Archives for December 2022

Your top priority is keeping your family and home protected and safe from harm. 

Thankfully, today’s technology can help you feel safe by making you more aware of what’s happening outside your home, no matter where you are. And smart home technology can help deter crime, as well.

Your neighbors at Northcentral Connect understand your concerns and desire to keep your family safe. We are also a part of our community and are proud to help serve and keep people informed, connected, healthy and secure. That’s why we’ve put together this brief guide to smart home security that anyone connected to our high-speed fiber network can learn from and put to good use.

This concise overview highlights some of the most well-regarded smart home security measures and technology recommended by home safety experts. 

Smart Doorbells

Smart doorbells help you see who is at your door before you answer. They also monitor any activity on your doorstep, front porch, driveway and even on the street in some cases. These devices can help prevent deliveries and packages from being stolen and deter suspicious activity at your home.

Smart Security Cameras

A smart security camera setup is a must for those looking for more robust security. 

You can install a smart security camera system anywhere in or outside your home, from the driveway to the backyard. Many smart security cameras are designed with motion sensors, so any time a person—or even larger wildlife—is detected, you will know it. 

You can also use smart security cameras with motion-sensing outdoor lighting, which will also help deter unwanted visitors. Best of all, smart security cameras connect to your home’s WiFi and all your devices, keeping you notified of activity outside your home.

Smart Lighting and Glass-Break Detectors

Other state-of-the-art smart home tools can improve safety and security. 

For example, glass-break detectors can alert you to intruders. Because they connect to your home’s fiber network, your family will be notified of a break-in. 

And smart lights detect motion and send notifications to your phone or tablet, alerting you to be on your guard.

Personal Medical Alert and Emergency Devices

Seniors and others with mobility limitations or chronic health problems need quick communication with first responders.  

When there’s an acute health emergency or other safety concern, personal medical alert and emergency devices can connect people to first responders at the touch of a button. During an emergency, there’s no need for seniors to locate and use a phone, as making contact with emergency personnel is simple and fast with these outstanding devices.

Don’t Forget About Network and Online Security

At Northcentral Connect, we take the security and stability of our network very seriously. Our engineers and technicians constantly work to keep the network safe from attacks.  But there are also some steps you can take to protect your data and online privacy.

Keep your home network safe from hackers and phishing attacks by using strong anti-virus software and apps on all your devices, as well as password managers to safeguard your accounts. 

And be sure to use a complex password that is difficult to guess—and not the same as all of your other passwords! Ad blockers can also save both aggravation and the unseemly tendency of advertisers to track your online activity.

These are just some innovative devices and services available to put Smart Home technology to good use for home safety and security. But as always, practice common sense in and around your home and online.

Keep front and back doors locked (and car doors, too). And avoid clicking on suspicious emails or untrustworthy links, so you don’t become a victim of a security breach. 

Don’t forget that smart technology and intelligent decision-making keep our neighborhoods and communities safer.

Follow Northcentral Connect’s social pages to learn more about how smart home technology can help make your home more efficient and safer.

We’ve all experienced occasional slower internet speeds from time to time.

And too often, this happens at the worst times, like when you’ve finally gotten a moment to binge that show everyone is always harping on about! For some of us, though, slower internet speeds and poor streaming are regular occurrences.

We get the frustration. And just because you have the fast and reliable fiber internet provided by Northcentral Connect there can be many reasons why you still get slower speeds and poorer performance.

Below we discuss some of the sneaky suspects that slow down your speed and recommend ways to improve it. 

We discuss the problem of continuing to use outdated technology. We then go through the next most common issue: WiFi router placement and two kinds of interference that can cause slowdowns, physical interference and signal interference. 

With a few simple changes, you’ll experience consistently faster internet speeds.

Older Routers Don’t Handle Higher Internet Speed Capabilities

Let’s start with the most common culprit for Wi-Fi problems and slower internet speeds: an out dated router.

Everyone knows technology changes quickly. But most of us don’t upgrade that technology yearly, including our WiFi routers. So while many people get a new smartphone or tablet every couple of years, too many of us have not upgraded our WiFi routers to keep up.

Newer WiFi routers, especially those made after 2019, can handle and disperse much higher internet speeds than older models. Specifically, be sure to look for routers that utilize at least 802.11ac technology, more commonly called Wireless AC or WiFi 5.

Better yet, the latest Wi-Fi technology is called 802.11ax, or WiFi 6. This upgraded equipment can greatly increase internet performance and capacity, allowing WiFi speeds to exceed one gigabit or more per second. However, as you will see below, newer equipment is not the only thing that matters!

WiFi Router Placement Problems Due to Physical Interference

Poor WiFi router placement is one of the most common problems that plague homes with slow internet.

To begin with, it’s important to remember that WiFi disperses its signal both horizontally and vertically (straight ahead and up and down).

Objects that are physically “in the way” of that signal can interfere with the quality and strength of the Wi-Fi signal before it reaches your devices. Below are the most common physical interferences in many homes that lead to slow internet speeds. 

Glass and Windows

One of the biggest slow internet speed culprits is glass and windows.

Glass and windows can cause significant interference. Avoid WiFi router placement too close to windows or other glass, as that can “deplete” too much signal and waste precious internet speed your smart TV needs to stream your favorite content.

Walls and Similar Obstructions

Fireplaces, wall units, cabinets and similar obstructions will interfere with the WiFi signal. Reinforced concrete, which some walls in your home may consist of, is a particularly obstructing material. With this in mind, choose your WiFi router’s location, and try to minimize interference with these sneaky speed-stealing objects. 

Televisions and Other Electronic Equipment

A TV is another typical problem for Wi-Fi.

 In many homes the WiFi router is located near the television; and perhaps behind it so it’s hidden from view.  This is a big no-no, as your television is loaded with electronic equipment that blocks Wi-Fi signal and its ability to spread throughout your home.

Do your best to give your router as wide a berth as possible from your television and other electronics-heavy equipment like receivers and DVD players. 

Signal Interference

Beyond the physical objects that interfere with Wi-Fi, other items in your home put off signals that can cause slower internet speeds, too. Three of the most common are highlighted below, and you should take care when placing your WiFi router too closely to any of them.

 Microwave Ovens

In many homes, the WiFi router is in the kitchen. And it’s likely your microwave oven is slowing down your Wi-Fi.

Microwaves operate at the same frequency as many Wi-Fi routers—2.4GHz. That means that microwaves can interfere with WiFi signal. Provide your router with as much distance from your microwave as possible, and consider relocating it out from the kitchen if the interference continues.

Bluetooth Devices

You should also know that Bluetooth devices can obstruct WiFi signals and slow down internet speeds as they “hop” around different frequencies.

There may be many more Bluetooth devices active in your home than the common ones you’re probably thinking of, such as your smartphone and tablet. A Bluetooth mouse, ear buds, speakers and even toothbrushes are typical in nearly every home. So be mindful of using too many Bluetooth devices simultaneously if your internet speeds are slow.

Baby Monitors and Walkie-Talkies

This one surprises many people, but baby monitors and similar devices that transmit sound waves over a distance can interfere with WiFi! 

Like microwave ovens, baby monitors and walkie-talkies operate on the same frequency as WiFi. Try to be careful where you place baby monitors in the house, or consider moving your router if the interference persists.

When you upgrade your Wi-Fi router to the latest, higher-speed capacity technology and wisely locate it, you can significantly improve your internet speeds.

But don’t forget that appliances, devices and equipment cause slowdowns, too! Doing so will make your streaming and browsing experience much more satisfying.

To learn more ways to improve your home’s internet speed and performance, follow Northcentral Connect’s social pages!

Online gaming is no longer just a leisure activity for teenagers and young adults. It is big business, with a market value worth tens of billions of dollars a year, employing thousands of digital programmers, engineers, designers, and artists, and an increasingly growing online competition sector called “esports.”

While online gaming continues to be as fun as it’s always been, and new processing power and intensifying graphic technology make video games more life-like and spectacular than ever before, advanced streaming platforms, esports and gaming tournaments are taking online gaming to a new level.

And thanks to improved fiber internet technology, such as the fiber network provided by Northcentral Connect, more players in literally every corner of America—and the entire world—can get in on the online gaming action.

Read on to learn more about the streaming gaming phenomenon and why it’s worth checking out!

Online Gaming in the Cloud Elevates Video Games to New Heights

Cloud-based gaming technology enables players to test their skill against competitors worldwide.

Whether “massively multiplayer online games” consisting of hundreds or even thousands of simultaneous players or simple one-on-one duels, gamers simply need to access their accounts, select their game, find their opponents or teammates and start playing. 

And the variety of games available to play is astounding. From simulated sports like football and soccer, to idyllic fantasy worlds to explore and survive, to designing and engineering buildings and even entire cities or civilizations, to war games and battlefield tactics, there is a game to satisfy just about anyone’s tastes.

But online gaming also provides a social component that had been conspicuously absent in previous video game eras.

Today’s streaming gaming platforms allow players to communicate, strategize, and even form friendships in a way that was impossible before. Apps like Twitch and Discord even let players record and broadcast their games widely, and allow fans to watch their every intricate move and tactic.

And the more competitive aspects of gaming help build teams and collaboration beyond individual skills. Thus, today’s online gaming is more than just about “owns” or putting up “W’s” or even economic gains—it’s about interaction and problem-solving among like-minded individuals working toward a common goal.

In this way, online gaming is not dissimilar to playing in little league or youth soccer or on the office’s softball team!

Popular Streaming Gaming Services

Online gaming among multiple players takes place on streaming platforms that enable players from different zip codes and time zones—even continents—to play against each other on the same gaming server in real-time. Some of the most common streaming services include those developed and maintained by the largest video game companies in the world.

Sony, which makes the PlayStation 5, has its own streaming platform, PlayStation Plus (which now includes the previously called PlayStation Now). Xbox and its Games Pass allow players to test their prowess on Xbox’s extensive library of acclaimed games. A membership with Nintendo Switch Online is required to play Nintendo games online, but it also offers up classic Nintendo 64 games to play.

Fostering Community–and Improving the Local Economy

Because online gaming isn’t just about the individual gamer but about forging connections and building community, online gaming also provides an opportunity for broader economic development to help towns and cities grow.

According to industry estimates, the economic “spillover effect” of sponsoring and hosting esports tournaments and other online gaming events is considerable.

In 2022, the economic impact of hosting an esports competition in Atlanta, Georgia and Raleigh, North Carolina, was $1.78 million and $1.45 million, respectively.

In addition, thousands of gamers attended each event, helping small businesses like restaurants and shops thrive. Even state governments recognize the value of esports and online gaming tournaments to the broader economy, as legislation is being considered in North Carolina to incentivize and encourage more esports events.

More gamers and gaming groups and clubs are needed in our towns and cities to continue the industry’s growth.

These gamers need reliable, high-speed fiber internet to participate in online gaming events, locally-hosted and remotely played. And communities need high-speed fiber internet to serve and attract gamers and gaming tournaments.

At Northcentral Connect, we are proud of our efforts to provide the most reliable fiber network available and benefit both the growing online gaming phenomenon and our community’s broader economy.

It’s easy to see both the local and the global reach—and importance—of online gaming. And as technology develops and internet speeds and connectivity improve, online gaming will become an even more significant part of the world’s economy and broader culture.

Be sure to follow Northcentral Connect’s social pages to learn more about our high-speed fiber network and how it can help keep you connected to online gaming and the broader global economy, too!