1.  I don’t know if there will ever be a day when the phone calls from fake Microsoft, fake IRS, or fake XYZ company stop.  What I really want however is for there to be a day when my clients no longer get taken advantage by them.  These entities are not calling you.  I had a customer get taken advantage of last month.   These phone scammers are now trying to get into your world through pop ups on your computer screen.   The pop will claim that something catastrophic has happened and that you need to call 1-800-xxx-xxxx for support.  Someone will answer the phone saying they are from Windows or Windows Certified.   It’s time to hang up the phone.  You don’t need to make that phone call to begin with.   You need to call me so we can figure out if the entire computer has been corrupted or its just the browser.   The people in that call center are thieves.  They are out to ruin your computer and possibly commit identity theft.  There are event fake Apple calls, per a client’s report to me last week.   These scams are preventable.

2.  This is a sad note.  Many of you know that I have recommended Apple’s Air Port routers for years.  Several tech news sites reported on Monday that Apple is getting out of the router business.  The Air Port routers worked well no matter which type of computer or mobile device you had.  Sadly, they haven’t been updated since 2012 (Express) and 2013 (Extreme).  The routers have received software updates as recently as this summer.  Apple has been shifting its talent out of the division responsible for the routers and into areas of greater priority.  The Air Port routers were easy to setup and maintain.  There is no need to scrap your existing Air Port router until it fails.

Step back — what’s a router?   A router distributes your internet connection to multiple devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc.) whether they be wired or wireless.  Nearly all of my clients have a router.  A decent router will last you 2 to 5 years.  A router can be considered a computer as well.  It has a processor.  It has software that gets updated.  

So from this point forward, with exceptions being made as needed, I am going to recommend selected Asus routers and the Google WiFi system.  The routers I have in mind start at about $130.