Connections for February 2021

Cornerstone Group © 2021 When people visit your home, one of their first questions is likely to be, “What’s your Wi-Fi password?” If your response is to give them the password for your main Wi-Fi network, you may want to think again. Revealing this information could pose a network security risk, since guests might accidentally download a malicious program or connect an already infected device to your network. A better approach is to set up a guest Wi-Fi network with its own password. A guest Wi-Fi network is essentially a separate access point on your router, which allows visitors to access the internet without compromising the security of your main Wi-Fi network. In addition to this aspect of increased security, there are several other reasons for having a guest Wi-Fi network, including: You can create a simpler password for guests. While your main Wi-Fi network should be protected with a long and strong password, it’s fine to make your guest Wi-Fi network’s password shorter and easier to remember. It’s safer for your smart home devices to be connected to a guest Wi-Fi network. Smart home devices—from smart lighting and thermostats to smart locks and security cameras—are more vulnerable to being hacked than your home’s computers with the latest updates installed. This means that if smart home devices are connected to your mainWi-Fi network and get hacked, cybercriminals could gain access to that network and the devices and data on it. However, if you connect your smart home devices to a guestWi-Fi network, even if one of these devices gets hacked, the data available to the hacker will be limited. You’ll have the ability to control bandwidth. With a guest Wi-Fi network, you can put a limit on the speed/bandwidth available to your visitors while you enjoy maximum performance and speed from your main Wi-Fi network. Our Managed Wi-Fi can help you set up a guest Wi-Fi network. For details, call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000. Good Reasons to Set Up a Guest Wi-Fi Network Important Information for Our TV Customers You may have wondered, “Why does my TV bill keep going up?” Well, it’s certainly not because Panora Telco and Guthrie Center Communications want to increase rates. It’s because of the rising fees we have to pay broadcasters to include their networks in our channel lineups. We did our best to negotiate with broadcasters in 2020 for fair fees so we can bring you the most affordable TV service possible. However, as always, we faced big challenges: • Consolidation among the major network media companies means they have negotiating power and programming leverage. • These media conglomerates may demand double or triple fee increases or more. The vast majority of your monthly TV bill pays for this programming. While we manage our internal costs with great efficiency, we have very little control over the fees charged by the networks. That’s why we’ll soon need to make rate adjustments for our TV service. If you have any questions, please call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000. charities, and companies with whom you’ve had contact.

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