Modem confusion
I read with interest last month’s feature regarding home networking tips. At some point, would it be possible to create an article on the best modem to connect to the various wireless routers available, especially Apple’s Time Capsule connected to various AirPort Express units that could be placed strategically around the house. I would like to purchase a reliable modem that will work with many of the Internet Service Providers – TalkTalk, BT, etc – and work with fibre optic, but will work exceptionally well with the products listed above. I’m looking to purchase Apple’s Time Capsule, but I really am at a loss with which modem to buy. Can you help please? Alistair Scoble Alan Stonebridge says: The trouble with a head-to-head comparison of modems is that internet connections vary, and your experience of a router’s reliability might differ from ours due to characteristics that we can’t reproduce – not just the line quality, but also due to differences in the way ISPs manage traffic at different times of the day. We recommend sticking with the hardware your ISP provides to manage your connection to the outside world because, in the event of a problem with your internet connection, your ISP might insist on you using that in order to diagnose the issue.
Although networking principles and terminology are similar across the popular modem manufacturers, your ISP’s support staff are likely to be most familiar with a specific selection of hardware.
If you feel that your ISP isn’t as supportive as you’d like it to be, check reviews at dedicated consumer broadband sites, starting with broadbandbuyer.com and thinkbroadband.com. Such sites also include reviews of networking equipment, though we can’t vouch for whether they’ve tested modems with the likes of Apple’s AirPort and Time Capsule hardware. and doesn’t appear in any of the other channels. The Comedy category now includes Radio 4 which used to be in its proper place in the News category. It’s not really a problem because we can, and now do, listen to Radio 4 Extra via the BBC website, but I am curious as to why there’s been a somewhat illogical change. Barry Cardy Alex Blake says: Internet Radio is a somewhat neglected area of iTunes these days. A quick search with Google revealed to us that BBC stations disappearing from or being recategorised within the list of stations has happened in the past, long before iTunes 12 was released. On our copy of iTunes 12, both Radio 4 stations appear under Comedy. To make matters more frustrating, you can’t use iTunes’ search bar to quickly filter the whole list of available stations to those whose descriptions mention your keywords.
We agree that it’s strange that BBC Radio 4 appears in the Comedy category – after all, it airs drama too, though there’s no obvious category in iTunes’ Internet Radio listings for that type of programme.
Though stations broadcast continuously, they can, counterintuitively, be added to a playlist to keep your favourites in one place. That makes them easier to find, and you can use the search bar to filter the playlist.