Android: If you’ve updated to Android 9 Pie, you may have noticed that your smartphone will now automatically turn on your Wi-Fi connection — if you’ve turned it off — when you’re near familiar network with a strong signal. This feature, which debuted in Android Oreo, is now flipped on by default in Android Pie.

Dear Lifehacker, For several years now, my laptop (a refurbished 2016 Acer Aspire V-3) has been destroying my home internet soon after it connects to the router. Some times the internet crashes within seconds. Other times it takes days. But usually it is within 10 minutes.

If you aren't checking your Internet speeds on a weekly basis, you might not know when there's a problem. You aren't likely to notice a difference between 150 Mbps and 80 Mbps download speeds when you're browsing websites, watching (1080p) YouTube, or chatting with friends, but if you're downloading a huge Fortnite update, why drive in the slow lane?

WiFi networks, especially free ones, are always the hardest to find when you actually need them. Now Google has made tracking one down a little easier thanks to a new feature in its data-saving app Datally.

Windows: There are a million little apps that feature some combination of the words "Wi-Fi" and "analysis", or something really close to either. Some apps are paid; some are free. And they all allow you see different combinations of information about your wireless setup (and the wireless setups of those around you).

I love automation; I do. I just think it's the most fun thing ever to walk into my house and have my smart lights immediately pull up some colourful scene — not to mention all the absurd configurations I can create that changes their colours and brightness when certain things happen, ranging from "I got a tweet" to "It's midnight why are you still awake go to bed."

Mesh networking has become increasingly popular as people try to improve wireless coverage at their homes and offices. But it's been challenging to deploy as you've needed to choose a brand a stick to it as gear from different vendors didn't work together. But that's set to change as the WiFi Alliance establishes a new, software-based standard that will enable cross-manufacturer interoperability.

macOS: It's important to know how to fine-tune your wireless router, because not every router can just auto-adjust your wireless network's settings to give you the highest quality connection. That, and a great wifi-analysis app can help you figure out the areas of your house or apartment that might need a little more wireless support -- either by adding another access point or adjusting your existing configuration.

As we add more connected devices to our homes we want to ensure that the wireless signal covers our homes as completely as possible. No-one wants a networking dead zone so finding ways to expand your home network easily can be a real lifesaver. It's possible to replace your entire network with a mesh networking system, but sometimes, a simple extender is all that's needed to bounce the signal a little further along. Let's look at some of the best options around.

Before you take a baseball bat to your WiFi router, there are a few apps which might help bring your home wireless network back from the dead.

There are literally thousands of Wi-Fi routers on the market. Look through the catalog of an office supply or local computer store, and you'll be faced with a plethora of choices. And some vendors make it hard to compare models by giving marketing-based names to features that are really the same as competitors. This is our guide to the must-have features in a home Wi-Fi router today and five of the best to choose from.

Public WiFi is one of those things that can be really handy. But it can be fraught with danger as bad guys either set up spoof access points or poor security means anyone can eavesdrop on your traffic and listen in on the data you transmit and receive. One security company decided to go on a war-driving journey, on their bikes, to track down the safest public WiFi in all the land.

Google Home and Chromecast devices are reportedly killing peoples' Wi-Fi. The problem, first reported by Android Police, originally seemed localised to users of the Google Home Max speaker (unavailable in Australia) and the cheap, but usually excellent, TP-Link Archer C7 router. However since Android Police first reported the problem, it seems to have spread to other Google devices and TP-Link routers.

Over recent weeks, I've been testing three different mesh network kits, the Linksys Velop, TP-Link Deco and Netgear Orbi. All three are competent but have different strengths and weaknesses. And while they all, more or less do the same thing - deliver wireless network access over a large are - they do differ in some ways. Here's where I'd spend my money.

Mesh network systems promise to increase wifi range without sacrificing performance as devices move further from the network core. They do this by using two or more access points that work in concert. Over the next few days, I'm going to look at three different systems; the Linksys Velop, Tp-link Deco and Netgear Orbi. Today, I start with the Velop system.

If you're looking for an interesting project to work on this weekend, you can turn a Raspberry Pi into a device that will drop Wi-Fi controlled drones right out of the sky with just a tap of your finger.

If you're away from home and in need of WiFi, Facebook can help you find it. Originally only available in a few countries, the social network's "Find WiFi" feature is now available around the world. With it you can locate available hotspots and nearby businesses, so you can quickly find a spot near you.

A serious Wi-Fi vulnerability was revealed yesterday, affecting nearly every Wi-Fi network and device using WPA or WPA2 security encryption. The Wi-Fi exploit, first reported by Ars Technica, takes advantage of a particular security flaw in the WPA2 wireless security standard, allowing attackers to intercept personal data as well as insert malware into websites a user visited.

Attackers can potentially gain access to encrypted information like usernames, passwords, and credit card data. Luckily, companies are already patching the flaw in order to prevent this potential hack from happening, but you'll need to do a little work on your end and update your devices.

KRACK - or the Key Reinstallation AttaCK - looks like the new infosec word we all need to know. According to the authors of a paper that will be presented at conference in a couple of weeks, Mathy Vanhoef of KU Leuven and Frank Piessens say they have found a way to circumvent WPA2 security - one of the key tools used for protecting wireless networks. If KRACk proves to be true, all bets are off when it comes to stopping eavesdroppers from listening in to your wireless network.