Running a small business is tough. There are so many tasks that need your attention; campaigns to plan, keeping up to date with your brand messaging, all while ensuring your data is secure. It can feel overwhelming at times, but Google Workspaces has a fully-featured set of tools that can take some of the burdens off your back and let your business flourish. Now, with the latest and improved integration and capabilities of Gemini AI available, there’s never been a better time to upgrade your productivity by working smarter not harder. How Google Workspace and Gemini can help Three of the most important elements of a small business are productivity, communication and security. If any of these three pillars fail, then it can spell disaster. Gemini for Google Workspace can help ensure that doesn’t happen, with powerful features that will speed up work and improve its quality. Productivity Google recently announced that the standalone Gemini app is now part of all Google Workspace Business, Enterprise and Frontline plans. So, you can start experimenting with how this clever technology can make previously time-sapping jobs into ones that take only minutes. Gemini helps with creating task lists, researching subjects, generating images for your presentations, plus much more. Google Thanks to a new Gemini for Google Workspace add-on, those who want the most comprehensive set of AI-tools can get them directly within apps like Google Docs, Gmail, Google Drive, Sheets, and Slides. This makes it even easier to access the features, as you simply click on the Gemini icon to open the side panel and you can use the AI-assistant within a document, presentation, spreadsheet or anything else you’re working on. Say you need blog posts for your website or social media channels, but don’t have time to research and write them. Simply tell Gemini what kind of content you want, how you’d like it laid out and who it’s aimed at. The software will quickly generate ideas and structures which you can look through and ask for adjustments or the inclusion of new ideas or themes. When you’re happy, Gemini can expand the text into full articles that you can use immediately. If you need accompanying images, then Gemini can create those too. There’s also the ability to drag and drop documents you have already created so that Gemini can create presentations or reports using the information. You can add links to YouTube videos that Gemini will then summarise, ask it to research potential new clients, or even help with the planning of a sales campaign for your new services or products. With Gemini for Google Workspace you have an AI-powered assistant that’s always on-hand to make light work of difficult tasks. In fact, recent surveys conducted by Google found that working with built-in Gemini AI across apps such as Gmail, Docs, and Drive, saved users an average of 105 minutes per week, with 75% of daily Gemini for Google Workspace users saying it improved the quality of their work. So, not only were they more productive, they actually created better content. Communication Gemini for Google Workspace can also be a valued addition when it comes to communicating with customers. For example, if you’re approaching a new client and want to get off on the right foot, you can ask Gemini to research the company, products or services, then generate a marketing strategy that explains why you’d be a great fit with them. Google With its Gmail integration, Gemini can also draft introductory letters to new clients, write marketing emails, or create responses to customer service enquiries that avoid you using standard templates that can feel cold and impersonal. With all of these you also have the ability to change the tone and style with just a click. Save the hours that you’ve previously spent dealing with emails and social media duties by handing the bulk of it over to Gemini for Google Workspace. Security Security is at the heart of Gemini for Google Workspace, as Google understands how valuable your data is to your business. To help with the constant pressure of keeping cyberthreats at bay, there’s now a new Security Advisor toolkit that can analyse potential weaknesses in security and offer guidance on how to protect against them. It’s like having a security expert in your organisation that’s always looking for ways to improve the safety of your data. Basically, it’s security made simple. Google You can also use the admin console to decide how Gemini handles your data, with the promise that it will never use the information to train or improve Gemini’s models. Your data is your data, and it always will be. To illustrate this, Gemini for Google Workspace is one of the first generative AI solutions to be awarded SOC 1/2/3, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 certification, which represent some of the highest industry standards for security and privacy. Make your business more productive with Gemini for Google Workspace today There’s no need to spend any more time struggling under the pressure of running your business, instead head over to the Gemini for Google Workspace page and sign up for a trial today. You’ll instantly have access to powerful tools that can improve productivity, quality and the professionalism of your content. With the new security suite, you’ll also know that your data is safe and how to keep it that way. There’s practically no learning curve either, as Gemini integrates with Google’s hugely popular apps, of which you and your team will already be familiar. Perhaps the best asset that you get with Gemini for Google Workspace though isn’t one you’ll find in the spec sheet, as it’s simply time to think and breathe. Precious stuff. You can try the new Gemini AI tools today, with prices starting at $20 per user per month, and make your business smarter and safer without blowing your budget. Read...

You have probably heard a lot about AI recently. One of the best ways to explore it for yourself is with a GeForce RTX 40 Series AI PC from iBUYPOWER. These PCs have access to NVIDIA’s RTX AI acceleration, which supercharges AI applications and workflows you use every day. The RDY Y60 005 is one of iBUYPOWER’s top NVIDIA RTX-equipped models, and this performance PC is currently selling at a tasty $400 discount, $1,949 from its original $2,349 price. It gets you a smart-looking enclosure with a transparent side wall, the incredibly powerful Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER graphics card with 12GB vRAM. Where Microsoft’s CoPilot Plus laptops promise “40+ TOPs” of AI computing power, an RTX 4070 SUPER commands 836 TOPs thanks to AI-specialized Tensor cores designed for the job. View iBuyPower PC with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs PCs like these are AI powerhouses. But what can you actually do with all that power? Clearer, smoother, sharper gaming NVIDIA DLSS is one of our favorite applications of AI, ever. And it is proof there’s much more to artificial intelligence than chatbots and image generation tools. DLSS is an upscaling and frame generation engine that makes your games appear clearer, smoother and sharper. It lets a PC run games at a lower resolution, and then uses the upscaler to make visuals appear rendered at a much higher resolution. It sounds like witchcraft that shouldn’t work, but the results often look better than if you were to render at the higher resolution in the first place. Are you a game streamer as well as a player? The NVIDIA Broadcast app uses AI to turn any room into a home studio. This includes features like removing distracting background noise in your audio feed, removing or replacing your background, and keeping your eyes on the screen – even if you’re not looking at the camera. iBUYPOWER Upscale and improve video quality For those who just like to watch content rather than make it, there’s NVIDIA RTX Video. This can upscale any video you like and convert it to HDR. Sure, it’s common for TVs to have built-in Auto HDR and upscaling, but NVIDIA’s RTX implementation is so much more effective. Your personal, private chatbot You can also customize your own personal chatbot with NVIDIA ChatRTX. However, unlike ChatGPT, it’s designed to use your own files as its data source, so you get quick, personalized answers. And it runs locally on your RTX AI PC, so your data stays just where it should be — private. Get a taste of future AI today These features are just a taste of what’s to come in the future for AI, and an iBUYPOWER RDY Y60 005 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER sets you up for that future perfectly. You’ll find quality components throughout an iBUYPOWER PC, and each rig comes with a 2-year parts and 3-year labor warranty. And, as we’ve seen with the iBUYPOWER RDY Y60 005’s current $400 discount, you’ll often find a bargain there too. Save $400 on iBuyPower RDY Y60 005 AI PC View Offer Read...

It feels like artificial intelligence is in everything these days — TVs, laptops, phones, websites, even PDF editors — and that big boom can be attributed to the wild success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Microsoft is doing its best to compete with its own Copilot AI chatbot, and both ChatGPT and Copilot are pretty good at providing answers, generating text and images, and holding conversations. Most importantly, they’re both free to use. Related: Real ways I use ChatGPT to improve my life But ChatGPT and Copilot both offer paid plans in the form of ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro, respectively. Why would you pay for them when they’re freely available? Are the extra benefits worth it? Well, if you’re thinking about ponying up some cash on a premium AI chatbot and wondering which one is better for you, here’s what you need to know about ChatGPT Plus versus Copilot Pro, based on what they offer and my own experience using each. The benefits of Copilot Pro Copilot Pro is a $20-per-month subscription that grants “priority access to [Copilot’s] latest AI models, higher usage limits, and early access to new features.” Basically, Copilot Pro is a more advanced and more capable version of the basic Copilot AI chatbot available for free. Copilot Pro first launched in January 2024 and has been updated several times since, integrating new GPTs and adding new features as they’re released. For example, it got support for OpenAI’s GPT-4o model in May 2024, and has since built on top of that with additional training to further differentiate it from ChatGPT’s offerings. Microsoft Signing up for Copilot Pro unlocks priority access to new models, allowing you to take advantage of better generative AI for more useful results; meanwhile, free users are sometimes restricted and don’t have access to the latest AI models, mainly during peak times (e.g., when lots of people are using Copilot). On top of that, Copilot Pro users can use the Copilot Voice feature to speak with the AI chatbot in conversational mode, and they get 100 daily credits for creating images with Copilot (versus 15 for free users). You can also craft your own custom GPTs, which can be great for completing more specific tasks or acting a certain way based on your prompts. The real selling point of Copilot Pro, though, is its integration with Microsoft 365 applications. In Word, Copilot can draft, rewrite, and summarize documents. In Excel, Copilot can generate formulas, analyze data, and create visuals. In PowerPoint, Copilot can generate slides and outlines. In Outlook, Copilot can draft emails according to tone and summarize long email threads. In OneNote, Copilot can summarize notes, create to-do lists, and help you plan for the future. Microsoft is expected to further expand Copilot Pro integration throughout Microsoft 365 apps next year. But you’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription to make the most of Copilot Pro. Related: Microsoft 365’s new Pages feature makes Copilot Pro crucial for teams The benefits of ChatGPT Plus ChatGPT Plus is a $20-per-month subscription that unlocks a number of additional capabilities in OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot. For starters, it grants greater access to the latest GPT-4o model and better access to the service overall. If there’s server downtime, free users are likely to be restricted but Plus subscribers aren’t. You can also build custom GPTs for a range of uses. I’ve made a few of my own over the past year, but there are also a number of third-party GPTs that you might find useful for coding, travel planning, working with spreadsheets, teaching you languages, and much more. ChatGPT Plus has an extensive range of third-party custom GPTs to choose from.OpenAI ChatGPT Plus can work with a range of data, too. You can upload documents, images, or PDF files for it to trawl through. It can summarize them, answer questions based on them, and in the case of images, it can edit them or even generate new images based on your prompts. It also understands multiple programming languages and has a Canvas editing tool where you can work on documents and code within a ChatGPT window while discussing it with the AI chatbot. ChatGPT Plus also has Advanced Voice, which lets you converse directly with ChatGPT in fluid conversational style with realistic intonations. You can choose from a range of voice options, both male and female, from different parts of the world. It can also adjust its tone and pacing, and it’s even able to be sarcastic at times. ChatGPT Plus also has its own memory functions, which allow it to remember what you’ve talked about for improved contextual understanding of your prompts. Related: ChatGPT has its own AI search engine now Copilot Pro vs. ChatGPT Plus I’ve used both Copilot Pro and ChatGPT Plus for a range of tasks over the past few months, and I’ve found them both to be effective, capable AI assistants. They each have some unique features, though, and one is sometimes better at certain things than the other. When it comes to software integration and availability, Copilot Pro definitively has an edge. It’s available on mobile devices, on the web, in Windows, in Microsoft Edge, and across Microsoft 365 apps (if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription). Although I personally tend towards open-source software, you might find Copilot Pro to be exceedingly useful if you spend hours per day in Word, Excel, or Outlook. It’s great for finding insights in your data, quickly drafting emails and documents, and summarizing items you’d normally waste a lot of time reading. Related: What can Microsoft 365’s premium AI tool do? ChatGPT Plus comes out ahead as far as math and coding are concerned. I’ve used both tools to help me on game development projects, and though both were useful and both made mistakes at times, I found ChatGPT Plus was just more accurate overall. As a quick test, I asked both premium AI chatbots to help me calculate the odds of a certain outcome from certain dice rolls in a game I was playing. (I play board games with mathematicians and data scientists who can do this in their head. Sue me.) Jon Martindale / IDG In asking: “On four d10s, what are the odds for getting one success, two success, three success, and four success, when trying to roll 3 or higher.” Copilot Pro immediately told me: “When rolling four d10s, and needing a 3 or higher, each die has a 70% chance of success (since 8 out of 10 possible results meet this criterion).” Since there are eight possible successes out of 10, that’s wrong; it’s actually an 80% chance of success. ChatGPT Plus didn’t make the same mistake and actually provided me with a more detailed breakdown of the odds at hand. (See screenshot above.) I then added further complexity in the form of dice being removed on failures, and it managed that, too. Copilot Pro worked fine after I corrected its mistake, but the issue is that I had to correct it in the first place. If I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to spot the error, I’d be in trouble and not even know it. (You can imagine how bad that could be depending on what you’re asking.) When I asked Copilot Pro to perform more advanced tasks, it refused — until I enabled the “Think Deeper” mode, at which point it agreed and completed the task successfully. It was pretty slow, though. Both premium AI chatbots have capable voice modes, but again, ChatGPT Plus feels more fleshed-out and capable. It has a wider range of voices to choose from, and there’s a more natural lilt to the way it speaks. Both services can change their tones and styles of speaking and can handle sarcasm, but Copilot still sounds like a program. ChatGPT Plus feels much more akin to a real person. It interrupts you, jumping in on pauses in your speech, treating them as its own turn to speak — which can be annoying, but is far more realistic. Copilot Pro has a habit of being quite self-referential, so when asking it to roleplay as a dwarf in a tavern, it would say, “As a dwarf: I am [dwarf-name] and I…” rather than simply jumping into character. Related: Ways I used ChatGPT to improve my life this year One plus I will give to Copilot Pro is that it’s definitely faster when not using Think Deeper mode. While ChatGPT Plus has become faster in its responses over the past year, its latest GPT-4o model takes a beat to think through its answers. Copilot Pro is almost instantaneous, despite being based on the same underlying language model. As far as image generation, both tools are effective — and Copilot Pro can even search through free stock images for you when used within Microsoft 365 apps. Again, that’s another point in favor of Copilot Pro for users who rely heavily on Microsoft’s Office products. Which premium AI chatbot is right for you? As capable as Copilot Pro and ChatGPT Plus are, they’re both imperfect tools that need to be used in the right way, for the right purposes, in order to benefit from them. They’re both great for augmenting your work and playing with a little AI assistance. Neither can operate entirely independently without editing or curation, and neither is strictly better than the other. But for my own needs, ChatGPT wins — I readily prefer this one. I’ve found that ChatGPT Plus is generally more accurate and more capable, especially when using its Advanced Voice mode, and I don’t use Microsoft 365 enough to truly mine Copilot for all it’s worth. That said, if you’re heavily into the Office ecosystem, Copilot Pro may be better for you, especially if you’re already paying for M365. Further reading: Practical stuff you can do with ChatGPT Read...

TL;DR: This Microsoft bundle includes lifetime access to Office 2019 Professional Plus, Windows 11 Pro, Visio 2019, and Project 2019 for a one-time payment of $71.94 through October 27. Looking to upgrade your PC without the hassle of subscriptions? This Ultimate 2019 Microsoft Bundle is here to deliver serious productivity power. For a one-time purchase, you get lifetime licenses to four essential Microsoft products — designed to streamline everything from document creation to project management. First up, Office 2019 Professional Plus gives you access to essential tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook you never have to worry about paying for again. With improved cloud connectivity and enhanced inking, you can create and collaborate with ease. But it doesn’t stop there. Next is Windows 11 Pro — the operating system that’s as smooth as it is secure. With advanced security features like BitLocker encryption, seamless collaboration tools, an AI-powered assistant called Copilot, and more, it’s perfect for business users or anyone who could benefit from these features. The bundle also includes Visio 2019, which simplifies creating professional diagrams, from flowcharts to floor plans, with easy templates for clear, visual data presentation. Meanwhile, Project 2019 helps you stay on top of your projects with timelines, budgets, and automated tools to keep everything running smoothly. Upgrade your PC without any ongoing costs by hopping on this sale ending October 27 for a Microsoft 2019 lifetime bundle for $71.94.   Ultimate 2019 Microsoft Bundle: Office, Project, Visio and Windows 11 Pro – $71.94 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Extreme Networks has unveiled new features in its ExtremeCloud Universal ZTNA, enhancing network access management and security for hybrid work environments. Read...

The new features include notification summaries and tools to assist users in writing messages. Read...

Google has big plans for AI, and that’s no secret. But specifically what it plans to do with AI in the near future — and how it hopes consumers will interact with it — is a little more hazy. According to a new report, the next major revision of the Gemini model has some grand ambitions, including the ability to completely control the Chrome browser. That’s according to The Information, citing unconfirmed leaks from deep within Google. The system is allegedly codenamed “Project Jarvis,” a clear allusion to Tony Stark’s fictional and semi-sentient artificial intelligence from the Iron Man movies. This upgraded version of Gemini can apparently control Google’s Chrome browser with screenshots and virtualized mouse clicks, similar to what Anthropic recently unveiled with its Claude AI system. According to the leaked info, the end goal is a system that’s sophisticated and reliable enough to be used to order products from online stores or even arrange and pay for plane tickets. That would be a serious step up from the somewhat basic attempts at automation currently seen from Google and its competitors. But Google’s deep hooks in the browser and search space would certainly make it possible, if not easy. Google is expected to unveil an early preview of this capability in December, though that’s allegedly subject to change. A small initial beta test to work out the kinks — and boy, there would be some concerning kinks in any system expected to autonomously spend regular users’ money — would then follow. We can’t independently confirm The Information’s, um, information. But it tracks with Google’s more consumer-focused take on AI, as opposed to Microsoft’s clear intention to woo businesses. Google is trying to bake AI features into Chromebooks and Pixel phones, making a case for integrating it into everyday tasks. So far, its attempts have been met with a lot of hesitancy, particularly when it comes to Google’s primary Search tool. But Gemini’s integration with ChromeOS makes a better case for leaning on these intense, remote-heavy processes, at least in some cases. If Google can get automation into Chrome in a more comfortable, and crucially, reliable fashion, it might just convince people that this is something worth the asking price. Read...

Many users have been experiencing all kinds of problems after installing Windows 11’s big annual 2024 update. Issues include broken internet connections and buggy Windows features, and it’s gotten bad enough that Microsoft has blocked the update for some users. If you’re one of the many people who are struggling with a frustrating Windows 11 24H2 experience, here’s a tip: you can uninstall the update and reset your Windows 11 system. Here’s how. Warning: Even though data normally isn’t lost during this process, there’s always a slight risk of things going wrong. We recommend backing up your important data — the stuff you seriously don’t want to lose — to an external drive before reverting Windows 11. This isn’t mandatory, but it does ensure that at least your data will remain on the off chance that you run into problems. How to revert or reset Windows 11 To reset Windows 11, open Settings (using the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut), Then navigate to System in the left sidebar, then scroll down and select Recovery. Here you will find various options for repairing Windows or returning to a previous version: Thomas Joos Scroll down to the bottom of the window, look under Recovery options and click on Go back to uninstall the latest Windows 11 update and revert to the previous version you had. You won’t lose any installed apps with this option, except for ones you installed after updating to 24H2. If the button is grayed out, the necessary data is no longer available on your PC, in which case you can try clicking on Reset PC instead. This may solve the problem, but you will probably lose some installed apps. Thomas Joos After initiating the reversion process, Windows prepares the process. At the “Feedback” stage, click Next to commence. Thomas Joos At the “Check for updates” stage, click No thanks. At the “What you should know” stage, click Next. At the “Keep your old password” stage, click Next. You get the gist. Keep going. Thomas Joos Lastly, click on Revert to a previous build. Windows 11 will then start the process proper and, after a short time, the previous Windows 11 version you had before installing 24H2 will be active again. Thomas Joos After restarting your PC, log in to Windows 11 per usual. Everything should now work again. Once Microsoft fixes the errors in Window 11 24H2, you can try updating again then. Further reading: My favorite changes in Windows 11 24H2 Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Eight bays/slots for HDDs and SSDs Supports SATA and NVMe Runs two HDDs in RAID Affordable for the ilk Cons 10Gbps caps NVMe performance at 1GBps No RAID for the last two HDD bays Our Verdict The D8 Hybrid is a versatile USB storage enclosure that lets you use up to four 3.5/2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs, as well as up to four NVMe SSDs. It’s only 10Gbps, which is easily fast enough for HDDs and SATA SSDs, but limiting for the NVMe SSDs. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: TerraMaster D8 Hybrid HDD/SSD USB enclosure Retailer Price $299.99 View Deal TerraMaster $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket With four full-sized 3.5/2.5-inch SATA bays, and four 2280 M.2 slots to accept NVMe SSDs, the D8 Hybrid is an incredibly versatile external storage enclosure capable of housing up to 162TB of storage (30TB HDDs/8TB SSDs). It’s also a good performer within the limits of 10Gbps USB. What are the D8 Hybrid’s features? I already enumerated the available storage bays/slots for you above, but you can also use 2.5-inch SATA SSDs or 2.5-inch HDDs in the 3.5-inch drive bays. SATA SSDs will deliver faster performance individually or combined in RAID 0, but 2.5-inch HDDs lag far behind their larger cousins in both capacity and speed. The D8 Hybrid is a largely black plastic box measuring 8.75-inches deep, by 6.75-inches tall, by 7-inches wide (approximate measurements), encasing a metal frame. The four 3.5-inch drive trays are easy open, but don’t lock. Two screws on the back of the enclosure secure the removable side panel that hides the four M.2 NVMe slots. The D8 Hybrid’s M.2 slots filled with various NVMe SSDs. A minor issue with the M.2 slots is shown above: I was able to screw down an NVMe SSD while it wasn’t completely inserted into the M.2 socket, and then it didn’t appear when the box powered on. Make sure you don’t see any SSD metal edge contacts when you install them. While the D8 Hybrid supports RAID, it applies to only the first two 3.5-inch drive bays. Drives in the six other bay/slots appear as single LUNs (logical units)/drives. Consider the D8 a two-drive RAID box with two extra bays and four M.2 slots. We’re not pooh-poohing the arrangement. It can be very handy under the right circumstances — that being lots of miscellaneous SATA and NVMe storage laying about. The rear of the D8 Hybrid with a Type-C port, power port, RAID mode selector, and RAID reset pinhole button. The back of the D8 Hyrbid is home to the RAID select rotary switch (single, JBOD/concatenated, striped RAID 0, and mirrored RAID 1), a RAID reset pinhole button, a large fan opening, a power jack, and the on/off button. As discussed, USB 3.2 10Gbps is the transport interface, and TerraMaster includes a high-quality Type-C to Type-C cable with the unit. The AC adapter is a 7.5 amp/12-volt type with a detachable wall cord. How much is the TerraMaster D8 Hybrid? The D8 Hybrid was $300 at the time of this writing, or little less than $40 a bay. That’s certainly less than what you’d pay for a 10Gbps dual 3.5-inch RAID enclosure plus six other enclosures. And there is value in consolidating all those drives into one box and onto one connection. Especially given the often parsimonious port allotment on today’s thin and light laptops! In other words, if the D8 Hybrid fits your needs, it’s a pretty good deal. How fast is the D8 Hybrid? The speed that the D8 Hybrid delivers will depend highly upon what type of storage you install. But whatever it is, it will max out at around 1GBps due to the 10Gbps bus. I’m a tad surprised that TerraMaster didn’t go for USB 3.2×2 or USB 4. I’ve been chagrined at other NVMe-enabled products making similar choices recently — the scuttlebutt is that chips for USB 4 are still in short supply. Just to be clear as to the relevant conundrum: NVMe is capable of 3GBps plus when used over Thunderbolt 3/4 or USB 4, and 2GBps over 20Gbps USB 3.2×2. Bus choice aside, the D8 Hybrid performed up to 10Gbps snuff, which is pretty darn fast in the real world. I saw just over 1GBps out of SSDs in the NVMe slots, 570MBps out of SATA SSDs in the 3.5-inch bays, 290MBps from a single 3.5-inch, 24GB WD DC HC580 hard drive, and 580MBps from two of the latter in RAID 0. That is very good on all accounts for USB 10Gbps. While the D8 Hybrid only offers RAID for the first two bays, you can use Windows (or macOS) software RAID to create more complex arrays… Note that instead of highlighting the drive being reviewed in red, this time it’s gray, with the Seagate Game Drive SSD — another 10Gbps product that is a good match for the D8 Hybrid’s NVMe slots — in red to highlight the 10Gbps cap. Why? I didn’t like the other shades of red I came up with. Sue me. The D8 Hybrid actually beat the Seagate Game SSD drive with NVMe. But the Sabrent Rocket 4 I used may be a faster SSD than the one inside the Seagate. Regardless, you know you’re not sacrificing performance for the D8 Hybrid’s versatility. Given the 10Gbps constraint, at any rate. CrystalDiskMark 8 rated the D8 Hybrid as completely up to snuff for a 10Gbps USB enclosure. Longer bars are better. You can basically disregard the HDD numbers in the CrystalDiskMark 8 4K tests. Hard drives simply don’t access data with anywhere near the alacrity of an SSD of any type. You can basically disregard the HDD numbers in the CrystalDiskMark 8 4K tests. Hard drives simply don’t access data with anywhere near the alacrity of an SSD of any type. Longer bars are better. Remember that shorter bars are better in the graph below charting 48GB transfer performance, where the D8 Hybrid did quite well in all phases — for the type of media involved, of course. Remember that shorter bars are better in this graph charting 48GB transfer performance, where the D8 Hybrid did very well. Shorter bars are better. The D8 Hybrid was right on target with the various media types for the 450GB long file write. The D8 Hybrid was right on target with the various media types for the 450GB long file write. Shorter bars are better. Other than wishing it was 20Gbps or 40Gbps technology, I have zero complaints about the D8 Hybrid’s performance. And you can get a lot done with 1GBps transfers. While the D8 Hybrid only offers RAID for the first two bays, you can use Windows (or macOS) software RAID to create more complex arrays or utilize more of the D8 Hybrid’s eight drives in that fashion. I’d only recommend it for redundancy (mirroring, RAID 5) as the 10Gbps USB bus is going to cap performance at 1GBps no matter how you combine the SSDs. Should you buy the D8 Hybrid? If you’re looking to run a pair of hard drives in RAID 0, plus a couple of other HDDs/SATA SSDs, as well as some NVMe SSDs externally, then the TerraMaster D8 Hybrid is a versatile way to combine them all into one physical box. Performance is certainly good enough for most tasks, albeit limiting for NVMe. Put another way, if price, capacity, versatility, and HDD/SSD SATA support are paramount, the D8 Hybrid is a great product — an excellent way to employ miscellaneous drives you may have lying about. But if you’re looking for top-tier performance from your NVMe SSDs, look to something utilizing a faster bus. Read...

The majority of U.S. homes have an internet connection, and it’s probably not a stretch to guess that the proportion that also has Wi-Fi is close to 100 percent. Anyone who lives in a populated area and opened the Wi-Fi settings on their mobile phone will have seen how there are many networks competing for space in the ether. Modern routers, especially mesh routers, have thankfully made problems with poor Wi-Fi coverage fairly rare, but there are still many good reasons to review your network. It’s not just about security, but also about getting the most out of your internet connection, minimizing lag in online games and protecting your and your family’s privacy. Why not settle for the operator’s router? Many internet service providers lend a Wi-Fi router to customers, while others offer it as an optional extra for a small fee. Of course, it’s easy to make do with it, and it can be cheaper if it’s included. But it might be a better idea to get a router yourself instead. For one thing, it means you can keep your router and don’t have to redo all the settings if you switch operators. Carrier routers are rarely the most powerful, so you can get faster wireless internet with your own. This is especially true if you have many devices and/or a large house or a home with solid walls that weaken the signal. With mesh systems, you can get as many access points as you need to provide a strong signal throughout your home. Security can also be higher, as over the years there have been relatively frequent security flaws in operators’ routers, which are not always fixed quickly. With so many customers using the same router model, such routers become more tempting prey for hackers. Finally, you can get features that aren’t in your operator’s router but that you could benefit from, like vpn connectivity for the whole network or selected devices, separate networks for smart home gadgets, connection of peripherals like nas devices and printers, and much more. Mesh or traditional router? Before you start looking at the different manufacturers’ router models, you have an important question to consider. Do you want a traditional router plus any Wi-Fi boosters, or should you opt for a modern mesh system? A question that has no obvious answer. Mesh routers often have a cylindrical design.Andres Urena Mesh In a mesh system, two or more Wi-Fi routers or access points are combined into a larger, theoretically more robust network. The device you plug into the wall with Ethernet (or into a modem of some kind) becomes the master device and mediates the connection between all devices on the network and the internet. The routers involved communicate with each other and optimize the network so that all connected phones and other gadgets have the fastest and most stable connection possible. Advantages Easier to get good coverage throughout your home Fewer settings to make Disadvantages Fewer settings that can be made More expensive Usually lower maximum speed Traditional router with multiple antennas.Asus Traditional router A centrally located router covers as much of the home as possible — powerful models with large antennas can easily cover a medium-sized house and even reach out into the garden if it has a clear view. If you need more coverage, you need to get an extender. Advantages Less expensive Can offer significantly more customization options Powerful models have higher maximum speeds Disadvantages Can be difficult to reach all nooks and crannies Slightly more complicated settings To make the choice a little more complicated, some manufacturers have software in their regular routers that makes it possible to build mesh systems with them. Asus, for example, has something called AI Mesh. It takes a little more effort to get up and running than, for example, Google’s Nest Wifi, but offers the same benefit of better coverage and can be cheaper. Further reading: Supercharged home Wi-Fi with mesh networking: What you need to know Foundry How to choose a good model for your needs Once you’ve decided on a mesh or regular router, you’ll be faced with a veritable jungle of different models. Even if you stick to the biggest brands, such as Asus, Netgear, TP-link, and Linksys, there are hundreds of models to choose from. Here are the key aspects to look at: Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e share the same basic technology, but 6e opens up the use of channels in the 6GHz band, where there is typically less interference. Signals in that frequency band are more efficiently blocked by walls, which can also help improve the signal for your own devices that are in the same room. Wi-Fi 7 is the new version of Wi-Fi that has just been released. It brings higher speeds, both in theory and practice, and shorter response times. It’s not yet built into many computers, phones, and other gadgets, but it’s the technology of the future. Number of bands Routers are often marketed as “dual band” or “triple band.” This refers to the number of radios they have, and therefore the maximum capacity of all connected devices combined. For mesh routers, one of the bands is usually used for communication between the routers involved. Software and updates Older models may be cheap, but they carry the risk that the manufacturer will stop releasing security updates before you want to retire the router. The software in a router needs to be kept constantly updated, making it somewhat safer to choose one of the big, tried-and-tested manufacturers. Another aspect of the software is how much customization the router offers and what extra features it has. For example, if you want to be able to connect a TV or media player via VPN to view content from other countries, you may benefit from a router with a built-in VPN function. Key settings No matter which router or mesh router you get — or if you settle for the one from your operator — there are a handful of settings you should change right away. The way you connect to the router’s admin interface varies slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Instructions can be found in the user manual or an accompanying quick guide. Enabling https is even more important.Foundry Enable https Before you do anything else, I highly recommend enabling https connectivity to your router settings. This will prevent others on the local network from intercepting the router’s password by collecting all network traffic. Admin login Change the password to the router settings. On some routers you are forced to do this when you first connect, on others it is optional but something you should definitely do. If possible, I also recommend changing your username. If you have to set a new password before you can enable https, you can change the password again after you have done so for extra peace of mind. Foundry Wi-Fi name and password Once you’ve secured your router’s settings, it’s time to secure the wireless network. The router usually has a semi-random network name (SSID) that I recommend changing. Choose something fun that you can easily recognize, but be aware that others can mimic and choose the same name. A good Wi-Fi password is long but easy to type in — for example, four randomly chosen words. No one is happy about having to type p&g_Kx%qU6s%qq$ewc-= by hand, but “wire underpaid rich banner” is no problem. When choosing the Wi-Fi solution, you also get to choose the security model. Best today is WPA3, or just WPA2 if not available. WPA3 is more secure, but so far too many devices do not support it. Further reading: 5 ways to check Wi-Fi signal strength on Windows PCs Channels If you don’t know better, I suggest you choose “auto” on most of the settings in the router, at least until you have learned more or have tested the network and want to see if you can optimize it a bit. This applies to channel selection and channel width, for example. Internet connection If you get internet via fiber, the router will probably fix the connection automatically, but some operators require a login using the PPOE protocol. You should then have received the name and password from the operator, and can check the instructions from your router’s manufacturer. Switch off WPS, UPNP and NAT-PNP Look for settings for these technologies and switch them off. WPS is inherently insecure and UPNP and NAT-PNP open up your network in a way that can lead to intrusions unless both you and your gadgets do the right thing. Enable automatic updates and you won’t miss any important security fixes.Foundry Enable automatic updates If your router has a feature to install firmware updates automatically, you should enable it. Sure, there’s a minimal risk of the manufacturer releasing a bad update that crashes the router, but in return, you won’t have to log into the router periodically to avoid missing important security fixes. Connect by cable where possible Wi-Fi is handy and nowadays really fast, but the vast majority of routers still have a number of connectors for wired networking with Ethernet. High-end models today don’t settle for Gigabit Ethernet, but sometimes have 2.5 Gigabit or even faster. And the fact is that wired is usually faster than wireless. This is true even with newer Wi-Fi standards that theoretically have higher speeds. For example, Wi-Fi 6/6e has a theoretical ceiling of 9.6Gbit/s, but no real networks are that fast. Moreover, the figure applies to all connected devices combined, and traffic in both directions must be taken into account, whereas Ethernet is so-called full duplex with the same speed in each direction. Stephen Phillips More realistic is to get 0.5Gbit/s on a connected device with Wi-Fi 6, at some distance and with multiple devices connected. With Wi-Fi 6e or 7, the network can use the 6GHz band, where there is usually much less interference. This leads to higher speeds in practice, but even with the fastest routers it is difficult to reach more than 1,500Mbps. In addition to consistently high speeds, cable provides lower latency and almost no risk of occasional slowness, which can still happen with wireless. Connecting devices that have an Ethernet connector — and to which you can run a cable without creating a tangle of wires in your home — gives them a stable connection, but that’s not all. Your wirelessly connected devices will also benefit, as they will have less competition for radio waves. For example, if your router happens to be close to your TV, you can connect your TV, any media players, games consoles, and other wired devices on the same shelf. If you use smart home gadgets, it’s also a good idea to connect hubs like Ikea’s Dirigera by cable. If you don’t have enough ports, you can get a switch. Position your router correctly for a better Wi-Fi signal Wireless networks are delicate affairs whose range and speed are hugely affected by small changes, both to the settings and the positioning of the router. Radio waves are weakened by walls, and the more solid the wall, the worse the signal on the other side. If you have a traditional router, you’ll get the best signal if you place it as close to the center of your home as possible, and preferably not next to a wall. But don’t run a lot of Ethernet cable without testing first. Of course, if it works well anywhere near the socket, you can leave the router there. Smart home gadgets can mess up The default setting on most routers is to combine the two frequency bands into a common network with the same SSID, allowing the router and connected devices to choose which band based on signal strength. Some smart home devices only support 2.4GHz. Further reading: The paranoid’s guide to securing your smart home Therefore, if you have problems with some gadgets not wanting to connect or disconnecting from time to time, try splitting the network into two separate ones, one for 2.4GHz and one for 5GHz. Create a guest network that your guests can use.Foundry Use guest networks if your router supports them If you don’t want to give away your Wi-Fi password left and right, you can take advantage of a feature found in many routers, namely the ability to add a separate guest network. The guest network has its own name and password, and on many routers it is set so that devices on the guest network cannot communicate with other devices on the local network, either on the guest network or the regular one. This means that your visitors can access the internet, but not, for example, your smart home gadgets or printers. Read...