New Articles on PlugThingsIn.com

So we added a few new articles and blog posts to site since our last update. Here is all that was added:

• Indiana State Internet
• Kentucky State Internet
• Top 9 Tethering Apps for Android Phones
• A Primer to Online Backup Services
• 5 Ways to Increase Your Home Security – Fake It!

We also started a new series called, 10 Questions 10 Answers. The idea is straightforward — we take 10 regularly asked questions and provide our answers to them, as well as link you to useful sources on our site or other websites that go more in-depth.

You can read our first post in the series here:

• 10 Questions 10 Answers – Round 1

Let us know what you think of it. If you have any questions that you’d like to see answered, feel free to contact us.

Since we have so many questions from readers we thought it’d be a good idea to try a new series here on the blog titled, 10 Questions 10 Answers. Pretty straightforward — we take 10 of your questions and we provide 10 answers. We answer the questions to the best of our ability, then in most cases link you to other sources or pages on this site where you can learn more.

Let’s get started.

1.What measurement is commonly used to describe broadband connection speeds to the internet?

It depends on whether you’re talking about bandwidth (commonly mistaken as internet speed) or ping rate. Bandwidth is usually measured in Kbps or Mbps, depending on the (home) internet connection you’re using, and ping rate or latency is measured in milliseconds (m/s).

2. Are there any apps that hide tether usage?

Yes. Here are a couple apps you might want to try:

• PdaNet for Android
• FoxFi for Android

3. What’s the fastest internet service provider in Washington state?

The fastest ISP in Washington according to NetIndex.com is Whidbey Telephone Company, which has a speed of 121.46 Mbps. That seems far fetched to me for one thing, and two, not everyone will be able to use an independent ISP. The fastest national internet service provider in Washington state is Charter (22.19 Mbps), followed by Comcast (20.22 Mbps) (as of 8/29/2012).

4. How does Florida compare to the national average in download speed?

According to NetIndex.com, Florida’s average download speed is 16.59 Mbps, which is faster than the national average of 14.90 Mbps (as of 8/29/2012).

5. What is the recommended Mbps for students?

We recommend that students have internet connections of 6 Mbps or higher. This will vary, of course, depending on what you use the internet for. You can get away with 6 Mbps for things like email, Facebook and researching the web, but you’ll want more if you regularly watch videos or stream music.

6. What is 5 Mbps in Kbps in English?

5,000 Kbps. I figured that out using this convertor.

7. What are the downsides to DSL internet?

There are a couple of cons or downsides to DSL internet:

• The quality of your internet is largely based on how close or far away you are from the ISP’s office.
• DSL isn’t available everywhere, simply because the lines have a maximum of about 18,000 feet or 3 miles.
• Some ISPs will require that you have phone service (try to find a company that will let you use a *naked* phone line if you don’t already have or want phone service).

8. What should I backup online?

Backup everything that you don’t want or can’t afford to lose. Family pictures, legal documents, music, videos, client work, warranty information and images are all things that come to mind. If you’re not sure whether you should back something up or not, back it up anyway, and then delete it if you find that you don’t use it or need it after a couple of months.

9. What do you need for wireless internet in your home?

All you need for wireless internet is a modem and router. The modem receives the internet connection from your service provider, and the router is what directs your connection wirelessly to your phone, laptop or tablet.

10. What cable internet speed do I need for Xbox 360 online gaming?

3 Mbps would be a good starting point, although you could get away with less. But so many people run applications like videos, music and chat while playing online, not to mention that you might have other friends or family members online in a different room.

If you have any questions that you’d like to see answered in our 10 Questions 10 Answers series, please feel free to contact us.

I understand that for one reason or another, not everyone can have (or afford) a security system. However, that shouldn’t stop you from doing everything you can to prevent burglars from trying to break into your home.

In fact, what I recommend you do is fake it. That’s right, fake having security measures in place, or that someone is home. Homes that have security systems in place are 3x as less likely to be broken into. So although you won’t get all the benefits of a true security system, looking like you do will go a long ways. So here are 5 (easy) things you can fake to improve the security in your home.

1. Use Stickers & Signs – One easy thing to do is to place stickers and install signs on your windows and property. Statistics show that burglars don’t want to spend more than 60 seconds trying to break into your home. However, if you give them the idea that you have a dog on guard or that you have a security system, that’s going to scare many of them off. You can pick up signs nearly everywhere, and stickers from companies such as ADT can be purchased online (here are some on Ebay).

2. Fake Cameras – Fake security cameras give potential burglars the idea that they’re being recorded. It scares them off because the camera makes it more likely that they will be identified and caught.

Security cameras can be purchased for under $100, although this will depend on how many you need. I suggest placing them around all entry points and windows that are most likely to be broken into. One piece of advice — be sure to add wires or wire protectors to your cameras. A lack of wires is one tip off that your cameras are fake (wires -going into the home- give the illusion that they are real).

3. Cars in Driveway – If you’re away, something that you should do is leave a car or two in your driveway. This gives the impression that someone is home, which is something that a lot of burglars don’t want to deal with. If you only have one car and you need to leave long term, such as vacation or work, then maybe you could ask a family member or neighbor to park (or leave) their car at your place.

4. Leave the Lights, TV, Radio On – Same thing as number 3. By leaving the lights, TV and radio on, you give the impression that someone is home. I also suggest having your outside lights on a timer so that they can come on when you’re gone (you don’t want to turn them on and leave them on all day — that makes it obvious).

5. Newspaper & Mail – Once again, by having your mail and newspaper picked up, would be burglars think that someone is home. If you’re going to be away for a while, you can have your neighbors or family members pick up your mail. Another option is to have all deliveries postponed until you get back home.

Granted, these tips may not prevent every burglar from trying to break into your home. But given that they could decrease the chances by nearly 3x, I think these tips are worth trying, especially given the (cheap) costs and how easy they are to do.

If you don’t, know it (and do it) now, before you find out the hard way. It can be an incredibly expensive and painful lesson to learn.

With the amount of data that we consume nowadays, along with the risks associated with backing up your own files (which I’ll explain more about in a minute), it makes more and more sense to invest in an online solution. So I thought that what I’d do today is give you a primer on online backup and why you might consider it for your data storage needs.

What is Online Backup?

Online backup is how it sounds — it’s the process of backing up your files online to a company’s server. All kinds of files can be backed up including pictures, documents, folders, videos and music.

Online backup is now used instead of, or in addition to, traditional forms of data backup including USBs, CDs and disk drives.

Why Should You Backup Your Files Online?

You backup your data online because doing so is pretty much a fail-safe. You’re all but guaranteed not to lose your data.

For example, take your hard drive. Approximately 8% of computer hard drives fail within the first 2 years of operation. My hard drive did. External hard drives can fail too, so even backing up to one to try to save your files from an internal failure isn’t guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

My point is that using an online backup service will eliminate the other risks that an external hard drive or USB flash drive doesn’t. A couple examples of these risks would be:

• Your external hard drive or USB is still in danger of being damaged in some way, due to a fire, flood or being dropped and broken.
• Backing up your data and keeping it in your home still leaves you vulnerable to having your data stolen.
• You can misplace your hard drive or USB.

By backing up your data online, you nearly eliminate the possibility of something like this happening.

External hard drives are also limited in size. If you buy a 50 GB external hard drive, that’s all the data you’ll be able to put on it. That means you’ll have to go out and buy another hard drive once it fills up. With online backup services, you can simply upgrade your account, or take advantage of unlimited space.

How Does Online Backup Services Work?

Backup services are usually straightforward to use. You’ll either be asked to download the client to your computer, or you’ll be able to access it online.

From here you simply choose which files you want to backup. You can also setup automatic backups which can be setup for certain days and times. Keep in mind that you will need to be connected to the internet for the files to upload, so you’ll want to make sure your computer backs up your data before you turn it off.

All the reputable companies use secure connections, too, so you don’t have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands. Your files are encrypted using the same (128-bit or better) technology that banks and ecommerce stores use.

One important thing to note is that backing up your information online should, for the most part, be quick. However, when you first setup your account you’ll have all of your data to backup at once. This can take hours and even days to complete, depending on the amount of data you have to backup.

Where to Go From Here

That should give you a pretty good idea of what online back services are and why you might consider using one. As you can probably tell, I do recommend it in addition to an external hard drive.

From here, you’ll want to look at backup services to see which will fit your needs best. Each company will be different in terms of size, features (mobile, file sharing, etc), restore and cost. Most of them come with free trials (and sometimes free accounts up to so many GB), so don’t stress too much over choosing the right one — just try a couple and see which one(s) you like best.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments below. We’ll answer them ASAP.

Image from Online Backups Review

Now, I’ve already covered tethering in more detail here, so if you don’t know what it is, why you might tether or it’s pros/cons, you’ll want to take a look at that article.

For everyone else, I’ve listed below 9 different tethering apps for the Android for you to check out.

1. PdaNet (Free/$15.95): PdaNet is regarded as one of the best tethering apps for the Android. It can be tethered via USB or Bluetooth to Windows or Mac, displays data usage in real time and it attempts to hide from your mobile internet provider so that you don’t get in trouble for tethering without having a plan. PdaNet also doesn’t require root access to run. You can access the free trial for 14 days (or permanently without access to secured websites) or buy the full version for $15.95.

2. ClockworkMod Tether (Free): ClockworkMod is compatible with Mac and Windows computers, and does not require you to root your phone. It’s a very well-liked app — it has over 7,500 5-star ratings.

3. WiFi Tether (Free): The WiFi Tether comes with a few different features including 128-bit WEP encryption, access control and the ability to disable tethering after it’s been idling for so long. This app does require a rooted phone.

4. FoxFi (Free): With the FoxFi app you don’t need to install anything on your computer, nor do you have to root your phone. It supports a connection from tablets as well as gaming consoles. By setting a proxy server address you can also hide your tether usage.

5. Easy Tether Lite (Free / $9.99): The Easy Tether does not require you to root your phone and does not have any tethering fees. It works with the major game consoles, as well as Windows, Mac and Ubuntu. The only way to access secured sites or tether game consoles is to buy the full version of the app for $9.99.

6. AndroidTethering: Works for Windows and does not require root access.

7. Wireless Tether for Root Users: Features include the ability to control access to the network and 128-bit WEP encryption. You will need a rooted phone. This is one of the highest praised tether apps for the Android with an average rating of 4.5/5, and nearly 18,000 5-star ratings (compared to 2,300 4-star and 900 3-star ratings). Keep in mind that Wireless Tether does not support tethering via USB cable.

8. Barnacle Wifi Tether: Barnacle shows you your data usage in real time and requires a rooted phone. According to LifeHacker, the biggest downside to this app is that when it decides to not work (apparently it’s intermittent), you have very few options or methods for troubleshooting or support.

9. WiFi Tethering: This is a wifi only tethering app and requires you to have a rooted phone. There is a forum and FAQs if you run into any installation or usage problems.

Those are the top 9 tethering apps I managed to come up with. What about you? Have you used any of these tethering apps for the Android (or maybe a different device)? What do you think? Have you used a different tethering app that we don’t have on the list?

This week we’ve only added a few articles to our blog:

• What Do You Do When Your Identity Has Been Stolen? In this post I give you 7 actionable steps on what to do when you find out your identity has been stolen. If you haven’t had your identity stolen, here are some tips on how to keep it that way.
• How to Date Safely Online – Since I help people get online, I figured that some of you are interested in finding a date online. So I provided some tips on how to stay safe while dating online.

That’s all the content I’ve added to the site. But I’ve also written some posts for other sites too:

• Do You Know the Difference Between Wi-Fi & 3G? – Slate Tablet Reviews – This post explains the difference between wi-fi & 3G internet, including how it’s used, the hardware and costs.

And that’s it from our site for this week. Here are some other posts and news stories that you might be interested. Enjoy, and I’ll see you again next week.

• Facebook Stock Falls to Half of Public Offering Price
• AT&T Driver Safety APP to Disable Texting/Calling for Teens
• 20 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Xbox 360

That said, we know that many of the people we help connect to the internet are interested in dating online, or will be in the future. So I thought it might be helpful to provide some tips on how to go about dating online safely, so that you have a positive experience.

13 Tips for Safely Dating Online

1. Only use your first name. Using your entire name will give others the information they need to start snooping around. They can find out where you live, where you work, your social media profiles and phone numbers. They can also use this information to learn more about your family.

2. Don’t tell people about your personal life. You don’t want to open up to anyone too soon. Telling people things like where you work, what school your kids go to or what your daily routine is just begs for someone to stalk you.

3. Your first couple of dates should be in public. For your first date, I wouldn’t recommend inviting anyone over to your home, to go camping alone or to a secluded park. As romantic as it may seem, it’s also very dangerous given how little you truly know about your date. I suggest going to a public place, such as the movies, dinner or maybe laser tag.

4. Take baby steps. Don’t rush into anything. When you find someone you’d like to contact online, start small — start with messaging back and forth and then emails. Then talk on the phone. And then setup a date. I wouldn’t recommend finding someone at Match and then inviting them to watch a movie at your place all in the same day.

5. Don’t lie. Other than for ethical reasons, you shouldn’t lie to someone because you aren’t entirely sure how they might handle learning the truth. So be sure to tell the truth about your name, age, whether you have kids or not and about what you look like. As I mentioned above, don’t give away everything, but be honest about what you do share.

6. Listen to your gut. Pretty simple advice here. If something doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t.

7. Use a new email account. I recommend opening an anonymous email account for your online dating accounts. Only fill out what you have to for these accounts. Gmail requires very little info before signing up.

8. Block users. If anyone is harassing you on the dating site, or have managed to find you on Facebook or Twitter, then block that person. Then report them. Don’t just put up with it.

9. Keep records. Once you start talking to someone through instant messenger, email and text, I recommend keeping a copy of all correspondence that you have with other dating members. That way if something goes wrong or if you find out that you’re being stalked, you have proof of everything that has been said and when.

10. Tell someone else what you’re doing. When you start going on dates, you should let someone (other than the date) know about it. It can be your parents, friends, co-workers — it doesn’t matter. Let them know when and where you’re going, as well as when you expect to be back. If something goes wrong or seems out of place, they’ll be the first to know and can take further action.

11. Research potential dates. Before you go out on your date, see if you look the date up. If they give out too much information, see if you can find them on Facebook or Twitter. How do they act? What do they talk about? Do they have a crazy ex they forgot to mention? You can also take this a step further and perform a background check.

12. Don’t drink too much. Yes, it’s a date, but for the first date or two (or three or four), you don’t want to impair your judgment. If something was to go wrong, you want to be able to run, make a phone call, fend for yourself or drive away.

13. Have your own ride. Be sure to use your own car or a cab. I wouldn’t recommend getting into a car with someone you hardly know.

There are my 13 tips for dating safely online. Do you have any online dating tips or experiences that you’d like to share?

Regardless, it’s a bad day for you.

Identity theft results in millions of dollars stolen each year. Credit scores are damaged and lives are destroyed. So in order to keep the damage to a minimum, its important that you take certain steps immediately after finding out your identity has been stolen.

7 Steps You Must Take Right Now

Here are 7 steps that you must take right now if your identity has been stolen, in no particular order.

1. Place a Credit Freeze on Your Profile

When you put a freeze on your credit profile, you’re making it so that no one can access the information on your credit report. What this will do is prevent anyone from being able to take out more credit in your name, since creditors won’t be able to check the background of the person applying.

There are fees for credit freezes, usually in the $10 range. Then once you choose to unfreeze your account it will cost about the same amount. However, the fees might be waived in some states for victims of identity theft.

2. File a Police Report

Another thing you’ll want to do is file a police report. This is more or less to create a paper trail, so that you have proof when you contact creditors to let them you’ve been a victim.

Keep in mind that some police stations won’t fill out a police report. In this case, you’ll want to try to fill out a miscellaneous incidents report. If you’re just not getting anywhere with the police, try the state police instead, or a station in a different area.

Some police stations are required by law to take your report. You can visit the NAAG to find out for sure.

3. Put Out a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Reports

A fraud alert is similar to a credit freeze. It makes it more difficult for someone to borrow money or use services in your name because the lender has to verify that it’s you before they can issue any credit.

Fraud alerts stay open for 90 days, and also give you 1 free credit report. To place a fraud alert on your credit reports, just call any one of the major bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax or Experian — and they will contact the other 2 bureaus (they have to).

4. Order Your Credit Reports

The reason why you want to order your credit reports is so that you can see the damage that has been done. Not fun, I know. But you’ll want to see what accounts have been opened in your name so that you can call these creditors and have the accounts closed and disputes filed. Be sure to have identification ready, as well as any paperwork you may have collected on your situation up to this point. The creditors might want that for proof.

5. Close Accounts Opened In Your Name

Any accounts that you find opened in your name from step 4 you’ll want to call to have closed. You’ll want to tell them that you’ve been a victim of identity theft and ask if they will except your paperwork, or if you need to file information using their reports.

Once the process has been completed, you’ll want to ask that they send you proof (reports, letters, etc) that you aren’t responsible for the debt, that the account isn’t yours and that the information has been pulled from your credit report. You’ll want to keep all of this paperwork that they send you so that in case it’s not removed from your credit report or they’re still trying to hold you liable for the debt.

6. Report Fraudulent Charges on Your Credit/Debit Cards

You’ll want to report any fraudulent charges on your debt and credit cards as soon as you hear about them. The rule of thumb is that you’re not to be held liable for any more than $50 in charges if you were the victim of identity theft. However, you need to report the charges within a 90 day window, otherwise you may be stuck with the charges made.

7. Change Passwords and Pin Numbers

And another important thing that you’ll want to do is change your passwords and pin numbers. Be sure to change them all, regardless if the accounts were hacked or not. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and you never really know how long an account may be safe once you’ve had other accounts broken into. Especially if you use the same password for all of your accounts (which you shouldn’t).

What do you think? Have you been the victim of identity theft? What did you do to correct the problem?

• Why All Small Businesses Should Have Facebook Fan Pages – Pretty self explanatory, I think. In this post I give you 6 reasons why you should have a fan page if you’re a business. And you can’t use “I don’t know how,” as an excuse not to do it because I’ve created a guide that walks you through the (basic) process.
• How to Get Internet Access While Camping – If you’re planning on leaving town with the family to go spend a few nights in the woods, but don’t want to leave the technology at home, then this post is for you. In it I describe multiple options for how to get internet access, ranging from mobile 3G options to satellite.

Alright, so that’s all that I got from us for this week. Next week we’ll have a couple blog posts, one covering what to do when your identity is stolen. There will be a couple new state articles ready too.

Since this week’s update is so short, I’ve come up with some interesting news and how-to’s from around the internet. Check these links out and enjoy.

• Blizzard’s Battle.net Gets Hacked, Says Members Should Change Passwords – Tecca.com
• Google Fined 22.5 Million for Latest Privacy Breakdown – Yahoo
• Fast-fingered teen wins U.S. National Texting Championship – Mashable
• Verizon Wireless Settles for Blocking Tethering Apps – DSL Reports
• How to Restore a Delete App on Your iPhone (video) – Tecca.com

For some people, camping means leaving your technology at home. But not me. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to let a little thing like being in the middle of the woods stop me from checking my email, posting embarrassing pictures to Facebook and writing articles for PlugThingsIn.com.

Are you?

You don’t have to, at least if you don’t want to. And while it will depend on where you decide to go camping and to what extreme, there are plenty of ways to access the internet on your camping trip, should you choose to do so.

6 Options for Connecting to the Internet While Camping

Here are 6 different options for connecting to the internet while you’re out in the woods.

1. USB – One option is to buy a USB. These are little modem/routers that you plug into the side of your laptop to access 3G internet. The sticks cost anywhere from $10 to $50, depending on where you get them from and whether or not you sign up to a contract. The plans will run $30 to $50 per month, although you can buy prepaid sticks too. You will want to check the coverage of the ISP before signing up to make sure you’ll have a connection wherever you’re camping.

2. Use Your Cell Phone to Tether – Another option is to tether your connection using your cell phone. You’ll want to be careful of this option though, as many carriers will charge you extra for it on top of your mobile plan because you will use more data than if you were to just use your phone. You can also drain your battery quickly.

3. Mobile Modems – Mobile modems are also another option. These will set you back $50 to $250, and can be used to power multiple devices including tablets, laptops and your cell phone. Again, prices will vary depending if you get them with a carrier or if you buy them separately and just buy a data plan. You’ll also want to check coverage before picking one up.

4. Wi-Fi From Campground – Many campgrounds are not equipped with wi-fi access. In fact, over 80% of KOAs have wireless internet access. Keep in mind that it may cost you $8-$15 per night, and it might be included with the cost of your nightly stay.

5. Wi-Fit Hotspots – Another option is to leave the campground and find a wi-fi hotspot somewhere. You can go to a restaurant, library or even a Starbucks. This clearly won’t be an option if you’re in the middle of the woods. However, 3G access might not be either.

6. Satellite - Satellite internet is the most extreme option. The reason why it’s so extreme is because it can cost you $1,500 at a minimum to get started, and even well into 5-figures. That doesn’t include the monthly fee of around $60 to get access. You’ll have to set it up too, which includes installing the satellite dish and getting it pointed in the right direction.

There you have it — 6 options for getting internet while camping. Don’t forget that other than wi-fi (hotspots), you’ll want to double check the coverage maps before signing up. Nothing would be worse than to buy internet access, get out to the middle of the woods and then find that you’re out of range.

So, what do you think? Have you used one of these methods for accessing the internet while camping? Have you tried something that I don’t have listed above? I’d like to hear about it.