Articles by Matt Cone
Matt Cone is a technical writer at Fastly. He has experience creating documentation for organizations like Linode and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Matt’s first book, Master Your Mac, was published by No Starch Press. To get in touch with Matt, visit https://www.mattcone.com.
How to Find Your iPhone's MAC Address
March 25, 2013
Your iPhone’s Wi-Fi interface has a permanent, unique serial number called a media access control (MAC) address. Some universities and employers may request your iPhone’s MAC address to monitor or limit your access to certain Wi-Fi networks. MAC addresses can also be used for less nefarious purposes. For example, if your iPhone is stolen on a university’s campus, the IT department may be able to use its MAC address to trigger an alert when the criminal connects your iPhone to a university network.
Setting DHCP Reservations on Your AirPort
March 22, 2013
In a previous tutorial, you learned how to set a static IP address in Mac OS X to create a permanent, private IP address for your Mac that doesn’t change from one day to the next. But if you own an AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, or Time Capsule base station, you can use something called DHCP reservations to do essentially the same thing. What’s the difference between a static IP address and a DHCP reservation?
How to Configure Network Locations in OS X
March 14, 2013
Your Mac allows you to save and quickly switch between multiple network configurations, which are referred to as network locations in OS X. This is a useful feature for users who need to set network-specific proxies, DNS servers, or static IP addresses. You can also use network locations to specify settings for specific network interfaces, such as an Ethernet card, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection, and even VPN. Once you’ve created and saved different network locations, you can switch between them by using the Apple menu or System Preferences.
Creating a Dedicated 5GHz AirPort Network
March 13, 2013
AirPort base stations released after 2009 are capable of operating over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously. That means that when you connect a Mac, iPhone, or iPad to an AirPort’s wireless network, it will automatically select and use one of the bands for the best speed, consistency, and range. That should be fine under normal circumstances. The choice is made for you automatically, and you’ll probably never notice the difference.
How to Password Protect an AirPort's Settings
February 27, 2013
Whether you operate a guest network on your AirPort or simply use it to provide wireless access to the people in your home or workplace, you should ensure that your AirPort base station’s settings are protected with a strong password. Doing so will prevent users connected to the AirPort network from modifying the base station’s settings with the AirPort Utility application. The base station’s password is usually specified when setting up the AirPort, but it can be changed at any time.
How to Take a Screenshot on Your Mac
February 25, 2013
Need a way to capture your Mac’s entire screen or only a portion of it? Take a screenshot - a picture of your Mac’s screen that includes the windows and applications that are currently visible. You can take screenshots when creating documentation, explaining system settings to friends or family members, or just capturing something on your screen that you want to share with others. This tutorial shows you how. Capturing the Entire Screen Capturing everything on your Mac’s screen is the fastest and easiest way to take a screenshot.
How to Take a Screenshot on Your iPad
February 23, 2013
Taking a screenshot of your iPad allows you to capture whatever is on your iPad’s screen. It’s a great way to share your high game scores, message conversations, or setting configurations. Screenshots are saved as photos on your iPad, and if you use Photo Stream, they’re automatically shared with all of your other Apple devices. An example screenshot is shown below. Here’s how to take a screenshot of your iPad:
How to Create a Guest Network with an AirPort
February 20, 2013
Did you know that your AirPort base station is capable of creating two separate wi-fi networks? By enabling the guest network feature, you can create a second network specifically for guests or - since guest wi-fi networks can be open or protected with a password - authorized users. Creating a guest wi-fi network with your AirPort is easy and takes only a few minutes. This tutorial shows you how to do it.
Make Your iPad Ask to Join Wi-Fi Networks
February 19, 2013
By default, your iPad automatically connects to known wi-fi networks. (To stop an iPad from automatically connecting, you can tell your iPad to forget a wi-fi network.) But what happens if you take your iPad to a new location? You’ll need to manually connect your iPad to a wi-fi network. That’s a hassle. But if you have the foresight and inclination, you can save yourself time in the future by making your iPad ask to join wi-fi networks when no known networks are available.
Using Dropbox for Version Control
February 8, 2013
Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service that magically moves files from one device to another, but it’s probably not the first name that comes to mind when you think of version control. However, as you’ll learn in this tutorial, Dropbox has several powerful features that allow you “undo” any changes you make to files saved in your Dropbox folder. This is an absolute necessity for those of us who use Dropbox to store critically important files that can be accidentally modified or deleted.