Wi-Fi Archives

The catfisher in the minivan

Netflix

Alert: This article is a spoiler for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix.

Imagine you’re a high school girl. Your phone won’t stop buzzing. It’s not friendly DMs, texts or social media notifications.

Instead, hundreds of cruel, anonymous messages flood in, calling you names, threatening you, turning your friends against you and even urging you to take your own life.

This is the true story of Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

🧍🏼‍♀️ Who was it?

It started in 2020 when 13-year-old Lauryn Licari from Beal City, Michigan, and her boyfriend Owen began getting bombarded with vicious, untraceable texts and DMs, sometimes over 50 a day.

Her mom, Kendra, was right there with Lauryn, consoling her, talking her through what was going on and helping her file reports with the school and police.

But this was all a sinister act. Kendra was the one harassing her own daughter.

⛓️ A digital predator’s tool kit

Kendra didn’t need sophisticated computer and hacking skills or tools sold on the dark web. She used apps available to anyone.

Spoofing and burner apps: TextNow and TextFree let you create fake phone numbers. Kendra would send hateful texts, then simply get a new number.
Bogus social media accounts: You can make fake social media accounts in seconds. Kendra did this on Instagram and Facebook, pretending to be Lauryn’s classmates or friends.
VPN (virtual private network): Kendra used a VPN to hide her device’s IP address, making the messages appear to come from locations across the country.

She weaponized these tools to not only attack her daughter but to pin the blame on Lauryn’s friends, isolating her completely.

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Tech that makes long flights not feel like a prison sentence

Boeing

When I was a kid, my kindergarten teacher called my mom and said, “We think Kim might have a problem. She’s convinced she went to Paris last weekend.” My mom laughed and said, “Oh no, we did go to Paris.”

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Adapt with the times

👩‍💻 Complicated setups are out. Simple, smart solutions are in.

🛜 Bye, buffering: Boost your signal up to 12,880 sq. ft. with a Wi-Fi extender (64% off).
Transfer like lightning: This card reader (23% off) handles MicroSD and SD at once.
📱 Solid hold: Keep your phone handy on a sturdy dock (20% off). 4.7 stars and 101,000+ reviews.
Label like a boss: From logos to QR codes, this Bluetooth printer (39% off) does it all.
🔊 Beats on the go: A waterproof portable speaker (21% off) makes a great gift year-round.

🤖 Skip the endless scrolling: I’ve put today’s top tech deals all in one place … aka my Amazon storefront. That click will save you a ton of money!

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Yes, you can pause the internet

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Take control of your home Wi-Fi with a tap. Here’s how to pause the internet by device, set schedules, and finally win the “five more minutes” battle.

🧳 Panic in the skies: Midway through a plane ride, Will’s AirTag said his suitcase was “left behind” at the last airport. No Wi-Fi meant two hours of imagining his luggage sipping cocktails without him. Landing? Bag was fine. An AirTag glitch. Therapy bill pending. At least Reddit is free; Will’s post is going viral.

10 hours a day

That’s the amount of screen time Americans are averaging. Apparently, “Netflix and chill” now runs concurrently with “Slack and panic.” Multitasking is also at an all-time-high. Whether they’re streaming the latest hit show or doomscrolling on social media, folks are plugged in like never before. Thank goodness for Wi-Fi. Without it, America might have to rediscover the outdoors.

📶 Check your internet speed: Strong Wi-Fi doesn’t always mean fast internet. Run a test and check your download speed. For 4K Netflix, you’ll need 15 to 25 Mbps down. If the whole family’s streaming, gaming and scrolling, 100 Mbps or more will keep the peace. Upload should be at least 10 Mbps, too.

Kim’s weekend warrior toolkit

ChatGPT

Before you call in a handyman, hang on a sec. I know home repairs can feel like one big headache. But with the right gear, you can save yourself hundreds, maybe thousands and still keep your cool.

I did the heavy lifting and put together this great list of tools that are smart, compact, and ready to swoop in and save your weekend. Let’s nail this.

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TSA’s new travel warning: Don’t fall for ‘Free Airport Wi-Fi’

ChatGPT

You know the drill: You hit the airport, find a seat near your gate, and your first thought is, Where’s the free Wi-Fi? You see a network called “Free Airport Wi-Fi” or “Airport_Guest” and think, Perfect.

The TSA says: Stop right there. Their latest warning is the digital equivalent of “Don’t take candy from strangers.” Public Wi-Fi, especially in airports, is a hacker’s playground.

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📺 Cast your Chromebook to a TV: Want a bigger screen for movies or presentations? Make sure your Chromebook and smart TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. Open the Chrome browser, click the three-dot menu (top right), select Cast and choose your TV from the list of available devices.

Share your phone’s internet: Turn your mobile data into Wi-Fi for other devices. On iPhone, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle Allow Others to Join. On Android, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Then, on your laptop or tablet, open Wi-Fi settings and connect to your phone’s hotspot name.

📶 Don’t trust public Wi-Fi: Scammers can set up “evil twin” networks that look like your coffee shop’s or airport’s Wi-Fi. Once you connect, they can intercept everything you type, from social media logins to credit card info. Always ask staff for the exact network name, and use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic. My pick is ExpressVPN.

📚 Connect headphones to your Kindle: You can listen to audiobooks straight from your Kindle with Bluetooth headphones. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and toggle on Bluetooth. Now tap Bluetooth devices, put your headphones in pairing mode and select them from the list. Not showing up? Hit Rescan.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Be a hot-spot hero and always place your Wi-Fi router out in the open and high up for the best connection. Thick walls and nearby electrical appliances are major Wi-Fi signal killers.

Tech travel tips to keep you sane

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Flight delays, bad Wi-Fi and language barriers. Traveling is tough! Here are three smart tech hacks to make it way easier.

Free airport Wi-Fi is a trap

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So you’re checking email before your flight? Bad move. Scammers could be stealing your data. In this episode of The Current, my AI employee George and I dig into the latest tricks thieves use to target travelers.

▶️ Control Facebook video autoplay: You can choose whether videos in your feed play automatically. On PC, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Media and toggle off Autoplay animations. On mobile, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Media > Autoplay and tap Never or On Wi-Fi only.

Your EV battery knows where you’ve been even if GPS is off

ChatGPT

You already know your smartphone tracks your every move like a jealous ex. And your car? Duh, it’s been watching you since Bluetooth became a thing.

Here’s the shocker: Researchers at MIT just revealed that your EV battery alone can quietly map your life without GPS, Wi-Fi or cell signals.

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Why rich people swap homes (and how you can, too)

ChatGPT

Want to globe-trot like a baller but on a budget? Enter home swapping: the Airbnb alternative that doesn’t cost a mortgage payment per night. It’s just what it sounds like. You stay in someone’s house, they stay in yours, like Freaky Friday with better Wi-Fi.

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An app without a cause: I don’t see the point. Jack Dorsey (yep, the Twitter guy and CEO of Block) just dropped Bitchat, a free chat app that doesn’t need Wi-Fi, servers or a login. It runs on Bluetooth, so it’s you and whoever’s nearby within about 30 feet. Kind of like passing notes, but way nerdier.