All posts tagged: cable

I changed 4 Windows settings and my Ethernet speed finally matched my cable

I changed 4 Windows settings and my Ethernet speed finally matched my cable

Published by skeptic

After unboxing and neatly connecting my new premium Cat6a cable, I expected the internet speed to be blisteringly fast. However, I got sluggish downloads. I had ping spikes at the times when I was hoping for stability. What I realized was that on modern Windows 11 builds, premium hardware isn’t the only determining factor for maximum throughput. Windows is designed to prioritize green energy initiatives, and these settings, buried deep within Device Manager, can affect network performance. In trying to save microwatts of power, my system was throttling my connection. Once I fixed it, my Ethernet speed was predictable and as fast as I expected. The cable wasn’t the problem. Windows had already decided how to handle my connection Afam Onyimadu / MUO Ethernet connection problems are typically blamed on cables, the ISP, or the router. But as soon as I had ruled out these three, I started digging through Device Manager, where the first answer was hiding. By default, Windows had enabled Energy Efficient Ethernet. This feature is built on the 802.3az standard and …

Your USB-C cable might be running at USB 2.0 speeds — here’s how to check

Your USB-C cable might be running at USB 2.0 speeds — here’s how to check

Published by skeptic

Copying a few minutes of 4K footage off my iPhone 16 Pro Max to the Mac mini should take seconds. Last week, it crawled. My first thought was the Mac, then macOS, then maybe the phone was acting up. It turned out none of those mattered. The white cable from the iPhone box moves data at 480Mbps; the phone can do 10Gbps if you hand it a better wire. You’ll never spot that limit by looking, because it’s built into the cable itself—the same trap as an Ethernet cable that holds back a whole network. Two USB-C cables can sit side by side, look identical, and run at speeds that differ by 20x. Working out which one you’re holding is a two-minute job. USB-C is a connector, not a speed Why two identical cables behave nothing alike The oval plug is just a shape. What it carries depends on the wiring and the controller chips crammed into each end. Some cables are skeletal—USB 2.0 and nothing more, 480Mbps. Others, like Thunderbolt, push 40Gbps through a …

FBI director’s girlfriend sues MS NOW, accuses cable network of ‘false portrayal’

FBI director’s girlfriend sues MS NOW, accuses cable network of ‘false portrayal’

Published by Sam Flores

FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend has sued MS NOW, accusing the news organization of using “sham” anonymous sources to “push knowingly or recklessly false allegations” that she abused bureau resources. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Alexis Wilkins’ suit, filed in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, names MS NOW as a defendant alongside Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig, two of the cable news channel’s reporters. The defendants “falsely asserted that Ms. Wilkins demanded, and Director Patel ordered, that federal agents assigned to her security detail—which did not even exist at the time—escort an intoxicated friend home after a ‘night of partying.’ They falsely portrayed Ms. Wilkins as being intoxicated even knowing that she does not drink,” Kurt Beasley, Jason C. Greaves and Jared R. Roberts, Wilkins’ attorneys, wrote in part. “This false portrayal is highly offensive to Ms. Wilkins, and would be to any reasonable person in her situation. Ms. Wilkins’ professional identity is of a responsible, sober young woman who does not partake …

I 3D printed cable organizers and my messy desk suddenly looked like I knew what I was doing

I 3D printed cable organizers and my messy desk suddenly looked like I knew what I was doing

Published by skeptic

If your desk is anything like mine, you’ve got a ton of cables twisting this way and that, in various states of coiled, making for a visual and functional mess. I’ve tried Velcro straps (annoying and lint-trapping), little adhesive clips (they don’t last too long), and even a dedicated box for my cables (too bulky to keep on the desk). None of it stuck, literally or figuratively. I went looking for some great 3D cable organizers on MakerWorld, and I wasn’t disappointed. There are a ton of them. I picked a couple of solutions that I think will stay on my desk for a long time, and found a couple more I’m planning on printing here soon. Now my desk doesn’t look like a bachelor pad gone wrong anymore, as if I made actual decisions about cable storage and organization. Every model here is free on MakerWorld and prints without support. If you have a Bambu Lab printer like my P1S or A1 Mini, these are a quick print to get your own cables under …

Your HDMI cable probably isn’t the bottleneck — this setting inside your TV is

Your HDMI cable probably isn’t the bottleneck — this setting inside your TV is

Published by skeptic

Dark HDR scenes on my Samsung Frame TV started showing bands of color where smooth gradients should’ve been. Its a classic sign of a bandwidth issue, or so I assumed. I ordered a new certified cable, swapped it in two days later, and got the exact same banding. The fix turned out to be four menus deep on the TV — nothing to do with the cable at all. Once I knew the name, I started spotting the same bottleneck on my TCL Roku TV and Hisense Canvas. HDMI hides more capability than most setups ever touch, but most TVs ship with ports configured to defeat that capability out of the box. The cable doesn’t always deserve the blame. The cable is usually the wrong thing to blame Why a working HDMI signal can still look limited When a picture problem shows up, the first suspects are always physical — cable, port, streaming box, and anything you can wiggle and unplug. That’s how I diagnosed the banding initially, working outward from the simplest possible cause. …

This tiny cable charges nearly everything you own and opens your beer

This tiny $22 cable charges nearly everything you own and opens your beer

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable is on sale for $21.99 (reg. $49.99) and combines fast charging, multiple connectors, cable management, and everyday tools in one compact gadget. $21.99 $49.99 Save $28.00   Is your bag, desk drawer, or carry-on overflowing with charging cables, adapters, and random accessories? The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC Cable is here to turn all of that disarray into convenience, consolidating all that clutter into one clever, pocket-sized tool, and it’s on sale for $21.99 (reg. $49.99). We’ve seen multi-purpose charging accessories before, but GoCable stands out by packing an impressive range of features into something small enough to clip onto your keychain or backpack. Mashable Deals By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The GoCable supports up to 100W charging speeds when paired with a …

4 Android tricks you can only unlock with a USB cable and a terminal

4 Android tricks you can only unlock with a USB cable and a terminal

Published by skeptic

If you are an Android enthusiast who has ever tried to root your phone or flash a ROM, you probably already know about Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which lets you access your phone from a terminal via a USB cable. Android developers are well-versed in ADB’s capabilities in the development environment for testing their apps. However, ADB has a lot more to offer, even if you are not looking to root your device or flash a ROM. From mirroring your phone on a PC to wiping app data without digging through Settings, there are plenty of things you can do with ADB that aren’t possible from the phone itself. Here are four tricks I rely on regularly, none of which require root access, a custom recovery, or any permanent change to your device. Connecting your phone to the terminal via USB cable A quick one-time setup that unlocks everything else image credit – self captured (Tashreef Shareef) – No Attribution Required Before any of the tricks below work, you need to set up ADB on …

The Gulf’s AI Boom Has an Undersea Cable Problem

The Gulf’s AI Boom Has an Undersea Cable Problem

Published by skeptic

The Gulf’s AI ambitions depend on something surprisingly fragile: a handful of undersea cables running through some of the world’s most volatile waterways. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have spent billions building AI infrastructure, attracting hyperscalers and positioning themselves as future exporters of compute capacity. But as the region shifts from oil wealth to AI-driven economies, the infrastructure carrying that data is increasingly becoming a strategic vulnerability. Undersea cables have long powered the global internet. Now, they are becoming geopolitical assets. Following the escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran earlier this year, experts warned that regional conflict could threaten critical cable infrastructure in the Gulf. In May, media reports claimed Iran was considering taking control of all seven undersea cables running through the Strait of Hormuz. Undersea cables carry an estimated 95 percent of all international data traffic. For the Gulf, the problem is concentration: Much of the region’s connectivity to Europe and the US still depends on just a few routes through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The …

Cable, cords, and adapters I never throw away – and why these accessories are worth saving

Cable, cords, and adapters I never throw away – and why these accessories are worth saving

Published by skeptic

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. There’s a long-running joke that some of us who live and work with gadgets have accumulated too much tech detritus. We have boxes of old cables and adapters that should have been tossed many moons ago, but we hold on to these things like life preservers because “they’ll be useful… one day.” Sure, it’s been a long time since anyone needed a VGA-to-HDMI adapter, but — and hear me out on this one — what if my Auntie Jackie’s next-door-neighbor cat sitter needs to borrow one?  Seriously, though, I’m going through a phase of minimization in my life, and while I’m still a long way away from achieving Feng Shui enlightenment, I have been getting rid of a lot of stuff. And one collection under consideration is cables, adapters, and dongles.  Also: This Bluetti power station with wheels has spoiled the way I charge my tools and devices But while I furiously load stuff into boxes to send off so the seagulls at my local recycling center …

Cable, Gilts Under Pressure As UK PM Starmer On The Brink As Rebellion Spreads

Cable, Gilts Under Pressure As UK PM Starmer On The Brink As Rebellion Spreads

Published by Jenni Sidey

UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is on the brink this morning as The Telegraph reports that six Cabinet Ministers reportedly call on him privately to quit and the number of MPs on the record saying he must go reaches 84. The Telegraph learnt before the meeting that six ministers – Shabana Mahmood, John Healey, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy, Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting – had been expected to demand Sir Keir’s resignation. However the Prime Minister did not give Ministers a chance to speak against him and instead set out his case on why he should remain in office. He told Ministers: “The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered. The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.” He then spent the rest of the hour discussing policy issues and the impact of the Iran war. Rebecca Long-Bailey, who served under Jeremy Corbyn and was sacked from Sir Keir’s shadow cabinet …