An access point acts as a central transmitter and receiver of wireless radio signals. Mainstream wireless APs support Wi-Fi and are used in homes, public internet hotspots, and business networks to accommodate wireless mobile devices. The access point can be incorporated into a wired router or a stand-alone router. What Is a WAP Used For? Stand-alone access points are small physical devices that closely resemble home broadband routers. Wireless routers used for home networking have access points built into the hardware and work with stand-alone AP units....

How Does AliExpress Work? To use AliExpress, you first need to sign up for a free account via the sign-up link in the top-right corner of the official AliExpress website. Create a new account by manually entering your email address in the sign-up form, or by logging in with your Facebook, Google, or VK account. After the initial account creation, AliExpress will ask for your first and last name, your gender, your date of birth, your nationality, and a selection of several shopping categories that interest you, such as men’s fashion, tech accessories, and consumer electronics....

What Is an HTM or HTML File? An HTM or HTML file is a Hypertext Markup Language file and is the standard web page file type on the internet. Since HTM files are text-only files, they just contain text (like what you’re reading now), as well as text references to other external files (like the image in this article). HTM and HTML files can also reference other files like video, CSS, or JS files....

What Does DLC Mean in Games? DLC is sold exclusively by a game’s publisher in digital format. It tends to be tied to the individual customer’s console or account, which means DLC can’t be resold or traded like physical game discs. A similar concept to DLC is disc-locked content, which must be activated through an online service. Sometimes, companies release physical copies of games with a code needed to download additional content....

If we want to get a little more techical, the term HDTV has two meanings. HDTV Broadcasting HDTV is part of the Digital TV (DTV) Broadcast Standard, administered by the ATSC (Advanced Standards Television Committee). In 2009, TV broadcasting in the U.S. switched from analog to digital (DTV), which includes HDTV. Not all DTV transmissions are HDTV. A DTV channel can be used for multiple standard resolution (SDTV – 480i/p) subchannels or one or two HDTV channels (720p or 1080i) in combination with one or two SDTV subchannels....

Which Devices Can Use Sidecar? Apple introduced Sidecar alongside iOS/iPadOS 13 and macOS Catalina (10.15), so you’ll need devices running at least those operating systems to use this feature. More recent versions of iOS and macOS have dropped the feature for iPhones, though, but that’s not to say it won’t come back in the future. Here are the devices that support Sidecar. If you aren’t sure yours qualifies, you can check your iPad model and see what kind of Mac or MacBook you have....

FLAC files are popular in the lossless audio space. In digital audio, a lossless codec is one that does not lose any important signal information about the original analog music during the file-compression process. Many popular codecs use lossy compression algorithms—for example, the MP3 and Windows Media Audio standards—which lose some audio fidelity during rendering. Ripping Music CDs Many users wishing to back up their original audio CDs (​CD ripping) opt to use FLAC to preserve the sound rather than using a ​lossy format....

What Is Marco Polo? Marco Polo is a one-way-at-a-time video chat service. You use it on your device to record a video message to send to a friend or group of friends. The recipients can watch you live, but they can’t send their video back at the same time (like a FaceTime call). The recipient can also watch your videos at a later time. Essentially, the people in the chat take turns sending videos....

The Xbox Adaptive Controller’s Design The design of the Xbox Adaptive Controller appears very basic at first glance, with two giant black circle buttons replacing the traditional A and B buttons next to a larger-than-normal D-pad and slightly bigger Xbox One menu buttons. Despite its streamlined appearance, though, the Xbox Adaptive Controller also features 19 ports for additional accessories that, once connected, can work as inputs for the other buttons on the regular Xbox controller, such as X, Y, RT, RB, LT, and LB....

What Is VRAM on a Graphics Card? VRAM is a specific type of RAM or random-access memory as it is solely dedicated to assisting your graphics card. It’s not possible to use VRAM with the rest of the computer. Instead, it focuses on helping the GPU work better. While regular RAM reads and stores data for the CPU, VRAM completes the same job for your GPU. Generally, the more VRAM a system has, the faster it performs because it doesn’t need to rely on the computer’s RAM or processor as much....

Only Available on Netbooks The most important thing to know is that Windows 7 Starter edition is exclusively for use on netbook computers. You can’t get it on a standard PC (nor would you want it, in most cases). It may still be offered as an option on the netbook models still available for purchase. What’s Missing in Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Starter is a significantly stripped-down version of Windows 7....

How to Sign Up for YouTube Premium To sign up for YouTube Premium, you need a Google account. If you don’t have an account, you can create one when you sign up for YouTube Premium. YouTube Premium Family and Student Plans A YouTube Premium subscription applies only to a single account. If you have multiple YouTube accounts, only the one you sign up with gets YouTube Premium benefits. If you want to extend your YouTube Premium benefits to more than one person, YouTube offers a family plan....

The entry-level MacBook Air is also silent, because it has no fan, and can run for up to 18 hours on a single charge. And the story just gets crazier from there. In tests, the M1 chips powering these new “Apple Silicon” Macs is faster in single-core performance (more on that in a second) than any other Mac ever made, including the high-end $6,000 Mac Pro. Oh, and you can also run your iPhone and iPad apps on these new Macs....

The MacBook Air now comes with the M2 chip. The latest MacBook Pro comes in three sizes and several configurations. The 13-inch models run on either Apple’s original M1 chip or the M2 chip. The 14-inch models are equipped with the new M1 Pro chip, and the 16-inch model gives users a choice between the M1 Pro chip and the power-packed M1 Max chip. MacBook Air With M2 Chip The M2 MacBook Air packs a lot of power into a slim, lightweight laptop....

Since the mid-1990s, surround sound has been an integral part of the home theater experience and, with that, there is an abundance of surround sound formats to choose from. The Big Players in the Surround Sound Landscape The main players in the surround sound landscape are Dolby and DTS. However, there are others. Most home theater receiver producers have additional third-party partnerships with one or more companies that offer their own twists to enhance your surround experience....

Just like “neutral” algorithms programmed by white computer programmers, photography has long favored white skin over black. In 2020, Twitter’s auto-cropping tool got caught ignoring non-white faces, but it goes back a lot farther than that. Photographic film itself was optimized for pale skin tones. Digital cameras are way better, but much of that can be attributed to how they work rather than an effort to capture dark skin better....

Apple Music compresses its audio files for the sake of download speeds, which according to some users can degrade the overall sound quality. Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) is designed to offset these compression issues and preserve the original file’s data. This will allow Apple Music’s entire catalog, encoded at 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD Quality) up to 24-bit/192 kHz resolutions, to be played at its best. This is provided listeners also have high-quality wired audio output devices connected to their devices, though....

Many companies show off concept designs, or release products that are unlikely to sell in large numbers. These “halo” products can be fantastic, like Fujifilm’s new 50mm ƒ1.0 lens, or they can be pride-driven white elephants, like the 20th Anniversary Mac. They’re almost always interesting, but why do companies make them? “In general, the design and production of a halo product is a calculated move to move forward the technology capability and brand image,” John Carter, ex-chief engineer at Bose and inventor of Bose’s noise-cancelling headphones, told Lifewire via email....

Why Does My TV Look Blue? Your TV’s settings are the most common reason your TV might look blue. Most TVs have a wide variety of image quality adjustments that can alter how the image looks. While most settings make the TV look better, a mistake can cause unwanted results, including an overly blue appearance. It’s not the only reason a TV may look blue. Other causes include: An incorrect setting on an attached device....

Where Pokémon Legends: Arceus promises a big, open world for players to explore, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl offer a welcome escape to the Pokémon that many of us grew up playing. The introduction of Pokémon’s fourth generation was an exciting time, and the opportunity to re-explore it is just as enticing as the promises that future Pokémon games offer. “Diamond and Pearl were the first Pokémon games that I played entirely through, and with friends,” Talyah Regusters, a fan of the series, told Lifewire via email....