The sad reality of virtual reality, in that era, was that the technology to create truly immersive virtual worlds just wasn't available.
My Year With The August Smart Lock with HomeKit
So I’ve spent almost a year with the 2nd generation August Smart Lock (with HomeKit integration). I did a review for Lifewire after having the lock for about a month. Here is a link to that review: It’s been about a year since I wrote that review so I though I would give my thoughts on this lock after having it for about a year, so here we go: The Good So Far: The lock mechanics are good. The lock itself is solid. The HomKit (Siri Integration seems to work well).
7 Virtual Reality Travel Experiences That Will Blow Your Mind
Try VR travel to fulfill your bucket list without leaving the couch by Andy O'Donnell Updated on November 13, 2019 Who says you can't see the world if you stay home? Virtual reality (VR) tourism experiences let you see places all over the world without ever leaving your couch. We’ve tested some of the best VR tourist destinations to help you decide on your next virtual adventure. Make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle the demands of virtual reality technology.
What Are Some Safety Tips for Parents of Minecrafters?
If you’re a parent of a child between the ages of around 5-13, you’re probably familiar with a game called Minecraft. It's a “sandbox” brick construction-type game available on multiple platforms, but to kids, it's more than just a video game. Minecraft lets kids flex their creative muscles by building and exploring. It also allows them to interact with others on a social level. In fact, they seem to develop a whole other language that becomes increasingly foreign-sounding to parents.
Google Parental Controls: How to Make Google Safer for Your Kids
What to Know To turn on SafeSearch, go to Google's search settings page and check Filter explicit results. Lock this setting by selecting the Lock SafeSearch link. Log in to your Goggle account if necessary and make sure the toggle is on. If you have more than one web browser on your computer, you need to lock SafeSearch on each one. Kids love the all-knowing Google but sometimes they can take a "wrong turn" on Google and end up where they shouldn't be.
How to Set Up Parental Controls on a Router
If you can successfully block access to a site at the router level, it's blocked on all the devices in the home, no matter which browser or method is used to access it. That's good news for parents who need to control how their kids are using different devices in the home. (Remember, though, that the blocks will also apply to any devices a parent uses in the home, too.) Log in to Your Router's Administrative Console Most consumer-grade routers feature setup and configuration via a web browser.
How to Keep Track of Your Kids With Geofences
Most smartphones these days have GPS-based location services as a standard feature. Location services allow your phone to know where it is so that you can utilize features such as GPS navigation and other location-aware apps. Now that everyone is bored with geotagging pictures and "checking in" at different locations, it's time to throw something new in the mix to further reduce our privacy.
How to Hide Your Page Likes on Facebook
What to Know Log in to Facebook.com, go to your profile, and select More > Likes.Click the three-dot menu andselect Edit the Privacy of Your Likes. Select a Page Category. In the Select Audience box, choose the level of privacy you want for the category's like visibility. Options include Public, Friends, Only me,and Custom. Choose Only me for the highest privacy level. This article explains how to hide likes on specific Page categories on Facebook, such as Restaurants, Sports Teams, and TV Shows.
Webcam Safety: How to Make Sure No One's Watching You
169 169 people found this article helpful Make sure no one is spying on you through your webcam What to Know The easiest way to secure your webcam is to disable it, cover it up, or disconnect it. Scan your computer to find any Webcam-related malware. Avoid clicking suspicious links, downloading strange email attachments, or clicking shortened links on social media.
How to Use YouTube's Parental Controls
What to Know Web: Click your YouTube profile > Restricted Mode and turn it On. Select Lock Restricted Mode on this browser. YouTubeApp: Tap your profile image, tap Settings > General, and toggle on Restricted Mode, Create a Google account for your child with Family Link, and then supervise their YouTube experience. This article explains how to use YouTube’s parental controls. Instructions apply to both the browser and mobile versions of YouTube.
How to Disable Facebook's Facial Recognition Feature
Facebook can identify your face. Creepy or cool? You decide Facebook discontinued its face recognition feature in 2022 due to privacy concerns. This article is for archival purposes only. This article explains how to adjust your privacy settings to disable Facebook's facial recognition feature. Select the down-arrow icon in the upper-right corner. Click Settings & Privacy. Choose Privacy Shortcuts. Under Privacy, select See more privacy settings. From the left menu, select Face Recognition.
Twitter Privacy, Security, and Safety Tips
In our society, where Twitter hashtags appear on TV, Facebook, news stories, and magazines, some people tweet several times per hour. Others tweet only once in a blue moon. Whatever your situation, there are security and privacy implications that you need to consider before you fire off your next tweet rant or tweet that adorable cat photo to your followers. Don't Add Your Location to Tweets Twitter features the option to add your location to each tweet.
How to Secure Your Wi-Fi Hotspot Against Threats
Your mobile hotspot device lets you take the internet with you wherever you go. You can't beat the convenience, but that convenience comes with some security concerns. Fight back by selecting strong encryption for your hotspot and protect it with a robust password that you change frequently. These and other precautions will keep your hotspot unassailable on the internet.
Before Your Recycle or Sell Your Old Computer, Do This
Some of us treat our computers like we treat our cars. Either fix them until they fall apart or ditch them at the first sign of trouble and get a new one. Either way, at some point, you'll get rid of one computer and buy another. If you're like many people, you probably have a stack of old computers in a closet somewhere. It's best to either trade in or recycle them. In this article, we show you how to do it safely.
How to Lock Your Home From Your Smartphone
What to Know Set up Z-Wave controller: Connect to compatible deadbolt devices > connect to internet > download controller apps. Check controller and device compatibility before purchasing. Set lights to turn on when deadbolt is unlocked. Check device security implementations with manufacturer to combat hacking. This article explains how to lock your home up using a smartphone and Z-Wave smart locks. All you need is an internet connection and an Android or iOS phone.
10 Things You Need to Do After Being Hacked
You opened an e-mail attachment that you probably shouldn't have and now your computer has slowed to a crawl and other strange things are happening. Your bank called you saying there has been some strange activity on your account and your ISP has just "null routed" all traffic from your computer because they claim it is now part of a zombie botnet. All this and it's only Monday.
Protect Your Family With These Parental Control Tips for iOS Devices
56 56 people found this article helpful Sharing your iPhone or iPad with a child? You need to know about restrictions Even if your kids don't have an iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone, there's a good chance they borrow yours every chance they get. To keep them safe, it's a good idea to learn how to use the parental controls (called restrictions by Apple) on those devices. Here's a quick look at how to set up parental controls on an iPhone or iPad.
How to Set Up Internet Parental Controls
What to Know Try first: Physically lock the router, set router-enforced time limits, disable remote administration, scan for unsecured access points. Try next: Enable parental controls on devices, keep the PC where you can watch it, enable activity logging. This article explains ways to prevent children from accessing the internet without your permission on PCs and other devices. How to Set Up Internet Parental Controls Our kids are more tech-savvy than we can ever hope to be.
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