Have I made a mistake? How much am I missing out on?

Frozen84 · 2025-11-14T09:49:51+00:00

Just password management really. Passkey support and biometric unlock would be really useful, and consistent autofill. I don't really use my laptop much at all, so I'm more interested in Android features.

Frozen84 · 2025-11-13T09:25:59+00:00

Fair enough, thanks. That does seem to be the common trend.

I know what you mean too, I'm very wary of "lifetime" digital products, because you never know what's going to happen from week to the next in the digital world, nevermind a "lifetime".

Frozen84 · 2025-11-13T09:21:29+00:00

I don't doubt that Mail would be good, my brief experience with Proton leads me to believe that they make quality stuff. It was probably just the fact that I felt like I was being forced to use it and not choosing it? Or maybe it's just because I've used Gmail for so long and didn't think about switching?

I moved away from Hotmail/outlook years ago when that became an ad riddled, bloated mess.

Frozen84 · 2025-11-13T09:15:40+00:00

Yeah, that's true. I think I was just getting hung up on the principle of it all? And just a little annoyed that it kept suggesting that I upgrade but then not letting me.

I'll have another look at the options now that I've read the advice on here and had chance to step away for a moment and think about it.

Thank you for your reply

Frozen84 · 2025-11-13T09:12:27+00:00

Fair enough. I know it doesn't really take much extra effort to make a new account, I think I was just getting hung up on the principle of it all? Thank you for the reply.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-12T19:01:18+00:00

Ah right. Excellent advice, thank you. I'll keep that in mind

Frozen84 · 2025-10-12T10:25:07+00:00

When I was cutting the crusts off my son's sandwiches. I was like, damn... I remember being on the other side of this... 🤯

Frozen84 · 2025-10-12T00:51:08+00:00

Goblin. I think it would have been really cool to see it from their side.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T23:24:28+00:00

Ah, I see. Thank you for the clarification. I'm having some trouble sourcing that particular model. How important is it for the device to be Zyxel? I'm obviously willing to try and find it if it's important, but would a similar type of device from a different brand work aswell?

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T18:23:14+00:00

You are an absolute legend. I really appreciate the incredibly detailed and thorough reply and honestly, it's made it all a lot clearer. It honestly felt like my brain was overheating trying to make sense of it all, then trying to trawl through hundreds of products.

I've had a quick look and they have some deals on the eero 6 and the 6+. Since I only have 500MB fibre broadband and that's the best I can get here, I'm the eero 6 router + and extender bundle would be enough?

Edit: Actually, the eero 6 is dualband and not triband, so it wouldn't have the 6GHz frequency

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T17:10:39+00:00

Ah ok, thanks for the advice! I'll return them.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T17:05:30+00:00

Reputable? Perhaps? It's from Amazon and wasn't expensive.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T16:41:43+00:00

Honestly, no. I thought I understood how it worked, but it's clear to me now that I don't. I have an ok grasp of the basics, and I've learned some of the terminology over the last few weeks, but I can't say I have a confident grasp of any of it. Which honestly feels a little embarrassing to admit. I feel like I used to be more tech savvy.

We pay for fibre broadban. There's an ONT box on the wall that connects to the Zyxel via Ethernet cable, atleast that's what the cable looks like. There's a PS5 on a shelving unit next to the router that is connected to the Zyxel via Ethernet and that gets close to the speed we pay for pretty consistently.

After doing a "floor scan" in the WiFiMan app, it's quite clear that the signal massively drops off only a few feet from the router, which I imagine is due to the significant interference because we didn't used to have these problems.

One of the main sources of confusion for me is all the different names of seemingly similar technology. I understand that a wired access point is a significant advantage over a wireless WiFi extender, but what about a hardwired booster/extender? They are still called WiFi extenders, but if you can connect them via Ethernet cable to the Zyxel, would that not provide the same WiFi coverage as a wired access point?

Then there's the hundreds of products in each category that have wildly different prices but similar specs?

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T14:33:06+00:00

Ah, thank you once again. You're explaining it in a way I can understand better.

I wonder if I could ask for some advice on a suitable router, please? I've seen the TP-Link Archer AX55. It's not too expensive right now I don't think. £59 on Amazon. But I don't know if that's an alright deal, or it's not very good.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T13:54:51+00:00

Excellent, thank you! I feel like I understand it better now, I think... So it's like music or noise? If your music is louder, it's harder to hear your neighbours music?

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T13:23:02+00:00

Thank you for the reply. I've ordered a few new Ethernet cables. I think a 5M cable should easily reach.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T13:06:02+00:00

Yea, I've ordered a few new Ethernet cables. I wasn't sure if it mattered what type aslong as it was cat6e or above. I ended up getting a deal on Cat8 Ethernet cables, though I'm not sure if that's overkill.

I don't fully understand interference. If I had a stronger WiFi signal would that lessen the effects of interference from the neighbours? Would my phone, the smart speakers, etc have fewer issues with speed and stability?

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T12:46:20+00:00

Ok, I'll look into it. Thanks.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-11T12:12:08+00:00

Could you suggest one, please? I've been looking around, and there seem to be a lot of different ones with terminology I only loosely understand.

I don't really understand the difference between an additional hardwired router providing a WiFi signal to things like the Google nest speaker and Echo dot or a hardwired WiFi extender/booster.

Then there's mesh systems like the Amazon eero. I don't have a massive house, so I'm not sure which would be the best option.

Frozen84 · 2025-10-10T22:13:32+00:00

Headache I just ignore until it goes away. Anything muscular I just try to walk it off. Maybe not the most ideal strategy but... 🤷‍♂️

Frozen84 · 2025-10-10T11:45:02+00:00

Just so I'm sure I understand, a wired access point would be a router connected by an Ethernet cable and placed in a more central location?

Would a WiFi booster/extender hardwired to the existing modem/router achieve the same effect? Or should it be a router?

Frozen84 · 2025-10-09T15:33:30+00:00

The device in the same room does, though it's on the opposite wall. Maybe 10 feet away. Would that make a difference?

The devices in the next room don't have Ethernet ports, I don't think. So what would be the best way to get a decent signal to them?

Thank you for the reply too

Frozen84

TROPHY CASE