The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

PC & MOBILE LIFESTYLE

and How to Avoid Buying

Fakes
By Tim Brookes / Updated March 2, 2019 02-03-2019 / 7 minutes

Tim Brookes
988 articles

Tim is a senior writer for

MakeUseOf who lives in Melbourne,
Email Facebook Pinterest Twitter Australia. You can also find him at
VeganTricks.com where he blogs
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about food and other things.

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The 18650 is a type of rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized portable
Fast, Cheap, and
devices. They’re in everything, from our smartphones Absolutely Terrifying:
and cameras to baby monitors, fitness gadgets, and The Kugoo S1 Electric
flashlights. Scooter

As battery technology has matured, cells, like the EufyCam E: The Wirele
18650, that were once reserved for device Security Camera That
Can Last 365 Days Befo
manufacturers, have found their way into consumer
Needing a…
hands. However, these new lithium cells have not been
standardized quite like the rechargeable AAs you’ll find
in the supermarket.

You have to make sure you buy the right 18650 battery Related Articles
for the job, and you’ll need to know how to avoid fake
batteries.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

WINDOWS , PRODUCTIVITY
What Is an 18650 Battery? 8 Tips for Fixing Remo
Desktop Connection a
An 18650 battery is a cell that’s 18mm x 65mm in size. Screen Issues
The name, 18650, refers exclusively to the size of the
INTERNET , SECURITY
lithium-ion battery cell, but there can be minor variations
Which Browser Is Most
even here. The 18650 has become the new gold
Secure on Your Old
standard for replaceable and rechargeable batteries. Windows XP System?

SOCIAL MEDIA

Disposable vs. Rechargeable The Positive Impact of

Batteries: How They Work and Social Networking Site
on Society
Which to Buy
How do batteries work? What's the difference
between a disposable and a rechargeable one?
Why do both still exist? Does it matter which
type you use? We answer all of this and more.
Latest Videos
READ MORE

They offer the performance of a lithium-ion cell, a

capacity in the range of 1800mAh to around 3500mAh,
and an output of 3.7 volts. They’re used in a huge range
of devices from laptops to laser pointers, and camera
accessories like gimbals and sliders. Arduino Tra!ic Light Tutorial

Taste Test: Co!ee in Australia |

TGTS S3E2

18650 battery (above) size comparison with AA battery (below).

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Image Credit: Lead holder/Wikimedia Commons

Tech Geeks Try British Food |
The 18650 cell offers the best performance of any
consumer-grade rechargeable battery. They’re not TGTS S2E08
susceptible to damage from charging before being fully
discharged (as was the case with the old nickel cadmium
cells), though they’ll degrade at about the same rate as
your smartphone battery.

The Best Smartphones for Long How to Fix the "Windows

Battery Life Cannot Automatically Detect
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A smartphone is only as good as its battery.
Settings" Error
Without power, it's just a good-looking brick.
Most modern smartphones have decent battery
life, here's a list of the longest-lasting handsets
today.

READ MORE

YouTubers: You NEED These

You can’t simply buy a 18650 battery off the shelf by For Simpler, Wireless Audio
looking at the capacity (measured in milliamp hours or
mAh) alone. The right battery depends entirely on what
you’re using it for.

Choosing the Right 18650 Battery

for the Job
Kugoo S1: Stupidly Good Fun,
The 18650 isn’t a standardized cell. They’re not all built Only Slightly Dangerous
equally, or with the same task in mind. The most
important trait to consider when looking at 18650
batteries is the continuous discharge rating (CDR), also
known as amperage capacity.
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The CDR is the rate at which current—measured in amps StackSkills
(A)—can be pulled from the battery without it Unlimited:
overheating. In order to find out which battery is right for Lifetime Access
you, you’ll need to match the CDR of the battery with the
power draw associated with your device.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

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If you pick the wrong battery, the cells will get too hot.
Heat will damage the battery, reducing its overall
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lifespan. Overheating may even cause the cells to Lifetime
explode, leak, or damage your device. Subscription

How a Battery Works and 3 Ways Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products w
You Can Ruin It recommend, you help keep the lights on at
MakeUseOf. Read more.
The modern battery is featured in so many of
our favourite technologies that you could
almost be forgiven for not spending time
learning about their workings.

READ MORE

Fortunately there’s a direct relation between CDR (A)

and battery capacity (mAh). The higher the capacity, the
lower the CDR. That means devices that draw less
power can take advantage of higher-capacity cells.
Hungrier devices will need to use lower-capacity cells in
order to safely draw more current.

At the time of writing (June 2018), the current maximum

CDR attainable in an 18650 battery is 38A at 2000mAh.
Some bogus manufacturers claim ratings of 40A, or
35A at 3000mAh or greater, but these are not
trustworthy ratings. Battery technology evolves
constantly, so expect this to change.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Protected vs. Unprotected

Batteries
When shopping for 18650 batteries, you will have a
choice between protected and unprotected cells.
Protected cells, as the name might suggest, have a small
electronic circuit integrated into the battery packaging.
This is located one end of the battery, and is
indistinguishable from the cell itself.

This circuit protects the battery against dangers like

excessive charging and discharging, short circuiting, and
extreme temperatures. This is designed to protect the
devices you use them in, and to prevent damage from
explosion or leaking.

Many protected batteries also have a valve which

disables the cell permanently if the pressure becomes
too high inside the cell. This is commonly what happens
when batteries swell, at which point they’re more
susceptible to igniting.

Unprotected batteries lack this circuitry. They’re

cheaper as a result, and also more prone to the
problems that such protections are designed to avoid. If
you choose an unprotected cell (and many of the best
cells are unprotected), you should take extra care when
choosing and using your batteries.

It's very interesting how this

"protected" UltraFire "4200mah"
18650 is the same length and weighs

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

less than this unprotected 2500mah

LG 18650.
— Rob Johnson (@MissMelee)
November 10, 2017

Pay special attention to the discharge rating (CDR) to

ensure you’re not drawing excessive power from a cell,
or it may overheat. You also need to keep the contacts
covered, ideally in a plastic case so the batteries don’t
short in your bag or pocket. You’ll also need to make
sure you don’t leave your batteries in the charger too
long.

When in doubt, go the protected route and spend a bit

more.

Flat Top vs. Button Top

To really demonstrate how non-standardized the 18650
battery is, there are two slight variations in size: flat top
and button top. This relates to the contacts, specifically
the positive contact. Button top batteries will protrude
slightly, whereas flat top batteries sit perfectly flush.

These extra few millimeters can be the difference

between a battery that fits and a battery that doesn’t. If
in doubt, look at the existing batteries that came with
your device, consult a manual, or contact the
manufacturer. For spring-loaded batteries, like
flashlights, it shouldn’t make a huge difference.

How to Avoid Fake 18650

Batteries
Like any branded product, you’ve got to beware of the
fakes. It’s common for many vendors to buy up cheap
cells, rewrap them as name brands, and sell them
through Amazon or eBay as genuine items.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

This fake LG HG2 lacks the safety features of a high-quality battery.

Not only is this a waste of your money, it’s potentially

dangerous. If you buy a battery for a high-powered
device believing it to have an adequately safe CDR, you
could injure yourself or damage your device when the
battery turns out to have an entirely different rating.

Battery scammers are good at what they do. A genuine

battery and a fake are incredibly difficult to tell apart.
From the wrapping, to the branding, to the online listings
—they look like the real deal. The only way you can tell a
fake from a genuine battery is by weight.

Most brands have made the weight of their genuine

batteries available somewhere. You should cross-
reference any batteries you buy online with the
manufacturer’s specification. Even spelling mistakes
don’t indicate a fake, as one genuine manufacturer had
to point out via a Facebook update.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Dear All , Thanks so much for your

attention to our VapCell batteries .
Recently we sent one batch of VapCell
18650…
Posted by VapCell on Monday, October
23, 2017

To check a particular cell, try searching the internet for

its name followed by “datasheet.” This will list the
battery weight, capacity and maximum CDR.

The Best 18650 Batteries

The best batteries are generally produced by Sony,
Samsung, LG and Panasonic/Sanyo. That doesn’t mean
all other brands are untrustworthy, but these brands
provide reliable and trustworthy CDR ratings and
enough information for you to spot fakes.

1. Sony VTC5A (Datasheet)

CDR/Capacity: 35A/2600mAh

Weight: 47.1g (variation of 1.5g)

Buy: Sony VTC5A on IMRBatteries

2. Sony VTC6 (Datasheet)

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

CDR/Capacity: 15A/3000mAh

Weight: 46.5g average

Buy: Sony VTC6 on IMRBatteries

3. Samsung 25R (Datasheet)

CDR/Capacity: 20A/2600mAh

Weight: 43.8g average

Buy: Samsung 25R on Amazon

4. Samsung 30Q (Datasheet)

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

CDR/Capacity: 15A/3000mAh

Weight: 45.6g average

Buy: Samsung 30Q on Amazon

5. LG HD2 (Datasheet)

CDR/Capacity: 25A/2000mAh

Weight: 44g maximum

Buy: LG HD2 on IMRBatteries

6. LG HG2 (Datasheet)

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

CDR/Capacity: 20A/3000mAh

Weight: 44-45g

Buy: LG HG2 on Amazon [No Longer Available]

7. VapCell

CDR/Capacity: 38A/2000mAh

Weight: 43.4 average

Buy: Vapcell 38A/2000mAh on VapCellTech

8. Orbtronic (Datasheet)

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

CDR/Capacity: 10A/3500mAh

Weight: 46.5 average

Buy: Orbtronic 10A/3500mAh on Amazon

Don’t Forget a Charger for 18650

Batteries
To avoid disappointment, always pick a quality charger.
We’d recommend Nitecore’s i2 Intellicharge charger
for 18650 batteries, which will charge two cells at once.
You can use it with 18560, AA, and AAA Li-Ion and NiMH
rechargeable batteries.

Nitecore i2
Intellicharge Charger
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Ion/NiMH Battery
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These chargers detect battery status, then change the

voltage and appropriate charge mode accordingly. This

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

should help avoid damage related to overcharging,

though you should always take care if using unprotected
cells.

You can also buy the Nitecore D4 with a car adapter for
charging on the go, with room for four cells to charge
simultaneously.

Bundle: Nitecore D4
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You’ll need to exercise similar care when buying a

charger as you would when buying your batteries to
avoid fakes. For best results, buy directly from
manufacturers (or their official outlets).

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Which 18650 Batteries Do You

Use?
Buying from a reputable dealer, like the manufacturer’s
outlets on Amazon or eBay, is a great way to guarantee
you’re getting what you’ve paid for.

Don’t forget to filter your Amazon reviews to make

sure feedback is genuine. You could also opt for one of
the other battery retailers who have a reputation for
providing genuine, high-quality batteries.

How to Spot Fake Reviews on

Amazon
Don't trust that review or 5-star rating on
Amazon to make up your mind about a product.
The only way to find a true opinion is to learn
how to spot these fakes.

READ MORE

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Slowing Down Your Home

Wi-Fi Network
By James Bruce / Updated May 9, 2019 09-05-2019 / 7 minutes

James Bruce
657 articles

James has a BSc in Artificial

Intelligence, and is CompTIA A+
Email Facebook Pinterest Twitter and Network+ certified. He's the
lead developer of MakeUseOf, and
Your Wi-Fi is slowing down, but why? With so many spends his free time playing VR
wireless devices in our homes now, even little flaws can paintball and boardgames. He's
take a toll on performance. In this guide, we’ll take a look been building PCs since he was a

at common issues, why your Wi-Fi might be slow, and kid.

how to solve them.

1. Too Many Devices (Internet of

Latest Giveaways!
Things)

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Alexa and Deebot 901 RØDE Wireless GO

Review: The Best
Wireless Audio System
for YouTubers
IP cameras, Google Home Minis, smart bulbs, smart
plugs… our homes are increasingly filled with Internet of
Fast, Cheap, and
Things devices, each of which sits on the Wi-Fi network Absolutely Terrifying:
with its own IP address. The Kugoo S1 Electric
Scooter
While your average light bulb isn’t going to send or
receive a large amount of data, older routers simply EufyCam E: The Wirele
weren’t designed to handle that many registered Wi-Fi Security Camera That
Can Last 365 Days Befo
devices at once. Past a certain point, you’ll start
Needing a…
experiencing dropouts. Having too many devices on the
Wi-Fi will slow it down.

Solution: Consider how old your router is, and if you can
afford to upgrade to a newer model. I recommend Related Articles
Ubiquiti UniFi as the best for a high capacity scalable
LINUX
Wi-Fi, though it is expensive. For smaller homes, Ubiquiti
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System On The Market Interior Design Course
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and reliable, the AmpliFi HD has everything you
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How to Use OneNote

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Templates: Everything
You Need to Know

If you’re planning on blanketing your home in smart

sensors, use Z-Wave where possible. It operates at a
different frequency to Wi-Fi, so it won’t cause
interference. Latest Videos

2. Wireless Network Range and

Signal Penetration

Wi-Fi Router Coverage | Choosing Best Lo…

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Wi-Fi Router Coverage | Choosing Best Lo…

How to Fix the "Windows

Cannot Automatically Detect

This Network's Proxy
Settings" Error

Where you place your Wi-Fi router is the single most

important factor affecting the speed of your home Wi- YouTubers: You NEED These
Fi. For Simpler, Wireless Audio

Wi-Fi routers transmit both a 2.4Ghz signal (often

referred to as b/g/n), and 5Ghz (ac). The 5GHz network is
faster. So why not just disable the 2.4GHz network?
Simple: the 2.4GHz signal can go through walls and
other solid objects easier. A thick concrete floor or wall
will stop the 5Ghz network entirely.
Taste Test: Co!ee in Australia |
You don’t need to worry about the technical differences, TGTS S3E2
just understand that wireless speeds are impacted by
solid objects, so the more things in between your device
and your router, the worse your network will perform.

Solution: Read our guide to getting the best Wi-Fi

coverage and reposition the router as best you can.

Sometimes it may not be possible to move the router

Tech Geeks Try British Food |
due to the incoming fiber optic or phone line connection.
TGTS S2E08
Consider running an Ethernet cable to elsewhere in the
house to use another router for Wi-Fi.

3. Too Many Users

Your internet connection is only so fast, and that speed

is shared with every other user in the house and all of Kugoo S1: Stupidly Good Fun,
their devices. Only Slightly Dangerous

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

As well as the obvious things like computers, phones,

and tablets, you’ll also find Smart TVs, game consoles,
media streaming sticks, smart home hubs–all of which
may be sending or receiving information at a particular
point in time.

You may be surfing the web on your tablet, while your

Xbox is grabbing the latest DLC content, Windows is
updating, and the set-top box is streaming an on- Arduino Tra!ic Light Tutorial
demand movie.

All these activities consume a little of your total

available bandwidth. And it’s not just when you’re
actively using them: updates can occur silently in the
Latest Deals
background. Complete Project
& Quality
Solution: If there’s a particular application or type of Management
activity you want to make sure is always performing its
best, look into enabling Quality of Service. This setting
of your router “ropes off” a certain amount of Bluetooth Hi-Fi
throughput for either a particular device or a specific
SoundBar with
Remote
activity. Learn more about Quality of Service settings.

Pay What You

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on

4. Old Network Cables

If your computer is plugged directly into your router, or if

you’re lucky enough to have Ethernet cabling
throughout the house, it’s worth checking the cabling.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

While electrical cabling might last for 50 years or more,

network cabling has undergone several important
upgrades that affect the speed it can carry data.

The easiest way to check is to look at the cable. You

should see a Cat number specification somewhere:

Cat-5 is the oldest and slowest network cable still in

use. Performance is limited to 100 Mbps.

Cat-5e is the most commonly used network cables

today; supports Gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbps).

Cat-6/6a is fastest network cabling in common

usage and supports up to 10 Gigabit (10,000 Mbs).

If Cat-5 cable is used on your computers or as the

backbone of your network, your Ethernet cable may be
slowing down the Wi-Fi. Network cables can also be
quite delicate. Use a cable tester to ensure each of the
eight wires inside the cable is still connected to the
other end.

Solution: Replace any Cat-5 rated or broken cabling you

find with Cat-5e or Cat-6 rated cables.

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5. You’re Using Powerline or Wi-Fi

Extenders

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Powerline devices are often more trouble than they’re worth.

Many people think that an easy solution to Wi-Fi woes is

to buy an extender: a little box that plugs into your
power socket and repeats the Wi-Fi signal to another
part of the house. Some even use Powerline technology,
adapters that allow you to send network signals through
power outlets.

But in my experience, these devices fail to tackle the

root of the problem, and often just make things worse by
adding interference.

Solution: If you have an extensive home and your Wi-Fi

just can’t reach everywhere, consider a mesh Wi-Fi
system.

The 6 Best Mesh Wi-Fi Networks for

Your Home
If you've been suffering Wi-Fi dead zones
around the house, then one of these mesh Wi-Fi
networks may be just what you need.

READ MORE

6. Your Wi-Fi Channel Is Heavily

Congested

Wifi Analyzer on Android shows some interesting results

One of the benefits of living in the middle of nowhere is that there are
usually no other networks. In this case, I can see a device I’m testing is
broadcasting its own hidden Wi-Fi, and is interfering with my home
network!

For those in urban areas, particular apartment blocks,

you may be surrounded by hundreds of Wi-Fi networks.

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Unfortunately, they all take a little of the available

frequency bandwidth.

Solution: You could try to change the channel number,

but modern routers are smart enough to pick the best
channel anyway. If you’re using devices that could be
plugged in using Ethernet instead of using Wi-Fi, that
will enable better use of what little bandwidth you do
have.

How to Pick the Best Wi-Fi Channel

for Your Router
What's the best Wi-Fi channel for your router
and how do you change it? We answer these
questions and more in this quick guide.

READ MORE

7. Your ISP’s DNS Server Is Slow

DNS speed test

Not all DNS servers are made equal, yet these are fundamental to your
internet connection

Regardless of what internet package you’re paying for,

they all use a domain name system (DNS). DNS is used
every time you type a web address into your browser: it’s
like a phonebook that translates between the human-
readable web domain, and the physical IP of the server
it’s located on. By default, you’re using the DNS server
provided by your ISP, but it’s often slow and unreliable.

Solution: You can change your DNS server to

something a lot faster, and it’s better for your privacy

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

too. This can give you a small but easy speed boost to all
your web browsing activities.

Why Changing DNS Settings

Increases Your Internet Speed
Changing your DNS settings is one of those
minor tweaks that can have big returns on day-
to-day internet speeds.

READ MORE

8. Your ISP May Be Throttling You

Download Express VPN for Mac

One way to get around ISP throttling is to use a VPN to mask your
activity.

It’s unlikely unless you’re a heavy user, but many ISPs

will deliberately slow down your internet if it detects
usage of filesharing applications or once you reach a
certain threshold. This is more common on mobile data
connections than home broadband but does still
happen.

You should have a good idea of what your typical

internet speed is and check it regularly. If you find it’s
significantly reduced and no faults are being reported by
your ISP, you may be being throttled, or subject to
“bandwidth shaping”. Check your terms and conditions,
or for the existence of a “fair use policy”.

Solution: If this is happening to you, sadly your options

are limited. Either curtail your activity or see if there’s
another provider that doesn’t have the same draconian
limits. If you’re being throttled because your ISP has
automatically detected the use of filesharing apps, use a

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

VPN to hide your internet activity.

The Best VPN Services

We've compiled a list of what we consider to be
the best Virtual Private Network (VPN) service
providers, grouped by premium, free, and
torrent-friendly.

READ MORE

9. Problematic Devices or
Wireless Clients

Nintendo Switch

This innocent looking device has been known to take down entire
networks with a flood of broadcast messages.

“There may be devices in your wired

network which might limit your in-
home connectivity.”

If you’re getting this error on your router, you may have a

device plugged in that’s acting up, either by
broadcasting too many times or causing a race
condition to occur in the router. It can often bring your
entire network down, but looks like a normal case of
internet outage. This was reported for the Nintendo
Switch.

Solution: Unplug devices and turn off wireless clients

until you find the culprit, then contact the manufacturer
for assistance.

Make Sure Your Network Keeps

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The Best 18650 Battery and How to Avoid Buying Fakes 10/05/19, 10(24 PM

Up With Your Devices

While it’s advisable to plan your network, you never
really know what devices you’ll add in the future. At first
just using the wireless router provided by your ISP may
be enough to access the web. But continue to think
about your needs as you add more and different
devices, and learn the basics of home networking.

Everything You Need to Know

About Home Networking
Setting up a home network is not as hard as you
think it is.

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