How to get the most out of wireless network on Windows 8

<div class="timetxt" style="font-size:0.75em;line-height:12px;font-family:arial;color:rgb(111,111,111);margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px"><br></div> <div class="photo" style="padding:10px 0px 10px 10px;font-size:0.75em;font-family:arial;color:rgb(111,111,111);line-height:14px"><img border="0" src="http://m.timesofindia.com/thumb.cms?msid=25260532&width=283&resizemode=4" style="width: 286px; height: 209px; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left;"><div class="clear" style="clear:both;height:3px"> </div>Here are some tips that can help you in making the most out of wireless connectivity on Windows 8 platform.</div><div style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14px;padding:5px"></div><div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"> <div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px">Connecting to a wireless network in Windows 8 is far less painful than it was in Windows 7. However, a few things that should be easy and obvious are in fact a bit tricky. <br> <br>You may be having problems connecting to a wireless network in Windows 8, or find that you're regularly entering PEAP credentials each time you want to get online. You might find that your device connects to the wrong wireless network, or simply want to use it as a wireless hotspot. <br> <br>While none of these things are clear from day to day use of Windows 8, they are, however, easily done - once you know how. <br><br><strong>Connecting to a wireless network in Windows 8</strong> <br><br>We'll start with the basics - how do you connect to a wireless network in Windows 8?<br> <br>By default, most new Windows 8 computers will be set to connect to wireless networks automatically as the operating system boots. As such, you should see an alert informing you that a network has been found; an open network will be connected to, with Windows asking you how you wish to treat the connection (as a trusted, "home" network or as a less secure option, "work"). Secure networks will require authentication, of course. <br> <br>What if Wi-Fi isn't already enabled in Windows 8? <br><br>Begin by swiping in from the right to open the Charms bar and select Settings. Here you should see an icon labelled Unavailable, with a red circle and cross accompanying a typical wireless network symbol. Tap this, and switch Wi-Fi to On in order to prompt the computer to check the nearby network connections. When you're ready to go online, tap a network name and then Connect, adding any further information (such as WEP, WPA or PEAP authentication) when prompted.<br> <br>If you would rather do things the old-fashioned way, open the desktop view and browse to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Setup a new connection or network > Manually connect to a wireless network. <br> <br><strong>Changing the priority of Wi-Fi networks natively</strong> <br><br>As you may have noticed, there are various things from Windows 7 that didn't make it through to Windows 8. One of these was a wireless network manager, enabling you to prioritise a particular wireless network to connect to if several were listed. In Windows 8 this isn't possible within the user interface (neither the mouse driven traditional desktop view, nor the "Modern" touch menu), so the default action is to skip tapping the Connect automatically, making the whole connection process a lot more manual. <br> <br>Fortunately, there is a way around this that doesn't rely on third party tools (although some are available).<br><br>Begin by switching to the Start screen and typing command to search for the Command Prompt tool (simpler to use than you might think); in Windows 8, this will be listed twice, Command Prompt and Command Prompt as Administrator. Choose the second option, agreeing with the user access warning. In Windows 8.1, the search results will simply list Command Prompt once - you'll need to right-click and select Run as administrator to continue. <br> <br>At the prompt, enter: netsh wlan show profiles <br><br>The resulting list will show all wireless networks detected to date by your Windows 8 machine, those you've connected to and some you have not. You'll probably also notice that your preferred network isn't at the top of the list. <br> <br>Using the interface and profile names, you can resolve this.netsh wlan set profileorder name="[WIRELESS_NETWORK_NAME]" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1For instance, if I wanted "citadel" to be my preferred connection, I would enter: netsh wlan set profile order name="citadel" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1Note the use of the "priority" condition, which can be used throughout the list to specify a preferred second, third and fourth connection; as many as are required. <br> <br>To confirm your change has worked, use the netsh wlan show profiles command again. You should now see that your preferred network is listed first. <br><br><strong>Use third party tools to set preferred wireless networks</strong> <br> <br>If the steps above seem too much like the dark arts to you, then you might prefer the Wi-Fi Profile Manager 8 donationware app, available free online from The Windows Club. If you're not sure what donationware is, our guide to researching free software should explain.<br> <br>Wi-Fi Profile Manager 8 offers tools that allow you to: <br><br>View the preferred network profiles, change list order, export to XML, import from XML and remove profiles.<br><br>This useful app is an executable and can be quickly run (as opposed to installed), enabling you to set a primary wireless profile by right-clicking and selecting Make Default. Other profiles can be repositioned in the list using the Move Up and Move Down options in the same menu, and older profiles discarded with Remove. <br> <br><strong>Remember PEAP authentication in Windows 8</strong> <br><br>Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol is a modern wireless networking protocol that offers improved security over WEP and WPA. It is supported in Windows 8, but unlike the more widely used WEP and WPA, connecting to a wireless network using PEAP requires you to enter your username and password and the intended domain each time you connect. <br> <br>This is, of course, inconvenient. Fortunately, Windows 8 can be configured to save your PEAP Wi-Fi connection details. <br><br>Open the Charms menu to begin, select the PEAP network connection and right-click to display the context menu; choose View connection properties to continue, displaying Wireless Network Properties. From here, open Security > Advanced Settings. <br> <br>On the 802.1x tab, put a check in the box to activate Specify authentication mode and ensure that the User authentication option is selected, followed by Replace/Save credentials. Following this, enter the network credentials, click OK and then reconnect - you won't need to update these details again! <br> <br><strong>Turn Windows 8 into a wireless hotspot</strong> <br><br>What about sharing your Windows 8 computer's Internet connection? Can you turn a Windows 8 device into a wireless hotspot? <br><br>Well, as a matter of fact, yes you can. Using Connectify - available from <a href="http://www.connectify.me/download">www.connectify.me/download</a> in free and premium ($25/year, $40/lifetime) versions - you can set up your Windows 8 computer as a wireless hotspot, sharing Ethernet, Wi-Fi or even connections from a 3G/4G dongle!<br> <br>Once installed (you'll need to reboot your PC afterwards), all you need to do is create a name for the hotspot, specify the connection you're sharing and generate a password, before clicking Start Hotspot. Anyone nearby will then be able to use your computer as a wireless hotspot to gain access to the Internet. You can also use Connectify to create ad hoc local networks for file sharing between computers! <br> <br>Note that there are other tools; however, Connectify is the best option we've found for this so far. <br><br><strong>Maximise Windows 8's wireless networking capabilities</strong> <br><br>Some of you reading this might be thinking "why doesn't Microsoft include all of these tools and features as standard within the desktop or modern user interface?" After all, mobile devices can be turned into wireless hotspots with native software, so why not PCs? <br> <br>The answer, of course, lies somewhere between "don't know" and "Microsoft provide a platform for developers to fill in the gaps." However, the fact that Windows 7 includes the ability to easily prioritise a particular wireless network over others, while the same feature in Windows 8 can only be accessed via the command line, is one that can leave you perplexed.</div> </div>

How to get the most out of wireless network on Windows 8

Here are some tips that can help you in making the most out of wireless connectivity on Windows 8 platform. Connecting to a wireless n...

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Wireless charging: Still plenty of kinks in the cord

<div class="timetxt" style="font-size:0.75em;line-height:12px;font-family:arial;color:rgb(111,111,111);margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 10px"><img border="0" src="http://images.photogallery.indiatimes.com/images/spacer.gif" width="5">www.digitalsankalp.org</div> <div class="photo" style="padding:10px 0px 10px 10px;font-size:0.75em;font-family:arial;color:rgb(111,111,111);line-height:14px"><img border="0" src="http://m.timesofindia.com/thumb.cms?msid=30684801&width=283&resizemode=4" style="width: 286px; height: 209px; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left;"><div class="clear" style="clear:both;height:3px"> </div>Several charging covers are available for other Android phones and for many Nokia phones, like the Lumia 1020. </div><div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"> <div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px">As personal devices proliferate - smartphones, wearable fitness bands, Kindles, tablets, smartglasses - our charger collections are starting to look like the electrical outlet in the movie "A Christmas Story." <br> <br>Wireless charging to the rescue? Not quite. The concept has been caught in a slow-moving standards war. <br><br>That's not to say wireless charging capabilities aren't starting to creep into devices. Google's Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 phones and Nexus 7 tablet support wireless charging, and Google even makes its own wireless charger with the Nexus name. The Motorola Droid Maxx supports wireless charging, while a few other Android phones sort of do: the LG G2 only offers it on the Verizon model, and Samsung Galaxy S4 owners can spend $90 on an official wireless charging back cover and pad. <br> <br>Several charging covers are available for other Android phones and for many Nokia phones, like the Lumia 1020. There's even a new, Indiegogo-funded wireless charging kit for iPhone, called the iQi. <br><br>So, interest is growing, but why don't more devices have wireless charging capability built in? The primary reason is, like so many things in tech, conflicting standards. Until last week, there were three separate groups pushing wireless charging standards. And phone, tablet and wearable makers are hesitant to tie their devices to a specific charging tech. <br> <br>The Wireless Power Consortium backs the Qi (pronounced "chee") standard used in the iQi and in the accessories mentioned above, as well as the Nexus line. Qi is arguably the wireless charging leader, and support for the specification is built into some 400 devices from almost 200 different companies. <br> <br>If you've seen Powermat chargers in Starbucks and McDonald's, those support the Power Matters Alliance standard. A third specification comes from Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), which has Qualcomm as a founding member. Last week, though, the alliance and A4WP announced a merger, bringing the three major standards-bearers down to two. <br> <br>Confused yet? <br><br>The two organizations employ similar, but not identical magnetic charging technologies: A4WP's newer resonance charging lets you charge multiple devices on a single charging pad without worrying too much about where they're placed. The alliance, on the other hand, uses inductive charging, which requires more precise placement for a device to charge properly. <br> <br>Qi chargers use the more restrictive inductive charging, but the consortium showed off resonance charging devices at International CES in Las Vegas in January, and the standard supports the more flexible charging technique. <br> <br>But other companies hope to sidestep the standards slog with their own innovations. The Israeli startup Humavox is pushing a new, wireless charging technology based not on magnetic induction, but on radio frequency. Its Eterna platform employs an extremely tiny receiver, originally designed for hearing aids, and a transmitter that can work in any kind of charging receptacle, from a pad to a bowl to a portable charging box. <br> <br>Humavox wants to license its technology, rather than build products. But it's been showing off prototype devices including one it calls a "Nest," which is basically a small white bowl into which you can casually toss a jumble of fitness bands and phones and charge them in about the same amount of time as a charging cable. <br> <br>The technology seems promising as a demonstration, primarily because the idea of tossing devices into a bowl for charging is endlessly appealing. But as with all platforms, success depends on adoption. Humavox says it's working with a few partners making semiconductors and health-related devices, but consumer brands are still slow to come around. <br> <br>It's hard to say whether Humavox's entry will make things even more confusing or give manufacturers a good option. At least one other company, Ossia, is working on a wireless charging technology that uses radio frequencies, and there may be more in the works. <br> <br>So for now - and please pardon the pun - wireless charging is still as tangled as the cords next to my bedside table.</div></div>

Wireless charging: Still plenty of kinks in the cord

www.digitalsankalp.org Several charging covers are available for other Android phones and for many Nokia phones, like the Lumia 1020.  ...

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