Operation Gadget

Category: Wireless Networking

A Mesh WiFi Network is Important to Apple Home Success

Reading Time: 6 minutesIn order to maximize the chance of great Apple Home performance, Operation Gadget recommends installing a high performance, Mesh WiFi Network. It’s amazing how many people start installing Video Doorbells, Smart Plugs, Smart Switches, Smart Thermostats, and Smart Speakers, but then experience problems with those devices intermittently failing to work when you…

March 3, 2023
Heavily-Modded Microsoft Surface Tablets Used on NFL Sidelines for the First Time

Reading Time: 2 minutesLast night’s Hall of Fame game between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills was the first official NFL game where Microsoft Surface tablets were available as an alternative to printed overhead black and white photos. Operation Gadget was one of the first sites to capture a live picture from an…

August 4, 2014
The MacObserver Publishes Fantastic WiFi Tips from a Former Apple Engineer

Reading Time: < 1 minuteI get a lot of requests for help from people who have performance issues with WiFi networks at home and in public. It’s often difficult to help because most people know WiFi like they know electricity: as long as it does what they want it to do, they don’t think about…

July 11, 2014
Adding a Third iPhone to An Existing Post-Paid “Mobile Share” Wireless Plan

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe other day I was explaining to a friend how my son Jimmy ended up with the iPhone 4S that used to be my personal phone. I thought that this explanation might be helpful to our readers who are considering a similar purchase. Kathleen and I looked at the economics of…

November 19, 2013
AT&T Takes Away Unlimited Wireless Data Access Plans from Go Phone Customers

Reading Time: < 1 minuteI was a happy user of AT&T GoPhone for the past three months. That ended today. Up until November 12, AT&T provided unlimited monthly data service as a pay-as-you-go option for $19.99 per month. Once you bought this service, you could use either the 3G or EDGE wireless data networks. I…

November 17, 2008
I Changed My Mind on iPhone Tethering

Reading Time: < 1 minuteMy latest post on O’Reilly’s Inside iPhone is A Glimpse of Our Tethering Future where I recount my experiences working with a Nokia E71 and an application called JoikuSpot that turns the E71 into a 3G-powered ad hoc WiFi access point that you can carry in your pocket. My use of…

August 28, 2008
AirCell Gogo Successfully Used for a VoIP Call on a Transcontinental Flight

Reading Time: 2 minutesI haven’t really talked about AirCell or its Gogo inflight Internet access service since it first became available on American Airlines. But Andy Abramson turned me on to a little experiment with the service that he and Laptop Magazine’s Joanna Stern did yesterday that is absolutely worthy of mention. Andy reports that…

August 22, 2008
Why Tethering an iPhone 3G to a Laptop Doesn’t Make Sense

Reading Time: 2 minutesThere’s been a lot of discussion on Mac-related websites about whether the iPhone 3G should support tethering to a laptop or desktop computer. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, Wikipedia defines tethering as follows: Tethering in cellular wireless is the connection of a non-mobile device (e.g. desktop computer,…

June 20, 2008
iPhone 3G Rate Plan Estimated Monthly Costs: About $86 for 450 Minutes and Unlimited Data

Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the aftermath of the iPhone 3G announcement last Monday, a lot of people who are considering purchasing an iPhone for the first time are looking for information about AT&T rate plans that cover the iPhone 3G. I’ve had an iPhone for a year, so I am very familiar with AT&T’s total…

June 12, 2008