MSPNetworks Blog

What do you do if you have forgotten your wireless router’s password? You could restore the router back to its default settings, of course, but what if you have, like a dummy, never changed the router’s password in the first place? This Internet password repository could be your saving grace.

RouterPasswords.com

RouterPasswords.com is a website built to document default usernames and passwords for wireless routers. It’s run by a community of users for a community of users. Essentially, anyone can submit their default username and password for their router to help anyone out who may have forgotten it somewhere down the line. They make a point to highlight that the username and password of the router is not the one set by your Internet service provider–rather, they want the factory-set default credentials. Once the credentials have been reviewed by an administrator, they are added to the online repository.

It’s also worth mentioning that this site can be helpful from a technician’s perspective as well, as identifying the default username and password for a device can mean less work and less time spent troubleshooting an issue, if that is indeed the problem at hand.

In addition to having the largest default router password repository on the Internet (according to them, at least), the website also provides tips and tricks for how to manage router settings, reviews for the latest wireless routing technologies, and news related to wireless technology.

There is a Dark Side to This Website Existing

Of course, there is also the negative consequence of a website like this existing in that, if you can use it, so can anyone else on the Internet—hackers included. Imagine that you are a hacker and you’re trying to find the path of least resistance into a wireless network. You notice that the device’s wireless network name was never changed or set up beyond the factory default, so you assume that the wireless network’s password is also the factory default.

From there, well, you can guess where this story goes.

You should always change your wireless network’s name and password for this very reason. Tools like this exist to make users’ lives easier, but they inadvertently also make the lives of hackers easier, too.

Reinforce Your Wireless Practices with Us!

MSPNetworks can of course help you shore up any weaknesses that might exist in your business’ wireless network policies and connections. With us on your side, you’ll have a staunch ally in the fight against cybercrime. To learn more, contact us at (516) 403-9001 today.

Sometimes you might encounter situations where your network is limited in the amount of data it can process at any given time. The unfortunate truth is that it can be difficult to identify exactly what the problem is that is causing the slowdown, but one of the most common issues—the network bottleneck—is a pretty safe bet. But what exactly is a bottleneck, and what can be done to solve it?

Consider the design of a bottle; it is rounded at the bottom with the top growing more narrow as you reach the opposite end. The design itself seems to be one that limits the amount of fluid that can pass through it at any given time to keep you from drenching yourself in whatever it is you are drinking.

For another example, imagine a two-lane highway on a busy day. With so many cars traveling to the same destination, both lanes need to be functioning at maximum efficiency to deliver the traffic in a safe and effective way. What happens if the path is restricted to just one lane, though? Can the road handle the same amount of traffic, or does traffic grind to a slow and painful crawl? We’ll let you call on your own experiences during the morning commute for that answer.

A network bottleneck is similar in the sense that the amount of data is restricted by the design or limitations of its container. The flow of data throughout your network infrastructure is governed by the bandwidth and capabilities of its hardware. If the network is trying to transport too much data at the same time, a network bottleneck can surface, creating problems in the process. Here are some of the common causes of network bottlenecks; these causes are generally caused by issues related to the hardware components:

• CPUs
• Graphical processing units
• RAM shortages

Network bottlenecks are known to create several issues that can impact the efficiency of a network and the productivity of its users. With insufficient resources to transport data, the network may experience considerable slowdown that impedes your company’s ability to function. Tasks that would normally take a small amount of time might be longer or drawn out, forcing your employees to either rush through the tasks to get them done on-time and on-budget, or worse, skipped over entirely in favor of other tasks that can actually be completed. You don’t need us to tell you how much of a problem this can be.

Depending on the nature and design of your network, you might have bottlenecks that are completely accidental and have gone by the wayside for far too long. Furthermore, unless you are actively looking for them, it can be tricky to find where exactly they are. Thankfully, you don’t have to go through this process on your own. With the help of professionals like us, you too can find bottlenecks and dramatically improve the performance of your network.

MSPNetworks can help your business discover and address network inefficiencies, including bottlenecks. To learn more about our network audit services, among others, give us a call at (516) 403-9001.

2020 was a contentious—and for the wireless industry, momentous—year. Marking the official start of 5G networks, 2020’s events amongst mobile providers helped to reinvigorate an industry, while making some considerable shifts in the balance. Let’s consider some of these changes, and how the industry will continue to change for some time moving forward as 5G continues to grow.

How 5G Offerings Have Shaped Up

When 2020 first rolled around, Verizon was America’s largest carrier by far, followed by AT&T with T-Mobile (at the time, trying to merge with/acquire Sprint) trailing along afterwards. In terms of the networks these carriers offered, Verizon was focused on implementing millimeter-wave networks in some cities while T-Mobile was pushing a nationwide low-band 5G option that was very similar to 4G. As for AT&T, they were experimenting with both.

Now, as we begin 2021, Verizon remains the largest carrier, but T-Mobile now leads in the 5G race with the largest network availability and has passed AT&T to become the second-largest provider. Furthermore, T-Mobile has been rolling out a mid-band 5G network with faster speeds and better coverage. AT&T has focused on offering promotions to their customers. Of course, these are just overall nationwide statistics, everything is going to be different depending on what part of the world you live in.

This has spurred on some fierce competition between Verizon and T-Mobile, with both outlining ambitious goals for 2021. T-Mobile intends to expand its network to cover 200 million people by the time 2021 ends with its faster mid-band network. Adding to T-Mobile’s accomplishments, they were first to launch a standalone 5G network… although the other carriers intend to follow suit sooner than later.

Verizon, on the other hand, plans to go all-in on millimeter wave technology. Therefore, their strategy is primarily to focus on improvements to their networks in the cities where it has been implemented already, optimizing its indoor use and performance.

Both are also looking to 5G’s potential where home broadband comes into play. With both companies seeking to expand further into home Internet delivery, there is certainly considerable potential for either… as well as for the users who would benefit from these services.

AT&T, for their part, plans to improve how responsive their 5G network is.

Current Issues with 5G

Of course, 5G is far from perfect. In terms of the low-band network connectivity, all options remain close to 4G connectivity. However, that could be slated to change in the future, with the Federal Communications Commission auctioning off more of the mid-band network and both competitively participating. Regardless, the timeline for any improvements resulting from this auction still places any good coverage coming from the mid-band spectrum at least two or three years from now.

So, while 5G will undoubtedly have some influence on mobile connectivity and its potential uses, we still have some time to wait. What do you think? Are you anticipating or planning for some of the opportunities that 5G might open for your operations? Let us know in the comments, and for assistance in making the most of your business’ networking, reach out to our team at (516) 403-9001.

It is important that you have a handle on the technology that your business utilizes, which will require you to maintain comprehensive documentation regarding it and its support. Here, we’ll go through what a managed service provider includes in this documentation, as well as how it is used.

What Does This Documentation Include?

In short, everything there is to know about every piece of technology you rely upon to function. This can easily be divided between your hardware and software resources:

Hardware

This documentation covers all the information about the physical devices you use.

Serial/Model Numbers — This allows for simple identification of the technology that needs support, as well as the kind of device it is for your support team’s benefit.

Purchase Dates — Knowing when a piece of hardware was acquired can help you to make decisions when weighing the cost benefits of repairing or replacing it if something were to go wrong.

Warranty Information — Knowing whether a piece of equipment is still under warranty can also help the above decision-making process. After all, why buy something new if you can get it replaced or repaired for free?

Installation Dates — Again, like the purchase date of a piece of hardware, knowing when it was installed can help with the troubleshooting process if it were to need support.

Physical Locations — Knowing where a piece of IT is located not only helps your support team to service it more easily, it enables you to keep better track of where your assets are.

Device Names — Standardized technology deployments can make it challenging to confirm if the right device is in the right spot. Naming the device helps to differentiate it from the others just like it.

IP Addresses — Much like it helps you to know the physical location of each device, knowing the IP address simply helps you to identify a device on your network.

Support Information — Finally, keeping your hardware documented makes it easier to locate the appropriate support information, should it ever be needed.

Software

Meanwhile, this documentation covers all the critical information about the software you possess.

Product Licenses — This is effectively the same as the serial number on a hardware solution. This tells you the individual identification number of the copy (or copies) of the software you are able to use.

Purchase Dates — Again, knowing when you acquired something is an invaluable data point concerning its support, as it helps define if your solution is under warranty and other important variables.

Install Dates — Similarly, knowing when a software solution was installed can provide a variety of important information, particularly involving any weaknesses in its programming.

Subscription Details — Or, in other words, how many of a software’s capabilities are you able to use, and for how long? This is vital to know if you want to keep these tools available to your users.

Usernames — Speaking of your users, you need to define who can access each software title with their username. This will help you keep track of each user’s capabilities and permissions.

Version History — Finally, keeping track of the current version of each of your software will allow you to know if an update is called for, or if there are any vulnerabilities that you need to be concerned about.

Of course, you should also maintain documentation on the proper procedures to maintain all these solutions, as well.

What is the Benefit of All This Documentation?

With the help of a managed service provider like MSPNetworks, these in-depth records immediately become worth the effort. In addition to simply keeping this documentation up-to-date, an MSP will also refer to it as a resource.

Let’s assume that one of your hardware solutions begins acting up. It doesn’t really matter which, as the MSP working with you has up-to-date records of all of them. So, as your desktop/router/server is acting up, the MSP not only has a historical record to help them shape their approach, they have additional data to help guide their decision.

For instance, if this piece of technology has required you to spend excessive time on it over a given timeframe, you will have that data tucked away in your documentation. As a result, the next time an issue arises, you will be able to determine if it is more economical to replace said technology than it would be to continue repairing it.

In many ways, documentation simply serves as a better alternative to relying on memory.

If you’re interested in learning more about how working with MSPNetworks can benefit your business processes through improved documentation and so many other means, give our team a call at (516) 403-9001! 

Data is one of a business’ most important assets, and as such, it needs to be kept in such a way that it remains organized and utilizable. This has led to widespread use of databases in businesses, which has necessitated the use of database management systems. Let’s take a closer look at these systems, and why they are so crucial.

For a frame of reference, let’s imagine that our database is actually a library, and all of the books inside are actually our data. Following this analogy, the database management system (or DBMS) is like the Dewey Decimal System… it keeps the contents of your database/library organized and usable.

The Function of a DBMS

As you may have already figured out, the database management system helps you secure and organize the data stored in your database. By allowing you to better keep track of your database’s activity, you maintain more control over your database.

This control, paired with the added convenience of the DBMS, offers you a variety of benefits. These benefits include.

• A DBMS allows you to restrict access to data that an end user has.
• Users have a simpler time finding the data they need.
• It eliminates the need to restructure data to use different programs.
• Administration procedures can be unified.
• A DBMS makes data processing more economical.
• Data inconsistencies between file systems are eliminated.
• A DBMS allows for simultaneous data access between multiple users.

So, when all is said and done, a DBMS can simplify your users’ tasks, without sacrificing your control or data security.

If you want to optimize your business’ productivity and efficacy, MSPNetworks is here to help. Call (516) 403-9001 today to discuss your particular needs with us.

That’s an interesting question, as there are many things that can create some form of lag in a business’ network. Let’s go into some common causes of this slowness, starting with one clear indication that something is up.

Causes of Lag

Insufficient Bandwidth

You may be demanding too much of your Internet service at a given time, leaving too little bandwidth for your desired process to complete efficiently. If you consistently encounter issues, you may consider investing in a greater bandwidth for your business. Before doing that, check to make sure nobody is misusing the company network. If employees are streaming video content, uploading a lot of data, or other things that might not be a part of their everyday job responsibilities, you might experience bottlenecks due to this overwhelming amount of unnecessary traffic. Setting up a content filter is a good way to block a lot of this.

Hardware and Software Issues

This one is straightforward: out-of-date software and older hardware simply won’t work as well as the newer stuff, which could lead to network issues.

Malware

Many examples of malware can tax your network, hindering its performance and holding you back, among other detrimental outcomes to your data security and efficiency.

Network Misconfiguration

The issue may really be within your network in the form of poor configurations. An internal audit can help you identify if this applies to you.

Issues with the ISP/Website

On the off chance your Internet service provider is experiencing issues, your performance will see some detrimental impacts. There isn’t much you can do about this other than reaching out to your ISP. The same goes for those times that you’re accessing an online tool or cloud-based database. If things aren’t working right on the provider’s end, you will also have difficulty.

Latency

Latency is just one side effect of a greater issue; and, is also one of the most frustrating for a user to experience.

When your computer reaches out to another part of a network, like a website, it sends a small data packet (known as a ping) to confirm that there is a connection made through call-and-response. Latency is the delay in the time it takes for the ping to be sent out and returned. The higher the latency, the longer it takes, and the worse the user’s experience is.

Like we said, frustrating.

There are many reasons that you may be experiencing high latency, which can impact the operation of your entire network and each of your processes.

Reach out to your IT resource for more assistance with your network’s performance, or give the team here at MSPNetworks a call. We can be reached at (516) 403-9001.