It’s a fact: our homes are being invaded. No, not by evil aliens, but by various wireless devices. And it’s great to be connected to a Wi-Fi network! When that network works fine, of course.

Because sometimes things can get nasty. Weak Wi-Fi signals and networks that keep disconnecting us from the Internet can make many of us grow a lot of gray hair within hours.

Fortunately, there are quite a few things that can be done to significantly boost poor Wi-Fi signals. Read this article and you will discover several methods that should help you appreciate the convenience of using your tablet without having it hooked to the router through an Ethernet cable.

Many people will start by focusing their efforts on the router. And that is certainly not a bad idea! Still, it’s best to start by fixing any problems that your tablet may have.

So how do you determine if you have got a problem with your tablet or with the router? The answer is dead easy: use another Internet-connected device to evaluate your Wi-Fi network. As an example, if you’ve got a smartphone that can connect to Wi-Fi, be sure to make it join the same network.

Then, place the second device – your smartphone - close to the tablet. It’s important to do so because you want to compare apples to apples.

If the second device works fine, but your tablet has problems, it’s clear that you must fix it, rather than troubleshoot your router.

Often times, lots of problems can be fixed by simply rebooting your tablet. It’s a simple process which usually involves holding down the power button for a few seconds, and then following the instructions on the screen.

If that doesn’t work, you may need to reset the Wi-Fi network information form your tablet’s Wi-Fi settings. Simply forget the network, and then reboot your tablet once more. Then, go to the Wi-Fi settings section and reconnect to your home network.

If this doesn’t work either, you may need to do a full factory reset. Don’t forget to make a full backup before attempting this, of course! If your tablet doesn’t have a hardware-related issue, this should fix the problem for good. It will also help you get rid of all the temporary files that may have accumulated while you’ve used the tablet over the years, installing and then uninstalling various applications.

But maybe there is a problem with your router, after all. So before attempting to back up and restore your tablet, it is wise to try and restart your router. Simply unplug it, wait for a few seconds, and then plug it back in.

If the signal is weak, it may be a problem with the router, after all. Fortunately, there are lots of apps that can be installed, and then help you determine your Internet connection speed. My favorite is speedtest.net, which can help you measure the download and upload speeds as well.

Install that app, and then move your tablet closer to the router. Then, run the test again. If speed increases, it’s clear that you’ve got the Wi-Fi signal propagation problem. If this is the case, you can fix the problem by replacing your router’s antennas and extension cables or - if that doesn’t work - by purchasing a Wi-Fi signal repeater.

It may also be a good idea to switch your router to a different Wi-Fi channel, because that particular frequency may be really crowded in your area. Fortunately, there’s an app for that as well.

Of course, if you’ve got small Internet access speeds even when your tablet is close to the router, it’s time to give your Internet service provider a call.

Nintendo Launches a New Gaming Console

Who would have thought that Nintendo is going to launch a brand new console? And yet, it happened! Named Nintendo Switch aka NX, the new console was announced on Twitter only a few days ago.

Little is known about the console internals. It sure looks like it packs quite a bit of power, judging by the games it is able to run. Well, at least we know that it’s got a 6…7-inch display – that’s what we can estimate from the released images.

NX comes with a dock which can be connected to your TV. Place the console in the dock and you’ll be able to play games on your TV using one of the detachable controllers.

But maybe you’ve got to go to work or school and you simply hate those long commute hours. If this is your case, fear not, for Nintendo has got you covered as well. Simply lift the NX out of the dock and it becomes a portable gaming device.

The console supports several players, and this is great news for gamers who love multiplayer gaming. And with titles like Legend of Zelda and NBA 2K, chances are that this gaming device will be a hit when it launches, at the beginning of 2017.

Microsoft’s Speech Recognition Software Beats Human Accuracy

The software giant has put its powerful speech recognition software to a test, comparing its results with the ones achieved by professional transcriptionists.

The results were shocking: people made more mistakes in comparison with Microsoft’s software, who – apparently – is able to understand context better than humans! The error rate was below 5.9%, the typical rate for professional transcriptionists.

According to Microsoft, the technology will find its place in the company’s gaming console – Xbox, in instant speech-to-text applications and in personal digital assistants such as Cortana.

smrtFOB – The Intelligent Battery Pack

We’re used to seeing intelligent batteries, even though – truth be told – their intelligence isn’t that impressive. Sure, some of them may know how to disconnect from the charger when they are fully charged, with the goal of preserving their life. But that’s pretty much it when it comes to battery intelligence.

Or is it?

SmrtFOB has been recently launched on Kickstarter and it’s already raised 80% of the $100,000 pledged goal from 390 backers. It’s an intelligent battery pack that has an only goal: to keep all your devices alive.

It comes with lots of charging adapters and tracks the battery levels of your smartphone or tablet by making use of a Bluetooth connection.

SmrtFOB has a modular construction, so it can also be turned into a 32GB data bank. And with a price tag of $59, I bet that many people will want to have one.