4 brilliant tips for faster and safer WiFi for iPhone and Mac
To improve the WiFi in your home, you often do not have to adjust complicated settings or buy new hardware. With a few simple tricks, you can make your WiFi faster and safer. Below we have listed four in a row.
Change the order of your favorite WiFi networks
Is your Mac always connecting to the wrong Wi-Fi network? It is possible to adjust your preferred network via a list. Go to “System Preferences> Network”, choose “Wifi” on the left and then open “Advanced”. On the “Wifi” tab, you can simply drag the networks in the desired order – the top network is the most important. In addition, you can disable the automatic connection to certain WiFi networks here. To do this, uncheck the “Connect automatically” column.
Give your iPhone internet from the Mac… and vice versa
When you’re out and about with your MacBook and need the internet, you use the “Personal Hotspot” function. Click on the Wi-Fi icon at the top right of your Mac and select your iPhone there. Immediately you go online via your phone’s mobile network – your iPhone works as a router in this case. But did you know that this can also be done the other way around? For example, are you in a hotel room without WiFi, with only an Ethernet connection on the wall? Via a trick, you give iPhone internet, via your Mac. On the Mac, go to “System Preferences> Sharing”, activate “Material Caching” on the left and check the box “Internet Connection”. If you now connect your iPhone to the Mac with a Lightning cable, it will pass on its internet connection.
This way you are safe at a public hotspot
We are often asked whether it is safe to surf on a public hotspot. Well, there are exceptions, but in general, public WiFi is always less secure than your personal one. It is better to avoid public WiFi networks without password protection, networks with a password are slightly better. The best way to protect yourself on a public Wi-Fi is to use a VPN. There are a lot of services that offer a VPN for a monthly fee (for example Tunnelbear). Installing such a VPN is a matter of choosing a service and downloading and launching the relevant app on the iPhone.
Use a guest network
We have previously explained how you can easily share your WiFi password with friends and family. However, a better way is to create a guest network. Almost all routers, including those of providers, offer such an option on the web interface. For Apple AirPort routers, use the “AirPort Utility”. In the settings, look for the option to enable the guest network and give it a clear name and password.