Here’s what’s inside our February 2016 Newsletter:
SCAM ALERT – CRAIGSLIST EMAIL SCAMS
GO PINTEREST-ING! – COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
FREE FEATURED APPS – THESE THREE ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK
TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
SHORT TUTORIAL/FAQ – WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY HOME’S WI-FI SPEED?
The Gulfcoast Networking Team
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SCAM ALERT – CRAIGSLIST EMAIL SCAMS
Tech Support Scams Scammers are always looking for easy opportunities to fool you, and they frequently try to do it by using a popular site. Due to this, Craigslist is often a target. The scams involve various ways to get your email address. Why do scammers want just your email address? Because it can provide more information about you than you think, especially if it’s a work address. For example, scammers can determine the company you work for, your geographic location, and your approximate income … all information that can be sold to unscrupulous marketers.
The scammers harvest this information in several ways: by seeing the email address you include with your Craigslist ad; by replying to your anonymous ad and seeing your address when you email back; or by seeing it when you reply to a phony ad of theirs. Sometimes they’re looking for more than an email address, such as when they ask for financial information.
You can avoid these scams by taking a few simple precautions:
*Create an alternate email address to use for Craigslist transactions, such as doglover@gmail.com. Don’t include your actual name.
*Never provide financial information of any kind and never send money anywhere via Western Union.
*Always deal with local people, meet them in person, see the item (if you’re buying), and pay or receive payment in cash.
*Be wary of ads or emails from outside your local area, especially those requesting payment.
*Don’t trust mentions of third parties, as Craigslist is meant for person-to-person transactions.
If you do become the victim of this type of scam, contact the FTC (https://www.ftc.gov/) or your state’s attorney general (http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys-general/whos-my-ag.php).
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NEWS FROM THE SHOP
We continue to look out for great deals on computers. We recently picked up three very nice HP Slimline desktops with i3 processors, 4gb of memory, 500gb hard drives, and Windows 7 / Windows 10. All of this for just $399.95. As I write this, we only have two left. Check them out, along with other cool stuff, in our online store: https://home.gulfcoastnetworking.com/specials/
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GO PINTEREST-ING! – COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
Beautiful Valentine Tree For Your Mantel
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775858551804/
Make Your Own Cute Valentine’s Day Card
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775858551793/
Tasty Heart-Speckled V-Day Cupcake Treats
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775858551877/
You haven’t started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/
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FREE FEATURED APPS – THESE THREE ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK
Google Photos
Google Photos stands out among photo storage services with amazing features including easy search, group albums, movies, GIFs, and timelines created from your photos.
Learn More Here: https://www.google.com/photos/about/?page=home
Star Wars
This stellar app offers you Star Wars-related announcements, themed weather forecasts, the ability to take a “selfie” with your favorite character, and much more.
Learn More Here: http://www.starwars.com/games-apps/star-wars-app
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FEATURED WEBSITES
Tax Season Scams
http://irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts
Tax season is yet another opportunity for scammers to do their thing. This IRS page shares information about scams to look out for including someone calling, claiming to be from the IRS, and telling you that you owe them money and how to pay it.
Get Ready For The Oscars
http://oscar.go.com
Consider this site your resource for all things gold! Leading up to the big event on February 28, you can get all the latest news about this year’s nominations, host Chris Rock, memorable acceptance speeches, and, of course, the best celebrity fashion from past events.
Simply Recipes
http://simplyrecipes.com
This friendly site offers recipes from blogger Elise Bauer and her family. While each post tells a story, you can also search for information — as you would on other food sites — by the types of food you want to make. Featured sections include chicken, fish, gluten-free, vegetarian, and budget.
Mental_Floss
http://mentalfloss.com
Many fun facts on a wide variety of topics can be found at the Mental_Floss magazine site. Learn about science, economics, and show business, just to name a few. Check out the Job Secrets section to learn everything you ever wanted to know about bartenders, TSA agents, and more.
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TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2016/1602_VIDEO_A.htm
“Uptown Funk” Goes Old School
This delightful video features dance scenes from old movies that somehow sync perfectly to the strains of the modern hit, “Uptown Funk.”
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2016/1602_VIDEO_B.htm
A New Perspective On Hockey
Hockey’s fast pace makes it exciting to watch, and it’s even more so when you see it from the on-ice perspective of NHL pro Sidney Crosby.
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SHORT TUTORIAL/FAQ – WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY HOME’S WI-FI SPEED?
Question: I’m not getting the Internet speeds I thought I would from my home’s Wi-Fi network. Are there things I can do to speed things up?
Answer: If your Wi-Fi router is out of date or not set up correctly, it could be slowing you down. Here are some tips to help you maximize router performance and enjoy the Internet speed you ordered:
1. Choose the right channel. Slow Wi-Fi speeds may be the result of interference from your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks as all the devices compete to use the same channel. For example, if neighbors are downloading a Netflix movie using the same Wi-Fi channel as your home’s WiFi router, you’ll need to wait for their data to be downloaded before your router can “talk.”
Routers have many channels, and you can switch to a different one to reduce the risk of congestion. Channel 6 is the default setting for most routers, and it has a higher risk of being congested, especially in apartment and condo buildings. We suggest you select one of the other non-overlapping channels – 1 or 11. Your router may automatically take care of this for you; many models have an auto setting and simply rebooting the router causes it to find a cleaner channel.
2. Move your router to its ideal position. For the best signal and coverage, put your router in an open space near the center of your home. Keep it away from thick walls made of brick or concrete, and make sure it’s not around metal items which can interfere with Wi-Fi signals. It may also help to position the router’s antenna vertically rather than horizontally.
3. Check for interference from a nearby cordless device. Baby monitors, older cordless phones, microwave ovens, wireless speakers, and some security cameras are among the common household gadgets that also use the 2.4Ghz frequency. These can interfere with the wireless signal from your router. Deal with the conflict by moving the router away from these devices.
4. Make sure your router is secure. Putting a password on your router or limiting which devices can access your network will keep other people in the neighborhood from using your network and slowing it down.
5. Buy a new router. One of the best ways to make sure your network is as fast and reliable as possible is to use up-to-date hardware. With the proliferation of connected home products, smartphones, smart TVs, and other mobile computing devices, it’s more important than ever to equip your home with a wireless router that can handle the increased demand for Wi-Fi connectivity. When choosing a new router, you should consider the size of your coverage area, number of users, and types of devices. All of the new 801.11ac routers are dual-band, enabling faster connections. We suggest you get one of these routers to improve your Wi-Fi performance.
6. Get a wireless signal extender. If your home is larger than about 3,000 square feet, getting good Wi-Fi signal from one corner to another can be a challenge. Multistory homes can also be difficult if the router isn’t plugged into the broadband line somewhere on the middle level. In these cases, you may want to consider using a wireless access point which boosts your Wi-Fi signal to hard-to-reach places. Ideally, you can have one ethernet run from the router to the access point. Some access points also allow you to use homeplug technology to transmit the signal over your electrical wiring.
There are also wireless repeaters available, which regenerate the Wi-Fi signal. You might put a repeater halfway between your router and your device. You can expect, however, to get about half the speed off the repeater than what you get off the original router.
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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It’s our way of keeping
you posted on the happenings at our shop.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
Rob Marlowe, Senior Geek
Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
6335 Grand Blvd
New Port Richey, FL 34652
727-847-2424
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2016 Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
Portions ©2016 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc., used with permission