All articles tagged with #wifi
BBC’s feature explains that Wi‑Fi can be disrupted by quirky, everyday culprits—from microwaves (2.4 GHz) and water in fish tanks causing ‘shadowing’ to dense walls and signal reflections off mirrors or metal surfaces, with weather affecting outdoor infrastructure; practical fixes include central, high router placement, using 5 GHz where possible, and deploying extenders or mesh networks to eliminate dead zones.
Valve released SteamOS 3.8.14 to fix WiFi-speed throttling caused by routers misadvertising their MCS requirements; the update is available to non-Valve machines, with a Steam Deck beta (3.8.22) in the Beta/Preview channels and a public release expected within days. It’s unclear whether Steam Machines will receive the update.
Apple is gearing up to release iOS 26.5.2 to address Wi‑Fi reliability, battery drain, and Low Power Mode lag, while adding bug fixes and security patches. The update is expected in the coming days, with Apple typically releasing on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and is part of a broader roadmap that includes iOS 26.6 in beta and iOS 27 planned for later this year.
Microsoft Teams is rolling out a feature called Workplace Check-in via Wi‑Fi that automatically updates a user’s work location when they connect to the organization’s corporate Wi‑Fi. The general availability rollout began in June 2026 (Roadmap ID 488800), extending the existing manual check-in by passively surfacing location within Teams. It’s available on Desktop and Mac across Worldwide Standard multi-tenant instances, but disabled by default and controlled by tenant admins. Users can opt in or out, ensuring a privacy-forward approach while helping coordinate in-person collaboration in hybrid work environments.
Microsoft Teams will roll out a Workplace Check-in feature in June 2026 that uses the company Wi‑Fi to indicate whether an employee is in the office. Admins enable the feature and employees can opt out; it does not provide precise location data. While aimed at simplifying attendance coordination, it raises ongoing privacy concerns about monitoring in the workplace.
German researchers demonstrated that ordinary WiFi signals can identify people with near-perfect accuracy by analyzing how radio waves reflect off their bodies using beamforming feedback information, even if the person isn’t carrying a device or has their phone off. The finding raises serious privacy concerns, suggesting routers could serve as covert surveillance tools; experts urge safeguards in the upcoming IEEE 802.11bf standard.
A Dartmouth study showed curved, precision-shaped aluminum reflectors can steer Wi‑Fi and boost signal in a specific direction by up to about 50%, but DIY foil behind a router yields smaller gains (roughly 10–20%) and concentrates existing power rather than increasing total output. It can cause overheating and is not a substitute for proper router placement, extenders, or mesh systems; regulatory limits mean this is a temporary, directional tweak rather than a fix-all.
Gizmodo reviews the $299 Sonos Play, a portable speaker that also serves as a Wi‑Fi hub for a Sonos ecosystem and can pair with other Plays for stereo or multi‑room playback. It delivers surprisingly big sound for its size, competes with Bose’s SoundLink Plus, supports on‑the‑fly Bluetooth linking, Trueplay tuning, and voice assistants, and boasts IP67 durability with a replaceable battery that lasts about a day. Still, it’s pricey, lacks Dolby Atmos, and rearranging from a stereo pair back to a single speaker isn’t entirely seamless. Overall, it’s a strong comeback for Sonos, blending home and on‑the‑go listening.
An open-source edge system named RuView uses WiFi Channel State Information to reconstruct full-body human poses through walls in real time, enabling passive surveillance with privacy and security implications, and it runs on inexpensive ESP32-class devices with no cloud dependency.
Researchers call AirSnitch a cross‑layer Wi‑Fi attack that undermines client isolation at Layers 1–2, enabling bidirectional man‑in‑the‑middle traffic across guest networks, home, and enterprise setups. The technique can intercept and alter traffic, steal cookies and credentials, and DNS data, potentially even when HTTPS is used. It affects a wide range of devices from major vendors and may require hardware changes; some updates exist, but the recommended defenses include VPNs and moving toward zero‑trust networking. In practice, users should be cautious on unknown public APs and consider tethering via mobile data or trusted VPNs until fixes are widely deployed.
Switch your Smart TV from WiFi to a wired Ethernet connection for a faster, more stable streaming experience; connect a Cat5e/Cat8 cable from your router to the TV’s LAN port, then enable Wired in the TV’s settings. Netflix lists about 15 Mbps for 4K and 25 Mbps for smoother loading; Ethernet can also reduce ping for gaming and apps. While researchers have demonstrated ultra-fast speeds in labs, practical home use should stick with wired Ethernet for now.
KIT researchers show that ordinary WiFi traffic can be analyzed to reconstruct camera‑like images and identify people without anyone carrying a device, achieving near‑perfect accuracy in their study and raising privacy concerns that call for stronger protections in the IEEE 802.11bf standard.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz developed Pulse-Fi, a system that uses WiFi signals to monitor heart rate without sensors or wires, by analyzing variations in WiFi channel information caused by heartbeats, potentially enabling wireless health monitoring and other RF-based detections.
Chipmakers are celebrating the advent of AI-powered PCs, calling it the most exciting development since the birth of WiFi.
Tesla's latest update brings the ability to hide unused music services and explicit content, as well as changes to WiFi and Bluetooth menus. Additionally, Elon Musk announced plans to produce the Tesla Semi in Europe at Giga Berlin, aligning with the company's expansion goals. The update also includes changes to turn signal icons and the introduction of a new WiFi menu, reflecting Tesla's ongoing efforts to refine its software and enhance user experience.