Network
Prioritize Wireless Networks for Your Mac
Matt Cone February 9, 2022
When you connect your Mac to a wi-fi network, your Mac remembers that network and will automatically attempt to connect to it in the future. This is a great feature for wi-fi networks you trust and use frequently. But sometimes your Mac will connect to the wrong wireless network. This is because your Mac maintains a prioritized list of wi-fi networks and tries to connect to networks that have a higher priority.
How to Access Hidden Mac Networking Tools
Matt Cone November 28, 2021
Your Mac contains some of the best networking hardware in the industry, but things can still go wrong. If you find that your wireless network connection is on the fritz, you may need to perform some troubleshooting. We talked previously about the networkquality command line tool, and that’s great for what it does, but you may need something else if you need to investigate problems with your wireless network. That’s where your Mac’s hidden network tools come in!
How to Check Your Mac's Network Quality
Matt Cone November 24, 2021
You’ve probably heard of Speedtest and Fast.com, two free tools you can use to check your network connection. But did you know that your Mac comes with a command line utility that allows you to check your Mac’s network quality, right from the Terminal application? The networkquality tool is included with every Mac running macOS 12 and later. This tool provides a variety of stats about your network connection and can help you benchmark your network throughout the day.
Tell Your Mac to Forget a Wireless Network
Matt Cone October 29, 2021
When you connect a Mac to a wi-fi network, the Mac remembers that network and will automatically attempt to connect to it in the future. This is a great feature for wi-fi networks you trust and use frequently. But mistakes happen. If you connect to the wrong network at a coffee shop, your Mac will automatically attempt to join that network every time you visit the coffee shop in the future.
How to Change the Name of Your iPad
Matt Cone March 25, 2021
Your iPad has a name that is visible to other devices on the network it’s connected to. This hostname can be important when trying to share files or otherwise communicate with another device. You can change the name of your iPad to give it a personal, memorable name that is easy to remember and recognize. Here’s how to change the name of your iPad: From your iPad’s home screen, tap Settings.
How to Change the Name of Your iPhone
Matt Cone March 24, 2021
Your iPhone has a name that is visible to other devices on the network it’s connected to. This hostname can be important when trying to share files or otherwise communicate with another device. You can change the name of your iPhone to give it a personal, memorable name that is easy to remember and recognize. Here’s how to change the name of your iPhone: From your iPhone’s home screen, tap Settings.
How to Change the Name of Your Mac
Matt Cone March 23, 2021
Your Mac has a name that is visible to other devices on the network it’s connected to. This hostname can be important when trying to share files or otherwise communicate with another device. You can change the name of your Mac to give it a personal, memorable name that is easy to remember and recognize. Here’s how to change the name of your Mac: From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
How to Find Your Mac's MAC Address
Matt Cone March 10, 2021
Each of your Mac’s network interfaces — such as the ethernet and Wi-Fi cards — have a permanent, unique serial number called a media access control (MAC) address. Some universities and employers may request your Mac’s MAC addresses to monitor or limit your access to certain networks. MAC addresses can also be used for less nefarious purposes. For example, if your computer 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 computer to a university network.
How to Set a Static IP Address on a Mac
Matt Cone February 19, 2021
When your Mac is connected to a private network in a home or office, it’s probably assigned what’s known as a dynamic IP address. (To check, see How to Find Your Mac’s IP Address.) That’s not a problem for the majority of users - most people don’t care whether their IP addresses changes or not. But dynamic IP addresses won’t work for certain tasks like port forwarding, dynamic DNS, or client-to-client file sharing on the local network.
How to Connect an iPad to a Wi-Fi Network
Matt Cone February 9, 2021
If you’re a new iPad owner, one of the first things you’ll need to learn how to do is connect your iPad to a wireless network. That’s because the iPad, being the small and portable device it is, just screams to be taken to the coffee shop. And the airport. And your friend’s house. All of which have wireless networks, or wi-fi networks as they’re referred to in iOS. Fortunately, it’s easy to connect an iPad to a wi-fi network.