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).

Dear Lifehacker, Lately it seems like my high speed connection is bogged down, and I'm getting a creepy feeling that someone's stealing my bandwidth on my Wi-Fi network.

How can I find out if other people are leeching my Wi-Fi, and how do I stop them if they are?

I've always been a fan of Valve's Steam streaming, because it means you don't have to lug your desktop PC around your house or apartment whenever you feel like gaming somewhere else. Though your laptop might not be able to run The Witcher 3 natively - or at least, not very well - it's a lot easier to let your gaming desktop do all the heavy lifting and stream its output to another device, such as the three-year-old laptop you're using from your backyard hammock.

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."

Today's "I'll believe it when I see it" iPhone rumour-mongering concerns not the iPhone itself, but its charger - the most important accessory you'll find in its meticulously crafted packaging. As the speculation goes, Apple is allegedly considering bumping up the default charger for the iPhone 9 or iPhone X2: from 5W to 18W.

You check into your hotel after a hard day of travelling. All you want to do is kick off your shoes, set the temperature to whatever hot or cold extreme you wouldn't be able to get away with at home, and say hello to your Netflix queue before some much-earned rest. And then you realise the terrible truth: Your Wi-Fi connection is horrible or, worse, non-existent.

Netgear has long been a significant player in the networking business. The Orbi is their play in the competitive world of mesh networking, that uses multiple wireless devices that interoperate to cover a large area with a single WLAN.Netgear sent me me three different Orbi systems to try out. I've reviewed their premium system, the AC3000 system, which is designed to cover up to 350 square metres of area.

Free wi-fi is a windfall, especially if you're working from the library or airport, or if you just want to save data on your phone or laptop. Still, you do have to care about security when you're out and about. Here's how to surf safely, on any device.

A security researcher from F-Secure has discovered that toggling WiFi and Bluetooth in the iOS Control Centre doesn't actually turn the radios off. Aside from being completely counter-intuitive, it means the device's threat surface remains broader than users realise.

Wires are no fun, especially when they're attached to your earphones. That's why many headphone manufacturers are making the push towards Bluetooth and wireless listening. While there are plenty of wireless earphones on the market, the HBQ i7 Twins True Wireless Earphones stand out from the pack with their next-level comfort and truly wireless design.

According to Qantas' latest financial results, its domestic trial of free Wi-Fi has gone swimmingly -- so much so that from late next month, the airline plans to "accelerate" the service's rollout.

Wireless networks have been a great boon to businesses. Being able to connect to a network from almost anywhere using any device without being tethered by a cable has completely changed the way businesses operate. But when they don't work as expected they can be an epic pain in the butt to troubleshoot. That's where the NETSCOUT AirCheck G2 comes in handy. It can scan your wireless LAN and alert you to dead spots, rogue access points and sources of interference.

The first router I saw was in the mid 1990s. The company I worked for was a very early adopter of the Internet, at least in the commercial world. After spending a couple of nights with the network manager and his technical support guy dragging Ethernet and coaxial cables through the office roof space we hooked everything up through a router that cost more than most of us earned that year. Today, more than 20 years later, a faster and more capable device costs less than a day's pay for some of us.

Synology's RT2600ac router, at a touch under $400 (if you pay full retail) lets you connect printers and external storage using USB, four devices over gigabit Ethernet, and wireless devices using 802.11 b/g/n/a/ac.

Last week's 4.50 system update introduced a bunch of new features to the PlayStation 4. Unfortunately for some, that includes crippling wireless network lag. While Sony looks into the issue, there are a couple of temporary workarounds to keep you playing online.

I am not an audiophile, but I do love convenience. And comfort. And it is quite inconvenient when you just want to use your headphones to drown out the subway and find yourself tangled in a cord like an invasive weed, or when the sound is dominated by the rustling stethoscopic vibrations of said cord. It is more convenient to have no wires at all. If you are also a fan of convenience, perhaps you should try some wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Rumours have been flying that some upcoming smartphones won't include the now-standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Intel even thinks consumers will eventually prefer USB-C to the normal jack. Would you?

With billions of wireless devices shipped across the globe every year, it is safe to assume that most of us carry at least one wireless gadget with us most of the time. The number of wearables to be shipped this year alone is expected to exceed 100 million. Interestingly, one-third of wearables next year will be rather inconspicuous, with smart contact lenses and connected jewellery also hitting the market. These wireless devices leave digital footprints via leaked radio signals that can be used by police to track down thieves who steal these gadgets. Here's how.

Dodgy Wi-Fi is the bane of human existence (or close to anyway), and even worse when it’s at home. There always seems to be a black spot (hint, it's on the toilet, or in bed), or random hard to pin down interference that causes Netflix to buffer. Fortunately, there are a bunch of easy ways to diagnose and improve your Wi-Fi woes.

Back in 2015, the US FCC introduced new guidelines that looked like a threat to anyone wanting to hack and install open firmware on their routers. They backed off, but a lot of manufacturers are still locking their devices down, just in case. Linksys, the company announced last week, isn't one of them.