New Tricks Daily

If your WiFi suddenly feels slow, or the lights on your router blink furiously late at night, it is natural to wonder who else might be connected. The good news is that most routers let you see every connected device in a few taps, and you do not need any special app or technical skill to do it. Illustration: Your router's device list shows every phone, laptop and smart device using your WiFi. Why Your WiFi May Feel Slow or Busy Before you assume someone is stealing your WiFi, remember that your own home can be busy too. Phones, laptops, smart TVs, speakers, cameras and game consoles all share the same connection, and many of them download updates in the background. Still, if the slowdown is sudden or happens at odd hours, checking the device list is a sensible first step. How to Check Connected Devices on Your Router — Step by Step Follow these steps on a phone connected to your own WiFi: Open your phone's browser and go to your router's login page, usually printed on a st...

Your WhatsApp chats hold years of memories, family photos, work messages and important contacts. If you lose your phone or switch to a new one without a backup, all of it can be gone in a moment. The good news is that WhatsApp on Android can back up your chats to Google Drive automatically, so restoring them later takes just a few taps. Illustration: Backing up WhatsApp to Google Drive keeps your chats safe if you lose or change your phone. What You Need Before You Back Up Before you start, make sure you have a Google account signed in on your phone, enough free space in Google Drive, and a stable Wi-Fi connection. Backups over mobile data can be slow and can eat into your data plan, so Wi-Fi is the safer choice. Also check that WhatsApp is updated to the latest version from the Play Store. How to Back Up WhatsApp to Google Drive — Step by Step Follow these steps on your Android phone: Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Tap Settings, then Chats, then Chat...

If your WiFi password is still the one printed on the router, or an old password half the neighbourhood knows, changing it is one of the simplest security upgrades you can make. You do not need a laptop or a computer for this — your phone and a browser are enough. In this guide, you will learn how to find your router's login page from your phone, change the WiFi password safely, and reconnect your devices without getting locked out. Before You Start: What You Need You need three things: your phone connected to the WiFi network you want to change, the router's admin username and password, and a new, strong password in mind. The admin password is not the same as the WiFi password — it is the one used to log in to the router's settings page, and it is often printed on a sticker on the router itself. If you have never changed the admin password either, do that too while you are in the settings, because the default admin passwords for popular routers are widely known. Find Your ...